In My First Job, I Was Kissed in the Stockroom
His name was Grant, and he was easily fifteen years older than me. I was a check-out chick at the local supermarket. I worked Thursday nights and Saturday mornings and sometimes all day during school holidays. I received my pay weekly, in cash, in a small, mustard envelope. A handrwitten slip detailed how many hours
Who Will Remember Us When We’re Gone?
At thirteen, he was the third boy I’d had a crush on in my short life. Ian lived close, and I would follow him on the walk to school, swooning at his auburn mullet and his bad-arse, super cool black ripples boots. He was not interested in me because I was neither pretty nor cool
2024: Much Gratitude
At this time of year, I tend to do a review. You know: things that have gone right and things that have maybe gone wrong. This year, building on A Few of My Favourite Things, I thought I would make this post about things I am grateful for. This year has been both difficult and
A Few of My Favourite Things
It’s spring in Adelaide, and a gorgeous time of year. Blossoms everywhere. There’s still a chill in the air, but the days teeter on warm, and we know winter is almost behind us. My chickens are fat and fluffy and laying again. My garden has a new lease on life, and I want to be
If I Could Turn Back Time
Right at the beginning of one of my most favourite movies ever — The Curious Case of Benjamin Button — there is an anecdote about a clock made by Mr Gateau, a clockmaker who was blind from birth and lost his only son in World War I. He had been contracted to make the clock
Alienated Grandparents in Australia: What Are Your Rights?
This post is not legal advice — I’m writing this as someone who has done a semester of Family Law as part of my law degree, and as an alienated grandparent who has gone through this process(ish). This essay is for informational purposes only and discusses my personal circumstances (and the law) in broad terms.
Mothering: All The Things I Did
When I tell people that my daughter hasn’t spoken to me since a few weeks after her wedding in March 2021, they invariably ask: What did you do? Invariably, my response is: Why does it have to be something I’ve done? I’m sick of the What Did You Do question and its negative, judgmental, blamey
Stitched Up: Her Present, Our Past, My Future
I wrote this essay a couple of years ago, not knowing when or where I would publish it. It’s original title was The Pattern Solves the Puzzle. I thought I might submit it to a literary journal, but none seemed right. The one that did seem right said it was a beautiful essay but publishing
On Apologies
I have been thinking a lot about apologies lately. Particularly how powerful they are to aid healing and restore relationships, and how an apology that is half-baked or underdone or passive-agressive is worse than no apology. I mean, an apology that doesn’t include the words “I’m so sorry for [insert transgression here] and I now
Say No, Then Yes, To The Dress
Buying a new frock is not an activity I relish. I wish it were. I want to be one of those women who catches a glimpse of a something shiny on a rack on the far side of the store, tries it on, loves it and whips out her credit card, all within the space
Mothering as a Brief Timeline of Overarching Disappointment
Being a mother was something I always wanted, despite (or because of?) my own childhood. Let’s just say my own mother was less than nurturing and had a violent, nasty streak that meant my psyche was hammered out on an anvil of fear, forged in survival. I knew I could do better, and I did.
Seeing the Pattern: My Journey Through Family Estrangement
A few months ago my sister — who I sadly have no relationship with now because of her choices — emailed me to let me know that my daughter is having another baby. A boy. Due in December. She might as well have told me that Kate Middleton was pregnant again. I felt that level