Welcome to 50 ... an invitation to get a free mammogram has joined my free bowel cancer test on my kitchen bench. I'm really not looking forward to tackling either of them. At all. Aside from entering the danger zone for various forms of cancer, other unfortunate side effects of ageing that I'm  battling include... Continue Reading →

Agreeing on how to parent teenagers is tricky, whether you're living with your partner or not. But I get the feeling it will come with a unique additional set of challenges as a separated family. Yesterday kicked off with the youngest sending disgruntled text messages to me about a fight she'd had with her dad... Continue Reading →

The ex and I went parent-teacher speed dating together last night. I don't know if you've done the public high school parent-teacher thing, but it involves - at ours - a hall full of teachers at little desks and a big brass bell that rings every five minutes to let you know it's time to... Continue Reading →

I'd like to say I rested and recovered over the weekend, but that's not how I roll. I'm more your overdoing it type. So it's hardly surprising that I felt a bit truck-hit on Sunday arvo. Well, I DID rest on Friday and that was pretty glorious. The kids headed off to their dad's place and... Continue Reading →

There's something terribly addictive and slightly unhealthy about being a digital journalist, especially in the "news" sphere. You're always on alert for breaking news because you want to be first to share it and snatch the most clicks on your site. As a booze news writer I'm constantly hunting for stories that might grab my... Continue Reading →

The Household didn't head to the Royal Easter Show this year ... I'm wondering if that counts as another post-separation milestone? Going to the Show is one of the things we've done every year as a family. We decided to preserve the tradition when we broke up. As the saying goes: marriages come and go, but... Continue Reading →

I completely lack a filter when talking about everything except money. Well, that's not entirely true. I'll happily discuss property prices with you until the cows come home. How very Sydney of me. But I'm hopeless at asking how much things will cost. I don't understand how I can be delighted to tell you all... Continue Reading →

So I stopped ... well, as much as I ever stop ... and had a four-day break from blogging and work over Easter ... and, of course,  the usual dramas unfolded ... including - though it ended up being the least of my problems - getting a bit crook ... which is what always happens... Continue Reading →

I may have implied I was starting a break in yesterday's blog. Ooops. You're stuck with me for one more day. I really should have called it quits then though, as I'm just going to grumble ... Gripe No.1: How many times a week do you get unsolicited calls on your mobile phone from someone... Continue Reading →

I'm waaaaaaaay overdue for a break from the big stuff ... both self-inflicted and incidental. The past few months have been HUGE. In the last fortnight alone there's been my 50th birthday party, my dad's spinal surgery, the youngest's triple birthday celebration, scrambling around for a gift for my ex's birthday and DD's big move.... Continue Reading →