Category: 1990s

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1990s Darwin Travel Writing

The Darwin Letters No. 9

A big hunk of rock standing out of the water and forming the side of a gorge.
Rock formation in the Katherine Gorge. The trees on the top give a better idea of the scale of the gorges. 10 September 1995.

If you’ve missed it, this series starts here.

Tuesday 26 September 1995 

20/288 Casuarina Drive
Nightcliff 0810

G’day once again Mum and Dad, 

How are you both after your trip to Kal? We hope you enjoyed it.

Did you see some interesting sites? How did the local bus route and service compare with Darwin’s? Isn’t it around this time of the year that Kal has the racing round?

We are well, although we both feel that the cancellation of our Tassie holiday has … Read the rest ... “The Darwin Letters No. 9”

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1990s Darwin Gardening Writing

The Darwin Letters No.8

Barb and Nat sitting happily in the spare room
"Not so spare room". Barb and Nat set up in the second bedroom in our apartment. We bought the tropical sofa bed specifically for guests - we had plenty. 19 July 1995.

If you’ve missed it, this series starts here.

A note before Tren starts: There is about a 4 and a half month break between the following letter and the previous one. I suspect that there wasn’t one written in that time. That period includes a lot of “The Dry” when we were way more active, but during this period my parents visited and Trenna’s sister Barb visited. Our friends Lorraine and Neil also arrived to live in Darwin, Lorraine … Read the rest ... “The Darwin Letters No.8”

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1990s Darwin Gardening Writing

The Darwin Letters No. 7

An impressive looking resort with a huge swimming pool
Not Darwin, but Seremban in Malaysia. This is the resort Greg stayed at whilst on the work trip described in this letter. 15 February 1995

If you’ve missed it, this series starts here.

Tuesday 21 March 1995 

20/288 Casuarina Drive 
Nightcliff 0810 

G’day (hopefully) Mum and Dad, 

We hope you are both well. We’re pretty good, and we’re looking forward to  your visit.

Well this letter has taken considerably more effort to write than any previous one to date, that’s for sure. Mind you, it’s not for want of trying  on my part.

Our computer is trying my patience just a tad. I think … Read the rest ... “The Darwin Letters No. 7”

Categories
1990s Darwin Writing

The Darwin Letters No. 6

A big crane lifting a spa bath onto an apartment balcony
"Balcony spa next door". 25 September 1996. The balconies in the apartment block were reinforced to allow a spa to be installed. Actually installing the spa was another matter.

If you’ve missed it, this series starts here.

Monday 13 February 1995

20/288 Casuarina Drive

Nightcliff 0810

” HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM! “

G’day again Mum and Dad.

We enjoyed our chat with you both on Saturday. Hope you’re still going good.

But rest assured, I won’t let the mundane get in the way of me telling a story or two

We’re both slowly recovering from this wretched flu virus. We thought we might be able to get out and … Read the rest ... “The Darwin Letters No. 6”

Categories
1990s Darwin Snippets and Vignettes Writing

The Darwin Letters No. 5

A big bird of prey and its handler
"Ready to fly". The birds of prey demonstration at the Territory Wildlife Park really was impressive. 14 January 1995.

If you’ve missed it, this series starts here.

Tuesday 17 January 1995

20/288 Casuarina Drive
Nightcliff NT 0810

G’day Mum and Dad,

Sorry we missed you on Sunday, Mum. How did you and Deb do at the Markets? Is this the first time you have sold stuff there? I can’t remember if we ever did get around to going to the Cannington Markets, I know we had intended to. How do they compare with other markets?


Greg’s going very … Read the rest ... “The Darwin Letters No. 5”

Categories
1990s Darwin Writing

The Darwin Letters No. 4

Lightning at night
Lightning over the sea and Christmas lights on the balcony of our apartment. No, that's NOT a multiple exposure, all that lightning is simultaneous. 30 December 1994.

If you’ve missed it, this series starts here.

Monday 19 December 1994

20/288 Casuarina Drive
Nightcliff 0810

Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!


Top End Greetings to you Mum and Dad, and also to anyone else who reads this letter.

Not another letter, we hear you cry! Don’t worry though, we’re sure the novelty will wear off very soon, and you’ll be blessed with a simple phone call.

