Weekend 07 02 15 :: apn arm

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: P E O P L E : E A S Y E A T I N G : B O O K S : D I Y : G A R D E N : T R AV E L : E N T E R T A I N M E N T : F A S H I O N : H O M E

Weekend

EASY EATING: Seven scrumptious stir-fry recipes to get on your fork.

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HOW DOES SHE DO IT? B o o st Ju ice fo under Ja nine Allis reve al s h ow sh e bui lt a mu l ti- mil l i o n do l l ar e mpire wh il e ra is ing fo ur k ids

TV MUMS TALK BAL ANCING SUCCESSFUL CAREERS AND MOTHERHOOD

+ MY SHO UT //

Ci d er – i t’s th e re f re sh ing dri nk we ’ve a l l co me t o l ove , but w hat i s th e p ick of t h e bu nch ?

Weekend

+ TRAVE L //

Why an upstream cruise o f the M ekon g Ri ver is m ak ing wave s in more way s than on e

+ SC REEN L IF E //

Fi f t y Sha des o f Grey di recto r revea l s what i t’s li ke at the top i n the ho t te st f i l m of 2015

Saturday, February 7, 2015

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Weekend

we lco me // insi de to day

Usual chaos continues behind the scenes W EE K E ND E DI TOR K ir i te n D ol l e

O

N SCREEN they’re the high-profile women in successful careers. They’re reading the evening news, travelling interstate each week for filming and some managing big businesses on the side – all while looking fabulous.

There are early starts and a clean image to uphold. There are also children to look after at home and sometimes on set. How do they do it?

Well, as Janine Allis, Shelley Craft and Sharyn Ghidella reveal inside, there’s still odd socks and chewing gum in hair, lost Tupperware lids and morning routines of epic proportions.

Some have had nannies, but most rely on the support of husbands and their own mothers to make it work.

Janine, founder of multi-million dollar company Boost Juice and pictured on our cover this week, says she doesn’t believe in work/life balance. The mother of four says she just gets it done.

For many women, heading back to work after having children is not an easy choice as families struggle to make ends meet on a single budget.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced he’s dropping his controversial paid parental leave scheme this week with little detail about a replacement childcare package – a cost that is crippling family budgets.

Flick over to find out how these three women manage the juggling act and why it makes them happy.

I particularly liked a line from Craft who said: “I am not the only working mum in the world. Most people have to work, and I think being a stay-at home-mum is equally challenging. If I spent seven days a week with them I probably wouldn’t appreciate how fabulous they are. I need a little bit of space, a bit of me time. You can’t feel guilty about living your life, and hopefully as they grow, they appreciate why I work.”

EASY EATING

YOU

+ inside today 4 // READ: How Australia’s TV mums

13 // MAKE: Now you can read a book

6 // EASY EATING: Dan and Steph’s

15 // STUFF: The new-age binoculars

10 // TRAVEL: Jump aboard a Mekong

16 // YOU: Five steps for managing back-

juggle successful careers and motherhood.

delicious granola bars for the kids’ lunch boxes, plus seven scrumptious stir-fry recipes to try.

MAKE: HOW TO BUILD A BATH TUB SHELF

River cruise to experience a grassroots look at local Vietnamese and Cambodian life.

12 // HOME: Give the gift of love with How to navigate your Weekend:

: We’ve colour-coded your magazine for easy reference.

Each section listed on the index page is coloured accordingly throughout. If you’d like to skip to Easy Eating, look for a yellow : symbol, or a magenta : symbol to skip to Home and Make.

TRAVEL

our Valentine’s Day guide.

and enjoy a glass of wine in the tub with an easy-to-build bath shelf.

that allow you to magnify, video and take still shots stored to an in-built SD card in any terrain. to-school/work stress.

18 // SCREEN LIFE: Meet the woman

at the top of one of the biggest films of the year – Fifty Shades of Grey.

20 // MIND: Why pushing through fear is less frightening than you think.

: ON THE COVER: Janine Allis Photography: Contributed : CREATIVE: Megan Sheehan and Kiri ten Dolle. : CONTRIBUTORS: Seanna Cronin, Alexia Purcell, David Stuart, Tracey Hordern, Maggie Cooper, Matt Sawtell, Simon Irwin, Angie Thomas, Maree Curran, Shirley Sinclair, Ann Rickard, Meredith Papavasiliou, Greg Bray, Viki Thondley, John Grey, Roy O’Reilly, Rowena Hardy and Nick Bennett. : CONTACT US: weekend@apn.com.au : CONTRIBUTE: contributors@apn.com.au : ADVERTISING: Visit apnarm.com.au or contact your local sales consultant.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Weekend

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t rend

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IN S I D E R

ME AND MUM: This week we asked you to share a photo of you and your mum on our Facebook pages.

wi th S ea nna Cron in

Epic family feud on show

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T SEEMS biopics are the flavour of the moment.

Real-life stories dominate this year’s field of Oscar nominees, from The Imitation Game to The Theory of Everything, Still Alice, Wild and Selma.

It’s no different on the TV landscape, with several major mini-series slated for this year.

There’s Channel 10’s Peter Brock and Princess Mary biopics and Seven’s US import Houdini. Production also began this week on Seven’s Pete Allen biopic, Not The Boy Next Door.

But first cab off the rank and onto our screens is Channel 9’s two-part family drama House of Hancock, which debuts tomorrow night.

The mini-series centres on the world’s richest woman, Gina Rinehart, taking in her childhood as well as her public battle with her father’s second wife, Rose, and her ongoing legal battles with her own children over the multi-billion-dollar Hancock legacy.

Mandy McElhinney, aka Rhonda from the AAMI car insurance ads, goes through a stunning transformation – complete with a fat suit and prosthetic face mask – to portray Rinehart as we all know her today.

But it’s Rinehart’s childhood and privileged boarding-school upbringing that sheds light on who she is today.

What’s most striking about the mini-series is the dialogue, parts of which are directly taken from real-life correspondence between Gina and her father Lang.

The cruel, hurtful language cuts to the core of this epic family feud.

It’s also a triumphant return to Aussie TV for Peta Sergeant (Rose), who has spent the past few years starring in the US TV series The Originals and Once Upon A Time in Wonderland.

She has the most colourful role as the woman who comes between Gina and her gruff father.

While the frocks might be outrageous, Sergeant’s performance is subtle enough to avoid any caricature trap falls.

PHOTO O F THE W EE K : Nicky Bright shared this photo: “My mother Yvonne. Mum is in late stages of dementia. This photo was displayed in Alzheimer's Australia, Love, Loss and Laughter exhibition. Photo taken by my son Jamie Bright, who is a student at JMC Academy.“ PHOTO: JAMIE BRIGHT

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WHY NOT TRY wi th D av i d St u a r t

Engaging cabbies in dialogue

O

VER the past month, I’ve ridden in a lot of taxis. I like stories, I like to talk and I like a challenge. Cabbies like to talk, too, and I’ve been encouraging them to do so. When entering a taxi, I’ve discovered it’s generally the passenger’s role to initiate discussion. And that’s a role I’m happy to take. I break the ice by asking them how far into their shift they are or about their furthest fare.

Most taxi drivers work 12-hour shifts and the majority haven’t travelled much further than 150km for a single fare.

They generally seem to appreciate my genuine interest in their work.

The drivers have come from a large range of backgrounds: Afghan, Indian, Iranian, Eastern European and even a couple of Australians. While many nationalities and ethnicities were represented, all of my drivers were men. Like any

‘‘

I ’ ve d i s c ove r e d i t ’ s g e n e ra l ly t h e p a s s e n g e r ’ s r o l e t o i n i t i ate d i s c u s s i o n . A n d t h at ’ s a r o l e I ’ m h ap p y t o t a ke

: Sam Neill and Peta Sergeant in House of Hancock.

PHOTO: CHANNEL 9

self-respecting Australian passenger, I seat myself in the front seat and marvel at all the gadgetry. “The button to activate the security camera is down here, sir,” one driver told me as he pointed to the far side of the steering column. Trust. That’s trust.

My Iranian driver was surprised that I knew women in Iran

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Don’t wonder what to do

w ith Al exia Pu rce ll

A P P O F T HE WE E K

FORGET writing to-do lists on scrap pieces of paper and then losing them.

Wunderlist allows you to create task lists and ideas and access them from your phone, tablet or computer. You can delegate to-do lists ad share them with others, such as the weekly grocery list.

Wunderlist’s public arena allows users access to world lists such as 10 places to visit in Paris.

Download Wunderlist from the App Store or Google Play for free.

Weekend

AT TH E WATER COOLER

What’s trending on social media this week

: James Holt with the shovelnose shark caught off Fraser Island.

PHOTO: JAMES HOLT

PHOTO: FILE

were not permitted to enter sporting stadiums. “How did you know that?” he asked me. I told him I’d read it in the news.

One of the cabbies with a local accent wanted to talk politics. “Newman’s VLAD laws were good policy,” he told me.

“He just shouldn’t have called it anti-bikie legislation.”

And funnily enough, the next Australian driver was also keen to speak on this topic. “Abbott is completely and utterly out of touch. He’s lost the plot,” he said.

Despite my best repeated efforts, two cabbies were reluctant to talk. They chose to focus on the road and getting me to my destination and managed to ward off my charm.

But, I can put that aside and enjoy the triumph of having had a cabbie shake my hand after the ride and urge me to have a “very good day”. I certainly did exactly that.

Follow David Stuart on Twitter: @bigkamo

THREE shark sightings off Queensland’s coast triggered a social media frenzy this week.

A photo of a “monster” shovelnose shark caught and released off Fraser Island went viral after it was posted on Facebook.

The image was shared more than 1500 times and received almost 3000 likes on one Facebook page alone.

On Saturday, a Noosa beach was evacuated after a shark sighting. I happened to be there and took video and photos, which were published on APN’s websites.

The news spread quickly on Facebook, with one of our posts reaching 229,000 people. It was shared more than 400 times, received 1300 likes and more than 500 comments.

