The PR Blog

Speckled about the steep slopes are clumps of small, fieldstone cottages. Their crumbling mortar and aging stones are victim to the ravages of time. Sprawling green meadows, vivid and fertile lay terraced and latticed-worked with pastel pinks and blues of the prolific hydrangeas which form hedgerows and borders.

Throughout the town streets are narrow, they dart willy-nilly between tall houses.  The hooves of a horse resound as it gently picks its way over dark cobblestones  polished to a sheen by countless feet before. Upon its weary back and mounted side-saddle an old man journeys.

Although late summer the air is already crisp as it transports and mingles the salty tang of sea and other heady aromas that give a hint to the freshly made cheese and bread still browning in the ovens. This, somehow, remains commonplace to the people of the Azores.

We have women who are supposedly running our different States, countries and active in our governments. .     

Once upon a time  that would have been done with responsibility and efficiency  and with dignity .    There are some very capable and excellent  ladies  but, we are being let down, because some of the women  seem to do is make poor decisions  and certainly not do what is best for  the people they are supposed to represent.     We have two choices  ,  get rid of them and find some Margaret Thatcher ladies  or try and  find some Gentlemen who have some  guts to put to right so many  wrongs. 

When I was a young girl, I wanted to be beautiful. Clever. Successful. 

Oh to be pretty. To be as wonderful as my mother. To marry a man as great as my Dad. To meet a boy as strong as my older brothers. 

I have to wonder what young children grow up to aspire to be in today's age of confusion, gender politics and exaggerated fake body parts? 

The first time I thought of myself as an " emerging woman " as opposed to a girl was when I saw the movie " Dr No " with Ursula Andress emerging out of the water to a rather gorgeous James Bond played by Sean Connery. 

Captain Robert Blair "Paddy" Mayne, an amazing and legendary figure, is a name that might not be instantly recognisable to many, but his remarkable life story is one that deserves to be told. 

Mayne was a man of extraordinary courage, unshakable determination, and unrivaled skill, making him one of the most distinguished and controversial figures in military history.

He was also a bit of a bastard. Or so some would say. Mayne was remarkably brave, but he was also not far short of being a loose cannon. I first learned about him watching " Rogue Heroes. "

There are very few people who can be described as Legends in their own lifetime. Mostly they are sporting personalities who are constantly in the public view thanks to publicity given to the game they excel in. Fewer still are captains of industry whose names endure through the use of their products. Many business people become very wealthy and remain obscure. Occasionally one stands out for the creation of a massive business from very humble beginnings.

One of these is Lindsay Fox, the founder of LINFOX transport which has become an Australian icon stretching far beyond our shores but a household name here because of the well-known logo on its trucks.

People without a gate do not realise what a gate is. 

It is the ability to lock, open, accept or reject a welcome visitor or an unwelcome visitor. Obviously, without a fence to accompany the gate, it is worthless. But, with a fence and a gate in place, what little we own in the world is precious. Without it, it is open to plunder.

I go and visit my Mum, Redhead, every few days. We speak everyday, of course. But when I drive in to her driveway, I see the gate that has stood there for over 38 years. The gates are made of wrought iron and were created in a different country in expectation of their arrival in Australia. They were forged with love and craftsmanship and, over the years have stood as guards to whoever pops in to visit. Over the decades, they have never had to serve as anything more than the beefeaters in London: there for pomp and ceremony as opposed to any real barrier to intrusion.