But in the mean time, here we go again…
How are you … Read the rest ... “The Darwin Letters No. 4”

Categories
1990s Darwin Writing

The Darwin Letters No. 3

Boxes of books waiting to be unpacked into Billy Bookcases
We had quite a few boxes of books taken up to Darwin. This is during the unpacking. We put them into our Billy bookcases. The bookcases survived but the humidity gave the long shelves quite a bow (IKEA redesigned them in later years). The VCR sitting on the state of the art TV proved to be invaluable for entertainment in Darwin. 28 November 1994.

The Actual Letters…

or at least the first of them

If you’ve missed it, this series starts here.

Welcome to the third instalment in this series.

I’ve changed my mind several times, wrestling with how best to present this series of stories from when Trenna and I lived in tropical Darwin.

I’ve now decided I will do it by publishing, in the order they were written and sent, the letters Trenna wrote to my Mum and Dad.

We later … Read the rest ... “The Darwin Letters No. 3”

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1990s 2000s 2010s Carer Collected Wisdom Coping Health and Medicine Heart and Lung Failure Medical Snippets and Vignettes Visually Impaired

Marfan and Other Chronic Conditions – Things That Worked for Trenna – Part 3

A smiling Trenna with a girl friend and a lot of salads on a kitchen bench.
"Tren in Natural Habitat". Trenna and our friend Janine in our kitchen during our annual ANZAC Day barbeque. 25 April 2018.

Coping with Marfan Syndrome, Heart & Lung Failure, Visual Impairment, Chronic Pain and a Few Other Problems

By Greg

If you find this post useful or interesting you might want to check out two other posts: Marfan and Other Chronic Conditions – Things That Worked for Trenna; and Things That Worked for Trenna -Part 2.

As the name suggests yet another instalment in a series of posts that tell the things Trenna tried in an effort to make … Read the rest ... “Marfan and Other Chronic Conditions – Things That Worked for Trenna – Part 3”

Categories
1990s Menus Recipes Snippets and Vignettes

The Menu Diaries No. 17

July 1993 Menu
July 1993 Menu

For an introduction to what these Menu Diary posts are about, please click HERE. And for the reasons why you really should read this series, please click HERE.

July 1993

Ox Tail Stew Takes 2 Days to Make, Peruvian Stew, and Delicious Panthe Kowshwe, Plus 3 Recipes

Wednesday 30 June. The previous two days we had old standards but on this Wednesday Trenna has prepared Ox Tail Stew! I feel a little guilty that I don’t remember … Read the rest ... “The Menu Diaries No. 17”

Categories
1990s Menus Recipes Recipes and Household Tips

The Menu Diaries No. 16 – Special Edition!

Menu Diary 1992 - 1993 Summary
Menu Diary 1992 - 1993 Summary

1 July 1992 – 30 June 1993

Summary of All the Previous Year’s Meals – with Statistics and Links to Some of the Recipes!

For an introduction to what these Menu Diary posts are about, please click HERE. And for the reasons why you really should read this series, please click HERE.

Introduction

In the last entry of The Menu Diaries No.15, here, Trenna speculates about what meal we were having the most often. Well as it … Read the rest ... “The Menu Diaries No. 16 – Special Edition!”

Categories
1990s Menus Recipes

The Menu Diaries No.15

June 1993 Menu
June 1993 Menu

June 1993

For an introduction to what these Menu Diary posts are about, please click HERE. And for the reasons why you really should read this series, please click HERE.

Drama with the Cannellonis, Green Olive Puttanesca Recipe, and the Appearance of the “$” Sign

Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 June. “Drama!” I remember this. Trenna was making the cannelloni tubes as well as the filling. The “Drama” was getting the tubes to stay together. Her poor … Read the rest ... “The Menu Diaries No.15”

Categories
1990s 2000s 2010s 2020 Menus Snippets and Vignettes Writing

Why You Should Read The Menu Diaries

a man standing out the front of a colourful street stall in Asia
"Penang, On Day Trip - Spice Stall". The man in the foreground is the day trip tour guide. 2 November 2007.

By Greg

This post relates to the Menu Diaries series.  If you aren’t familiar with the series, a good place to start would be here.

Some Feedback

The other day I was talking to a friend who likes the TrennaMahney.com website.  I asked for some feedback, and this is what she said.

“I love all the stories about what Tren got up to – there’s lots of stuff I didn’t know.  I don’t read those Menu things though… I’m not … Read the rest ... “Why You Should Read The Menu Diaries”

Categories
1990s Gardening Menus Recipes

The Menu Diaries No.14

May 1993 Menu
May 1993 Menu

May 1993

More Pool Prep, Pork Meatballs again, Another Big Banquet, and Something Fishy (a recipe)

For an introduction to what these Menu Diary posts are about, please click HERE. And for the reasons why you really should read this series, please click HERE.

Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 May. I would have made this one. Pork in Black Bean Sauce was one of the recipes from the Chinese Cooking class I had taken some years before.… Read the rest ... “The Menu Diaries No.14”

Categories
1990s Menus Recipes

The Menu Diaries No. 13

April 1993 Menu
April 1993 Menu

April 1993

Siciliana Sauce Recipe, and Why We Had Fish So Often

For an introduction to what these Menu Diary posts are about, please click HERE. And for the reasons why you really should read this series, please click HERE.

Tuesday, 30 and Wednesday 31 March. We had Veal Parmesan which was a great success. Trenna only ever put this on the menu if she was sure she could get genuine veal, not just any beef. Then one … Read the rest ... “The Menu Diaries No. 13”

Categories
1990s 2010s Menus Visually Impaired

The Menu Diaries No. 12

March 1993 Menu
March 1993 Menu

March 1993

Somerville Movies, PM Keating Re-elected, and the Swimming Pool is on the Way

For an introduction to what these Menu Diary posts are about, please click HERE. And for the reasons why you really should read this series, please click HERE.

Monday, 1 March. Spaghetti Jaffles (closed toasted sandwiches) with lettuce. Hmmm! – that doesn’t sound very typical. I’ve looked in my 1993 work diary and seen that I had the day off from work. I … Read the rest ... “The Menu Diaries No. 12”

Categories
1980s 1990s 2000s Featured Heart and Lung Failure Snippets and Vignettes

“Better than sex” – Earl Grey and Other Favourite Drinks

3 bottles of booze
Three different drops that Trenna enjoyed.

By Greg

As I hope you know, one goal of this website is to get you to know Trenna a little better. So, I thought I’d provide some insights into the things Trenna liked to drink.

Spirits

Cine Cellars and Tia Maria

It would have been 1986 or 1987 when I first met Trenna, and it was in a downstairs bar called Cine Cellars near the corner of Hay and Barrack Streets in Perth city. She would regularly go there … Read the rest ... ““Better than sex” – Earl Grey and Other Favourite Drinks”

Categories
1990s Menus Recipes

The Menu Diaries No. 11

February 1993 Menu
February 1993 Menu

February 1993

Australia Day, a Couple of Recipes, and Too Many Sisters

For an introduction to what these Menu Diary posts are about, please click HERE. And for the reasons why you really should read this series, please click HERE.

Monday, 1 February. This was obviously the Australia Day long weekend, Monday holiday. As I mentioned before, these days the Australia Day (as it’s officially called) holiday is always on 26 January, but in those days it was … Read the rest ... “The Menu Diaries No. 11”

Categories
1990s Menus

The Menu Diaries No. 10

January 1993 Menu
January 1993 Menu

January 1993

Lots of Dining Out

For an introduction to what these Menu Diary posts are about, please click HERE. And for the reasons why you really should read this series, please click HERE.

It looks like we ate a few home grown vegies in January 1993. That was probably the peek of our vegetable growing as a short time later we built a swimming pool that took up most of the sunny space in the back yard.… Read the rest ... “The Menu Diaries No. 10”

Categories
1990s Menus

Menu Diary No. 9

November 1992 Menu
November 1992 Menu

November 1992 and into December

A Slide Night, Holidays, and NYE

For an introduction to what these Menu Diary posts are about, please click HERE. And for the reasons why you really should read this series, please click HERE.

Monday 2 November. Cardboard sausages. These were left overs from Colin and Julie’s barbecue the day before.

Tuesday 3 November. Once again Tren’s Original Curry, as discussed in previous Menu Diaries.

Saturday 7 November. Muresk is an Agricultural … Read the rest ... “Menu Diary No. 9”

Categories
1990s Menus

Menu Diary No. 8

October 1992 Menu
October 1992 Menu

October 1992

A reconnection to the Andersons!

For an introduction to what these Menu Diary posts are about, please click HERE. And for the reasons why you really should read this series, please click HERE.

Monday 28 September. Roast Pork. I would have made this one. Mainly because Trenna would have real trouble lifting a hot pork roast safely, and secondly because in those days I always got the crackling perfectly crispy.

Wednesday 30 September – Sunday 4 … Read the rest ... “Menu Diary No. 8”