A few days later a photograph of a shark in a Sunshine Coast lake went viral on Facebook.

The post on one of APN’s Facebook pages reached 88,000 people, received 380 comments and was shared more than 280 times.

Alexia Purcell is APN ARM’s social media co-ordinator. Follow Alexia on Twitter: @alexia_purcell.

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+ Huge career boosted her kids’ lives

LEAVING THE HOUSE: Especially in the early years, demands an operation of military proportions

Janine Allis built the multi-million d o l l a r B o o st Ju i c e e m p i r e w h i l e managing to be a mother of four

PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED

: Janine Allis says you can only do one thing well at a time.

BY Va n i N a i d o o

W

HEN you become a mother your life changes forever. In hundreds of different ways, sometimes small, sometimes big, in ways that will move you to tears, challenge your patience and fill your heart.

Some of you who are pregnant with your first child or starting to take the first steps down the family path are still probably holding on to the belief that life after a baby will continue as normal.

No doubt you think it will be different for you, that your baby will slot into your lives, sleep through the night and cut teeth without a sniffle.

Poor misguided souls.

That’s what we all thought and well ... we were wrong.

It will be decades before you can ever go to the bathroom by yourself or see the bottom of the laundry basket or cook what you really want to eat. You will have to constantly step over toys to take a shower even though the kids have a perfectly good bathroom of their own, not that it matters anyway because you will not even be in there long enough to rinse the shampoo from your hair.

Leaving the house, especially in the early years, demands an operation of military proportions – stuffing the nappy bag with spare everythings, even the kitchen sink. As the kids get older there will be a bag bursting with snacks, clothes for every weather eventuality as well as half the Barbie collection, a craft box and glitter. Always glitter.

Remember those days when you lounged on the couch for the better part of Sunday watching Rage and nursing a hangover? Forget them. Being able to sip on a glass of wine and watch in-flight movies when you are travelling overseas.

Forget that too. Catching up with friends is a rarity, those with kids are caught in a logistical nightmare of their own, those without, prefer to watch the show from afar.

And you will worry. You will worry that they are too hot or too cold. You will worry that they haven’t eaten enough, haven’t had enough sleep, which they will fall off their bikes or slip off the slide. You will worry that they will not make any friends at kindy, that some kid will be mean to them, that you are not spending enough time with them and that they are not ready for the realities of an often cruel world.

Being a parent, the best one you can be, is difficult and

Saturday, February 7, 2015

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I b e lie ve a h ap py wo ma n is a go o d m o th er a n d I a m h appy be cau s e I wo rk . I f yo u n eve r pl ay yo ur n atu ra l co u rse , yo u w ill f e e l th ere is s omet h in g mi ssi n g frustrating and oh so challenging. It is about long days and longer nights, despair when they throw a tantrum in the supermarket, annoyance that they always seem to want something as soon as you sit down to eat, and when they are sick, lying there with pain etched on their little faces – it is as if someone is squeezing the breath from your lungs.

But it is also about fun and laughter and thankfully there is a lot of that. It is about being proud of their accomplishments no matter how small, the wonder of seeing the world through their eyes; it’s about cuddles and high-fives and when they slip their little hands into yours it is enough to make your heart burst.

Every day there are mountains to climb, hills if you are lucky, whether you are a stay-at-home mum or one who works outside the home. For the latter there are also often feelings of inadequacy and guilt.

Sold the dream that we now live in a world where women can have it all, we agonise over time lost with our children as we strive to ensure a successful career is not the exclusive right of those without little encumbrances.

“I think that the whole work/life balance thing is just a myth,” says founder of the multi-million dollar Boost Juice empire and mother of four Janine Allis. “You can only really do one thing well at a time. That is the reality. In my early days of Boost it was all-consuming – working 150 hours a week; there was no time for friends or to socialise. It was literally just the children, my husband and work. But I wanted to be a mother and I wanted to be a businesswoman so I had to find a way to make it work.

“Every single office I’ve had has had a toy box in it for my kids and I can’t tell you the number of board meetings I’ve had either breastfeeding a baby or with a child on my knee or playing in the corner.

“Sometimes things fall through the cracks, sometimes it doesn’t work, sometimes I am a bad businesswoman or not a great mother but that is just the way things are.”

As a single mother at 25 to Samuel, who is now 24, and with a six-year-old as she approaches 50, Janine’s mothering experience has certainly been a varied one. Add two teenagers to the mix and there is little doubt life in their household is anything but dull.

“Of course I am a very different parent to my little girl than I was to Samuel as a broke backpacker living in France,” she says. “The older ones have worn me down for the youngest.

Every child you have after the first, you are so much more experienced and in life experience does count. It becomes clear to you as your children grow from teenagers into adults that you have to let them go. Mentally, you have to say, I am the parent but they are now adults and allowed to make their own mistakes.”

The story of how Janine turned one small smoothie shop in Adelaide into a thriving worldwide concern is well known and makes for inspirational reading. But how do you do that while ensuring your children have an upbringing you can be proud of and without missing out on occasions they hold dear?

“Family support is the magical ingredient,” she admits.

“Aside from my husband I have been so lucky to have my mum who came to my house every single working day and looked after my children. Without her I would never have been able to accomplish what I did with Boost and my kids would not be as good as they are.

“I believe a happy woman is a good mother and I am happy because I work. Some women genuinely want to stay at home with their kids or genuinely have to but that wouldn’t have been my natural course. If you never play your natural course, you will feel there is something missing.

“I have been there for the things I’ve needed to be there for.

I certainly haven’t done everything right but my kids have had amazing experiences. They have travelled to every continent and have been exposed to so much that they wouldn’t otherwise have had and they are better people for it. None of that would have happened if I didn’t work.”

See Janine Allis on Shark Tank, a new reality show that features five of Australia’s most successful business people, all hunting for the next big idea to invest their own money in. Shark Tank premieres on Network Ten tomorrow.

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+ Thriving on structure S h e l l e y a n d h e r f a m i ly h ave c ra f te d a s c h e d u l e t h at wo r k s f o r q u a l i t y t i m e t o g e t h e r at h o m e

BY Va n i N a i d o o

F

OR Shelley Craft, juggling the demands of motherhood with the bustling activity on The Block is just part of a normal working week. The bubbly presenter and mum to Milla, 4, and Eadie, 2, has happened upon a schedule that works for her family, for now at least.

“When we are filming The Block, I am down and back to Melbourne on Friday and then back there again on Sunday and Monday and then much of the rest of my week is spending time with the girls and doing interviews either over the phone or in person,” Shelley says.

“When they were babies, they travelled with me.

They spent a lot of time flying and hanging

‘‘

N ow, we h ave a m u c h b e t te r b a l a n c e around studios. For us now, we have a much better balance. They go to daycare when I do work, and when I am home, we have quality family time rather than lugging them around. I used to think I was a bit of a free-range parent and that the kids would be quite relaxed, too, but they love structure and routine and thrive in that sort of environment.

“I am delighted where I am. If The Block needed me in Melbourne five days a week, it wouldn’t be the show for me. I am happy in what I do. I am flexible and fluid, but it has to suit our family.”

Like most successful working mothers, Shelley depends on the help and support of her husband to get the family through the week.

“I have an amazing husband,” she beams. “He is really phenomenal, and I am so proud of his relationship with our girls, and the time he spends with them is quality dad time. They do completely different activities together than we do as a family or that I would do with them.

And that is something I would like to maintain whether I am working or not.”

Craft, 38, who has worked in television for the past two decades, is also a firm advocate in child care and the social advantages it offers children.

: Shelley Craft’s TV schedule still gives her quality time at home.

Weekend

“I am a big believer in daycare and kindy,” she says. “And not just because I am working, but because of the interaction it offers the girls. They love it and can’t wait to go. You can’t have that stimulation at home. Even when they are at home with me they are following me around as I do the laundry and housework. There is no dedicated time just to play with them and educate them.”

Like most working mums, Shelley feels guilt when she kisses her girls goodbye – not because of the time her career takes from them, but because she misses them.

“I am not the only working mum in the world. Most people have to work, and I think being a stay-at home-mum is equally challenging ... If I spent seven days a week with them I probably wouldn’t appreciate how fabulous they are. I need a little bit of space, a bit of me time.

You can’t feel guilty about living your life, and hopefully as they grow, they appreciate why I work.”

See Shelley Craft on The Block: Triple Threat on the Win Network.

PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED

: Sharyn Ghidella is a news presenter and mum.

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PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED

The juggling act of motherhood

BY Va n i N a i d o o WHEN I speak with Sharyn Ghidella, I am sitting in the car outside my seven-year-old’s guitar lesson. Her four-year-old sister is colouring in the backseat while sucking on a lollipop at 9.30am (don’t judge me), and I have my phone on speaker so I can record our conversation on an iPad. While I wait to be connected through to the 7 News anchor, I am answering emails and paying bills on the laptop balanced precariously on my lap. I am speaking to Sharyn about the juggling act that is modern motherhood. The irony is not lost on me.

A mum to Austin, 7, and four-year-old Darcy, Sharyn’s day is an interesting, crazy, chaotic mix of school drop-offs and laundry, Lego-building, superhero cape twirling and of course that other by-the-way activity – bringing you the news.

“I don’t think anything can really prepare you for the reality of having children,” she says with a hearty laugh.

“You cannot comprehend the workload, what it will all mean, the day-to-day stresses and what to do when they are sick and you have to go to work.

“It certainly was a steep learning curve for me, as it is with anyone who has kids. Nothing is as you think it will be. Life isn’t scheduled and you often have to contend with things you haven’t even thought of, but the life I lead now is a lovely reality. It is a different reality than long lunches and late nights out, but my boys are just delightful.”

A job in journalism means no two days are the same, and you often have to drop everything at a minute’s notice to go off and cover a breaking news event.

“I am careful not to build up their expectations and I certainly don’t make grandiose promises I know I may not be able to keep,” says Sharyn.

