What do you think gets better with age?

I think a couple of things get better with age, the most significant is that of good friendships.  Like fine red wine, friendships that are true and lasting become more beautiful and precious with age.

Obviously, fine red wine 🍷 gets better with age as do our memories of a life well lived.  I think of Susanna, whom I painfully grieved for when she passed.  With the passing of time,the pain healed, and now, when I think of her, I feel a warm inner glow and cherish my memories of time spent with her.  So, grief to changes with time and is a part of life we all experience.

I think our wisdom grows and gets better with age.   Wisdom is something that some people develop as they age and is something to be grateful, savoured, and 😍 loved. I know experience has made me wiser and a better person, and passing on my wisdom is something I find myself expressing more as I age.

I think our appreciation of the simple things in life gets better as we age. Enjoying life’s simple pleasures 🙏🏽 are something that have more meaning as we grow. Life experiences don’t have to be expensive. Often, pure pleasure can be found in life’s moments that are free. Simple pleasures and gestures are often the most meaningful.

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What time do you go to bed and wake up currently?

I tend to go to bed around 9.00pm and wake up around 6.00 am. I get out of bed usually between 6.00am and 7.00am. I am a morning person and feel at my most alert and productive in the morning. I also walk Lily in the morning around 7.30 am onwards .

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What strategies do you use to increase comfort in your daily life?

There are a few strategies I use to increase my comfort in my day to day life.

The first is the practice of mindfulness in my everyday life.   This is something I try to work on on a regular basis.  It is a skill that I am developing.  For instance, last night I woke up around 2.00am. not feeling well, so I deliberately made myself think of something positive,  in this case Lily.  I made myself lie in a comfortable position, and every time I felt distracted and unwell,  I would think of some memory of Lily and try to control my thoughts in that way.  It wasn’t long before I drifted off to sleep.

Actually Lily plays a big part of my day-to-day comfort because there is nothing I like more on these bitterly cold 🥶 winter’s days than curling up on the couch with Lily on my lap cuddling in, watching television or reading, writing my blog or listening 🎶 to music.   Lily is so soft and cuddly and is an affectionate little soul, and having her close is the most enjoyable way to spend these cold wet,  Melbourne weather winter days.

Having a coffee ☕️ in the morning 🌄 is another thing that I do for comfort. I feel ready to take on the world once I have my coffee ☕️.

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What are you most excited about for the future?

The thing that excites me the most about the future is my writing ✍️ both of this blog and my other writings.   This blog is progressing nicely, and I feel proud of both books 📚 I have written, those being God Bless Our Dogs and The Dance Of The Emerald Dress.   I plan on collating all the blog posts 📫 that Susanna has  inspired into a collection for her family and friends, and then I plan on writing more for children.   These prospects excite me for the future.  I’ll keep you 📫 as to my progress on these.

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What is your favorite genre of music?

I know I have asked this question before.

My favourite genre of music is Australian music 🎶 🎵 from the 80s and 90s. It was the music 🎶 I grew up with. Not surprisingly Crowded House are my all time favourite,  but I see also love Hunters and Collectors,  Mental As Anything,  Cold Chisel,  Inxs, Split Enz, Noiseworks,  Moving Pictures,  Goanna Midnight Oil and the list goes on, including all types of music from that era. It is the type of music that brings back memories of my teenage years, and I treasure these memories. Different songs bring back different memories.

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On what subject(s) are you an authority?

I couldn’t answer this blog topic straight away because I really had to think about it.  After discussing the topic with friends I now feel ready to answer it.

I am an authority on my own faith in God. I have a strong faith in God and know he looks after me. An example of this is yesterday. I lost my little white gold cross pendant from my necklace, which had come undone. Occasionally, I lose this pendant, and yesterday was no different. I knew that although it was lost , I would find it, and I found it inside my bra when I went to change into my pyjamas.   I prayed🙏🏽 to God to enlist the angels 😇 🙏🏽 to help me find it and had faith thst I would. I also have hsd dreams recently that both my Dad and Susanna have been in. I believe in angels and know that they both watch over me.

The other thing I am an authority on is my beloved little dog Lily.   I am so bonded to Lily and know exactly it is that she communicates non verbally to me. She is a happy, contented little soul because her every need is met. She is the thing I love ❤️ most in the world 🌎 💕 and I do think I am an authority on her needs and welfare

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Describe your most memorable vacation.

My most memorable vacation was the cruise to New Zealand. I went on a few years ago. It was such a lovely genteel  way to travel. The rooms were luxurious with the most comfortable bed I had ever slept on. The food was absolutely delectable,  and I must say I found the fine dining to be absolutely lovely,  only occasionally did I eat at the buffet, preferring to be treated like a lady at the fine dining restaurants.   New Zealand is such a beautiful country from the rugged beauty of Milford Sound to Dunedin and the beautiful seaside villages of Akaroa and  Gisborne to the amazing cities of Wellington and Auckland   I think everyone should see New Zealand at least once in their life,  and I  think cruising 🛳 is the perfect way to see it.

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What’s your definition of romantic?

I know I have answered this question before.  The essence of romance lies in the small gestures of love and appreciation that we share with our loved ones.

I am quite old-fashioned in my views of romance, and through experience both bad and good, i have some feelings about how I like to experience romance. I love to be courted and enjoy the company of a chivalrous gentleman,  who woos me and treats me like a lady with no expectations.  They are kind and thoughtful, and their kind gestures reflect their true personality,  not an act they put on to impress me. My ex-husband put on an act to reel me in, and then once we were together, his true personality of selfishness revealed its ugly head.  I like true gentlemen whose intentions are good.  I have a few male friends who are true gentlemen,  so I know they do exist.

Flowers and chocolates are lovely, but so are small, thoughtful gestures that are individual to the giver and receiver.   One small, well thought out gesture can say so much more than flowers or chocolate.  To be treated like a queen is something most women would love but is hard to find.  Expressions of love don’t have to be grandiose,  just thoughtful.  Having someone who makes you feel special is something we all want.  True love may be hard to find, but remember life is all about the journey and not the destination,  so enjoy the romance that life brings your way and realise giving and receiving love is not a competition,  but something to be treasured.

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How do you express your gratitude?

I think I have answered today’s blog topic many times before. I have spoken about being both gracious and grateful 🙏🏽 in my everyday life.

I had a beautiful angelic role model in my passed over angel lady Susanna.   She taught me to accept good graciously into my life and because of the example she set I know send all my loved ones a good morning gif every day.

I may not be wealthy financially but I am wealthy in terms of relationships and don’t take the love of my friends and family for granted.   I try to always be positive and gracious with loved one’s and regularly tell them how much I love them.  It is important to thank your loved one’s and let them know how much you appreciate them. Kindness and genuine courtesy costs nothing and helps us to generate good karma for ourselves and others.

The next time someone in your life does a small act of kindness, say a polite and genuine Thank You and experience the positivity such a gesture brings  both you and the recipitant

I also have a routine of silently saying grace to myself whenever I eat a meal.  I am genuinely grateful that I have enough food in my life and thank God for so generously providing me with enough for my needs.  Do this and feel the benefits of being grateful.  It makes the world 🌎 a nicer place to be.

What are you most worried about for the future?

On this my birthday, I am not particularly worried about the future .  I am in a positive, optimistic frame of mind. I do have my moments when I worry about the future  normally about my mental health and physical health declining as I age or about Lily getting sick as she ages.   I don’t worry constantly about these things.  I bounce back and choose not to let these worries consume me.

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