DD has become a bourbon fan in recent times, so when I got invited to the launch of Master's Keep Revival I was very excited ... until I saw I was supposed to bring my dad as my plus one. That's because the event was meant to "celebrate the family legacy of Master Distillers, Jimmy... Continue Reading →

Oooooooh I was tired yesterday - Tuesday night was a bit of a killer in the Household. Who’d have guessed that prepping for a school ski trip would be so intense? I finally stormed out of my bed at 10.45pm and demanded the youngest STOP PACKING AND GO TO BED. I mean FFS, she was... Continue Reading →

The cranky youngest arrived on my doorstep yesterday morning, complaining her dad didn't have anything suitable for her lunchbag at his place. She expected me to solve the problem out of my fridge or pantry. Not a simple task as the youngest is currently sugar and dairy free - through choice, not allergy issues. She reads... Continue Reading →

I have the WORST memory. It is absolutely terrible. My brain immediately erases every bit of information it decides it won’t need in the future. Sometimes it makes a mistake and ditches stuff I do need, like when I run into someone who appears to know me really well and I have no frigging clue... Continue Reading →

It was my spunky DD's birthday yesterday. We won't say which one, he's a bit bleak about his encroaching old age. Finding time to celebrate around our single parenting responsibilities is always a bit tricky, so we staged a two-parter. On Saturday, I popped up to his place for a swim in the surf, followed... Continue Reading →

As I can't afford therapy, I often self-analyse why I am the weird way I am ... as opposed to the weird way other people are ... we're all weird in our own special ways. Most recently I’ve been contemplating the intense and pressing urge I often feel to run away. It surged again yesterday... Continue Reading →

It's a bit scary when a school friend - who's a few months younger than you - announces they've had a heart attack and need triple heart bypass surgery. It's a female friend too. I think people are a bit unaware about the high risks for women. As the Heart Foundation notes: Nearly 3 times as... Continue Reading →

The youngest finally got her outrageously expensive braces on Monday. She has been VERY grumpy ever since about how they look and feel. Much like her mum is about the bill. But I felt cornered by her mouth-breathing-induced overbite, missing-front-tooth agenesis and teen vanity conditions. As I watched the braces being laboriously glued to her... Continue Reading →

You will exclaim "Oh Alana!" ... and not in a good way ... when I tell you this story. Within hours of receiving the horrifying $2400 plumber's bill for my leaking gas pipes last week my drains started doing this ... I was a bit emotionally numb by that point and dejectedly sent the above pic... Continue Reading →

Whenever DD and I host a soiree, someone invariably thinks it's going to be a surprise engagement party. There was lots of speculative murmuring at our joint 50th last year. On Saturday night, DD hosted a Christmas in July celebration. When he ding-ding-dinged his glass to silence the crowd, I got a nudge-nudge-wink-wink from someone. I... Continue Reading →