“My kids are pretty resilient, and I think most kids are, and if I do make a promise, I say to them, well, if mummy has to work, I may not be able to do that with you. And you know life is like that – you are not always going to get what you expect on the day, and they have to learn that for later in life. But I always try to make it up to them by going to the park or something the next day so they still don’t miss out.”

Unlike her boys, who are accustomed to the rhythms of the city, Sharyn grew up in a small country town with a stay-at-home mum but says she tries to instil in her children the values and morals her parents taught her.

“Sometimes I find it difficult to balance the scales.

Which mother doesn’t have guilt of some kind? But I think we are often just too hard on ourselves. It is not easy. We live in a modern, fast-paced society, but I look at my children and think they are pretty well adjusted, they are happy, they know we love them dearly, they know they can come to us at any time, and I think that is the most important thing – to let them know you are always there for them no matter what is going on in this crazy world.”

Sharyn Ghidella presents 7 News each Sunday–Thursday night with Bill McDonald.

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Weekend

e a sy ea ting

+ THE WEEKEND COOK w i th M a g g i e C o o p e r

IT’S PRETTY SIMPLE TO CHANGE IT UP BY SWAPPING : Grilled mango cheeks.

JUST A FEW INGREDIENTS

PHOTO: MAGGIE COOPER

Still time to enjoy mangoes

: These granola bars are perfect for the kids’ lunchbox or big kids’ smoko box.

+ Lunch box treat

M

ANGOES are cheap at the moment, so grab a tray while you can and savour the luscious, fragrant golden flesh while the season is in full swing. The mango season in Australia runs from mid-September to early April; we are blessed with many different varieties. My favourite, the Bowen, or Kensington Pride, enjoys the longest season. It’s small to medium with a rich, sweet flavour. The drawback is they have a short shelf life, so should be eaten soon after purchase. Today’s recipe, grilled mango with lime, is a quick and easy dessert that looks impressive. The sharpness of the lime zest offsets the sweetness of the mango. Serve with a good quality vanilla ice cream.

Grilled mango with lime

INGREDIENTS: : 4 limes : 1½ cup caster sugar : ½ cup water : 2 mangoes : 6 tbs pure icing sugar : 1 tbs chopped fresh mint leaves : vanilla ice cream, to serve.

METHOD: Zest and juice the limes, reserving zest for later. In a small saucepan, combine juice, caster sugar and water. Bring to the boil over a high heat, stirring, and boil for four-five minutes until syrupy. Remove from heat and set aside. Heat a char-grill pan over a high heat, or fire up the barbecue. Slice mango cheeks away from stone and score flesh with a sharp knife in a criss-cross pattern, being careful to not cut the skin. Place a piece of baking paper on the grill pan or barbecue plate. Sprinkle the mango cheeks with icing sugar and cook, cut sides down, until the sugar has caramelised – about five minutes. Place each mango half on a plate. Add the mint to the lime syrup and drizzle over the mangoes. Top with strips of lime zest. Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream. Serves 4.

Email Maggie at maggies.column@bigpond.com or check out her blog herebemonstersblog.com.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED

Ta st y l i t t l e m o r s e l s t o s e n d t o s c h o o l o r wo r k Granola bar

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EAT

w i th Da n a n d S te p h Mu l he ro n

T

HE little and big kids are back to school and work now. It’s back to the routine and time to jump back in the kitchen and prepare some delicious home-made snacks for their lunch boxes.

There’s nothing better than home-made goodies in your lunch box. We always remember back at school, opening the lid of our lunch boxes and seeing a nice little surprise in there. The added bonus here is you know exactly what is in these tasty little morsels. This week we have included our scrumptious granola bar recipe. Cut them into bars or squares and they are so much better than muesli bars – they are tasty, chewy and fill the house up with a smell of delightfulness.

I am sure this will be a recipe you will create every week.

It’s pretty simple to change it up by swapping just a few ingredients. We hope you enjoy them.

INGREDIENTS: : 4 cups of oats : 1 cup of caster sugar : 1 tsp salt : 1 tsp ground cinnamon : 6 cups of dried fruit – dried cranberries, dates, sultanas we love to use : 2⁄3 cup of peanut butter : 1 cup coconut : 2 tsp vanilla paste : 240g melted butter : 1 cup of honey : 2 tbs of water.

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line and oil a large flat slice tray. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine water, vanilla, melted butter and honey in another bowl. Add the wet to the dry, then add peanut butter and combine well with a wooden spoon. Pour into tray and press down firmly, spreading all over the tray and ensuring it is even. Bake for 30-35mins until browned edges. Remove from oven and allow cool in the tray. Lift out and then slice into bars or squares. Store in an air tight container.

Dan and Steph Mulheron won My Kitchen Rules in 2013.

Visit www.danandsteph.com.au or find them on Facebook – Dan & Steph – My Kitchen Rules and Instagram – danandsteph13.

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+ Recipes that wok S t i r yo u r A s i a n f l avo u r i n te r e st s w i t h t h e s e f avo u r i te s garlic, coriander, palm sugar and sesame oil and leave to marinate for 1-2 hours in the fridge. Heat peanut oil in a wok and cook the beef in two batches. Add cashews at the end and serve on cooked rice. Variation – serve with your favourite vegetables. Serves 4.

Lamb, mint and chilli stir-fry PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED

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S C RU M PTI O US SEVEN wi th Matt S aw tell

I

F YOU have a wok in the back of the cupboard you haven’t used in a while, here are some tasty stir-fry recipes from my collection of favourites you will love. Remember, don’t overcrowd your wok for a tastier stir-fry.

Pork, broccolini and baby corn

INGREDIENTS: : 600g thinly sliced pork fillet : 1 tsp crushed garlic : 3 tbs soy sauce : 1 tsp grated ginger : 2 tsp sesame oil : 2 tsp olive oil : 2 tbs oyster sauce : 1 tsp cracked black pepper : 8 mushrooms thinly sliced : 150g baby corn : 1 bunch broccolini, cut in half.

METHOD: Place pork, garlic, soy, ginger, oyster sauce, cracked pepper and sesame oil in a bowl and mix well.

Marinate for two hours. In a wok heat half the olive oil and cook off half the pork and remove, then repeat with the rest of the pork. Add vegetables and cook for two minutes. Add the pork back to wok with juices. Serve with rice. Serves 4.

Beef and asparagus stir-fry

INGREDIENTS: : 500g thinly sliced rump steak : 1 onion, sliced : 3 crushed garlic cloves : 3 tbs peanut oil : 300g asparagus, cut in 2cm slices : 1 tbs soy sauce : 3 tbsp sweet soy : 1 chilli, chopped : 1⁄2 cup beef stock : 1 packet cooked rice noodles. METHOD: Heat half the oil in a wok, cook half the beef and remove. Repeat with the other half. Reheat the wok and cook the onion and garlic for one minute. Add asparagus and beef back to the wok along with the chilli, soy, sweet soy and beef stock. Cook for a further three minutes. Serve over the rice noodles. Serves 4.

Chilli beef and cashew stir-fry

INGREDIENTS: : 400g beef, thinly sliced : 3 tbs kecap manis : 2 tsp chilli paste : 2 cloves crushed garlic : 1 tbs chopped coriander : 1 tbs grated palm sugar : 1 tsp sesame oil : 1 tbs peanut oil : 60g roasted cashews.

METHOD: In a bowl mix the beef, kecap manis, chilli paste,

Weekend

INGREDIENTS: : 800g thinly sliced lamb : 40ml olive oil : 2 tsp crushed garlic : 1 red onion, sliced : Juice of 1 lime : 1 chilli, chopped : 50ml sweet chilli sauce : 1 tbs soy sauce : 2 tbs chopped mint. METHOD: Heat half the oil in a wok and cook the lamb in batches. Remove to a bowl.

Heat the other half of the oil and cook the onion and garlic.

Add the chilli and cook for one minute. Return the lamb to the wok and add the lime, sweet chilli and soy. Stir-fry for two minutes and finish with mint. Serve on rice. Serves 4.

Sesame chicken stir-fry with noodles

INGREDIENTS: : 600g chicken breast, thinly sliced : 70ml honey : 60ml soy sauce : 1 tbs oyster sauce : 2 tsp sesame oil : 1 tbs olive oil : 1 large red capsicum, sliced : 1⁄2 bunch shallots, cut in to batons : 2 tbs toasted sesame seeds : 1 packet soba noodles, cooked. METHOD: Place chicken, honey, soy, oyster sauce and sesame oil in a bowl and mix well. Place in the fridge and marinate for one hour. Heat olive oil in wok and cook off the chicken until browned. Add capsicum and shallots and cook for 2-4 mins. Toss through the sesame seeds and serve with the soba noodles. Serves 4.

Satay tofu stir-fry

INGREDIENTS: : 500g firm tofu, cut in 2cm cubes : 2 tsp sesame oil : 1 cup coconut milk : 3 tbsp crunchy peanut butter : 60ml sweet chilli sauce : 1⁄2 cup chicken stock : 1 red capsicum, sliced : 1 cup snow peas.

METHOD: In a hot wok, fry the tofu in sesame oil until browned. Add capsicum and cook for 30 seconds. Mix in the coconut milk, peanut butter, chilli sauce and chicken stock.

Add snow peas and cook for three minutes. Serve on cooked brown rice and quinoa. Serves 4.

Duck and orange stir-fry

INGREDIENTS: : 3 duck breasts : 2 tbs oil : 1 nob grated fresh ginger : 2 cloves garlic, crushed : 1 tbs soy sauce : 2 chillies sliced : 1 brown onion, sliced : 1 bunch asparagus, chopped : Segments and juice of 2 oranges.

METHOD: In a heavy based pan, place the duck skin-side down on medium heat and cook for five minutes each side.

Remove from pan. Slice duck breasts about 1cm thick. In a hot wok, heat the oil and stir-fry the onion, garlic, chilli and ginger until fragrant. Add asparagus and duck and cook for one minute. Stir in orange segments, juice and soy. Serve with hokkien noodles. Serves 4.

