Lesley Truffle - Writer

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Lesley Truffle Writer

The Cake and I

May 29, 2023 by Lesley Truffle
photo of Dolly Varden cake

  The Cake and I   Once upon a time – before the outsourcing of dogs and children’s parties – mothers and caregivers made birthday cakes themselves. But sometimes a shop bought ice-cream cake was required. Usually for girls this involved a legless doll about the size of a Barbie doll, embedded in a sturdy … [Read more…]

Posted in: Australia, books, cakes and cooking, Observations, Social Comment Tagged: Australian Women's Weekly, birthday cakes, childhood, childhood memories, children's birthday cakes, cookbooks, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer

The Perils of Pickup Trucks

May 18, 2023 by Lesley Truffle

  The Perils of Pickup Trucks   Somewhere tucked away in my family tree is a property developer. I’ll call him Geoff. He appeared for a few months and then disappeared. However for many years he continued to visit my mother, bearing huge boxes of chocolates and seasonal fresh flowers. Geoff invited me to lunch … [Read more…]

Posted in: Australia, Melbourne, Observations, Psychology, Social Comment Tagged: Australia, car, cars, huge cars, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, massive cars, Melbourne, truckzilla, truckzillas

Autumn in the City

April 29, 2023 by Lesley Truffle

  Autumn in the City   It’s been a particularly lovely Melbourne autumn this year but now the days are getting shorter as we head into winter. Taking the city bound tram and heading off very early to work on golden autumn mornings has been quite enjoyable for the first half of the trip. But … [Read more…]

Posted in: Melbourne, Nature, Observations, Social Comment Tagged: Autumn, Autumn in Melbourne, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, Melbourne, Melbourne autumn, the seasons

Easter in a Bottle

March 28, 2023 by Lesley Truffle

    Easter in a Bottle   Using the simplest of recipes, we have taken Nutmeg, Cinnamon, and locally produced dried Flame Seedless grapes and steeped them in our Original Gin Elixir to create Easter in a bottle. With citrus notes being the strong but subtle foundations of this Gin, they have lifted the spices … [Read more…]

Posted in: Australia, cakes and cooking, Observations, Social Comment Tagged: Easter, Easter eggs, Easter gin, Festive seasons, gin distilleries, gin distillery, Hot Cross Buns, Hot Cross Easter Buns, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, Lunar New Year, traditional Easter buns

Our Lady of Paris

March 26, 2023 by Lesley Truffle

    Our Lady of Paris On the face of this ancient queen of our cathedrals, beside each wrinkle one invariably finds a scar. ‘Tempus edax, homo edacior,’ which I would be inclined to translate: ‘Time is blind, but man is senseless.’                             … [Read more…]

Posted in: architecture, City of Light, Historical, Mythology Tagged: City of Light, Emmanuel Macron, France, French, French President Macron, French writer, gargoyle, gargoyles, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, Luc-Olivier Merson, Macron, Notre Dame Cathedral, Notre-Dame, Our Lady of Paris, Paris, Parisian, President Emmanuel Macron, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo

Babylon

January 30, 2023 by Lesley Truffle

  Babylon Babylon is a test of whether or not a film can be the sum of its gorgeous pieces. A great score, a talented ensemble, and expert cinematography—all are undeniable here. And yet there are narrative elements of Babylon that feel hollow from the very beginning …                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Brian Tallerico   Babylon clocks in at … [Read more…]

Posted in: actors, art/theatre event, Film, films, Historical, movies, Social Comment Tagged: 1920's, 1930's, Babylon the movie, Brad Pitt, Damien Chazelle, Fellini, Fellini Satyricon, Hollywood, Hollywood Babylon, Jovoan Adepo, Kenneth Anger, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, Li Jun Li, Manny Torres

Botticelli’s Venus

January 24, 2023 by Lesley Truffle

Botticelli’s Venus   Goddess on the mountain top Burning like a silver flame The summit of beauty and love And Venus was her name … Venus by Robbie van Leeuwen, Shocking Blue rock band.               On a recent visit to the National Gallery of Victoria I glimpsed Jeff Koon’s stainless steel version of Venus. And … [Read more…]

Posted in: art/theatre event, artists, Historical, Mythology Tagged: Birth of Venus, Botticelli, Greco-Roman mythology, Jeff Koons, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, Sandro Botticelli, The Rokeby Venus, Toilet of Venus, Venus

All I want for Christmas

December 19, 2022 by Lesley Truffle

    All I want for Christmas …   ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds; … [Read more…]

Posted in: Historical, Mythology, Observations, Social Comment Tagged: All I want for Christmas is you, Ancient Celts, Ancient Mythology, Celtic, Celtic Druids, Christmas mythology, Christmas myths, Christmas rituals, Christmas traditions, historical, Ireland, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, Mariah Carey, Mistletoe, Pagan, Pagan festival, Roman Christmas Myths, Saturnalia, Winter Solstice, Xmas

