MANNERS AND OTHER MATTERS

I have just returned from a really relaxing time at my beachhouse at Guilderton (Moore River) with some friends. It was fabulous to try new recipes, new wines, and new songs. My dogs had a wonderful time and I was also “doggie sitting”my sister’s dog so time at the beach exhausting the three of them was paramount. The weather was perfect for spring and I even managed to swim in the beautiful, but freezing cold,  Indian Ocean. So on my return it was such a dampner to find that my personal email account had been hacked into – somehow – and “I ”had been sending out peculiar emails to all those in my contact list. Apart from the inconvenience for all involved in changing to a new personal email address, it’s the time factor that is so annoying. I am sure that you have all received spam regularly. But what place do bad manners have in all this? A major place. The very worst thing about hackers and spammers is that they are anonymous and we can’t even reply to them without doing p...

I was chatting with some friends the other day, one of whom is recently separated, and she was asking how I manage to entertain so frequently and apparently effortlessly – with smoke and mirrors most of the time! – often without my partner. And the other question she asked is whether I received less invitations when I am in my single status. The answer is a resounding “yes”! I’m not sure if it’s a particularly Australian thing, but when it comes to dinner parties, for example, people seem to be more comfortable with even numbers of boys and girls. It’s tiresome. Even my long standing friends feel the need to invite someone to “make up numbers” if I’m invited to a meal with them. And when I ask my gay friends about this they say the same thing applies to them – safety in equal numbers. As for me, I don’t care if the numbers of my guests are not “even” when we sit down at the table. As long as my friends enjoy my food and each other’s company I am content. So, how do I provide...

I have just returned from a lovely walk along the beautiful Swan River foreshore near my home. It’s Sunday morning, with bright sunshine and lots of people taking advantage of the beginning of Spring and the warmer weather to walk with their dogs. My two little dogs firmly believe that the foreshore is their territory. They bark with excitement, sniff all newcomers and play with their familiar furry friends. The regular walkers all acknowledge each other with a smile and a greeting before moving on. And most of we same regulars also greet those we don’t recognise with some sort of acknowledgement. And so it was today when I walked and smiled and said “good morning” to a solitary and unfamiliar walker. He stopped and said “thanks…that’s nice of you”. I must have looked puzzled, because he added “You know, in Sydney no one walking in my area even makes eye contact any more”. It reminded me of the walks I have taken myself in Sydney, mainly around the Eastern Suburbs and noticed t...

I read an article in The Weekend Australian this morning by Media Editor Geoff Elliott in which he commented "It’s official – social media networks and twenty-somethings don’t mix. Not if you want to risk your professional career”. He was relating to the furore this week caused when Olympic swimmer Stephanie Rice, 22 used a derogatory term to describe the South African rugby team in a public message on Twitter. She lost her contract with Jaguar as a consequence of her actions. He then went on to relate that Matt Nicholls, 23 editor of a Fairfax Media-owned paper had been stood down for sending out “highly sensitive public messages on Facebook” over the death of a policeman in Sydney. I have a Facebook account which is very tightly – I hope – controlled by me and is seen only by my friends. But recently a photo of me dancing at a wedding in the UK was posted on someone else’s site and I was alerted to it by a friend. I was happy to leave it there – it was very flattering!! –...