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,
Keep readingThis 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
Keep readingI 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
Keep readingUPDATE: Submissions have now been published. Here’s mine – #659. Everything is there, except they have redacted the phrase where I said I had (undiagnosed) PTSD. I guess they are only publishing verifiable information. On 21 September, 2023 (my 60th birthday) Prime Minister Albanese announced that there would be an
Keep readingMandatory hotel quarantine was introduced by the Australian government in March 2020 as a public health measure in response to COVID-19. It was free for everyone returning from overseas or interstate until July 2020, at which time the government began charging $3000 per person. Listen to my podcast if you’d
Keep readingRemember back in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic was announced? When the Australian government locked its citizens out of the country and locked us up in hotels if we did manage to get home? And remember when they charged us $3,000 for quarantine – a public health measure – that
Keep readingThis is new. Well, new as in I haven’t felt this happy and hopeful for a long time. From memory, the middle of 2018 was the last time. In 2018, I was living in Hanoi and my rose coloured glasses were still camouflaging the realities of living in a developing
Keep readingI spent most of last week, glued to Twitter and YouTube, cheering on Novak Djokovic as he took a stand against the Australian government, firstly via the Federal Circuit and Family Court, and then before a full bench of the Federal Court. He won his first case and his visa
Keep readingToday I went for a run. No big deal, I hear you say. People run all the time. The thing is: I haven’t gone running for 18 months. Not since I was in Hanoi. This pandemic (or rather, the government’s response to the pandemic) has sucked the productivity right out
Keep readingContent warning: this essay talks about sexual assault. Mine. If you are triggered or need help, please contact a Sexual Assault Service. I’ve not thought about it often and when I do, it’s not for long, because I’ve buried it. And I want it to stay buried. But now, at this
Keep readingI have been on Twitter for a little over 2 years. In that time, I have amassed over 45 000 tweets and more than 1 300 followers (not many in comparison to some twitterers, though). I have seen it at its best and worst, and given my recent two year
Keep readingI have three degrees; one undergraduate and two postgraduate. I’m not saying this to brag; it is a matter of fact. I have three degrees because the undergraduate one (Arts) didn’t deliver on its promise for better work opportunities, so I kept adding to it. I have an Graduate Diploma
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