Ask Steph

It's a one of those rare warm days in Melbourne. Fantabulous weather for a spot of gardening - say what old chum? So - I have discovered the joys of weed-eaters. ( weed-whackers if you're American, and whirly something or other  if you're Australian) We have bought a petrol one, 2 reasons mainly , firstly the battery ones are just to piddly to handle the vicious grass we have round the side of our rental house. Durban Blue has nothing on this stuff, I'm wishing for some pansy ass African veld-grass right about now actually. And secondly because we are responsible for clearing away the weeds when construction begins on our house. Seriously. It's another one of those strange, strange things about being in Australia. Just before the building company takes possession ( as it were) of your stukkie grond . You are responsible to clear away any tall grass and weeds.

So I've been going through some of the boxes that are still packed . The ones that didn't hold the kitchen equipment and bedding , that were not critical to my survival when the container first arrived with my worldly possessions from South Africa. And I found some old school memorabilia, certificates of achievement , you know, those all important spelling things , and full attendance for 100 years straight , all those typical nerdy things that 10 year olds are so proud of , but pretend doesn't matter to them. I stumbled onto some of my old poems. I was quite the little pen-woman in my primary school days. Particularly after my grandparents died. I suppose it was my way of dealing with something big  and shocking that I really couldn't process any other way. It was something that shook up my whole family. My grandparents, my Aunt , and 2 cousins , all died in the same car accident , when a drunk driver , on the wrong side of the highway ( freeway if you're Aus...

Happy new year , for anyone on my side of the date line of course ...... And for everyone else still celebrating - have a good one. And be safe . Don't drink and drive  and all that other public safety announcement stuff. Drinking excessively is a problem - Violent people get more violent. And then there are those lovely mild-mannered sweet-hearts who turn into Mr Hyde at the whiff of a vodka tonic. Not that I'm innocent of course - I have been known to partake of the fermented by-product from grapes , as well as some potato juice on occasion. And I was the quintessential student in my day - roaring it up on drinking nights , held in check only by my very short pockets, rather than any attempt to remain responsible. But I'll not bore you to death with my strong opinions on that matter - at least not today anyway. The reason I mention it is because Melbourne Metlink provided free public transport to all and sundry last night from 6pm onwards , all night long. And I c...

So - the infamous friends that went cherry picking in the rain , while I was studying for my exam, have done it again. The buggers went cherry picking yesterday and invited me to come with. All good and well, except yesterday was a work day for me - I, being a self employed working from home type, don't get 'leave' as such. Yes , I get the convenience of going out on a work day should I choose to , but the reality is - that choice boils down to if I can do it without compromising any work. And I am far too diligent to let that happen. So , Mrs Scrooge McDuck here, stayed at home and worked , while cherries got picked in some of the nicest weather I have seen since arriving in Melbourne 9 months ago. It's a crying shame. And I was very miffed about it all actually. Not to fear though - I got my pound of flesh . We bought 2 kilos of fresh picked cherries off them when they came home with their spoils . And I now have purple stained sticky fingers from painstakin...

I remember as a child christmas was the most fantastic time of year. I remember the build up to christmas day, from the moment school finished on that one last day of term, the excitement and anticipation could barely be contained in my house. Growing every day that we got closer to the 25th until I had whipped the whole house up into a festive whirpool, and , to quote my husband ( ever the sharp witted cynic) it looked like someone had vomited christmas all over the house , inside and out. And I loved every second of it. I was nagging to have the decorations up as early as November , catching christmas beetles and whispering lists of all the presents that I wanted to them before letting them go outside my window. I made my brothers and anyone else I could bully enough come caroling with me ( yes , I made them go caroling in the height of an Africa Summer)  , I made my parents stay up late on christmas eve , with the tree lights going , just sitting and talking and singing caro...

Just so we are clear - I am talking in philosophical terms here - not about specific people , or any particular incidents that may or may not have happened to me in the recent ( or distant ) past. I am expressing my beliefs and comments on world affairs. No more. This is a personal opinion, and it does not change my view of my Christian friends and family, whom I love dearly.  :  Christians think of themselves as a flock of sheep , following their shepherd. And truly - I cannot think of a more truthful analogy. There are few things more comforting that knowing that all the hard decisions in life are already made for you. You don't need think about all those really tough ethical issues - like what is right and wrong exactly , and how to determine whether your construct of the universe works well or not. It's handed to you , a ready made rule book , with a knowledge expert ( priest/ pastor/ counselor ) who will help you to understand something , or just t...

I have decided that there is nothing worse than being sick in a country where you have no idea what you can and can't buy at a pharmacy. Everything has a different name, the dosages aren't the same, and even if you find a replacement for your tried and tested flu-busting favourites. There is no guarantee that they'll  sommer * hand it over  the counter. I want Orange flavoured Eno's for my chronic heartburn . I want proper sinutab, with all it's varieties , and not this wishy washy crap over here. I want Sinutab ND for the daytime , and Sinutab with codeine for when my flu-ish aches and pains and sniffs are so bad that I can't sleep. I want med-lemon extreme with ginger and ginseng. I do love my Vick Vapo-Steam though , and the extra soft 2-ply eucalyptus tissues. And the chewable Vitamin C that doesn't taste like a lemon gave birth in your mouth. And the really  lekker   blue stuff that everyone gives to their children when they're si...