Good Weekend

Endorsed

Bookcrossing

Ailsa Piper never thought she'd find a book deliberately left by a stranger. One day, she looked up.

Sprays of Australian mimosa are given to women in Italy to symbolise love and appreciation.

Wattle

Susan Chenery sees a floral burst of Australian light in the Italian winter.

The dying art of handwriting.

Handwriting

Handwriting is more than mere instant gratification: it is character, it is personal history.

Track by track, life moved to an intense beat.

Mix tapes

There was a time when, track by track, life moved to a different, much more intense, beat.

Wooden spoon.

My wooden spoon

It’s a humble implement with, potentially, a slightly dark past, but that won’t stop me serving up a dose of praise to an old favourite.

For me, "the carols" were always Carols in the Domain.

Carols by candlelight

Dim sims. Off-key soap stars. Stilted gags from breakfast-TV hosts. The things an Aussie Christmas is made of.

Anwen Crawford's velvet purple dress.

My purple dress

Finding a piece of clothing that called to her at a young age has helped Anwen Crawford endure the pressures of the world.

Somehow, despite all the other breakages, my cup has survived my clumsiness for 30 years.

My cup and saucer

These mass-made, dishwasher-proof pieces of china are incredibly precious.

Moored dinghy by the jetty.

My dinghy

It was a lucky find, and the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

My memory vessel teaches how fleeting it can all still be.

Memory vessel

Every time we see a robin now, we think of Lachlan. Perhaps that is why I chose the oval container as a vessel of memory, for the glass bird on top is a robin.