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Vivienne Beddoe

‘Palace Letters reignite my memories of politics and Australia’s Constitutional crisis’

Vivienne Beddoe

Vivienne was fortunate to have seen her first ballet performance before Covid-19, but highlights the importance of supporting the arts once the pandemic is over. Source: Getty Images

‘Seeing my first professional ballet helped me understand why the arts matter’

‘Seeing my first professional ballet helped me understand why the arts matter’

The arts industry champions local artists and performers, but such privileges will become more urgent as communities recover from coronavirus.

Libraries are places where adventure begins according to Vivienne. Source: Getty Images

‘Stepping into a library is where the adventure really begins for me’

‘Stepping into a library is where the adventure really begins for me’

"My adventures concerned English coastlines, smugglers, incompetent adults and picnics with lashings of lemonade."

Mr Peewee. Source: Getty Images

‘Our backyard buddy and the little bit of wilderness it brings to our home’

‘Our backyard buddy and the little bit of wilderness it brings to our home’

Magpie-larks, more commonly called Peewees in Australia, will live just about anywhere and are quite adaptable.

There's something to be said about a bowl of mashed potato, writes Vivienne. Source: Getty Images

‘Comfort food: Why I’m looking to the nostalgic and sentimental for solace’

‘Comfort food: Why I’m looking to the nostalgic and sentimental for solace’

Because we equate food with happiness, we continue to turn to food for such comfort.

Reading about 'the perfect lunch box' recently reminded Vivienne of her school days and the lunches she's had over the years. Source: Getty Images

‘The hunt for the perfect lunch box took me back to those years at school’

‘The hunt for the perfect lunch box took me back to those years at school’

"'I haven’t yet found the perfect lunch box,' wrote a young columnist in our local paper. I paused."

Vivienne felt sorry the routine with her grandchildren would be over. Source: Stock Image/Getty Images

‘Firsts and lasts: The bitter sweetness of changing routines with our grandchildren’

‘Firsts and lasts: The bitter sweetness of changing routines with our grandchildren’

"We were aware this was the last time, as the elder girl would be heading to high school next year, and routines would change."

Vivienne is a strong advocate for punctuation in daily use. Source: Getty Images

‘An amusing look at why I feel punctuation matters’

‘An amusing look at why I feel punctuation matters’

"I’m a full stop and comma girl with the occasional dash. I am a big fan of a perfectly placed apostrophe. A question mark when needed."

Remember when milk was handed out at school? Source: Getty Images

‘Education and the Empire: How I remember my early school days’

‘Education and the Empire: How I remember my early school days’

"On Fridays, before recess and the distribution of free milk, we would learn folk dancing."

Vivienne's mother would place silver coins in the Christmas pudding. Source: Stock Photo/Getty Images

‘The special family memory in a little jar of silver coins’

‘The special family memory in a little jar of silver coins’

"To my mind the highlight of Christmas came after our family dinner ..."

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