There wasn't much time for sightseeing in Shanghai - we were mainly shuttling back and forth between the World Jump Rope Championships and our suburban hotel, but I managed to squeeze in a few fun experiences along the way. One of my favourites was arriving on The Bund in a torrential downpour and accidentally taking... Continue Reading →

Friends gave me lots of great tips on delicious places to eat when I was in Shanghai. But I didn't get to try any of them because the World Rope Skipping Championships were held in the Shanghai equivalent of Hornsby. And Shanghai was so farking hot that I usually couldn't face the 45 minute commute into... Continue Reading →

We’re baaaaaaaaaack from the World Rope Skipping Championships in Shanghai. And I have sooooooo much to tell you. It wasn’t quite the social media detox I’d been expecting - I got a VPN that meant I could still access Facebook and Instagram - so I’ve been posting a few updates along the way. But, just... Continue Reading →

I’m a bit - OK, very - stressed about everything I need to do before leaving for Shanghai. I felt shaky as I left the office yesterday. As I'm working from home today, there were heaps of loose ends that needed to be tied up. Of course, as things always go, I was in back-to-back... Continue Reading →

The youngest was horrified that I went out to dinner last night and abandoned her for two hours. It's ironic considering my blog post yesterday was about the kids disappearing to their rooms every night and leaving me on my lonesome. Still, I felt guilty about leaving them. But it's hard to pin down my... Continue Reading →

I ducked out yesterday to get some Chinese cash for the World Rope Skipping Championships ... and struggled back to the office with an ALDI Balance Trainer. As you do. Yep, I've become one of those people. I told myself it would to help with the recovery of the youngest's ankle. But I'm not sure... Continue Reading →

Yesterday was filled with little unexpected things. It kicked off with a pimple outbreak on my chin. FFS! I am 50! What’s with that? Have I not been through enough hormonally driven facial distress in my life? It's so not fair that my chin is twinning with my pubescent 14-year-old's. Dr Google tells me acne... Continue Reading →

"I can’t go back and change anything. But I can be more conscious of right now. I don’t want to ever again say I didn’t see it coming, that I didn’t recognise the moment for what it was. Something defining. Something that would change everything. Forever. The little things are the big things. This is... Continue Reading →

I got a shock when one of the skipping mums pulled out the program for the World Jump Rope Championships at dinner the other night. It turns out the youngest is only competing between the hours of 9am and 1pm on the Sunday morning. That’s it! We are flying to Shanghai for 10 days for... Continue Reading →

Just when you start despairing for humanity, people surprise you by doing something wonderful. Like those divers who risked their lives to rescue a boys' soccer team trapped in a cave. Actually, I still despair for humanity, but god bless those heroes for giving so much to get those kids to safety. Among them was... Continue Reading →