+ MY SHOU T

w i th Si m on I r wi n

T

HE weather a couple of weeks ago was properly hot, and it didn’t seem to matter whether you lived in Coffs Harbour, Ipswich or Mackay, it was sticky and unpleasant. So hot in fact that Hugh the Neighbour and I, after mowing our respective lawns, decided it was so hot that even cold beer didn’t have that much appeal.

How fortunate it was that I had a selection of ciders stashed down the back of the beer fridge. Chilled to within an inch of freezing and served over ice in a tall glass, a cider is the perfect antidote to working in the heat.

I had three different ciders on hand, all made on apples and in 500ml bottles, the serving of which brought back happy memories from those pre-stubbie days when intelligent conversation was always had around a shared long-neck.

First off the rank was the Maggie Beer Heritage Apple Cider, a refreshing clear cider with 5% alcohol volume.

Not too sweet or appley, it is made from Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples grown in South Australia. At the risk of damning it with faint praise, it seemed balanced and, well, inoffensive.

The second one we tried was the Kirin Fuji Apple Cider, brewed under licence in Australia but claiming to provide traditional Japanese flavours. Neither Hugh nor I claim to have a palate capable of picking the difference between types of apples once they have been fermented, however the Kirin was much tarter and crisper than either of the others.

The last one on the table was the Sidra del Verano, an apple cider from Spain. The name translates as Summer Cider, and certainly there is no arguing with its ability to quench a prodigal thirst. It has a beautiful feel in the mouth, much richer than the other two without being over the top like a Rikorderlig (which can feel like you are having a pot of dessert wine) or too thin like some of the more mass-produced ciders. From the Basque region of northern Spain, it is from locally grown apples. Hugh and I felt it was the Goldilocks cider – not too sweet or tart or overpowering – it was just right. All worth a try but I certainly will be going back for more of the Verano. : Maggie Beer Heritage Apple Cider, 500ml, $9.99 per bottle/$80 per case. : Sidra del Verano, 500ml, $7.99 per bottle/$70 per case. : Kirin Fuji Apple Cider, 500ml, $6.99 per bottle/$72 per case.

What’s your favourite cider? Email myshout@apn.com.au.

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+ Mighty Mekong V i l l a g e v i s i t s o n a r i ve r c r u i s e o f f e r a g ra s s r o o t s l o o k at l o c a l c u l t u r e

RV MEKONG PANDAW

: Built: 2003 in Yangon, refit 2013 : Length: 60m : Beam: 11m : Draft: 1.5m : Berths: 48 passengers : Accommodation: 18 upper deck and six main deck staterooms, all air-conditioned : Stateroom size: 15.8sq m (170 square feet), finished in teak and brass : Facilities include: air-conditioned main dining room; 24-hour hospitality bar; air-conditioned saloon bar; traditional South-East Asian spa treatments and therapies.

: The RV Mekong Pandaw offers a unique experience on its journey along the Mekong River.

T RAV EL wi th Sh i rley S i ncla i r

W

E ARE a novelty. The highlight in their day, their week or month. We hear their squeals of delight from the riverbank and gladly return their high-pitched “hello” and frantic waves.

They are the young Cambodian and Vietnamese children, curious to make a connection with the “odd-looking” mostly Western tourists aboard the unusual large vessel gliding up the river and into their everyday lives.

They want nothing but a smile, an acknowledgement. They are sometimes joined by mothers, fathers, grandparents or older siblings, and the odd dog, chook or cow.

The RV Mekong Pandaw has become a regular sight on the waterways, with her Classic Mekong upstream cruise and coach tour from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam or downstream return voyage from Siem Reap, Cambodia. Over the 250km journey, passengers can always count on the greetings from these cherubs as we spend three, four or seven nights on the Mekong and Tonle rivers, canals and backwaters, peering into their backyards and fields, and visiting their villages.

With the help of local guides and crew, we learn much more than travel books, textbooks or websites could ever provide on these grassroots people and their history, religions, industries and commerce, their struggles and

BALI

PHOTO: SHIRLEY SINCLAIR

challenges and, in too many cases, their abject poverty. It is an eye-opener, to say the least.

Our excursions take us to industrious floating villages including a basa (catfish) farm where iceboxes, battery power and boiled water are the norm for many of the poor who spend their lives on the water. Beautifully woven scarves and tablecloths and handmade jewellery and snacks are among the delights at a Cham (Muslim) tribal village where we gatecrash a lively goal-kicking contest among teenage boys.

We see the French-Cambodian NGO Amica-sponsored ecotourism village called Choeung Kok near Kampong Cham where we have a glimpse of traditional Khmer life. We see the 600-strong villagers who were once only involved in rice production, weaving and fishing, now undertaking a diverse range of sustainable farming practices, arts and crafts.

Back onboard, we are spoilt for choice with Asian and western cuisine. (How about salmon pie with dill sauce or crocodile sate and samba sauce with coconut rice at lunch, roasted local river lobster with curry sauce or Indochinese braised duck with hot basil and corn rice at dinner?)

We lie back on a sun deck lounge and allow the changing tropical, rural, industrial and jungle scenery that has featured in cinematic masterpieces from The Lover to The Killing Fields and Good Morning Vietnam to envelope us.

Our amazing cultural experiences range from spring

Family fun in Bali

THE whole family can let their hair down in Bali with this package, including waterpark fun and a family dinner at Jimbaran Bay. Let the family sprawl out in a family room at the 4.5-star Melia Bali. Each room features a parents’ retreat master bedroom and a lower level for the children, a spacious balcony and even PlayStation 2 equipment on request.

The package includes return economy-class airfares from Sydney to Bali with airport transfers, four nights’ accommodation at the 4.5-star Melia Bali in a family room, buffet breakfast daily, a Waterbom Park 1 Day Pass and a Jimbaran Subset Crab Dinner. With this deal, guests also receive free use of the resort’s Arrival and Departure Lounge for guests, with early arrival or late departure, free internet access and, as an extra bonus, two free beverages (beer or soft drink) from the in-room mini bar. Price is per person, based on two adults and two children. Valid for travel April 25 to June 18, 2015. : COSTS: Adult from $1479, child from $659 ex-Sydney. : MORE DETAILS: 1300 939 414 or www.flightcentre.com.au.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

DEAL: As part of its 20th year anniversary celebrations, Pandaw is offering savings on sailings on the Irrawaddy and Chindwin rivers in Burma, the Red River in Vietnam, the Mekong in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, and the Brahmaputra, Ganges and Hooghly rivers in India.

Visit www.pandaw.com.

roll-making to folkloric Cambodian dance and Vietnamese traditional music/opera presentations onboard, and from rickshaw rides around Chau Doc and its market to a cyclo ride to Phnom Penh’s Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda.

Without television and only occasional internet but with a cinema and plenty of good books in the library, we find ourselves truly relaxing or having a good old-fashioned conversation face to face with fellow travellers.

But the children are what leave the lasting impressions on us. They sing for us like angels at Choeung Kok. At a sunset party ashore, one toddler grabs the leg of an elderly English gentleman for comfort as if he were any village grandfather providing protection, while two others shake their hips and willingly take the hands of an Australian woman to dance to the western beat.

Of course, there are also the beggars well-drilled in the art of coaxing a few Vietnamese dong or US dollars from a visitor, but they are the exception to the bevy of smiling tiny faces. After travelling nearly 1000km by coach, ship, rickshaw, cyclo, sampan and foot, the joy on those children’s faces and their playful curiosity are what stay with us long after we close our sliding cabin door for the last time and farewell our crew dockside at our final port.

The writer was a guest of Pandaw Cruises.

FRASER ISL AND

Summer fun at Kingfisher

KINGFISHER Bay Resort, on the sunset side of Fraser, is offering hotel rooms and a buffet breakfast from $148 per room per night, and two-bedroom, self-contained villas with daily breakfast from $228 per villa per night. On the surf side of Fraser at Eurong Beach Resort, the deal is hotter, with hotel rooms from $118 per night and self-contained apartments from $258 per night, both including breakfast. : MORE DETAILS: 1800 372 737.

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PICCOLO PARADE: 20,000 masked people parade through the city centre accompanied by the sounds of drums and piccolos.

: A view of the Rhine and Middle Bridge in Basel, Switzerland.

PHOTO: JULES KITANO

+ Three beautiful days The Bas e l C a rni va l i s o n e o f t h e mo st co l ourf ul festi val s i n Eur op e .

T RAV EL

w i th A nn R i ck ard

I

T MIGHT be a little rushed to get to the Basel Carnival in Switzerland this year (February 23 to 25), but you can plan for 2016 (February 15 to 17). This is one of the most colourful festivals in Europe in one of the prettiest cities of Switzerland.

On the banks of the Rhine, Basel borders France, Germany and Switzerland, which means it is culturally diverse and exciting. During our visit last year, our guide enthused about the colour and excitement of the Basel Carnival when up to 20,000 masked people parade through the city centre accompanied by the sounds of drums and piccolos.

Each year a festival theme is chosen and participants spend the winter months making their masks and costumes.

Everyone remains incognito in their costumes during the parade and hands out colourful sheets of paper called zeedel, which make fun of local events and personalities in verse form.

Groups of schnitzelbank (short rhymes with a twist) singers take over the city to perform in squares, bars and restaurants.

Using different melodies and lyrics composed in the local Basel dialect, they poke fun at well-known events and

B ANGKOK

‘‘

P a r t icipa nt s sp en d t he w in ter mo n t h s m ak in g th e ir ma sk s a n d co st u mes personalities of the previous year.

On the second day hundreds of children parade. In the evening, the Gugge music bands take over the squares at Barfüsserplatz, Marktplatz and Claraplatz for concerts that attract enthusiastic audiences from all over the world.

Basel is the place you want to be for this three-day event, which the locals describe as “the three most beautiful days”.

But you need more than three days to discover all this beautiful city offers, and the best way to do it is by foot.

