Little Wandering Wren …. chats!

She did it again, our Little Miss Hussy won on the weekend. This was despite drawing barrier one, being boxed in from the start, and receiving a hefty bump on the turn. For one dreadful moment it looked like she could either lose her legs from under her, or her jockey, or both... Phew good pick up! That gritty determination that the stable hand had admired previously came to the fore, and with a look of ' Don't mess with me' she thundered home a triumphant winner in a listed race at Caulfield ... It is a bucket list dream to own a horse that could win at a Melbourne metropolitan track. Our Little Miss H has now done that twice in two weeks! At the winners presentation, they announced the last horse to win this race with two out of two starts was Black Cavier , but let's not get ahead of ourselves... Caulfield racecourse is one of Melbourne's best known and respectable race tracks, only 8 kms from the CBD... Holy Moly I'm pinching myself as I write th

On Monday, our Yoga teacher declared that the Scorpio Full Moon on Thursday would be dominant in a turbulent week ahead. To prepare for this I worked extra hard in class, but still failed to master anything more than a downward dog...I exaggerate, I was probably more like a floppy puppy... Nevertheless, it was reassuring to learn, that those of us who'd taken time out of our busy week to practise our yoga techniques, would be better wired to cope with the intense period of instability that was coming our way. I'm liking this class already... ....Perhaps the diagram below is not quite reflective of where I would like to be with my yoga...I would prefer my Earth to be closer to my Live...but you get the general idea...and it's hang on tight for the week ahead... However despite all the potential for doom and disaster, it's been a good week, at least on the sporting front! Emlin won a beer mug (all the champagne glasses had gone) when her mixed doubles tea

You've heard of the Melbourne Cup right - the horse race that stops the nation? Have you heard of Black Caviar , our horse that stops the nation? Well I can't resist staying with the horse racing theme, and BIG news here in Melbourne... Black Caviar, Nelly to her friends, won an unprecedented 25th race from 25 starts...Oh to be those owners.... And when I say our horse , I'm sadly speaking as a local, not as an owner... That was followed by the shock, emotional press conference by her owners and trainer, Peter Moody announcing her retirement. On Saturday Caulfield racecourse gave free admission to allow adoring fans a chance to bid her a final farewell from the racetrack... Black Caviar has her own website, Facebook page and website!   There are a variety of reasons why people get into horse racing as owners. For us we had grown up around horses. Tim's father, the local vet trained the odd racehorse in his spare time... most of them bigger on personalit

It's about time I introduced you the newest member of our family, Little Miss Hussy . Today we're on the road again, but don't worry only with hand luggage... to travel a short distance to Sandown Racing Club, a pretty racecourse 25 kms from Melbourne's CBD. ...but before I do so, I must issue the following warning: Horse Hazard ... horses are unpredictable and powerful animals capable of causing serious injury to persons ... and extreme damage to their wallets... Little Miss Hussy kind off snuck into the family...We were on the rebound, still recovering from the last horse (see below) who had all the breeding and loads of potential...but was a crazy nutter, who never quite took the racing seriously... The psychology behind it was they suspected he had been duffed up in the paddocks by an alpha mare as a youngster. The result of this early years trauma and bullying was that we had a horse that didn't like to get up alongside the others, let alone pass them and win..

Penang people like to think of themselves as different. They live on an island and are happy with the separation from mainland Malaysia. They have an opposition state government and like it that way - "more open and less corruption". They will resist all attempts to make Penang into the city life of Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. They are extremely multi cultural and everyone lives harmoniously... "We are ok with eachother, in Penang everyone lives altogether, side by side." This diversity and rich cultural heritage, gives the visitor much to see, experience and enjoy... City buildings in downtown Georgetown So we are excited to go and explore Georgetown, Penang - the Pearl of the Orient with Michael from Ocean Jupiter tours . There can be no better combination than a foodie, ex-monk, turned DJ to show us around Penang...He had the kids attention when he talked about his dream to attend the Tomorrowland pop concert in Belgium, and when he promised

Long regarded as the food capital of Asia, Penang has much to rave about in regard to it's F and B offerings... But it is perhaps the drinks that will form part of our lasting memories of this holiday... Firstly, there are the Happy Hours which in some hotels in Malaysia (Royale Chulan in KL) extend to all day... Secondly, much to the delight of some in our group there is no legal minimum drinking age here....argh these kids are growing up. Then there was the chance to try out the world's most expensive coffee... Ok coming from Melbourne's coffee culture, I am spoilt for coffee choice, and can be critical of coffee in places that we stay at...as my Trip Adviser comments will attest to... I go through phases with my coffee... At the moment I am back on my regular - a decaf skinny cap - or a decaffeinated cappuccino coffee with skimmed milk, if you want it translated into the Queen's English. "What's the point"? My friends ask... I HATE it when my cappucc