Great Love stories of our time

Despite my lacklustre love life (No Father, I’m not putting up billboards offering free drinks for single men on Valentine’s Day!), I love to be around romance. Especially Italians in Love. They're such dramatically charming, enthusiastic Lovers of Love. Love for families, their momma, each other and eating. Like Anthony Carluccio, the Italian Chef who inspired Britain's love affair for pasta. Romeo & Juliet in the ultimate love story. And closer to home, Frank & Rose La Rosa, lovely owners of Barcaldine House & Winery (7 mins).

When Rose isn’t in the winery kitchen making fresh, fresh, fresh pasta that is Michelangelo worthy and fabulously boozy tiramisu (I’m getting chunky just thinking about it), she’s being cuddled by Frank.  They met at the age of 9. Were courting at 16 and married at 22. Now almost 40 years later, whenever Rose walks into the room, Frank proclaims to anyone who will listen, “Isn’t Rose beautiful!” Love oozes out of Rose’s food; simple, tasty, wonderful Italian Momma fare that is only a checked tablecloth and airfare away from the back streets of Florence....Read more...

Living the fairytale

Day spas. Famous chefs, artists, musicians and intellectuals. Sartorial fashion. Soul soothing coffee. Many have said that I live in a fairytale world. Absolutely! I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole into Wonderland, where ordinary lives turn into epic fantasy adventures. There’s even a fortnightly Mad Hatter’s Tea Party (Locals prefer to call it Aperitifs), just with wine, not tea. And marginally less crazy.

At last week’s BYO Aperitifs, Linda and I sat on large comfy chairs placed under the tree in front of Topham Trading. Engaged in a lively discussion on whether Tweed, Tea and Wellies is fairytale or fact.  Actually it was more a mutual appreciation society than Stephen Fry vs. Alan Davies on QI, after discovering that we’re both avid enthusiasts of mythology. ...Read more...

Daylesford Face Off, 2012

I’ve driven over to Trentham (17mins) for the Art & Craft Fair. So many fabulous artists are in this area and they keep complimenting me on my interesting face (is that a compliment or not?). Surrounded by all this art has got me thinking. As the head of England, significant events in HRH The Queen’s life are commemorated by commissioned portraits. In her absence on these shores, Dame Edna in semi-retirement, Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman spending more and more time in America, Kylie living on the stage and Eric Bana lost in his Incredible Hulk costume; I’m probably the most famous face in Australia right now.

I need a portrait painted! It will go on the back cover of my soon to released book, To Daylesford, with Love. But to whom will this honour be bestowed? Pete Goodlet, the TV celebrity landscape gardener and abstract modern artist or Jodie Fergusson-Batte, wonderful example of doing something useful with mood swings and lunatic tendencies?  But I do love Jo Ruchel, curator of Daylesford’s answer to Mini MOMA and her outrageous use of line and colour.  What to do? What to do? What to do?

Only fair solution… have a competition and let the best painter win. And so it was. Introducing the contestants of the inaugural Daylesford Face Off, 2012...Read more...

A Little Lamb for Australia Day

Robert had a Little Lamb, whose fleece was white as snow,
but when he mentioned the slaughterhouse, she didn’t want to go.
Worried Australia Day would be the flop of all flops
(what’s an Aussie Barbie, without lamb chops?),

Robert pleaded with her, “Please reconsider?”

But it was hopeless... this lamb was no quitter.

In desperation, Robert told the story of Australia Day,
hoping her National Pride would come what may.
On January 26, seventeen eighty eight,
a fleet of ships landed in Sydney, two weeks late.
The ships were full of English crooks & crims,
Australia’s first official European Imms...Read more...

Will anyone be my Valentine?

Valentine's Day is just weeks away and at this rate I’ll be sobbing into my champers in the metaphorical field of dreams . Everyone said that I’d be spoilt for choice in the country; the streets paved with Single Hot Farmers. Really?? I’m not seeing it!

But then one never knows what’s around the corner. Maybe a Date on Valentines is my destiny, in which case I need to start preparations immediately. There’s a LOT to be done after the Dating Desert of recent years; return to gym, facial, manicure, pedicure, eyebrow shaping, wax, spray tan and start The Lunch Box Diet.. voted “Best Diet 2012” by Elle Magazine. To prep or not to prep? That is the question....Read more...

The Great Daylesford Mooch

What to do? What to do? What to do? Father had started measuring the wooden kitchen bench-top and Mother's ironing my delicates. Clearly a crisis situation calling for drastic action.  Which is how The Great Daylesford Mooch (aka The Walkabout) became a new family tradition. Not to be confused... Mooch means meander


The Mill (1km from main street)
Father almost knocked himself out on the oven hood, when I mentioned that first stop in The Great Daylesford Mooch was the Mill. Father is a highly respected sawmiller and native timber specialist on the international wood circuit, and there is NOTHING he loves more than mooching around a mill. As a young family, we travelled to faraway lands…visiting sawmills, forests, tree farms, logging communities… basically anything to do with trees. Never been more grateful that Tinkerbelle and the Lost Boys lived in a tree, otherwise would never have seen Disneyland...Read more...