We stayed at Hotel Basel in the Old Town, central to everything. The Old Town brims with history, where the old half-timbered houses meld with modern architecture and all places of interest are close together.

A promenade along the Rhine is unforgettable, and with a fountain every few metres gushing pure clean water, there is no need for drink bottles.

See more information on this and other festivals at www.myswitzerland.com. A Swiss Travel Pass available: www.myswitzerland.com/rail.

Romance with a view

SPOIL your sweetheart at Tower Club at Lebua in Bangkok with a luxurious romance package to thrill. With its elegantly appointed suites, world-class amenities and spectacular views from atop Sirocco, one of the most romantic restaurants in the world, Tower Club at Lebua offers a romantic backdrop to enjoy a Valentine’s Day. Decadence begins at the airport with round-trip transportation in a chauffeured BMW 7 Series. After luxuriating in an in-suite couples’ massage, go up to Sirocco, the world’s highest al fresco restaurant, for an eight-course dinner. Foie gras with sea urchin, celeriac and vanilla scented pear pearls, Maine lobster with broccoli couscous, garlic mousseline and Ossetra caviar are elevated by breathtaking city and river views. The celebration continues with a Perrier-Jouët Blason rose champagne and daily breakfast on the suite’s private balcony.

The Luxurious Romance Package is available February 13–15 at $2398 a couple.

For bookings and information, see: lebua.com/valentine15.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

CARNIVAL TIME : Tempo Holidays has a Taste of Basel special.

Spend three days enjoying free travel on the convenient public transport network and a walking tour of the medieval old town. : Spend time at your leisure using your Basel Card with entry to museums and galleries, discounts in the city’s most popular restaurants and a ferry cruise along the Rhine. : The deal includes two nights’ accommodation in a standard hotel, two breakfasts, a 48-hour Basel Card, including free ferry crossing, discounts in selected shops and restaurants and reduced entry to many museums, and Basel Mobility Ticket, including free travel in the city centre and Basel City Tour. : The package is $347 a person.

For more information, visit 1300 558 987 or www.tempoholidays.com.

TURKEY

Explore on foot and by sea

PETER Sommer Travels will explore some of Turkey’s most spectacular coastline in an expedition that combines walking ancient trails with cruising aboard a traditional Turkish yacht. Designed for small groups with a passion for history, scenery and archaeology, the eight-day itinerary begins on April 28 and October 10.

More on www.petersommer.com.

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ga rd en

PRETTY POPPY: Buds open to reveal crepe-paper-like blooms of gold, lemon, apricot and salmon.

+

IN MY GAR DEN

wi th A n g ie Th o m a s

Flowers to sow in February

HEALTHY SOIL IS A GREAT STARTING POINT FOR YOUR PL ANTS

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

: A single ladybug will eat hundreds of aphids during its short life.

+ Keep it natural

: Poppies like to be cool.

Iceland poppies

Li mi t yo ur u s e of t ox i c ch e mi cal s .

G R EE N THU MB w i th Maree Cu rran

F

OR gardeners interested in limiting the use of toxic chemicals, there have been some great developments in recent years. There is a growing range of certified organic products for garden care, including soil improvement and plant nutrition, as well as pest and disease management.

I’m a firm believer in starting with soil health, because healthy soil produces healthy plants. Add organic matter to your soil whenever you plant something, and top it up a couple of times a year. Keep a good layer of mulch on all your gardens. I like using lucerne or organic sugar cane on herbs and vegies, and tea tree mulch on ornamental gardens.

If you use fertilisers based on natural materials such as blood and bone, manures, fish and seaweed, you are feeding the soil as well as the plants. Fish and seaweed solutions sprayed on the foliage can also help prevent fungal diseases.

But sometimes, despite your best efforts, the nasty bugs get out of hand. Have a close look to identify what is causing the problem. Then have a closer look to see if other insects have moved in to control the pests. If you spot an aphid infestation, have a close look for ladybirds or their larvae. If they are present, you can leave it alone for a few days

because the ladybirds may clean up the mess alone. A single ladybird will consume hundreds of aphids in its short life.

If you do need to spray, the trick is to use a product that will not harm the beneficial insects. The first line of defence is BFA certified organic Eco-Oil which will control insects including scale, mealy bugs, aphids, and citrus leaf miners.

The new formulation of Eco-Oil is now “HIPPO Enhanced”, which means it contains attractants to bring good bugs into your garden.

For caterpillars, grasshoppers and other sucking or chewing insects, including severe infestations of scale or mealybug, use BFA certified organic Eco-Neem. I add a little Eco-Oil to help it to stay on the leaf, making it more effective.

To control fruit fly, use Eco-Naturalure with formulated proteins and carbohydrates that act as a powerful attractant to male and female fruit flies. The bait also contains a powerful BFA registered organic insecticide called spinosad.

For powdery mildew and black spot, use Eco-Fungicide. This, too, is BFA certified organic, so you can use it on food crops such as cucumbers, strawberries and zucchinis, as well as roses and other ornamentals. Look carefully at your mouldy zucchini and cucumber leaves, because there is a yellow ladybird with black spots that feeds on the fungus.

Got a question for Maree? Email her at maree@edenatbyron.com.au.

PHOTO: ARINAHABICH

WITH such a cool name, what better flower to look forward to in late winter and spring? Although they don’t come from Iceland, they do like cool winters to flower well. Fat, furry buds open to reveal crepe-paper-like blooms of gold, lemon, apricot and salmon held on tall stems, perfect for garden colour and lovely in a vase. The rosettes of dark green leaves are ideal for disguising fading bulb foliage, so grow them in conjunction with your favourite spring bulbs. Sow poppies directly into the garden, or alternately in trays and transplant when seedlings are 10cm high.

Bulb preparation

PREPARE for planting spring bulbs by digging plenty of organic matter, compost, manure or Dynamic Lifter into the soil. Store the bulbs in a cool place (or the crisper of the refrigerator) and delay planting until autumn (April or May) when the weather and soil has cooled down.

Plant of the month – ivory curl

BUCKINGHAMIA celsissima or ivory curl is a fast-growing, rewarding small tree, and its dense dark green foliage makes it ideal for privacy and hedging, too.

Elegant spires of ivory flowers smother the ends of the branches from mid-summer to autumn. Nectar-rich and sweetly fragrant, the blooms are a magnet for birds and insects. Preferring areas with mild winters, it reaches about 8m (although more in its native habitat), and likes well-drained soil with plenty of added organics. Fertilise with blood and bone in spring and autumn.

+

P RO D U CTS

Hardy succulents for the time-poor gardener ALL PRODUCTS AVAILABLE FROM BUNNINGS

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: Echeveria Perle Von Nurnberg’s

: Epiphyllums thrive on neglect and

: Echeveria mixes are great for mass

boast lovely rosettes of soft leaves with deep pink highlights are dusted in powdery white. RRP $9.68.

still produce spectacular blooms from pinks to reds, orange, whites and yellows. RRP $9.49.

displays, low borders, tubs and pots.

RRP $9.68.

: Haworthias, among other succulents, are easy plants to grow, hardy and versatile and require watering when soil surface is dry. RRP $7.48.

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h o me LOVING IDEAS: Don’t be predictable this Valentine’s Day – it’s the thought that really does count.

+

Styling a bedroom – it’s child’s play .

ST Y L E

wi th Tracey Ho rd e r n

I

NOW realise my mother was rather ahead of her time. From a really early age, I had input into what my bedroom looked like. I confess, purple was my favourite colour, so purple reigned in my space until I was a teenager.

A little older, thankfully my colour palette expanded, and for the next few years Kelly green was all the go. But the point is, I loved having a say in designing my space. Interestingly, I don’t recall that many of my friends had much say or cared about their bedroom. For me, though, it ignited a passion for interiors that has stayed with me.

I have noticed now that there are so many more options than ever for hipster kids that like pushing the boundaries of fun. Most young children I know actively participate in how their space is styled.

As for accessories for the child’s rooms – these were once confined to a night lamp and a few fluffy toys. There are now seasonal trends from big retailers catering to this growing market.

Stores such as Ikea, Target and Kmart and online stores such as Temple and Webster have sizeable ranges for babies through to teens and are marketed and displayed in such a way that an entire look can be taken on. Much more than bedroom furniture, many of these ranges include kid-sized stuff for every room in the house, including the outdoors.

Bespoke styled bedrooms, those based around what your child likes, are a great way to fire inspiration and creativity in your child and potentially inspire a lifelong passion for style. I just hope you don’t have to live through a purple reign.

+ Sharing the love I NTER IORS with Tracey Hordern

BESPOKE STYLE BEDROOMS RULE

Gi f t s for th e one yo u love this Va len tin e’s Day So it’s Valentine’s Day next weekend, and if you’re lucky enough to be in love, chances are you’re like most of us and you haven’t yet sorted out a present. Hit the right note and avoid the boring chocolate/roses option. Here are a few loving ideas available online and in stores now. There’s the perfect picnic set for two, a couple of healthy options, the definitive Australian wine guide and luxury earphones and sumptuous silk pillowslips.

: Hipster kids’ bedrooms have moved on from traditional pink and blue. This one comes from Temple PHOTO: SUPPLIED and Webster.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

FIRST ROW: : Pure Silk Slip Pillow Case, Giftbox $69.95, Slip, slip.com.au, : Nutri Bullet 12 Piece Pr 900 series Blender/Juicer, $129.98 Kmart, kmart.com.au . : Luxury Sennheiser Headphones, $341, Peters of Kensington, petersofkensington.com.au SECOND ROW: : The Wine Guide by Huon Hooke, $49.95, Myer, myer.com.au : Satara-Amalfi Wicker Picnic Basket Set for Two, $94, Peters of Kensington, petersofkensington.com.au : Lifetrack c200 Activity Black & White, $59.95, Myer, myer.com.au

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m a ke A SIMPLE PROJECT YOU CAN MAKE IN AN AFTERNOON

Tools:

USE AN OFFCUT PIECE OF TIMBER TO PAINT TEST STRIPS

: : : :

Measuring tape : Combination square Handsaw : Sandpaper : Clamps (optional) Power drill and drill bit : Small paint brush Pencil

Materials:

: 64mm x 19mm pine planks : 250ml varnish : 30mm galvanised screws.

