You are kind. You are smart. You are important. Those famous words from The Help are beautiful reinforcements of self-worth. But I've been thinking a better mantra might be ... You are kind. You are smart. Everyone is important. It's been on my mind ever since I overheard that man on the escalator say: "That... Continue Reading →

My eldest daughter arrives home from her school band tour of California this morning. My ex and I are heading to the airport to collect her soon. I'm presuming the trip went well, going by the photographs I saw on the P&C's Facebook page. I received two brief text messages from her while she was... Continue Reading →

I spat the dummy around lunchtime yesterday. I was SOOOOOOOOO freaking over painting my freaking house. And the ceiling STILL looks like absolute shite. I suspect it looks like absolute shite because I didn't put the lid back on the paint can properly, so the paint has gone a weird consistency from the air getting... Continue Reading →

Sometimes its the little things in life that can be the most lovely. I needed a surf fix earlier this week, so I arranged to meet DD at the beach after work. I got there early and settled onto the sand to watch the waves while I waited for him. When he arrived, he was... Continue Reading →

I had my office Christmas party yesterday. It was bulk fun. The drinks association team headed off on a catamaran, cruising Sydney Harbour for four hours. We dropped anchor at the Clifton Gardens beach for a swim, had a barbecue on the boat, cruised a bit more, then the boat made its to Walsh Bay... Continue Reading →

I had dinner with a few of my old magazine mates earlier this week. We had such a good natter about friends and foes in the industry and what they were up to these days. We also gave each other the abbreviated rundown on our personal lives - 2016 has been quite the year for... Continue Reading →

Remember me asking my daughter to send a text every few days letting me know she was OK on her school band trip to America … and her looking at me like I’d asked her to scrub the toilet with her toothbrush? Well, I rang my ex yesterday to moan that despite leaving the country... Continue Reading →

Christmas 2014 heralded "The Desolation of Smiggle" ... Christmas 2016 will go down as "The Skirmish of Supernatural." You might recall the merry hell I went through to get a Smiggle advent calendar for my youngest daughter a few years ago. She wanted one BAD. So I tried our local Smiggle store. Nup, sucked dry.... Continue Reading →

My barely 13-year-old daughter is flying to the United States today on a school band tour. I am totally freaking out. I've regretted agreeing to the tour ever since I put down the deposit. And not just because it's costing me an absolute bloody fortune. Back in MY day ... says Grannie Al ... you... Continue Reading →

A champagne orgasm hasn't been the only highlight of this week. I also managed to escape the daily grind for a sneaky night out with DD. He scored a room at the Intercontinental for a work conference thingy and invited me over to steal the toiletries (actually, I did that on the sly) and paint... Continue Reading →