I'm just back from a lightning two-day visit to Canberra. I wasn't expecting to have much to say about spending two days - mostly at the Grand Hyatt Hotel - in Canberra ... but you know how I roll ... I was in the federal capital for the Alcohol Beverages Australia Inaugural 'Celebration of Industry'... Continue Reading →

Warning: this blog post may offend the prudish.  When I removed my emotional hurricane shutters after the marriage-break-up-career-debarcle tornado swept through my life, it had an unexpectedly X-rated effect on my social life. People started telling me their sex confessions. I was innocently sipping chardy in a bar and someone announced she'd been in a... Continue Reading →

To cheer me up after my Kitty Flanagan surprise birthday gift fail, DD organised a double-feature secret outing for me last week. Aside from him thinking it was totally hilarious to pretend he'd gotten the time wrong we had a lovely night ... The only clue he gave about the first surprise was that it... Continue Reading →

Every now and then I forget it's a mistake to get plastered. Sure, it's bulk fun at the time, but the next day is a bitch. Saturday was one of those times. It started innocently enough. I walked to a local bar to have an "early drink" with my sister after she finished work ...... Continue Reading →

My Facebook feed is crammed with endless photos of people on holidays together. Literally every second post is a selfie of friends posing in some out-of-town locale: Paris, London, Hunter Valley, Perisher ... It disturbs me. Oh, it's not the fact they're on a holiday that bothers me ... lucky them! It's that they're on... Continue Reading →

Our children are growing up victims because we’re failing to show them another way. That life is what they choose, not simply what happens to them. That resilience is not genetically bestowed but a habit and practice that can be improved. Hope, gratitude, love, optimism, a positive identity, good relationships, empowerment, sound health and determination... Continue Reading →

You know how 10 minutes is never enough at parent-teacher interviews? Well I just got three whole hours! Remember how the youngest's teacher came to watch her compete at the State Skipping Championships? Well, it meant we had LOTS of time to chitter chat. Mrs C loves my little pook-a-looka. She said she's going to... Continue Reading →

The eldest and I watched "The Imitation Game" together the other night. I spotted it on sale for $9 when I was in the Kmart queue, so I grabbed it. I wasn't expecting much given the price tag, but I remembered the eldest raving about it. She happily sat down with me for a second... Continue Reading →

Imagine you're holding a thin piece of woven wire, about 2 metres long, with a plastic handle at either end. Imagine skipping as fast as you can with that piece of wire for three long, excruciating minutes while four people sit counting each time your foot hits the ground. Imagine having a nasty case of... Continue Reading →

It's DD's birthday today, he's 21 again! He's in China this week and has his kids this weekend, so we celebrated his unbirthday last Sunday. I kept all the details of his unbirthday a secret for months, which is very unlike me. I was soooooo smug as I announced we were heading to the Blue... Continue Reading →