A Tribute to Sam Neill

It is a cold wintry day here in Melbourne as I sit here reflecting on the passing of Sam Neill. Sam is someone for whom my love only grew for as he aged. He certainly was,a silver fox as he aged he remained extremely hot to look at. Like his own fine wine, he grew better with age and his online presence helped many of us mere mortals with his humour and humanity throughout lockdown.  Those online pieces will now be viewed by many of us who hold Sam, ever the gentleman in our hearts 💕.  I would have loved to have dinner with Sam and share some of his lovely wine and his charm,wit and wisdom.  For those interested in his wine it is Two Paddocks from central Otago region in New 🇳🇿 Zealand.   I dare say right now there would be lots of people interested in buying his wine to drink and reflect upon what an interesting,  wonderful and varied life he had. I for one will have fond memories of watching the online stuff he did particularly “cooking with Sam” and the short pieces of life on the vineyard with his collection of chickens  ducks,  pigs and cows etc all named after famous friends of his. His sense of humour and the ridiculous were wonderful. RIP 🙏🏽 Sam you truly are well remembered as a remarkable 🙏🏽 human being.

3 books I have read 📚 more than any other.

Which book have you read more than any other?

There are 3 books I have read more than any other.  The first book is These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder.   I read the print off it so much when I was growing up.  The second book is Book Enz a book of photos of Split Enz that I bought from their fan club when I was about 12 years old.  It is well read and the binding is falling apart from how much I have read it. The third book is Past Secrets by Cathy Kelly, one of my favourite books by her. I read it a couple of times a year.

Habit that has improved my life the most

What’s one habit that has improved your life the most?

The habit that has improved my life the most is sending the good morning 🙏🏽 🌄 gif to my loved one’s. I started this as a tribute to my beautiful passed over angel 😇 😢 💕 lady Susanna.  Susanna only ever spread love and goodwill in this world 🌎 and it was an honour to be her friend . It reminds my loved ones that they are never alone in this world 🌎,  there will always be someone who thinks of you  ♥️

The Hard Years

What’s a chapter of your life you’d title “The Hard Years” — and what got you through it?

The hardest years of my life were when I was married and working in mental health for an employer that was horrible and bullying. I received zero support from my ex husband,  who wanted me to keep working,  because me not working would negatively impact his lifestyle. What got me through this time was the inspiration I received from Susanna and Russell  both of them helped me to get through this time with their love and support and my faith in God. When another hard time came along, supporting Diana and her family through their train wreck of a life it was Susanna and Russell again who supported me, even when I ended up unwell in hospital through all the stress.  Susanna was definitely an angeli in my life and I don’t think I could’ve coped without her support . I also think my psychiatrist helped me through both of those challenging periods in my life and my faith that God has plans for us all.

A LITTLE CHAOS

Is a little chaos actually good for us?

I think a little chaos can be good for us, but it depends on the situation and the chaos caused.

I think back to when Lily was a puppy and how seriously she was on a search and destroy mission, constantly testing the boundaries of what she could get away with. I look upon those memories with fondness and love the chaos that having a puppy can bring.  It is chaos worth experiencing.  So yes a little chaos can be good for us.

People with nothing to hide, hide nothing.

This blog is a bit unusual for me because I rarely talk about the times I have been hospitalised for my mental health issues.

Something interesting and unusual happened the last time I was in hospital.  Quite literally in hospital with me as patients were my ex husband and an ex boyfriend of many years ago.   What was funny though was they were both in hospital under assumed names, not their real names that I know them by. They both seemed shocked to see me and I think that speaks volumes about them and very little about me. For awhile I have been contemplating the fact they were in hospital as the same time as me, particularly because I don’t believe in coincidences. I think it was a God thing that I was in hospital with them at the same time and it is something that I’ve come to realise that those people with nothing to hide, hide nothing.   I am not ashamed of the fact that I have mental health issues and talk about my issues regularly. The fact that both of these men were using  an alias whilst they were in hospital says a lot more about them than it does about me. They must be hiding some things about themselves they didn’t want people to know and both were really uncomfortable with my presence in the ward,  but honestly I couldn’t care less what they think . I had nothing to hide or be ashamed of,  so I focus on getting well in hospital and ignoring most of what goes on with the other patients.  I am there to get well, not be entertained by others.