Sometimes there are things to see in your own back – yard. In the spirit of “ explore something new every day,” I cheated a bit when I revisited the Convent Gallery, a 10 minute walk from my home. In all fairness I hadn’t been there for many years so…

She pours with rain as I sit in my cosy cottage, cat purring and darkness starting to fall at 5pm. But…it’s the last month of winter here in central Vic. and I’m done with Christmas in July and thick woolly clothes. This week’s rap looks at books and podcasts. Next…

Spend an afternoon hunting for a new sofa at any major homewares centre and you’ll soon discover the three key trends in interior design and decoration.  Open Elle Decor or check on – line sites such as theinspiredroom.net  and you’ll see imaginative and vivacious styling. The right mix of colour,…

Heat waves in Europe and black frost and floods here in Melbourne. Another month has flown and it’s time to gather some snippets…if you’d like to contribute a paragraph and/or photo please email them through..nora@viva70.com One In the UK recently it struck me how companies spent significant time and resources…

Some weeks ago a local gallery was closing its doors and I decided to visit its final sale of artworks. A very stylish woman, probably in her mid 50’s  was loading her car with  paintings and sculptures, lots of them.  As she headed into the gallery to pay for her…

As a tourist, how long does it take you to “know” a city? Seeing the main tourist attractions is one thing but getting a “vibe” of the unique character of the city may take much longer. Is it possible to get to know a city in a week or a…

It was raining again yesterday. And cold. The adolescent self wanted some new entertainment only found in big cities and preferably in the northern hemisphere. Call it “post -travel- you’re home again blues” but this kid needs a diversion. My seniors card in hand and rugged up against the elements…

My childhood knowledge of Scotland was an odd image of men in kilts, shortbread, a disgusting haggis thing and some great folk music. In primary school in England our music lesson was a weekly tune – in to the BBC schools program. The class monitor would distribute BBC song books…

A friend and I met for coffee the other day and I told him about my idea for a “Snippets” column……. A monthly column of interesting bits and pieces that we bump into as we adventure through our daily lives. He liked it and we began brainstorming ideas. Perhaps you’d…