Life in the slow lane…
The world needs more mystery, don’t you think?
As words go, zeitgeist adds more mystery to its meaning. It packs a futuristic spin on a moment in time. Knowing the zeitgeist works wonders as a sociological ah-ha moment. A mental shortcut that helps you make sense of things whether you're excited or troubled by...
Garden habits and other lessons in life
Chelsea’s annual glitterati of gardening is just a few weeks away. A cornucopia of the great, good and glamorous of the horticultural world. Can’t beat it for armchair gardening. You can turn horticultural pundit in the comfort of your home. Opining on growers,...
Brain Sparks and other nonsense
Somewhere in space is a spaceship that contains the fountain of eternal youth. It's true. They even made a movie about it. But who needs movies when we have built-in virtual reality. That secret life in our heads that is a playground, a retreat or a boiling cauldron...
So what’s new? The April fool.
I've been the April fool so often. The annual sport to trip me up or trick me out. And, for someone who really, and I mean, really, doesn't like to be teased there was no fun in the fooling around. There was the time I was convinced that I'd got a speeding ticket....
To blog or not?
So often I ponder, to blog or not? Today I thought not. So, I logged in to remove the link to the Domestic Executive Facebook page. Part of my defiant attempt to squeeze useless social media from my life, and save the souls of others too. And, here I am. Pondering, to...
The edges of beauty
Bula, greetings from the South Pacific………. It’s hard to conceive how far New Zealand is from the rest of the world until you want to get away. If you fancy a change of scene, respite from winter, have a burning want to drink in another culture or want to...
Is it age or rage?
There’s something of a role reversal emerging here at Domestic Executive HQ. But not in the way you might ordinarily imagine. Alas, no-one has yet stepped up to take over the ironing. Instead, I’ve taken up the mantle of owner of speakers’ corner and custodian...
The curse of the cursor
There's a blinking cursor on the screen. Winking at me. Throbbing rhythmically like a resting heartbeat.  The longer that I stare at it, the emptier my mind becomes. The cursor seems competitive, challenging me to write and the longer I stare at it, the more I...
Lessons in light and life
How would you feel if someone suggested visiting a squatters commune to your touring itinerary? Probably not that enthralled, at least that would have been my reaction. But when a fellow photographer suggests a detour to make the most of the gorgeous evening light,...
New starts
Cough, cough. Cough, cough. Excuse me whilst I let the clouds of dust settle for a moment ........ Snowdrops are some of the most determined yet delicate plants to have in the garden, a symbol of how nature battles on regardless to signal that new seasons are on the...
Holding on to what is precious in life
Amongst the jumble in my head is a crystal clear picture. It often pops up uninvited but mostly I call on it when I need to find light in what feels like a dark place in life. It looks something like this. I lean into the memory of Fortnum’s quizzical look. His...
The pain of earthquakes in life
It doesn't take much for the vivid memories of the Christchurch earthquake to come flooding back. Four years on, my body still floods with adrenalin when I least expect. The heavy rumbling of a bus passing a bookshop last week momentarily set me looking for somewhere...