Which is the best restaurant in your city?

The best restaurant in my town would have to be Itahlia the Italian pizza 🍕 pasta  steak and seafood restaurant.  There is something on their menu to suit everyone’s likes. It is very popular and good value for money.

If you had a time machine and could send just one message to your past self, what would it say?

If I had a time machine and could send one message to my past self it would be to trust your gut instinct when it comes to people and only surround yourself with good people, keep those who your gut tells you are not good far away from you.

Which author would you love to have dinner with?

There are two c authors I would love to have dinner with. Pure fantasy I would love to have dinner with Cathy Kelly and I would’ve loved to have had dinner with Janet Frame whilst she was still alive.

Cathy Kelly is my favourite author of chick literature and she always seems so warm, interesting and intriguing.  Janet Frame was one of New Zealand’s famous authors,  who lived with the same mental illness as me, and still managed to live an amazing life as a award winning author.  Thank God she never received the lobotomy the medical practitioners had planned for her.  Thank God she went on to be an amazing author and that lobotomies eventually were made illegal.  The world 🌎 is a better place without having lobotomies.

If your future self could send you one sentence, what do you hope it would say?

The sentence from my future self would say as follows.

“Focus only on what you can change in your life and have the wisdom to know what you can and can’t change.”.

What’s the best local dish you’ve ever eaten while traveling?

The best local dish I have ever eaten whilst travelling would have to be the Hake Fish and Chips I had on a foodies dream tour I went on in Tauranga New Zealand 🇳🇿.  We had lunch at a seaside Cafe at Tauranga. The whole tour was for foodies and we got to experience the food that New Zealand is famous for. The hake fish 🐟 and chips were to die for. After our lunch we visited a 🥝 Kiwi fruit and avocado 🥑 orchard. It was amazing and we got to sample a lot of the food that was amazing in its quality and variety that New Zealand is known for. It was extraordinary.

What’s a thing you wish schools actually taught?

I wish indigenous issues were taught here in Australia,  instead of shying away from talking about the culture and history both of modern-day and older history of our indigenous people.  We don’t like communicating their history and issues and yet we can learn so much from them, from their dreamtime spirituality to the issues facing the younger generations today. It is a truth that is both uncomfortable and ugly yet we need as a nation to acknowledge the contribution they make to our society.  Midnight Oil did a great job in highlighting these issues through their music and I am proud of their quiet protest at the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympics wearing the word sorry emblazoned on their clothes, letting the world 🌎 know that our government at the time was refusing to say sorry to stolen generations. Things like that protest need to be taught to the children Australia.  We need to teach the reality of our history as a nation

Share a photo of your pet and tell us one thing that makes them uniquely them.

This is Lily.  She is such a loving affectionate little soul, an angel, a gift from God.  Of a morning she loves to lick my face and pyjama top, particularly after I have showered and brushed my teeth. She loves the minty taste of my toothpaste and loves to lick my ears after I have washed my hair under the shower

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

I know I have answered this topic many times before. I always write that the best advice I ever received came from my brother David who gave me this advice when I was first diagnosed with my mental health issues and it was to surround myself with good people.  I took that on board and have had two friends in my life that gave me timely meaningful advice. Susanna my beautiful angel lady advised me to walk away from Diana and her family when caring too much for them brought on my own mental health issues. Thank you beautiful Susanna your advice came from a place of love.

Also my lovely friend Barbara who always was telling me to use my gift of writing ✍️ skills to write about my journey for the world to read. I must also thank my psychiatrist who told me over 5 years ago that I should write a blog, because he felt that people would genuinely be interested in what I have to say.

What’s something you used to worry about but don’t anymore?

I used to worry about the stigma of mental health issues and what other people thought of me. I learned the hard way not to care about what other people think of me, including some members of my family.  I now don’t care what other people think,  their opinions and judgements speak more about them than it does about me. I have a healthy sense of self worth and don’t care about other people’s opinions.  As one of my friends sometimes says that  “what other people think of us, is none of our business”. It is a true quote and I don’t let others trivial opinions of me affect me.