A good life at any age
5 December 2019 | 50 Faces 50 Lives
Six Degrees of Separation. I met Graeme Leith some months ago. Friends gathered to have lunch with him at the winery he established. Passing Clouds. It was a pleasant lunch overlooking the neatly planted rows of vines. He’s written a book about his life of winemaking and he generously gave me a copy. (Passing Clouds – A Winemaker’s Journey)
I spent a day and into the night reading his story. Gripped. It was so many things. A beautifully crafted narrative of the many layers of a man’s life. A Boys Own adventure tale. A story of love and humanity. The tale of a man’s passion, vision and drive to create Passing Clouds wines and build a thriving business in a crowded market. An enthusiast’s guide to the intricacies of winemaking. A devastating tragedy and the struggle to go on living.
My binge reading was also egocentric. Throughout his story there were points of connection, our paths touching around people we knew in common and places we had been. As I read through the night I was heard to say to myself…….. ” No! You studied Italian at the University in Perugia? Me too. Or “Really….You know John and Stefano? …me too!” “You lived in Stanley on the NW coast of Tasmania! No one knows about Stanley… I go there every spring…ME TOO!” Six Degrees of Separation.
So now I’m driving through the rolling hills heading for Passing Clouds winery to meet up with Graeme and find out more about this very interesting man. A pleasant morning of storytelling and memories shared as we drink coffee and munch on cake.
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Six Degrees of Separation. I met Graeme Leith some months ago. Friends gathered to have lunch with him at the winery he established. Passing Clouds. It was a pleasant lunch overlooking the neatly planted rows of vines. He’s written a book about his life of winemaking and he generously gave…
5 December 2019 | 50 Faces 50 Lives
Let me tell you a simple story that I think sums up a very special woman, Kate Redwood. I’m sitting at her kitchen table concluding the interview for this 50 Faces 50 Lives article. The “Interview” has evolved into a warm chat among two new friends as we share our…
22 November 2019 | 50 Faces 50 Lives
In the series 50 Faces 50 Lives I interview men and woman who have shaped a joyful, meaningful life in their later years. When I started this project 10 interviews ago I thought it would be fun and a way of meeting some interesting people. It is so much more….
12 November 2019 | 50 Faces 50 Lives
What a wonderful pre-Christmas present for our Viva 70 readers! Our Canadian Viva 70 contributors have done it again! This is a story of people making magic happen. The recipe? Take a small group of people with a great idea. Let it ferment. Mix in large dollops of passion that…
29 November 2019 | Arts
The long awaited third series of The Crown arrived by royal carriage on Netflix last Sunday. Building on the stories of series 1 and 2 but with new actors in the feature roles series 3 is well….different. Let’s do a roll-call. Olivia Coleman is the new Queen Elizabeth taking over…
22 November 2019 | Arts
A chance wander through the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne bought me face to face with the amazing photography of Petrina Hicks. She is a Sydney based photographer whose work ” flirts with artiface and perfection.” The scale of her photographs is huge and walking into the exhibition the…
31 October 2019 | Arts
Hi Everyone! I’ve just made it to publish our monthly snippets for November! Months fly by. This is the column where I collect random interesting ” bits” that readers have sent in or I’ve stumbled across this month. Grab a coffee and settle into a comfy place and enjoy this…
28 November 2019 | Life-Style
Outside the wind howls and lashes the trees and they bend, compliant to a greater force. It’s a violent, snarling dry wind that leaches the atmosphere of its humidity and softness. The air is thick with haze and swirling dust and leaves. Its 38 degrees outside. 90kmph winds. At 1.30…
22 November 2019 | Life-Style
When I asked my university post-grad. business students what hobbies they had, I expected gaming, sport, going out with friends, social media etc. OK the survey sample was smallish- 40 students but no 1 leisure activity among both men and women was listed as shopping! I explored further…so you mean…
24 October 2019 | Life-Style
This month Viva 70 welcomes Graeme Leith as a guest writer to our pages. Apart from being a talented winemaker and founder of Passing Clouds vineyard, Graeme is a prolific writer and published author. His storytelling and dry wit is legendary and I think I’ve nearly cajoled and harassed him…
5 December 2019 | Living Well
The PBS News Hour program is fabulous. I stumbled across it here in Melbourne by accident channel surfing on a particularly bleak rainy day. It’s on SBS Viceland at 4.10pm weekdays. I’m sure its streamed on other media too. On Friday I saw an interview with Jane Fonda. It made…
9 November 2019 | Living Well
In Australia’s cooler climes November is the last month of spring. In my garden the birch trees are laden with catkins, the ornamental grape has clusters of fine powdery seeds, lavenders and roses bloom and pollens abound. This month our resident wellness expert, Julia Richards has sent through a very…
6 November 2019 | Living Well