It was with a degree of disbelief that I awaited the official confirmation that Australia was in coronavirus lock down last night ... while simultaneously feeling a certain degree of disbelief that it took so long. But it's bloody tough thing to call. Still, I can't help thinking our pickle wouldn't be quite so big... Continue Reading →

For as long as I can remember, my sister and I have celebrated the kids’ birthdays at a local teppanyaki place. It’s the opposite of fancy, with chipped laminex on the tables and peeling paint on the walls, but the kids love it. Last night we gathered for the youngest's 14th birthday (oh, and mine),... Continue Reading →

I had a lot of trouble sleeping last night. There were so many things to worry about. Should I cancel getting my new garage doors? Will I get my money back from Hawaiian Airlines? I must warn the youngest (again) not to throw grapes into the air and catch them in her mouth because she... Continue Reading →

My 52nd birthday started pretty well. DD took me to Avalon headland for coffee and a bean burrito, while we gazed at the most gorgeous view. Cheers! Then I drove home to be with the sick youngest, who appears to have tonsilitis (coupled with a fear of going back to school). My ex informed me... Continue Reading →

There's no polite way to say this: the coronavirus is on my shit list. I had so many lovely things planned for my Festival of the 52nd Birthday. I was going to Comedy Steps Up for Bushfire Relief at Sydney Opera House tonight to see Arj Barker, Carl Barron, Urzila Carlson, Joel Creasey, Kitty Flanagan,... Continue Reading →

Yesterday was HUGE wasn't it? Tom Hanks announced that he and his wife Rita Wilson announced they have the coronavirus and have been hospitalized on the Gold Coast, Donald Trump banned travel between the US and Europe, the International Jump Rope Union cancelled the World Skipping Championships ... I started to wonder is this how... Continue Reading →

New Order was the soundtrack to my late teens. Every Saturday night I’d hit the dancefloor at a scruffy little wine bar in Newcastle called The Gunfighter’s Rest. We’d dance up a storm to New Order and Erasure under the ultraviolet lights as the dry ice steamed out of our Dingo Dangler cocktails. It was... Continue Reading →

Over the next few weeks, I turn 52 and my daughter turns 14. How do you like them hormonal apples? We actually get along pretty well most of the time, despite our respective cranky streaks. I think it freaks other kids out when they're in the car with us and we start playfully jibing with... Continue Reading →

The youngest texted me yesterday to ask if she could go into coronavirus self isolation. She went to a yoga class on Sunday with a girl whose school has since been shutdown due to the outbreak. Eeeek! I suspected the youngest was just trying to get a few days off school, so we texted back... Continue Reading →