The Black Eyed Blonde

November 16, 2022 by Lesley Truffle

  The Black Eyed Blonde   It seemed like a nice neighbourhood to have bad habits in. Raymond Chandler from The Big Sleep 1939.   I’ve been reading a Philip Marlowe detective novel that was not written by American author/screenwriter Raymond Chandler (1988-1959). I found the novel The Black Eyed Blonde engaging but somewhat disconcerting. … [Read more…]

Posted in: actors, books, films, movies, writers & creatives Tagged: American movies, American writer, Benjamin Black, detective film noir, film noir, Hollywood, Humphrey Bogart, John Banville, Lauren Bacall, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, Morlowe, Philip Marlowe, Playback, private detective, Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep, The Black Eyed Blonde, The Long Goodbye, USA

Colette

October 13, 2022 by Lesley Truffle

    Colette ‘People who are perfectly sane and happy don’t make good literature, alas.’                                                                                     Colette 1873-1954   Every so often I sneak back to classic literature for a brain clean. It’s wonderful to go back and savour books I really love. This time around I’m on a Colette reading jag. Colette was born … [Read more…]

Posted in: actors, art/theatre event, books, Historical, Mavericks & Renegades, writers & creatives Tagged: Chéri, Colette, France, French writer, Léa de Lonval, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, Paris, Parisian, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette

Hollywood Dame Zsa Zsa Gabor

July 14, 2022 by Lesley Truffle
Portrait Zsa Zsa Gabor

  Hollywood Dame – Zsa Zsa Gabor   ‘A man in love is incomplete until he has married. Then he’s finished.’                                                       Zsa Zsa Gabor   In the fifties and sixties, Zsa Zsa Gabor became more famous for playing herself than the films, stage shows and television shows she appeared in. Born in Budapest and … [Read more…]

Posted in: actors, Film, Historical, Mavericks & Renegades, movies Tagged: actress, America, Conrad Hilton, Hollywood legend, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, marriage, Sári Gábor, USA, Zsa Zsa, Zsa Zsa Gabor

Marriage is the Tomb of Love

June 26, 2022 by Lesley Truffle

Marriage is the tomb of love   ‘The company … was far more likely to give pleasure than one made up of persons of quality, where gaiety freezes in the chill of etiquette.’ Casanova describing an evening spent with a group of actors.   Having just finished editing my fiction manuscript I’m taking some  time … [Read more…]

Posted in: books, Historical, Mavericks & Renegades, Social Comment, Travel Tagged: 18th century Europe, Brunelleschi, Casanova, Chevalier de Seingalt, Giacomo Casanova, History of My Life, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer

Freud’s Cigar

May 18, 2022 by Lesley Truffle

Freud’s Cigar ‘Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.’ Dr Sigmund Freud 1856 -1939. Freud was a heavy cigar smoker and supposedly said, ‘Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar’. Many of his theories relate to uncontrolled libido and wild sexual impulses. Accordingly, his statement probably means a phallic-shaped object such as a cigar, doesn’t … [Read more…]

Posted in: Historical, Mavericks & Renegades, Psychology, Social Comment Tagged: Carl Jung, Dr Sigmund Freud, Freud, Freud's cigar, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, psychoanalysis, Psychology, pyschotherapy, Sigmund Freud, The Scandalous Life of Sasha Torte

The Addams Family House

April 25, 2022 by Lesley Truffle

The Addams Family House ‘They’re creepy and they’re kooky Mysterious and spooky They’re all together ooky The Addams family Their house is a museum When people come to see ’em They really are a scream The Addams family…’  The Addams Family theme song   I was born in London but raised in Australia by English … [Read more…]

Posted in: Mavericks & Renegades, Melbourne, Observations, Social Comment Tagged: Addam's Family, childhood, childhood memories, Gomez, Gomez Addams, homes, houses, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, Morticia, Morticia Addams, Pugsley Addams, Wednesday Addams

There goes the neighbourhood

April 23, 2022 by Lesley Truffle

  There goes the neighbourhood   I often cross the river and sneak back to my old neighbourhood. Fitzroy has become increasingly gentrified; old houses have been tizzied up and sold for exceedingly high prices. Subsequently most of the artists, writers, junkies, musicians, booze hounds, poets and reprobates I once knew have moved on. Some … [Read more…]

Posted in: architeture, Historical, Mavericks & Renegades, Social Comment Tagged: fitzroy melbourne, inner city, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, Napier Hotel, Napier Hotel Fitzroy, old school pubs, pubs

The Perils of Modern Life

March 24, 2022 by Lesley Truffle

  The Perils of Modern Life     I believe in censorship! If a picture of mine didn’t get an X-rating, I’d be insulted. Don’t forget dear, I invented censorship.                                      Mae West – actress, Hollywood legend and author of Sex (1926).   We live in strange times. 2022 has been marred by extreme climate … [Read more…]

Posted in: art/theatre event, books, Historical, Mavericks & Renegades, Playwright, Social Comment, writers & creatives Tagged: Edwardian Literature, Elinor Glyn, historical, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, Mrs Elenor Glyn, Three Weeks, Three Weeks a novel

