Headlinershttps://www.google.com/adsense/new/u/0/pub-3691500166505297/privacymessaging

Headliners is a totally amazing new television series here on the ABC.   It is hosted by Jimmy Barnes’s daughter Elly May, who takes after her father because she is musically talented and has lived with a lifelong disability called cerebral palsy.   She is absolutely phenomenal and is so beautiful.   She came up with the idea of forming two musical 🎼 bands, made up entitely of musicians, living with a disability to form and then performing at Mundhi Mundhi,  a huge music festival here in Outback Australia 🇦🇺.

The idea is brilliant, and Elly May has some wonderful supporters in her father Jimmy, Ella Hooper, Tim Rogers and  Scott Aplin.   The idea is incredible because most musicians with a disability are grossly under-represented in mainstream music circles. Elly May, along with Tim and Ella, have to form two groups, have them practice songs as a group, and get them performance ready for Mundhi  Mundhi a few weeks away.  What I like about this program is that Elly May is not afraid to show how she manages her disability on an everyday basis.  It truly is warts and  all for her and also shows how the various musicians battle everyday life with their disabilities.  Oh, did I forget to mention that the brilliant and gorgeous Scott Aplin gets to strut his stuff as music director.   It makes for one very outstanding program, and I, for one, will be binge watching the entire series on iview over the next day or so. Elly May Barnes has definitely won a fan in me for what she has set out to achieve.   I, for one, think she is such a unique and beautiful person  😍 💕 💖.

Two historical figures.https://www.google.com/adsense/new/u/0/pub-3691500166505297/privacymessaging

If you could meet a historical figure, who would it be and why?

As I think about todays topic, I am torn between meeting two very important people in history.

Obviously, given my  Christianity, I would love to meet Jesus to thank him for the many gifts my faith has brought to my life.  To meet him would mean the second coming had occurred.  I think Jesus is the most important historical figure..

The other person I would ❤️ to meet would be Princess Diana because she was truly beautiful.  Not only was she stunningly beautiful, but she also radiated warmth from the inside and did so much good for the world’s issues.  She  highlighted different issues and showed love to the underprivileged and those in need.  She truly did change the 🌎 world and the monarchy forever. Her legacy lives on.  If I ever met her,I would express gratitude 🙏🏽 to her.

The Block Arcade, Myers Melbourne and the Queen Victoria Markethttps://www.google.com/adsense/new/u/0/pub-3691500166505297/privacymessaging

What is your favorite place to go in your city?

I have 3 absolute favourite places to go to in the City of Melbourne. My first place to go would have to be the Block Arcade on Collins Street.  I love its grandiose architecture and the shops in it. Even though the Hopetoun Tearooms are no longer there, I love the other shops,  in particular the Toy Shop with the dolls hospital.

Another must see is the Myer department store on Bourke Street, another slice of Melbourne history.  I loved as a child and young women browsing through Myer and worked there briefly as a Christmas casual worker.  Myer is famous for its Christmas Windows display that has a different story for its focus each year.  Today in Mekbourne, these  windows are being launched. I used to love relaxing in the women’s restrooms and lounge where all women who needed public conveniences could relax and chill and breastfeeding or just rest after a hectic shopping trip.

The other thing I love is The Queen Victoria Market on Elizabeth Street.   The markets are wonderful with an array of butchers,  delicatessen, fruit and vegetable, and clothing and accessories stalls. I haven’t been there in a long time and miss the experience of buying meat fish,  cheese fruit and vegetables etc.  It is also the perfect place to buy a gift for those traditionally hard to buy for. About 20 years ago, I did a foodies dream tour of the market, savouring delicacies and learning the history of the different store holders.  It was an amazing and memorable experience  and one I think every tourist in Melbourne should do.

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Midnight Oil “The Hardest Line”.https://www.google.com/adsense/new/u/0/pub-3691500166505297/privacymessaging

A couple of days ago, I watched on iview a documentary about the Australian band Midnight Oil called “The Hardest Line.”  It was amazing, a real slice of Australian history, a time capsule of the issues affecting Australia 🇦🇺.

I think every one should see this.  Midnight Oil are such a divisive band.  You either love them passionately or hate them passionately.   I am on the side of those who love them. So much of the issues and values I hold dear Midnight Oil have educated me about.  My views on nuclear disarmament,  the peace movement,  the environmental movement and indigenous issues have been shaped and formed by Midnight Oils songs. So many people of my generation would agree. So many men of my age worshipped Midnight Oil , a lot who were into surf culture loved Midnight Oils style of music.  Peter Garrett is famous for his politics and even my dad was aware of Peter Garrett and Midnight Oil.  I think my dad was fascinated a bit by Midnight Oil singing about political issues. They certainly were very unapologetically in your face about issues. Midnight Oil are known as the only top charting Australian band of the 80s that never appeared on Countdown.   When they were asked to appear on the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympics,  they went away to consider how they could do that without selling out and came back with all guns firing.  They appeared in black tracksuits with the word SORRY emblazoned on them,  summing up the view that our government needed to apologise to our indigenous population for the stolen generation.  I think that was a bold move and think they did the right thing. Peter Garrett ended up being a Labor politician around the time the Labor party gave a national apology to the stolen generations.  Without Midnight Oil taking such a public stance, this apology may never have happened the way it did.