All tools and materials available at your local Bunnings Warehouse ... to locate your nearest store please visit www.bunnings.com.au.

TIMBER TONE: Use a stain or varnish to give the shelf your desired look and to match existing decor. : Create a stylish shelf to dress up bathroom living.

PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED

+ Shelf life made easy Re l a x an d e n joy a ne w b at h r oom ac c essory

: STEP 4: DRILL AND SCREW Lay the four planks together and mark them up with the width of the inside edge of the bath (width #2). Place the underneath supports inside width #2 and mark up using clamps if necessary. This is done so that the supports will fit inside the bath.

To ensure the timber doesn’t split, pre-drill all the screw holes. Then using 30mm galvanised screws, screw the structure together.

K

EEP your book dry and a glass of wine handy while you’re having a relaxing bath using this easy bath shelf. A simple project you can make in an afternoon.

Just follow these basic steps...

: STEP 2: CUT YOUR TIMBER

: STEP 3: SAND

Use a stain or varnish to give the shelf your desired look to match your bathroom. Remember, this will also be the waterproof barrier to protect the timber so you can afford to be generous.

If you’re not sure about colour-matching, you can always use an offcut piece of timber to paint some colour test strips, one with one coat, one with two coats and a third with three coats for a rich, dark colour.

Sand the corners of all the external edges. Concentrate on the edges you might just bump your knee into (especially on the underside).

To view this project and others online, visit www.bunnings.com.au/diy-advice.

Cut four pine planks to a length that will span the width of the bath from outside edge to outside edge.

Cut two 200mm pine lengths to use as underneath supports.

: STEP 1: MEASURE YOUR BATH Measure the width of your bath from outside edge to outside edge (width #1), then also measure it from inside edge to inside edge (width #2).

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: STEP 5: STAIN OR VARNISH

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close t KEEP SHINING: There’s always something you can wear to brighten your day.

+

L I F E M O ST FA B U LO US w i th M e re d i th Pap ava s i l i o u

Quit the navel gazing and engage with others

T

HINK. Just think.

Spare a thought. Preferably about someone other than yourself.

What is going on with the world?

Indeed, I sound like my grandmothers there, bless them – and sorry, Narn and Grandma.

But, really? Have we all become these awful, self-absorbed, pre-occupied versions of ourselves?

And if so, then how did we all go so horribly wrong?

Once upon a time – certainly a time in my memory, and contrary to what my kids say, I am not that old – most of us actually gave a hoot about the wellbeing and general okay-ness of others.

It could be attributed to the dilution of what use to be known as the traditional nuclear family. However with the transience and, some might even say, displacement of the modern community we are seeing friendship circles, community groups and even workplaces take the place of the family in one way, shape or form.

Walk along any street, take a glance at any bus stop, train station, airport and we are all completely self-absorbed; preoccupied with our connections, followers, and so-called friends.

We voyeuristically isolate ourselves from the real world. Instead opting to partake of a form of socialising, which requires very little real investment of emotion and requires us less and less to develop that most important of human conditions: empathy.

Posting on someone’s wall for their birthday, writing an ‘Awww’ with the appropriate weighting of Xs and Os is not caring – not really, anyway. It’s easy. Yes, it’s nice. But it is superficial.

So is it the rise of social media, transience and the reshaping of our more traditional values and mores?

Or is it the fact so many of us have set out with good intentions, only to be met with an, at times, breath-taking lack of grace and gratitude and that good old ‘give an inch, take a mile’ slap in the face.

Either way, it can be hard work stepping up to the plate when you know the outcome.

Be that as it may, we cannot allow this to be offered as a justification for something quite disappointing. And it’s something we can all do something about. It might not cure the world’s ills or even be the making of world peace but it might just be the makings of a charming throw-back; to times when people seemed to care.

SPARE A THOUGHT. PREFER ABLY ABOUT S O M E O N E O T H E R T H A N YO U R S E L F.

+ .

ST YLE wi th Tracey Ho rd e r n

Ode to yummy mummies THE term “yummy mummy” was first applied to celebrity mothers in the late 90s. Think Victoria Beckham and Liz Hurley, who made pregnancy appear glamorous. These women shot back into pre-pregnancy shape almost immediately, barely skipping a beat on the red carpets.

The good news is this term glorified a natural state, but there was a dark side to this reference. Your average mother, those without nannies and personal trainers, could be left Saturday, February 7, 2015

+

FA S HI ON w i th M e re di th Pap ava s i li o u

Bring the bling

Ta ke th e at te nti on of f th at c ru ste d ap p l e p uree on yo u r sleeve We’ve all had those days: when you’re in your jarmies still at noon or you’re dressed for work and your lovely little cherub throws up all over you, or you walk into a meeting or arrive at mothers’ group with half a plate of crusted puree apple on your sleeve. Nice, hey. But however dull your day might feel, there is one thing that will always shine – and that’s a wee bit of motherly bling.

FIRST ROW: : Tiffany Infinity Pendant in Rubedo Metal, $555 : Keepitunique Posh Mummy Tall Tag Pendant (one), $109 : Canturi Cubism Diamond Ring, POA. SECOND ROW: : MyNameNecklace Beaded Bracelet with Baby Feet, $39 : Cartier Love Ring, $4,250 : Personalised Jewellery for Mum Silver and Red Necklace, $103 : Michael Hill Mother and Child Heart Pendant, $69.

feeling “less than” as they struggled with losing the baby weight, wearing food-stained clothes and basically getting on with it. It was reported in 2008 that celebrity yummy mummies were contributing to levels of depression in young mothers, making new mothers feel “saggy, baggy and depressed” about their own bodies.

The women I most admire are the ones that not only balanced motherhood, but kicked arse entrepreneurially.

These women often created empires online, realising that work at home was now more than ever possible thanks to technology. A friend of mine, a talented journalist, was back hitting on the keyboards within days of giving birth, writing on health and beauty while nurturing a newborn.

As any mother of young children will tell you, style and personal grooming come last when tending a baby. But what most yummy mummies I know do is simplify their regimes.

Putting health first, finding an easy, stylish wardrobe that works, and reaching out to your girlfriends were paramount.

It does beg the question an older lady put to me several years ago: you’ve got to ask what women’s lib has done for us. As she pointed out, now women have to do it all.

: Victoria Beckham.

PHOTO: JAMES HIGGINS / SPLASH NEWS

Weekend

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s t u ff

+ Wake up and smell the burnt toast

GADGETS

+

w i th D av i d St u a r t | @ bi g k a m o

Re m o te p a s s e s q u a l i t y c o n t r o l w i t h f ly i n g c o l o u r s ; e ve r y t h i n g e l s e i s b l a c k .

O N A L I G H T E R N OT E w i th G re g B ray

A

S OUR toaster, Sir Burnsalot, filled the kitchen with billowing clouds of smoke, I opened the doors and windows and pondered when manufacturers started relying on the buying public to road test their products.

Surely the makers of Sir Burnsalot wouldn’t release a toaster with 10 settings, eight of which produce charcoal, while anything below two merely warms your bread slices?

And do the designers of our washing machine, The Knotter, know that they’ve created a machine that not only cleans your clothes, but ties them into a ball so tight that they can only be separated with a very sharp axe?

And did any of the folk behind The Blipper, our digital television, actually test one in their own homes?

If they had, they’d have soon discovered that apart from having amazing picture and sound quality, The Blipper also does the following whenever a cloud passes over the moon or a cat strolls by: “And the murderer is ...” No signal.

“He’s going to score! It’s …” No signal.

Mind you, The Blipper’s remote control has earned Greg’s

+

G A D G ET R EV I E W

with David Stuart

Binoculars for the tech head BIRDWATCHERS and committed amateur sleuths alike will delight in aptly named Enhanced Binoculars.

Listed on the Ricoh website under the security banner, the device combines image stabilisation with noise-removal technology to produce a comfortable enlargement experience. Dust proofed and waterproofed, the binoculars can be taken out into the field without too much fuss.

Capable of optically magnifying subjects up to 13.2 times, it can also capture video or still frames on to an SD card. And the built-in GPS and compass also allows for a user’s co-ordinates to be displayed.

Weekend

‘‘

Di d any o f th e f olk b eh ind T h e B li ppe r, o ur d igita l te le v isi on , a ctu ally te st o ne in t h e ir ow n ho mes ?

: The Magic Feet plugs into your Mac to allow wireless charging of the Wireless Keyboard, Magic Trackpad and Magic Mouse. The charging pad adds four USB ports to your Mac. Sells for $190.

Five Thumbs Up, because ours has spent more time flying through the air than a long haul aircraft and survived some spectacular landings.

Finally, each morning I lurch from my bed trailing one leg uselessly behind me thanks to The Chiropractor’s Friend, aka the Mattress from Hell.

I’ve often wondered if anyone at the factory has spent more than three minutes lying on one of their back-wrecking creations.

Occasionally I’ll toy with upgrading all these items, but I’m not keen to fork out more money to assess another batch of untested products, so I’ll put up with them, for now.

On the bright side, at least my old computer is still working reliab…

Greg Bray blogs at www.gregbraywriter.wordpress.com.

Find him on Facebook: Greg Bray – Writer.

: It may look like a wine cooler, but it’s much cooler.

The Thule Covert DSLR Rolltop Backpack contains a removable padded pod to protect your precious camera gear. Pick one up for about $250.

NO FUSS: Pentax Atmospheric Interference Reduction enhances the image allowing for operation in rain and snow.

Price: $5400.

: Qantas and Samsung have teamed up to bring 3D virtual reality to inflight entertainment. The trial headsets will also showcase the carrier’s destinations in a revolutionary way. Available for select customers.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

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.