A Tale Of Lost Cities

March 18, 2022 by Lesley Truffle

A Tale Of Lost Cities I call architecture frozen music.     Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Even a brick wants to be something.    Louis Kahn   Last night, I sat on the banks of the Yarra River which runs through the heart of Melbourne. The skyscrapers appeared as cubes of burning lights. And the Casino’s neon lights … [Read more…]

Posted in: architeture, Australia, Historical, Melbourne, Observations, Social Comment Tagged: architecture, building height restrictions, cbd, central business district, cities, city, contemporary architecture, glass towers, historical buildings, Labassa Mansion, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, Melbourne

Messing About In Boats

February 26, 2022 by Lesley Truffle

    Messing About In Boats   As the Water Rat in Wind in the Willows, advises the mole, ‘Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing –  half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.’ I messed around in boats when I learned to sail on a lake. … [Read more…]

Posted in: Australia, Observations, Sailing, Sports / Recreation Tagged: Australia, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, sailing, sailing boats, small yachts, Wind in the Willows, Yacht Clubs

Love is the Drug

February 15, 2022 by Lesley Truffle

    Love is the Drug   … Love is the drug and I need to score Showing out, showing out, hit and run Boy meets girl where the beat goes on Stitched up tight, can’t shake free Love is the drug, got a hook on me … Love is the Drug by Roxy Music. … [Read more…]

Posted in: current news, Observations, Psychology, Social Comment Tagged: dopamine, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, Love, Love is the Drug, marriage, Neo Romantics, Romantic, Saint Valentine, Saint Valentine's Day

Deck the Halls

December 6, 2021 by Lesley Truffle

      Deck the Halls     ‘The worst gift is a fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.’                           The late Johnny Carson, comedian & former host of The Tonight Show.   My Christmas tree has landed and my apartment is now … [Read more…]

Posted in: Historical, Mythology, Observations, Social Comment Tagged: Adam and Eve, Christmas, Christmas traditions, Christmas trees, Deck the halls, Elvis, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, pine trees

Enticed by Black Leather

November 18, 2021 by Lesley Truffle
Steve McQueen

  Enticed by Black Leather   ‘You watch the white line and try to lean with it  . . . howling through a turn to the right, then to the left and down the long hill to Pacifica . . . letting off now watching for cops, but only until the next dark stretch and … [Read more…]

Posted in: actors, Mavericks & Renegades, Social Comment Tagged: BMW motorbikes, Easy Rider, Harley, Hell's Angel's, Hunter S. Thompson, Kowasaki, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, mortorbike, Motorbikes, motorcycle, motorcycles, Steve McQueen

All Hallows Eve

October 26, 2021 by Lesley Truffle

  All Hallows Eve   Halloween wasn’t always orange pumpkins, plastic skeletons and job lots of candy. At this time of year Christmas trimmings and Halloween decorations are fighting for shelf space in megastores.  And while nobody was paying attention, Halloween surreptitiously crept over most of October and Christmas decided to manifest early. In my … [Read more…]

Posted in: Historical, Mythology, Observations, Social Comment Tagged: All Hallows Eve, Ancient Celts, Ancient Myths, Celtic, Celts, Faery Host, Fire Festivals, Halloween, Halloween traditions, Headless Horsemen, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, Samhain, Sidhs, Slaugh

A Dog’s Life

September 23, 2021 by Lesley Truffle

  A Dog’s Life   During our city’s pandemic Shutdown restrictions, I’ve been getting to know my neighbours.  By that I mean the local dogs and their owners. Subsequently, I’ve come to the conclusion that only the dogs are living their best lives. Cats are a different matter. My neighbour’s cat has taken to the … [Read more…]

Posted in: animals, Australia, Melbourne, Social Comment Tagged: Australia, café, cafes, Casanova, Cat, Cats, coffee, dog, dogs, Giacomo Casanova, History of My Life, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, Melbourne, Melbourne Shutdown, neighbourhood dogs, street dogs

The Perils of Netflix

August 21, 2021 by Lesley Truffle

The Perils of Netflix   ‘If we humans disappeared overnight, the world would probably be better off.’  Sir David Attenborough – the British Naturalist, after observing beasts of every species for nearly a century.   I no longer own a television. It was an elegant piece of equipment with superb clarity and great sound but … [Read more…]

Posted in: Historical, movies, Observations, Psychology, Social Comment Tagged: binge television, David Attenborough, Farenheit 451, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, Netflix, Norman Doige, Ray Bradbury, reality television, Television, TV

The Zen of Happiness

August 12, 2021 by Lesley Truffle
Photo of sunrise in Penguin Tasmania

  The Zen of Happiness     Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you a yacht big enough to pull up right alongside it.                                                            David Lee Roth, American rock musician.             To be sure there are people who are largely unscathed by our global pandemic and their happiness seems unblemished. … [Read more…]

Posted in: current news, Nature, Observations, Social Comment, Wilderness Areas Tagged: Asia, Bhuddhist, Bhutan, Buddhism, Buddhist Kingdom, David Lee Roth, Happiness, Himalayas, Lesley Truffle, Lesley Truffle Writer, pandemic, The Himalayas, The Kingdom of Bhutan
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  • The Cake and I
  • The Perils of Pickup Trucks
  • Autumn in the City
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