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Finally! From midnight tonight retail, hospitality and other businesses can reopen. The invisible Ring of Steel that cuts a swath around metropolitan Melbourne is gone---well, sometime early next month we'll be allowed to travel into regional Victoria without fear of a drone following to catch and subsequently deliver fines. I wonder if there'll be any…

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Small Annoyances

Carol is standing on her tippy-toes, so that she can make eye contact with the receptionist. So far, she's being ignored. The woman, whose name tag reads Sheryl, is on her mobile. 'Oh, I know,' says Sheryl, sounding remarkably like Sybil Fawlty. So much so, that Carol looks around for Manuel or Basil. Carol rests…

To party or not to party?

Pete's initial call rang out over two weeks ago. His party of decade was planned and ready. Invitations would follow via email in the next few days. It was a rainy, grey morning when Hillary opened her invitation. It had arrived in her inbox overnight. She stared at the words, trying not to feel superior…

Surrendered

The photograph left Misha with no doubt: she was now officially old. Staring into the mirror, she compared versions of herself. The photo taken thirty years ago showed her bright eyes, and high cheekbones; her skin taut and rosy. Now, she was all crinkly around the edges, had jowls, and her skin was papery, and…

Coming home

'Circle round the back,' I say to Ben. We've been driving for six hours. Stopped at a roadside motel and spent a night in a flea-ridden bed. We both rose at 5AM, itchy and groggy. I briefly contemplated a hot shower to wake up and maybe burn off the fleas, but one glance at the…