It’s holiday time and while Melbourne rushes to the beach, I rush to the city.  The days between Christmas and New Year see beaches and shopping centres crowded, but the roads are free of school traffic so moving around is easy.  There’s a laid-back summer vibe in Melbourne that I…

Let me start with a story. I was living the corner office dream in the 1990’s. A well-paid corporate job, big hair and shoulder pads, and a big ego, I was General Manager of an international consulting firm, saw little of the family and a lot of the coveted glass…

Never one to live moderately, I now belong to 3 book groups. I’m reading more than ever and I’m reading books and exploring authors that I never before knew about. Recently, we were asked to share a list of all-time favourite books. This is my list in no particular order……

” Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”  A mantra for older age. A Funeral eulogy favourite. Dylan Thomas’s famous poem suddenly came to life  last October when  I visited his…

Someone once said ” There are 2 seasons in Scotland- June and winter!” I should have heard this before I set off to the UK in September/ October this year! I had grand plans. For my 74th birthday I would spend a week in my favourite town in Scotland, Oban….

Whether it’s by the sea or in the countryside many Viva 70 readers dream of owning a little place with a garden in a small community as a weekend escape from the city or a permanent residence. You know the dream where life is simple and the cottage is comfortable…

” Perch where the wind comes at you full-force. Let it blow you apart till your feathers fly and you look like hell. Then abandon yourself. The wind is not your enemy, Nothing in life is. Go where the wind takes you- backwards- higher, lower. The wind to carry you…

Let me set the scene. Lesley and I returned from a L_O_N_G  5 – day trip through the Scottish Highlands late last night. The days started early and the schedule was strenuous, so we agreed to have a couple of days to ourselves before leaving for Inverness. And it’s raining…..

” What will my ventures entail, as I begin on this unknown trail, even through the rain and clouds, nature’s beauty still shines proud. The vivid greens and ice-cold streams is what true beauty means.”  (The Yorkshire Dales by Gemma Alexander) My obsession with TV programs like All Creatures Great…