Steve and Dotty

Dear Dotty, It has happened again!! My wife of 61 years, Kathleen, is constantly going out for “lattes” and lunch with my daughter or granddaughters at every coffee shop or cafe in Bendigo, but I am never invited unless and until they want me to pay. We went for lunch last Friday at th..

Excuse one. I hurt me knee. This is true, but it has been a marvellous excuse not to exercise. Excuse two. Christmas. Excuse three. My son visited, and it was so hard to stay off the party food. What it boils down to is... excuse four. I have relaxed on my health kick, and have added some kil..

I AM anxious about writing this piece. Not really anxious, but just a little bit. BeyondBlue has shifted its focus a bit from depression to anxiety. Apparently two million Australians suffer from anxiety, most without even realising it is an ailment. Anxiety is normal, and everybody ..

Dear Dotty, At great expense to the management we have moved into a very posh part of town. I have a neighbour who looks down on me simply because her mansion is hidden behind a hedge. Don’t you think this is rather snobby of her? Cynthia, Wattle St Dear Cynthia, I’m afra..

Dear Steve, A couple of weeks ago you referred to me in your “On life” column in terms that suggested I was something of a brontosaurus, that is “she is a classic of the industry, and long may she reign”. I have decided to take offence (mainly because I haven’t got ..

I HAVE a large corridor, it has a beautiful NSW spotted gum floor. My kitchen is similar, and boy do the crumbs and dust build up, to say nothing of pet hair. It’s a mammoth task with the vacuum so I was intrigued to hear of robot cleaners. Vicki in the office bought one and was ful..

Over the past week I have been in the shadow of heroes and people of political clout. I have been skulking around the corridors of power in Canberra during a tour of Parliament House. The beast that is called new Parliament House is actually a rather impressive 25 years old this year bu..

Dear Dotty, I have accumulated a curious lump on the side of my head. Initially it caused distress but as it has grown bigger, rivaling my head’s size, I have grown to admire it. Indeed, I have named it Todd. My doctor wants to remove it, but I fear I might regret parting with Todd. What s..

IT is all getting a bit familiar down at the hairdressers. Deneve has been charged with cutting my hair for near on 10 years now, and the cutting banter is bordering on relaxed to say the least. She pretends to listen, I pretend to listen and then we part for six weeks. But in those brief few ..

Dear Dotty, I have decided to take up Kung Fu, but as a middle-to-upper-aged woman I’m worried about the costume you have to wear - those white pyjama things with the belts. I don’t think the costumes are flattering at all and they keep coming undone and the combatants have to stop all..

SHE has been writing for us for a while, but this week I finally bumped into Dotty, famous for her Dear Dotty column at right. There was a faint whiff of gin and cigarellos, and an overpowering aura of strength. “I drink for inspiration, therefore I am,” she said, before wandering of..

THE big Easter weekend provided the perfect opportunity for a project. The project chosen was building the workbench shelving system for the shed. This piece of useful furniture was to be built from offcuts of wood from the house build. No point in them going to waste. The thought of me, saw..

Dear Dotty, I am sick of your cynical approach to some of Bendigo’s great institutions like the Bendigo Easter Festival. Your comments last week about avoiding the festival were totally unnecessary and nasty. There are a lot of volunteers and committee people who put time and effort into the..

Dear Dotty I’m very worried about my teenage son who is totally obsessed with IT. He seems to have several leads connecting him to various pieces of electronic equipment. He does not talk to people, he texts them, he even texts me when I’m in the same room. He is 18, not stud..

THERE is a distinct hint of weddings in the air. Maybe it’s because I just saw some pictures from Bendigo Magazine which tends to feature such events, or most likely because one of the Weekly’s designers is tying the knot soon. Snappy Sam is a powerful woman who was cast from the sam..

Dear Dotty, My husband and I recently visited Bendigo for a few days and had a very pleasant time. One of the things we particularly enjoyed were the public toilet/screen things in the mall. But there was one criticism/observation we both made – most of the people in the streets seemed to be..

SOME people are very passionate about trying to stop duck shooting, and they have every right to try. I have no wish to take part in the sport, I think it’s pointless and cruel, but I accept some people do. But this year the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has enter..

Dear Dotty As a watcher of SBS I am bewildered by the ads for plastic roof handles, the application of which seems to be more perilous than jumping off a roof and pretending you’re superman. Puzzled, Paula I’m with you Paula, I think we’re being sold a puppy here...

I HAVE discovered I hoard things. The long-suffering Mrs Kendall and I have been through the delights of building a house and moving and renting and storing. We sold our old house pretty quickly and decided to move in to a rental rather than miss the sale. I have covered the tale of Lauriston ..

I have stayed silent for long enough. Anyone who knows me will doubt that from the start, but here we go. I am so tired of hearing of some Catholic Church members’ abuse of children. This week a British Cardinal has resigned over his inappropriate sexual activity, but at least he admitte..