So many things happened in my recent whirlwind 13 day visit to Cambodia, only 2 months before I return there to live and work. There was no time to write about it while I was there and I barely know where to start now. I’ll post a series of chapters covering most of what happened. … More Quick Cambodia Visit: Kim
Three weeks in Timor Leste in 2012 did something new and weird to my hair. When I returned to Australia, I attended my hairdresser and the conversation went: “What have you been up to?” “I’m not long back from three weeks in East Timor” “Oh, how was that?” “Well it was amazing, but look at … More For The Term Of Her Natural Hair
I’m getting ready to resign, sell up and move on. This morning four neighbours held a lawn sale together. A last minute decision, I only had time to grab a couple of things and dash over the road. Three hours later I walked away with $10 profit. We are planning another more organised effort sometime … More Selling Saturday
Almost every weekend I spend time chilling in front of the TV with Restoration Man, Grand Designs, Escape to the Country or one of many variants on the same theme. Cameras and a host follow a couple or family through their journey of building, buying, restoring or renovating a home in places like Australia, UK, … More Harsh Realities and Half Truths
A couple of weeks ago an almost-12 year old Weetbix came over to hang out. We were both tired. We spent some time picking mulberries, playing with the neighbour’s chooks and dog, watching cartoons and catching up on life. When it came time to head to the gym together for a class, Weetbix assumed he … More Pitfalls of Privilege Part 1
Theodor Seuss Geisel aka Dr. Seuss, died 25 years ago today. Of all the great memories I have of his books, the best by far is from the days when “Miss Twelve” lived with me. She was thirteen but obsessed about being twelve, hence the nickname. From her first night here, Green Eggs and Ham … More Time Has Flewn
In 2003, days before the Allied invasion of Iraq, Natalie Maine was performing on a London stage as lead singer of the Dixie Chicks. She is quoted as saying to the audience, “Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that … More Blackened Swans
If I had to pick a pivotal milestone during my daily experiences in Cambodia, I would probably pinpoint the boat trip with Mum and Ruth in January 2014. It was my first holiday, three months into my assignment with Medecins sans Frontieres. Since landing in Phnom Penh I’d been bombarded by sights which did not … More Rocks and Hard Places
In 1843 a survey was conducted in London which found that only 26 of the city’s 2,400 hospitalised patients were children. Yet in the same year, of 51,000 deaths recorded in London, 21,000 were children under the age of ten and one third of London’s children died before their first birthday. Clearly there was a … More A Tale of Two Cities
This week a scandal erupted in Australia. Reported in part from my home town, the exposé has rippled across the globe, making front page headlines as far away as Canada and Europe. The developed world has been affronted by images of a boy shackled to a mechanical restraint chair that our elected representatives approved the … More A Nostalgia For Injustice
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