Weekend

yo u

+

WE LOV E

wi th He l e n Haw ke s

+ Holidays end, so your me time starts .

YO U

T : OMG. We love, love, love Bhave’s new Keratin In-Salon Smoothing Service that turns frizzy, unruly tresses into sophisticated style. The professional in-salon smoothing service is enriched with keratin, argan oil, collagen and silk amino acids to rejuvenate and protect hair from environmental and styling stressors while enhancing shine and dramatically reducing maintenance and styling time. Curls are softened, waves are smoothed and hair is easier to manage for up to four months with no frizz, no fuss and no formaldehyde. It’s not a straightening treatment and, unlike chemical straightening, does not restructure the hair. The service takes one to three hours and costs from $199 upwards, depending on hair length. To find out about a treatment near you, phone 1300 402 064.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

w i th Vi ki Th o n d ley

HE school holidays are over and it’s back to the daily demands of life. It’s all too easy to fall back into bad habits and feel overwhelmed by stress.

Remember you own your own stress. Increase your self-awareness of what is causing physical or emotional strain or overwhelm, and try adopting some of these stress-relieving techniques to stay calm throughout your day: 1. Exercise – This is a way to manage stress that doesn’t have to add to your financial woes. Did you know that a 20-minute walk or jog around your block can yield up to 12 hours of improved mood? The main thing is to find a physical activity that you enjoy, whether it’s dancing, tennis or gardening.

2. Laugh – Laughter reduces pain and physical tension, increases job performance, connects people emotionally and improves the flow of oxygen to the heart and brain. Watch your favourite comedy DVD, phone a funny friend, or join a laughter therapy group.

3. Keep a journal – Dedicating a chunk of time every day to write about what is bothering you helps to release mental chaos and see a situation more clearly. Keeping a journal also assists in problem-solving your worries and finding positive solutions, in preference to being simply overcome by them.

: Combine laughter and self-care with a funny friend.

PHOTO: THINK STOCK

4. Meditate – When you feel tension rising, immediately focus on your breathing. Observe the air moving down into your lungs, expanding both chest and stomach. As you exhale, focus on releasing tension in your body. Taking four to five slow, deep breaths of an even count has an instant calming sensation on both mind and body. Oxygenation increases, blood pressure decreases, physical tension starts to release and mental chatter begins to slow. When practised regularly, the benefits of meditation are enormous to your mind, body, spirit and emotions.

5. Practise self-care – Self-care is essential. When tension spikes it can be tempting to put yourself last, but prioritising “me time” – healthy eating, physical activity, nurturing relationships and adequate rest – is necessary if you want to avoid making your stress worse.

Connect with Viki, holistic health therapist and mind-body wellness specialist, at www.mindbodyfood.net.

Weekend

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yo u

+ Everyone has flaws

Weekend WISE WORDS: Truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for – Bob Marley.

We a ll wa n t s om e on e w h o ’ s h a n d s om e , r i ch , ki nd, sp or t y, smar t , se x y, c onsi derate , h o use -t ra i ne d , f u n an d adve nt ur ous, but l et’s be re al i sti c .

B ETW E EN THE SH EETS

w ith

He l en Haw kes

I

’VE started a new relationship that I think is going to be important. It’s with my iPhone 6+ and, I have to confess, it’s got off to a rocky start.

Clearly I should have found out a little bit more about the new phone in my life before I agreed to eat, sleep and live with it and tell it all my secrets. But, like all new romances, I went into it a bit starstruck and wide-eyed.

It might have been its flashy appearance and wealth of apps. Take me home, baby, it seemed to say, and I’ll make your life fun. Never again will you miss a call, a text or a funny dog video with my big, wide screen and my friendly useability. I’ve always liked something with a bit of overt visual appeal.

Sadly, we’ve had a couple of early tiffs – last week it refused to recognise my fingerprint – kind of akin to a new boyfriend not taking your call, and, this week, it kept freezing message bank. In other words, we weren’t talking, but I wasn’t sure what I had done.

My friends who have an iPhone 6+ tell me it’s the worst phone they ever had but, to me, that sounds like giving up on the relationship before it starts.

Weekend

‘‘

T h e t rick, of co u rse , is t o de ci de wh at yo u r ca n’ t-livew it h o u t q u alities a re .

Let’s face it: there’s easy and there’s hard and some relationships are just tougher than others.

Forget iPhones. Let’s get serious about partners. Sure, we all want handsome, rich, kind, sporty, smart, sexy, considerate, house-trained, fun, adventurous and more. But this is a person we’re talking about – not an RSVP ad.

And, just like iPhones, they usually come with a couple of manufacturing flaws and an app or two that, periodically, seems to malfunction.

The trick, of course, is to decide what your can’t-live-without qualities are. For me, kind is better than rich, but mean is a zero-negotiation.

For others, house-trained may be the only major quality needed, while for some it’s all about fun and, when the going gets rocky, they’re out of there.

I think that’s why they build in that phrase, “til death us do part” if you decide to sign on the dotted line – much like taking a 24-month phone contract. Well, a bit more serious, but given the amount you’ll pay for a comprehensive phone plan, probably about the same cost.

PHOTO: THINK STOCK

Whether it’s a phone or a partner, some people are smart enough to always go for the simplest model – fewer problems learning how to operate it.

Others, like me, are tempted by all the bells and whistles.

In the short-term, the complex model will undoubtedly prove more tiring. In the long-term, you hope it pays off in increased functionality.

I’m not sure whether my phone and I will get along yet, but fortunately, I took the insurance. If I decide, in the next 12 months, that I want another model, I just have to pay a small fee and, voila, a new, sexier model will arrive in the post.

Sadly no one has yet come up with such a policy to cover new partners, which is why separation and divorce can be so financially as well as emotionally messy. You’re either stuck with something that didn’t live up to the advertising, or you’re up for a serious amount of cash and heartbreak.

Don’t let it put you off love, or telecommunications, though.

Life is all about risks, and whether it’s phones or partners, to quote the late Bob Marley, you just got to find the ones worth suffering for.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

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.

Weekend

screen life KINKY ANTICS: A cloak-and-dagger movie release strategy meets whips and bondage on screen.

Fifty Shades of Grey

: Stars: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Aaron Taylor-Johnson : Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson : Rating: MA 15+ : Reviewer’s last word: Critics have yet to see the highly anticipated adaptation of E.L. James’s bestselling Twilight fan-fiction novel, but Fifty Shades will be a box office smash regardless.

Star profile: Dakota Johnson

: Quirky fact: Is the daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffiths : Best known for: The Social Network, 21 Jump Street, Ben and Kate : If you like this movie you’ll like: Twilight, Nymphomaniac: Vol 1, Blue is the Warmest Color : Quote: “It’s stressful enough to be tied to a bed naked in a scene. But then they call ‘cut’ and you’re still tied to the bed, naked.”

: Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson (also above right) as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey.

PHOTOS: UNIVERSAL PICTURES

+ Woman on top How a Ho lly wo o d n ov i ce c am e t o d i r ec t F i f t y Sh ade s of Gre y S C R E EN L I FE

w ith Th e I nd ep end ent ’ s Ti m Wa l ke r

S

AM Taylor-Johnson is knackered. The day before our interview, the 47-year-old filmmaker finished the biggest job of her life, locking the last edit Fifty Shades of Grey, one of the most sweatily awaited movies of 2015.

The shoot was intense, the weight of expectation even more: earlier in the day, it was announced advance tickets had sold faster than any other R-rated film in US history.

It’s 18 months since Taylor-Johnson, who had never directed a Hollywood movie, was hired for the film version of E.L. James’s mega-selling erotic novel. The news was announced the day after she made her pitch to executives at Focus Features and Universal, who had won a fierce bidding war for the rights to Fifty Shades.

“It was like jumping onto a high-speed train and the doors locking behind me,” she says. “And I’m only now about to get

off ... I’m not that seasoned a director, and I had a few moments when I thought, ‘This is way bigger than I can handle’. But I’m also not a quitter.”

The level of security surrounding the film is such that no journalist was permitted to watch it ahead of its Berlin premiere on Wednesday.

For Taylor-Johnson, that secrecy is a source of frustration.

“I haven’t been able to show it to anyone,” she says. “It’s the most frustrating thing ever to not be able to get feedback.”

One of the few people to have seen it is her husband, actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

“Aaron has seen it a thousand times,” she says. “He worked on it from the script right through. I needed someone that I could trust to bounce ideas off.”

Despite the studio’s cloak-and-dagger release strategy, the book’s many fans can rest assured the Fifty Shades plot remains intact. Jamie Dornan plays the titular Christian Grey, a business magnate with a BDSM habit, while Dakota

Johnson is his unsuspecting love interest, Anastasia Steele.

James, a regular presence on the set, was rigorously protective of her material.

That said, some of the novel’s graphic sexual details were necessarily omitted from the film.

Working within the Hollywood studio system was a new experience for the director who, by her own admission, has spent most of her career as an auteur.

Taylor-Johnson (formerly Taylor-Wood) first achieved prominence as a photographer and video artist, one of the celebrated YBAs – Young British Artists – of the 1990s.

In 2009 she directed the wonderful musical coming-of-age tale Nowhere Boy, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson (formerly Johnson) as young John Lennon.

After a period of “babies, family and the more important things in life”, she returned to work – but, like any other business, show business proved difficult to break back into after motherhood.

Directing Fifty Shades, she says, was in part a “Machiavellian” tactic, “to move myself further up the list, so that I can do the films I want to do”.

It should be noted that while the book was a rousing commercial success, it was not a critical one – and though Taylor-Johnson wants to honour the expectations of fans, she also hopes that critics “will think I did a good job”.

Fifty Shades of Grey opens nationally on Thursday.

