Inspired by Jemma Birrell’s article in The Age, here are the top 5 books that have changed me (in no particular order). 1. Oh, the Places You’ll Go – Dr Seuss I never read Dr Seuss as a child and only picked up the first when my daughter was nearly 2 years old. It was [...]

So tell me, are you e-book reader or a fan of the old-school hardcopy? If you’d asked me six months ago whether I’d prefer to read a hardcopy book or the electronic version, I’d have said without hesitation the hardcopy. I love the look, feel and smell of a book. The craftsmanship of its form, [...]

Contrary to what most of us believe, creativity is not some divine gift that comes to us like a flash of light at 2am. It takes a lot of effort on our behalf and perhaps, if we are lucky, the occasional flash will bring the hard work together. Creativity must be learnt, fostered and encouraged. [...]

So the blog is back! It’s been an embarrassingly long time between posts, especially considering my last post was about balancing creative time with the drudgery of day-to-day work – clearly something I’ve been struggling with. Never-mind, we’re here to look forward and not behind. The blog (and I) now have a new-found sense of [...]

I’ve always been very black and white. I’ve never been the kind of person who can enjoy the ‘occasional’ drink,cigarette or piece of chocolate. I’m either in, or I’m out, I’m drunk or I’m sober, eating well or eating what I like. That was until I entered the ‘working mother with creative ambition and a [...]

Yesterday was Mother’s Day, and as I struggled to reconcile the conflicting emotions I encounter on this day, I searched for a connection to my mum and found it in an unexpected place – her handwriting. My mum had beautiful handwriting. It was elegant and graceful and it was (& still is) like no other. [...]

It’s Mother’s Day on Sunday. For me, this will hopefully result in a cup of tea in bed (at a reasonable hour) and spending the day with my beautiful little family. It won’t mean the empty sentiment of expensive gifts and Hallmark words, but it will be a celebration of the joy I feel as [...]

This Easter our family is re-igniting a long lost tradition – the Good Friday snapper-on-the-bbq gathering. Image courtesy of delish.com There was a small window in the late 90s early 00s when our family worked pretty well. Some of the trauma of earlier years had passed (or at least was adequately blocked out) and for [...]

I’ve been pushing. Pushing too hard and it’s killing me. I’ve been pushing my writing, pushing my finances, pushing my health & generally speaking just pushing my luck. At the same time I’ve been pushing, I’ve come across a heap of people talking about flow. About just letting life flow. About forgetting the grand plans [...]

It’s said that true happiness rests in our ability to leave the past behind and focus on the present moment. But how do you move on when the past is responsible for who you are? And how do you move on without leaving behind the people that matter? Sometimes, in our endless pursuit of happiness, [...]