Photo Friday: Living in a giant’s world

giant table close up

Hampstead Heath, London; Summer 2005 An art installation in Hampstead Heath in London in the summer of 2005. I love this – it really plays to the idea of living in a magical world. I feel like we are all miniature people, like Borrowers or Lilliputtians, and a giant is going to come along any [...]

More blogs that rock

Thumbs up!

Last week I listed a dozen travel blogs I love to read. Today I’m going to share some more blog recommendations, starting off with some more travel blogs and then expanding to other themes. Which blogs rock YOUR world? Have you nominated anyone for the 2012 Bloggies yet? Nominations close on Sunday (Monday Australian time) [...]

Why Detroit is worth visiting

Diego Rivera mural wall

When I tell people I have been to Detroit, they are usually surprised. When I tell them I liked it and would recommend it to other travellers, they are usually even more surprised. For starters it’s in “Flyover Country” and is not somewhere foreigners would generally go. Secondly it’s a city known for industrial grit [...]

My favourite travel blogs

Thumbs up!

I have been doing a spot of digital housekeeping to ring in the new year. I used TwitCleaner to clear out some of the junk that has ended up in my Twitter stream. I’ve locked down the privacy settings for my new Facebook Timeline on my personal account (I invite blog fans to ‘like’ my Facebook [...]

Recipe: Pastry for mince tarts and other treats

Christmas baking - tidy tart

I am not a stickler for doing everything from scratch but I much prefer to make my own mince pies. I am inevitably disappointed by shop-bought mince pies. The problem is the pastry. Even with the fancy brands, I don’t enjoy the pastry nearly as much as when I make it myself. I also find [...]

City kayaking tours around the world

Bridge over Derwent River in Hobart

Some cities demand to be admired from the water. I know – I live in one of them. As lovely as Sydney is, it is never lovelier than when you are out on the harbour. There are other cities too where the water is a huge feature. Copenhagen and Seattle are famous for their beautiful [...]

Kevin Spacey in Richard III: Now is the winter of our discontent

The Old Vic Theatre at night

When I lived in London, I went to see Kevin Spacey perform at the Old Vic Theatre every chance I got. The theatre is not in the West End, but on the south side of the river near Waterloo Station. It dominates its corner block on the intersection of Waterloo Road and The Cut because [...]

Passports with Purpose: We did it again!

Room to Read Zambia

I have to admit I had my doubts that we were going to reach our target with Passports with Purpose this year. To raise $80,000 – $30,000 more than last year’s target – seemed way too ambitious given the economic climate. I was quite worried when we only reached the halfway point with less than [...]

London at Christmas: Ten Unmissable Spots

Somerset House skating

Will Peach is one of the site editors over at Gap Daemon, the gap year travel website for backpackers and young travellers. He has written a guest post for me on Christmas in London, which I know from experience is one of the best places to spend Christmas. Will has done a great job researching [...]

Sydney contest: Win a cookie construction

Aussie surf shack cookie construction

That Roulla Yiacoumi is a clever cookie! She is a successful freelance technology journalist in Sydney and now she is also a baking entrepreneur. She has just launched her new business Cookie Constructions and is rushed off her feet with Christmas orders. For Christmas she is selling gingerbread houses in various sizes, in both a classic fairytale construction [...]

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