Share what you know about the year you were born.

I was born in 1969, and it was a very important year b, because man walked on the moon that year. Also, Woodstock happened that year, and The Beatles released the Abbey Road album, which featured tracks like Come Together and Here Comes The Sun and Something.

Are you a good judge of character?

I think I am a good judge of character and that I become more so as time goes on. I have learnt from past experience to listen to my gut instincts about the people who come into my life. I have learned not to become close to the people I feel uncomfortable about. I try to surround myself with good people and not be close to those my gut feels uncomfortable with. I think how we reap what we sow in this life and that if you have good intentions, God will reward you with people with equally good intentions in your life.

When are you most happy?

I am most happy on those days when I am catching up with family and friends. I enjoy that very much.

Lily also makes me happy on a daily basis. She wakes up happy every morning 🌄 and seldom leaves my side. Her unconditional love is blissful, and I treasure each moment with her because I know she won’t be around forever. I love her affection and her innocence and curiosity.

What was the last thing you did for play or fun?

Each year, I buy Lily a toy for Christmas from Santa. I put the toy away until Christmas day. This year, I have been teasing her. I have bought her a purple 💜 plastic pig that oinks when you touch it. I have put this high up in my pantry to hide it. Occasionally, when I open the pantry, I secretly squeeze it, so it oinks, and Lily comes running 🏃‍♂️ excited by the sound. I think she has figured out that it is something for her. I will give it to her first thing Christmas 🎄 morning 🌄. In the meantime, I enjoy arousing her curiosity.

List your top 5 grocery store items.

My top favourite grocery items are as follows

1 honey. I love honey 🍯 particularly locally produced honey.

2 Vegemite. I love Vegemite on toast with butter. My mother used to put a little Vegemite on my dummy when I was a baby. No wonder I have grown up loving it.

3. Spreadable butter 🧈. I love real butter.

4 yoghurt. I love natural Greek style yoghurt.

5 Pink lady apples 🍎. I start the day, every day, with an apple. I am a firm believer in that an apple a day keeps both the doctor and dentist away.

Describe a man who has positively impacted your life.

There are a few men that have positively impacted my life, and I would have to say my friend Russell is someone who only ever spreads goodwill and has good intentions.

Russell came into my life through Brunswick Baptist Church and was groomsman at my wedding. Throughout my involvement with Brunswick Baptist Church, Russell and I became close friends, and in the months following the breakdown of my marriage, Russell was there by my side and became a most trusted, wonderful friend. Russell is quiet and patient and not reactionary in any way. He gives off an aura of peace and tranquillity, and I find him to be gentle, peaceful company. To say he is the most Christian man I have met in my life is quite possibly an understatement. He is kind and generous and thoughtful, and he has come to mean the world to me.

He is my brother and my kindred spirit and definitely a soul mate. I value him as my friend, more than words can express, and he, with his gentlemanly manners, will be my friend forever.

Is your life today what you pictured a year ago?

Is my life today what I had pictured a year ago. Sort of. I knew that I wanted to focus on my writing both of this blog and hopefully more books. I have spent the year focusing on my writing ✍️ and was delighted when I found a copy of The Dance Of The Emerald Dress 👗, a story I had written many years ago, and thought I had lost forever, because I thought my ex husband had thrown out all the copies I had of it, because he didn’t approve of me spending time writing. So it was a joy to find it and self-publish it.

I certainly didn’t expect my my mental health issues to flare up again, but I never know what curve balls life was going to throw my way, and I could never say it would never happen again. I am very fortunate to have some great people on my side looking after me, my psychiatrist being a person of such integrity and goodwill. It has taught me to treasure my support networks and never take that for granted..

Lily, as always, is the thing that brings me the most joy in my life, and I intend to honour the memory of my dearly departed angel, Lady Susanna, who passed away in April 2022. Susanna only spread goodwill and was one of my greatest supporters of my writing ✍️. I have no doubt that she, in her angelic way, had been working behind the scenes on the success of my writing.

So I guess in some ways my life is how I pictured it would be a year ago. God has plans for us all. Life is what happens whilst we are busy making other plans.

What skills or lessons have you learned recently?

It should surprise none of my readers that I skill I learned recently was how to set up a shop site with ETSY. I had never really considered myself all that tech savvy, but I managed to navigate the process of setting it up on my own, so I guess I am a bit tech-savvy. I guess I also set up this blog on my own too, so I can’t be doing too bad.

What cities do you want to visit?

This is an easy post. I would love to go back to Auckland and just spend a couple of weeks site seeing, and revelling in its charms. I would love to see London and Dublin and any of the cities in Italy. I love London, Dublin, and Italy for their culture and definitely Italy 🇮🇹 for its food.

Tell us one thing you hope people say about you.

The one thing that I hope people speak of when I am mentioned is that I am empathic, compassionate, and kind. I strive very hard in my life to be all of those things and know I am being true to myself in those efforts. I want to be a good role model of someone who has experienced mental health issues and want to be the best version of myself I can possibly be.