The Adelaide food blogging scene is very friendly, supportive & Welcoming. I met friend & fellow blogger Anne Green from Epicurian Epistles at this year’s Tasting Australia OzHarvest Cook for a Cause event.
Following that, we kept in touch, and Anne invited me to be part of a blog hop – in her words “a bit like a blog version of pass the parcel, in that you pick up a theme, do your bit then pass it on to others. What’s great about it is it gives bloggers the chance to connect with and promote each other. The theme of this one is “Why I Write” – which is something I often wonder.”
Me too Anne, so I was more than happy to participate.
______________________________________________________________________
My first book was published when I was four.
Now when I say published, I mean hand written and illustrated, with a coloured cardboard cover and hand stitched ribbon binding.
Ask four year old me why I write and I’m sure I would have said then – as now – because I have something to say.
Willunga Wino at “Tasting Australia” food bloggers conference. Photo: Mr Wino
My parents instilled a love of travel in me from an early stage, taking me to exotic locales full of new culture, language, food, experiences and landscapes instead of driving new cars. Am I ever glad they did!
Another initiative I’m grateful to my parents for doing – aside from reading me an ever growing library of books – was to convince me to write a diary during each & every trip. These I filled with drawings of what took my fancy, brochures, tickets, wrappers and my observations. The diaries are treasured possessions now, and reflecting on how I saw the world as a child and adolescent are insightful, sometimes cringe-worthy, sometimes unrecognisable, but sometimes provides a glimpse of who I was to become.
Adelaide street art. Photo: Willunga Wino
It is a privilege to be able to self publish one’s own thoughts with freedom from persecution.
Likewise, sharing one’s passions is a joy. The joy of discovery. Of travel. Of food. Of wine. Of producers, and the unique landscapes that provide all of earth’s inhabitants with all available earthly wealth, health and beauty.
A fountain of wine! Photo: Mr Wino
Working toward a level of equilibrium between human needs for food, safety, learning, communities and fulfilling work, and the ability of earth’s systems & inhabitants to provide for those needs long into the future is my vision.
My driving passion is to help create a future that works.
One that works for people, for communities, for animals, and ecosystems – such that all their inherent and equal rights to survive & thrive are met.
Sand sculpture contest, Christies Beach, Jan 2014. Photo: Willunga Wino
My current writing takes two main forms. Work & my blogging.
For work, I write to convince, to influence, to prove, to record success and learn (plus allow others to learn) from failures. This is business writing, some sales & marketing, always from the place of my mission & vision. This writing has a very different style to my blogging.
Rockford Wines cellar, Barossa Valley. Photo: Willunga Wino
My blogging originated in a very primitive form in 2007, as an online diary to record the trials and tribulations of building a first home to climb onto the Sydney property ladder. Written from the perspective of a young Gen Y couple working full time, it now stands as a record & reminder of a very difficult and stressful time in our lives.
Interspersed with building laments & celebrations, are the first sparks of my future food & wine blogging, with a spattering of event reviews.
My writing then evolved into another life long hobby – entering competitions. Especially those that require you to write something to enter.
Aldinga Beach. Photo: Willunga Wino
A short stint of extending that into rhyming restaurant reviews then gave way to a few years of being very career focused.
Though still coming from my core vision & mission, my blog is my creative outlet, my hobby, and also a reminder of the amazing experiences i have had. This writing started about nine months after I moved from Sydney – my home for all my life – to the McLaren Vale wine region in South Australia, after my partner accepted a role as a winemaker.
Ant nest, Aldinga Scrub. Photo: Willunga Wino
I became so impressed with the lifestyle, community, connection to the earth – its’ bounty and producers, the stunning landscape, Mediterranean climate – that I felt the need to share my discoveries.
Having for the first time achieved a more sustainable work-life balance, it felt very natural to start my blog of food, wine, travel, recipes and sustainable lifestyle articles in November 2013.
Backyard butterfly. Photo: Willunga Wino
I love sharing my food, wine, travel & sustainable lifestyle experiences with our local businesses and the community.
_______________________________________________________________________
The last part of the blog hop is to pass the baton to three others.
MissGMNO is Robyn Cacioppo, a writer based in Chicago USA, whom I connected with on Twitter. We both have very strong sustainability ethos running through our blogs, with Robyn’s blog having a particular focus on genetically engineered/modified food. Read about why Robyn writes, here.
My Seasonal Kitchen is Sarah-Jane, a fellow food blogger now based in Adelaide, South Australia, whom I met while at the Tasting Australia “Words to Go” food bloggers conference in April 2014. SJ’s blog focuses on South Australia’s amazing seasonal produce, which is the inspiration for recipes and stories about producers and farmers markets. Read why SJ writes, here.
Sarah-Jane from My Seasonal Kitchen. Photo: My Seasonal Kitchen website
Padaek is a Lao-Australian artist and home cook living in Sydney Australia, whom I connected with via Facebook. Padaek has recipes and stories about Lao cuisine adapted to ingredients available in Australia. Read why Padaek writes, here.
Delectable Lao recipe. Photo: Padaek website
Great post Louise – thanks for joining in and it’s good to learn a bit more about you! I’m very much with you in wanting to create a sustainable future that works for everyone (man and beast!) I’m glad your parents encouraged you to write those travel diaries – look where it’s led!
Hi Anne – thanks so much for bringing me into the blog hop, it’s been a lot of fun connecting with other bloggers. It’s really good to see so many bloggers bringing sustainability into their posts & overall ethos. I was very lucky to have great parents! Mum is very proud about making me write those diaries 🙂