This music compilation carries Dave’s name because I pinched his surfing videos soundtracks and mixed them. Gotye contributes the first three tracks. He deservedly cleaned out this year’s ARIA awards and he just makes for a great start to my list. I owe the Cee Lo Green song to my friend Annamaria, who showed me his beautifully choreographed video; the rest is what I could find scouring the programs of a couple of US music festivals. Jovanotti features twice (both songs are from his latest album “Ora”); he is a great Italian singer songwriter and he sits - in this mix - very pretty.

When I enter the store, Elliot is sitting by the window making “God’s eyes” while a couple of his friends are reading and chatting on the next bench; the record player entertains them all spinning an old tune. The room is shady and aromatic with incense, I look around and the lavish décor hits me: ceiling collages, wall murals, bookshelves, rugs, sofas, framed pictures, art installations and an eclectic collection of objects from another era transforms this space into something quite unexpected and it is hard to take it all in at once.

This dip is wonderful on bread, carrot or celery sticks (or indeed avocados!). Accompanied by some tabouleh, it makes a wonderful light summer lunch.

When I read of Ordinary Miracles & the Crazy 9’s call for 100 squares of fabric and 100 good wishes for the daughter that Nancy and her husband are in the process of adopting from China, I was immediately keen to participate. Nancy’s mum will stitch the fabric into a quilt and the wishes will be recorded and kept; isn’t that a wonderful idea for welcoming a child into one’s family?

My wonderful Christmas cards are now for sale. Order some before they are all gone!

This tart won first prize in the savoury category at the 2011 Mullumbimby Farmers Market Bakeoff. It is a good dish if you are going to or are having a party: it looks and smells scrumptious and its crusty base makes it easy to pick up and eat while you are having a chat.

I was once part of a training group called evolution and exercised on Sydney beaches, often in awe of the most magnificent Australian sunrises (evolution starts at 6am!). When Mike asked me to design some corporate cards for them, I was thrilled. The result is beautiful and vibrant, like the culture at Evolution. I love it!

Our friend Sera gave us some of these lovely biscuits for Christmas a few years ago and we immediately asked her to hand over the recipe, which she did graciously. These thumbprints are so easy and gorgeous that we have been baking them regularly ever since. If you don’t have coconut oil, you can use a different vegetable oil (like corn or sunflower) but with coconut the bikkies turn out extra-delicious and the house smells like heaven while they are in the oven.

Having embarked upon Lama Shenpen’s long distance course Discovering the Heart of Buddhism, I became intrigued by this English woman who became a learned scholar and teacher of Tibetan Buddhism in the Kagyu tradition, who has founded a hermitage in North Wales, built a Sangha (religious community) and designed a deceptively simple, profound and deeply stirring course to guide others in their spiritual quest. What bit her? I wondered. So I asked whether I could interview her and quench my curiosity. The result was an inspiring long distance phone conversation that retraced some of the key turning points in Lama Shenpen’s path.