Tag: Life’s Experiences
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A BLANK CALENDAR … SO A BEACH WALK
With the exception of a couple routine doctor appointments, a visit by a screen door repairer, and some Aussie visitors in August, I’ve got nothing on my calendar for the rest of my life. No travel plans, no meetings, no weddings, no holidays, no social engagements. Nada. Nothing. Zippo. I like that. Particularly since Padma and I have had such a full calendar the past 14 months. That doesn’t mean I’ve got nothing to do. Retirement didn’t suit me so I’m working almost full time on consultancies and freelance work. And…
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A DAYAK WELCOME IN BORNEO
The inter-tribal warfare amongst the Dayak people of Borneo in the old days was pretty brutal. But once the tribes made peace they welcomed their former enemies in a ceremony called ‘tampung tawar’. Now the Dayak use the ceremony to welcome visitors. My colleague, Beri, and I came to the village of Tumbang Samui in Indonesia’s Central Kalimantan to visit a community seedbank. With the assistance of the Borneo Institute and the Crop Trust the villagers are preparing their seed to conserve forever in the icy shelves of the Svalbard Global…
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THE RETURN TICKET
Three years ago today, I got a bit emotional as I bid farewell to the family home and friends of 22 years. Joseph and I were en route on an epic father/son adventure to the Georgian Caucasus Mountains and after that I was heading off to an even greater adventure – a new job in a new country, all sight unseen. If you gamble, you either win or lose. Three years ago, Padma, Joseph and I gambled everything we had. We sold our beloved home in the Adelaide Hills, packed everything…
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THE SEA CHANGE. AUF WIEDERSEHEN ADELAIDE
A few years ago, Padma and I started talking about a sea change. Joseph was nearing the end of his high school days and that would present us with an opportunity to spice up our lives a bit … change our jobs, change homes, change something, change anything. We all reach a point in our lives when we need to re-evaluate the direction our lives have taken, we need to examine what our true values are and, if we’ve strayed from our ideals, we need to get back on course. I…
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THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
Last Sunday morning, I felt like getting out in the woods and stretching the old legs with a good long bushwalk. The Cleland Conservation Park is just five minutes from our home and offers endless kilometres of quite challenging hiking trails. But as I drove past the Crafers bus stop and started driving up to Mt Lofty I was concerned that I was going to have plenty of company on the trails. Lots of people were getting off the bus carrying hiking sticks and water bottles and starting the trek up…
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LOST SOMETHING?
Some people have a knack for losing things … not me. I can tell you countless stories of how things I have ‘misplaced’ – wallets, phones, sunnies – have miraculously found their way back to me. And now I can add to that list a one hundred dollar bill. Padma and I received a card from Josh for Christmas and upon opening it we found a crisp new one hundred dollar note. In the card, Josh wrote, the money MUST be used to treat to yourself to dinner at Jaime Oliver’s…
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