What a relief it is to have a government that accepts and supports our Australian stories, past and present, no matter the format or medium. After many years of being ignored (and whittled down), creation and access to our stories is recognised as a critical part of a healthy society. Today the Australian Government launched […]
The telephone
Inspired by this photo, here’s a story I wrote. Thanks for taking the time to read it. Dear Lucy, I enjoyed chatting with you today. It’s always great to hear your voice and share what’s new in our lives. It reminded me of this family story, which you may not have heard before. Last century, […]
Here’s how to read my newsletters
“This weekly newsletter is written by me, Erica Spinks, so I can share stories about books, gardens, quilts and other interests with you.“ These are words from the footer of my weekly newsletters and, hopefully, gives you an idea of what to expect. I write a newsletter each Sunday and, if you subscribe, it will […]
In my garden column: February 2022
All my friends know that blue is my favourite colour, so it’s no surprise I encourage plants with blue or purple flowers to grow in my garden. This is Geranium ‘Rozanne’, which delights me every time I pass by. I write more about my blue garden in my February gardening column for our local newspaper Southern […]
Signup for my newsletter
Hooray, hooray! I have a new newsletter, called Creative Dabbling, and you can signup to receive it now – straight into your inbox. I’m excited about this because it will give us more opportunities to chat about books, gardens and quilts – and anything else that diverts me during my wanderings. You can signup in […]
In my garden column: December 2021
We’ve had so much rain that my garden is sodden, with pools of water along the edges of beds in the back garden. It seems like every day there is some in our rain gauge. If only it would fall evenly throughout the year! The next few days should bring some sunshine. Oh happy days. […]
In my garden column: November 2021
Look, it’s raining – no, it’s not – yes, it is. Such is the nature of the weather today. Showers come and go and I swear I can see plants growing. I was able to weed part of my flower bed this morning in between showers. My lifetime scourge – kikuyu grass runners – have […]
In my garden column: October 2021
It’s such a beautiful day here. The temperature is a mild 18 degrees and it is sunny with a gentle breeze. I appreciate this even more than normal after the showers, storms and even hail we had this past week. I’ve spent the morning in the garden, observing what’s happened, weeding and flinging some seeds […]
In my garden column: September 2021
As is normal in September here, some days and nights are cold while others are warm. It’s noticeable that the season is changing, with blossoming trees in all the streets and gardens. The crab apple in my back yard is in all its blossoming glory (look at those colours!) yet the one in the front […]
In my garden column: August 2021
It’s a beautiful winter’s day here – sunny but with a cold breeze. Perfect for inspecting the garden and noting how much work needs to be done! Tackling one section at a time seems to be the only way to not be totally overwhelmed. Focus Erica, focus. 😀 This is one of my rhododendrons with […]