+

REV IE WS Wh a t’ s new on th e b i g sc re e n

Selma

THIS Oscar contender pays fitting tribute to the life of American civil rights campaigner Martin Luther King Jr, thanks to a powerful performance by David Oyelowo. The film also highlights how much more needs to be done to achieve King’s vision of equality. : Stars: David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo : Rating: M : In cinemas: Thursday Saturday, February 7, 2015

The Interview

IF IT wasn’t for the Sony hacking scandal, this film would have simply been accepted for what it is: a silly romp banking on the likeability of its two stars. The humour is low-brow, and complicated international relations are simplified for the sake of a few laughs. : Stars: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Lizzy Caplan : Rating: MA 15+ : In cinemas: Thursday

Kingsman: The Secret Service

COLIN Firth is an unlikely but suave secret agent in this stylish and oh-so-very-British film. Director Matthew Vaughn’s fun and subversive take on the spy genre is charming and unearths rising talent Taron Egerton, who holds his own alongside Firth. : Stars: Colin Firth, Michael Caine, Taron Egerton : Rating: MA 15+ : In cinemas: Now Weekend

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re lax

+ Quirky journey

+

EDITOR’S PICK: It’s a toss-up between two charming suicide survivors – Arkie, or Sully from Useful.

WO R DS AND MUSI C

C h a r m i n g st o r y c a r r i e s l e s s o n s f r o m a f a d e d A u st ra l i a n p h e n o m e n o n

Daughter

R E LA X w i th Jo h n G rey

By Jane Shemilt: A year after a teen daughter goes missing, her family is shattered and an obsession with the mystery grows. A tense and skilful tale of secrets and psychology. How well do we really know our own children?

A

RKIE is a trend spotter, a fashion prophet who can predict what the next big thing will be. But she’s lost her mojo, her livelihood and her husband, and gained a pathological hatred of cardboard. And she is about to throw herself in front of a train.

A chance encounter (or was it chance?) with young Japanese traveller Haruko sends her on a different journey, a pilgrimage. “Pilgrimages are so hot right now,” says Haruko.

Haruko (who turns out to be a trend-spotting guru herself) becomes a different type of guru for Arkie, who chooses a pilgrimage based on Australia’s strange but faded phenomenon of Big Things – the Big Pineapple, the Big Prawn, the Big Banana etc.

Riding on Haruko’s trend-spotting skills and cryptic wisdom, Arkie uses the peculiar pilgrimage to get back her mojo (which she feels was stolen by her extramarital lover, an up-and-coming next-big-thing politician).

Travelling through the east coast regions, she learns lessons from the decaying Big Things and the people she meets. She also has a little trouble obeying the rules of pilgrimage (no meat, no alcohol, no sex).

Haruko, of course, is not quite what she seems, and adventures with Yakuza gangsters and apparent incarnations of lucky Buddhist gods and spirits ensue. Arkie also has a sweet little spirit of her own that travels with her.

But who is the mysterious “Big Scotsman” that has turned up on Arkie’s blog, seeking validation of Adelaide’s kilt-wearing “Big Thing” as the original and best?

Lisa Walker’s charming storytelling takes the reader on a Dorothy-type journey through Oz, full of quirky characters, gentle mysteries, significant coincidences, a little surrealism and some quiet philosophical pondering.

Arkie’s Pilgrimage to the Next Big Thing is by Lisa Walker and published by Random House Australia.

The Port Fairy Murders

By Robert Gott: This Maryborough-born author’s sequel to The Holiday Murders warms up into a gripping crime drama with a woman homicide cop in 1944 Australia. There’s lots of disturbingly unpleasant characters, of which the vile Hitlerite racists might not be the worst.

Title

: Big Pineapple, Big Prawn, Big Banana ... what next?

PHOTOS: CONTRIBUTED

+

R EV I E W

w i th Jo h n G rey

Useful, by Debra Oswald

+

NE W ON DV D A SURPRISING number of recent books received for review have begun with a suicide or attempted suicide. In Useful, by Debra Oswald, the suicide attempt by deeply flawed protagonist Sully is intrinsic to the tale. Sully is charming and intelligent, self-aware, depressed and terminally guilty about being “a f***ing waste of floor space”. When he clumsily survives his suicide attempt, he is determined to be useful in one way: he wants to donate a kidney to a stranger. The decision begins his journey from annoying loser to healthy kidney owner and, hopefully, functional human being. Oswald writes with humour and insight, creating complex and believable characters in real situations. It’s a good read. If you need help with a personal crisis, phone Lifeline on 13 11 14.

By Meghan Trainor: This CD is lots of fun and has brilliant messages for young women, eg All About That Bass – “Every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top”.

Trainor is executive producer and writer. Lily Allen fans will love this. – Tallulah Grey

w i th Se a nn a Cro n i n

Game of Thrones season four

AS ITS tagline “All men must die” suggests, the fourth season of Game of Thrones features some of the fantasy show’s most epic battle scenes to date and one spectacular royal assassination. Special features included.

TAKE AWAY A CHILD’S MONSTER

*Act for Kids 2012-13 financial year.

W IT H JUST A DOLL AR A DAY.

Weekend

help Act for Kids Your regular gift could lected children treat abused and neg tment programs, through intensive trea sed therapy. such as art and play-ba 0* kids, but this 3,50 ed help we Last year n more, so please eve help to t wan year we ers today. sad Cru s’ Kid er oth join our

com.au Donate at actforkids. or call 130 0 228 000

Saturday, February 7, 2015

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Weekend

mind

TEST YOUR GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Quiz compiled by Roy O’Reilly.

+ Do not fear your fear M I N D YOU

+

w i th Rowe n a H a rdy a n d N i c k B e n n e tt

L e a r n t o m a n a g e i t a n d p u s h t h r o u g h a ny way

QU I Z

1. On a standard keyboard, the exclamation mark shares a key with which number?

2. Is Guyana in Africa or South America?

3. Eric Clapton was expelled from his stained-glass design course for doing what in class (a) dressing as a clown (b) playing his guitar (c) singing?

4. Was the Panama Canal officially opened in 1814 or 1914?

5. In which month is Mother’s Day celebrated in Australia?

6. What is the term for an angle between 180 degrees and 360 degrees?

7. Which iconic statue did President Grover Cleveland unveil in 1886?

8. Which Australian soccer team won the 2014 Asian Champions League title?

9. In bingo, which number has the nickname “never been kissed”?

10. In which century did the Pony Express operate in the US? 11. In which 2004 movie did Drew Barrymore play a beautiful young woman who awakes each day without her recent memory?

12. Is nephritis an inflammation of the brain or kidneys?

13. Ham Gravy was which cartoon character's first boyfriend?

14. Are baby echidnas called puggles or pups?

15. Marangaroo is in which Australian state/territory?

16. “It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday, the regular crowd shuffles in,” are lyrics from which song?

17. About a fifth of the world’s population lives in which country?

18. Was William Shakespeare or Jules Verne known as “the father of science fiction?

19. In which sport did Australia’s Shelley Watts win a gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games (a) boxing (b) swimming (b) weightlifting?

20. Was pop artist Andy Warhol American or Polish?

21. How many men have preceded Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States?

22. Who surrendered aboard HMS Bellerophon in 1815?

23. Which Australian state has the same name as a national capital?

: Pushing through fear is less frightening than living with the bigger underlying fear that comes from a feeling of helplessness.

PHOTO: FUSE

D

O YOU ever feel as though you are not as satisfied or fully engaged with life as some people? Does the feeling come and go depending on what’s happening or is it something that has been building over time?

It may feel as though you are holding back in some way, that you know you have more to offer and yet something is getting in the way and stopping you. Do you know what it is?

I would suggest it might be fear and that it happens to all of us at some point. But what is it you are fearful about?

Like stress, a small amount of fear can actually be helpful and forms part of our innate survival response (fight/flight). It can keep us on our toes, vigilant for potential pitfalls and unforeseen danger and therefore protect us, however it can get out of control and when that happens it can derail us and keep us stuck.

Fear is an emotional response from the brain triggered by a threat stimulus such as danger, pain or harm and although it is not a pleasant experience, it is an important one. We may not know what has triggered it as it can be an unconscious response. It could be the result of a specific event that happened to us or that we have witnessed a psychological trauma or just an unhealthy belief, obsession or phobia (an irrational and exaggerated fear) that now controls us.

Some of the most common fears are failure, death, rejection, ridicule, loneliness, misery, disappointment, pain,

the unknown, success, change and losing your freedom. Is it one of these for you? If you recognise that fear is holding you back and stopping you having, doing or being something other than you are then perhaps it’s time to reflect on that and find someone to help you work through it. Or you might like to read a book by Susan Jeffers, Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway, as she explains five fear ‘truths’ and number five is a

‘‘

L ike st res s, a s mall am o u nt of fe ar ca n ac tu ally be he lp f ul a nd fo rm s par t o f o u r innate su rviva l re sp o nse good one. She says “Pushing through fear is less frightening than living with the bigger underlying fear that comes from a feeling of helplessness” and whether you agree with that or not, there’s no denying that fear can grip us like a vice and it doesn’t have to be that way.

Nick Bennett and Rowena Hardy are facilitators, performance coaches and partners of Minds Aligned: www.mindsaligned.com.au.

NEXT SATURDAY IN WEEKEND

24. Which Manhattan building, the tallest in the US, opened for business last year?

25. How many of William Shakespeare’s plays have the name Henry in the title?

ANSW E RS 1. 1. 2. South America. 3. (b) playing his guitar. 4. 1914. 5. May. 6.

Reflex angle. 7. Statue of Liberty. 8. Western Sydney Wanderers. 9. 16.

10. 19th century. 11. 50 First Dates 12. Kidneys. 13. Olive Oyl. 14.

Puggles. 15. Western Australia. 16. Piano Man. 17. China. 18. Jules Verne. 19. (a) boxing. 20. American. 21. 42. 22. Napoleon Bonaparte.

23. Victoria. (Seychelles). 24. One World Trade Centre. 25. Seven.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

+ EA SY EAT ING //

How to w hi p up a rom an tic meal packed with ap hrod isiacs

+ SCR EEN L IF E //

T he di recto rs of T he Matrix trilog y retu rn wi th st a r- stu dded space rom p

Weekend