Howdidyourcareerbegin?I startedmycareerin
London,workingona wonderfulweeklyarchitectural
magazinecalledTheArchitect’sJournal. I startedas
a secretarytotheeditorandworkedmywayintoan
editorialjob.I lovedit all:thesubject,thequirky,
interestingpeopleI workedwith,thelovelyGeorgian
buildingsinStJames’sParkwhereourofficeswere.
I becameassistantfeatureseditorandmyboss,a
lovelymancalledDanCruickshank,wasanexperton
architecturalhistoryandwouldwalkaroundLondon
detailingthehistoryandmeritsofeachbuildingwe
passed.I learneda lotaboutarchitecture and he
helped me develop my writing skills.Didyouknowyouwantedtobea writer?Whatwas
yourinspiration?I knewwhenI leftschoolthat
I wantedtobea journalist;mysixth-formEnglish
teacherhadsuggestedit andthatthoughtstayedin
myhead.ButfirstI dida BAinEnglish,thentravelled
fora fewyears.I eventuallymovedtoLondonforeight
years,whereI startedlookingforjobsinthatfield.It
wasn’teasyasI wasn’ttrained,butI waslatertoldbya
journalismtutorthatworkingona weeklypublication
in London was the best training I could’ve had.Wheredidyourworklifetakeyoubeforeyou
arrivedatYH&G?AfterArchitect’sJournalI worked
ona travelmag,thenreturnedtoAucklandwhere
I wasofferedtheeditorshipofArchitectureNZ, which
wasabouttolaunch.Thatwasa dreamjobforme.
However,aftermydaughterwasborn,I neededmore
flexibilitysoI lefttobecomea freelancewriter.I
wroteinitiallyabouthousesandarchitecture,then
gardensforvariouspublicationsincludingThe
NewZealandHerald,NewZealand Gardener and
Your Home and Garden.TellusaboutyourearlyyearsonYH&G.I started
writingforYH&Ginabout1994,whenmydaughter,
Miranda,wasborn.Firsthousesthengardens.I have
hadtheoddbreakfromthemagazinebutalways
gravitatedbacksomehow!Thereis a greatteam
spiritonYH&G, andthere have been some
wonderful editors.OPPOSITECarolamonga swatheofdayliliesanddietes
inhergarden,Atlastrenchingspadeattheready(“It’s
perfectfordiggingholesforplanting,whichI amalways
doing”).THISPAGELendingsupporttothepeas;
repottinghome-propagatedmountaincabbagetrees
(Cordyline indivisa); avocados in Carol’s mini orchard.
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