It’s your 45th Father’s Day! That’s a lot of socks and hankies so this year I wrote you a letter...
All in Family
all roads lead to dot's house
We ride along the track, mostly used by escaped sheep, a few meters in from the fence line. We canter and giggle and grab fistfuls of wattle blossom as we go and throw it at each other like confetti, until we reach the "Top Gate" – which leads from the bush down through a couple of paddocks to Dot’s House.
Two Great Women
This International Women’s Day I remember with love and gratitude two great women - my grandmothers. One inspired me with her stoicism, fortitude and sharp mind. The other nourished my soul with unconditional love and an unquenchable joie de vivre.
The Little Things Are The Big Things
2017. My grandma died. I got the flu and couldn’t walk properly. I spent three months fearing I had breast cancer. I cried. I swore. I felt insufficient. It would be easy for me to throw last year on the scrap pile of years that sucked if I hadn’t done this one powerful thing…
Parenting: Does Honesty Really Matter?
Being a parent is not an easy thing. And being a ‘good’ parent is even harder. ‘Authenticity’ and ‘congruency’ have been buzzwords for a while now. But what about when it comes to how we show up as parents, and who we’re being with our kids? It gets a little more complicated… Or does it?
The Joy of Swearing
Shit. Fuck. Cunt. Love them or hate them, they make an impact don’t they? They're the punk rock kids of any language - rebellious anarchists who love to cause a stir.
Today You Would Have Been 90
As hard as it is for me to admit it, you made a great choice not sticking around for your 90th. There would have been lap blankets for sure, and people writing you off as an old person which you never were.
The Misadventure Continues...
It was getting dark and all the boys were wet and now two of them were off in the wilderness somewhere. It suddenly felt really stupid to have broken up the group. Isn't that rule #1 of any horror movie?
Enchantment: Teaching Grown Ups How to Play
The importance of play for childhood development is well documented, but I wonder when and why it stops being important for grown ups? Why do we get serious and forget about magic and simple moments? Kids have so much to teach us.
At Least the Wattle Keeps on Blooming
Mum sits the three of us down at the kitchen table and asks us if we’ve noticed that she and Dad have been arguing a lot. I’m eight, the oldest and the most outspoken. I ask as a joke if they’re going to get divorced. It seems like such a whacky possibility. Something that happens on TV, not in our house.
Four Things I Learned Hiking with my Seven-Year-Old
It felt great to be outside, surrounded by nature, breathing in the fresh air - rich with the perfume of eucalyptus. The rain had intensified the colours of the forest and little birds were flittering around us, enjoying the rejuvenating shower and the droplets that sparkled on the tips of leaves like diamonds.