Midnight Oil are certainly a political animal, but I, for one, respect them for their politics and their very special place in Australian history.  I have learned much from them as did a lot of my generation.  When all is said and done, their music 🎶 lives on.

First impression.https://www.google.com/adsense/new/u/0/pub-3691500166505297/privacymessaging

What’s the first impression you want to give people?

The first impression I want to give people is that I am gentle, kind, compassionate,  empathic, and wise. When I meet people for the first time, I want them to meet the best version of myself I could possibly be. I am conscious of this when the circumstances of meeting people have been arranged prior to the actual meeting, eg, a job interview or appointment.   When I meet strangers on my travels, eg, walking 🚶‍♂️ Lily, I smile and warmly greet everyone.   It is amazing how walking 🚶‍♂️ your dog can start conversations with strangers and Lily is so stunning looking that people are constantly talking 👄 to me about her.

I guess that we should all try to be the best version of ourselves when we meet new people, as first impressions matter.  I try to approach my life with a glass half full perspective and hope this rubs off on those I meet.

The book I am reading right now.https://www.google.com/adsense/new/u/0/pub-3691500166505297/privacymessaging

What book are you reading right now?

The book I am reading right now is “Daily Guidance From Your Angels” by Doreen Virtue. It is a  book I read every day for a little bit of inspiration to start my day. I have just finished reading Marley and Me by  Josh Grogan.

Where in the world 🌎 would I live?https://www.google.com/adsense/new/u/0/pub-3691500166505297/privacymessaging

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I think this topic is great, and I will answer it in two ways,  pure fantasy and more realistic.

In my fantasy where money would be no object, I would love to live in Parnell on the outskirts of the city of Auckland.   This is pure fantasy because Parnell is probably the most expensive place to live in Auckland.  The houses in Parnell are beautiful mansions, but never in a million years would I have the money to live there. Sydney is the most expensive city to live here in Australia, and it is more expensive to live in Auckland than Sydney. Enough said.

Realistically I would like to live in Williamstown here in Melbourne or to own a beachside property at Barwon Heads or Ocean Grove where I could get away from the from the city and take Lily for long walks 🚶‍♂️ on the beach and enjoy fish and chips and the Cafe culture that Melbourne and surrounds are famous for. Again, this is also a dream that probably is wishful thinking,  but it is nice to dream.

I think everyone has a place somewhere in the world 🌎 they dream about living there and for everyone it is uniquely their  own. It is normal and healthy to have dreams.

Why Sandi Toksvig is so great?https://www.google.com/adsense/new/u/0/pub-3691500166505297/privacymessaging

Did you know that windscreen wipers,  rear vision mirrors, and brake pads were all invented by women?  I know because Sandi Tiksvig has made it her mission to pass onto the next generation the important things women have done in history.  Sandi has made it her mission to have significant women in history written about on Wikipedia.   She feels that if she doesn’t, women will be written out of history and forgotten about.  It is through Sandi that I found out about the  history of the underground public toilets in Melbourne that changed the working life of women the world 🌎 over .

Sandi Toksvig is lucky that as the female of QI, she gets to talk about the facts that interest her. She is definitely one the most witty, intelligent, and genuinely funny ladies on television,  having had a long career performing comedy in different forms.  She is wonderful and has become someone I would like to see perform.

I think she is a good leader for womens issues because she is eloquent funny and intelligent as well as friendly and gregarious.  If you like your humour, witty, and intelligent QI, is the show for you.  It screens on the ABC and iview here in Australia 🇦🇺.

Andrew Denton and Peter Hitchener.https://www.google.com/adsense/new/u/0/pub-3691500166505297/privacymessaging

Who is the most famous or infamous person you have ever met?

I have met two famous people in my life that being Andrew Dentom, a famous TV host here in Australia and the newsreader Peter Hitchener.

I met Andrew Denton at a national mental health conference here in Melbourne.  Andrew was an honoured guest who had come to meet people to be on his documentary about mental health called Angels and Demons.  Andrew had announced that he wanted people with grnuiely funny stories about mental health to approach him, and if it was good enough, he would film it for his documentary.  I plucked up the courage to approach Andrew with my funny story. He asked me to repeat it for the caneras, which I did,  but then he put me on the spot and asked me a question about my own experiences with mental health.  I was briefly flabbergasted by that and bumbled something incoherent,  because my brain wasn’t properly connected to my mouth in that instant.  I knew what I wanted to say but couldn’t get it out properly.  As for the funny story, I told him about mental illness,  well, that is for another blog in the future.

The other famous person I met was Peter Hitchener.  Before my life centred around mental health I was involved in Plenty Valley fm , a community radio station where I did both a children’s program and an Australian music program.   One of the volunteers at this station worked in the newsroom at Channel 9.  Peter Hitchener was the invited guest  asked to come along and launch our radiothon,  to make the money needed to keep the station running. Peter was the absolute gentleman and seemed to know about me by the questions he asked me when introduced to me.   I was genuinely flattered and a bit shy and nervous.

Both times I met famous people, it has given me very clear, indelible memories of good times past.