ON MY MIND...Marriage, Madonna & courgettes

I hope that...

Serena Williams DOESN’T meet #HotAussieMan while she's in Melbourne for the Australian Open. If she does, then every non-attached celebrity around the world will be jetting their way down here & taking all our single men. I can’t cope with the competition. Mother already concerned that my martial progress is going at glacial pace.

How could…

Kate Middleton (aka Duchess of Cambridge) be so disloyal to the memory of her Mother-In-Law, Princess Diana?  Hunter wellies were one of Di’s favourite brands; she even wore them in her official engagement photo to Prince Charles (1980). I’m shocked and appalled at Kate wearing the trés chic French brand, Le Chameau, so have set up Team Hunter, Australia. Been wearing my Hunter Wellies for 5 days straight this week. Quite challenging once the temperatures reached 38°C but luckily I live in a spa town with mineral springs spurting out of pot holes. Kate, please come to your senses. And Hunter Wellies… could you please make some wellies for summer? ...Read more...

Milan got style. Daylesford got cool.

I’m torn. What’s better on a man? Style or Cool? Watching the first videos coming out of Milan Fall 2012 Fashion Week, has me craving for a man with European swag. You don’t see many Australian men in trench coat, rolled up Gucci jeans and black Balenciaga leather shoes wandering down the main street of Daylesford.

Perhaps fashion was the real reason that early settlers moved to Australia… to get as far away as possible from skinny jeans. Admittedly, European fashion can stretch the very definition of manliness, especially this year’s Dolce & Gabanna hits; Sicilian winter capes, roughly-seamed grey suits inlaid with baroque gold appliqué detailing and studded workers boots. I’m sure when Stefano Gabbana at yesterday's menswear show said, "We’re giving people something to dream of" he wasn’t referring to people in Australia...Read more...

Who should be the face of Qantas?

Why would Qantas make model Miranda Kerr their global ambassador when no-one in the world has ever really heard of her?  It’s almost as ludicrous as having John Travolta representing Australia’s national airline. He may be close personal friends with Olivia Newton-John, sing the coolest version of Tie me Kangaroo Down ever and have a koala bear named after him, but that doesn’t make him Australian. Does it? ...Read more...

Wellies couture war: Kate Middleton vs. Me!

Huge fashion news just off the wire… Kate Middleton (who ever remembers her Royal name?) and Prince Harry have thrown aside generations of British Royal fashion lore and started wearing FRENCH wellies!! The brand that has captured the heart (and feet) of the world’s favourite Princess is Le Chameau.

Now très chic (and très cher at £300 a pair) they may be, but British they are not. And slightly disloyal to the memory of her Mother-In-Law, Princess Diana, who loved Hunter wellies; wearing her first pair just after the engagement announcement to Prince Charles in 1980....Read more...

TO DAYLESFORD, WITH LOVE – the movie

Why has no-one made a movie here before?  It has all the necessary elements:  small close-knit, rural Australian town, colourful characters, mineral springs spurting from potholes, award winning vineyards, Ned Kelly meets Armani lifestyle, kangaroos, day spas on every corner, celebrity locals (Eric Bana, Guy Pearce, Michael Jackson’s songwriter) and Me!  So taking the initiative, I’ve drafted the screenplay.

TO DAYLESFORD, WITH LOVE

Character and Casting Notes

Carolyn, early 40’s, witty fashionista with Sophie Dahl figure (pre modeling career), Twiggy haircut and obsession for Prada and Hunter wellies. Moved from a life of couture, champagne cocktails and big business in London to rural Daylesford; quaint, yet slightly eccentric rural spa town in Australia. Her parents, friends, sister and random strangers don’t believe the crazy things that happen to Carolyn so she started writing a diary blog to document her life. Inevitably, a publisher came knocking and before she knew it; the book was due for final submission in 7 days. (Tina Fey: 30 Rock, Date Night)

Charles, 43 years, the Bill Gates of Ireland. Visiting Daylesford (from Ireland) for 7 days to attend his sister’s wedding. (Gerard Butler: The Ugly Truth. P.S. I Love You)

Amanda Fontanella  -  Meg Ryan
Giovanni Fontanella – Robert de Niro
Tina (The Convent) –  Toni Collette
Anna (Herbal Lore) – Nia Vardalos (Big Fat Greek Wedding)
Roger (Herbal Lore) - Ray Winstone
Ken (Big Shed) – Sean Connery
Mathew (Daylesford House Café) – Richard Hammond (Top Gear UK)
Vigen, The Prince (Larder Café) – Benny D (Akon’s DJ)
Eric Bana -  Himself
Guy Pearce – Himself
Dame Edna – Herself
Cate Blanchett - Herself
Jason Temu – Himself

Synopsis...Read more...