If you won two free plane tickets, where would you go?

Today’s topic is a lot of fun. Where would I go?

Definitely to New Zealand 🇳🇿. I would also go to Italy and India to immerse myself in the culture and food of both countries.

I would go to Ireland with my friend Liz to see Ireland through her eyes 👀.

I would also go to Perth, with my friend Kathryn, so she could visit her daughter who lives there.

What’s the story behind your nickname?

My past blog readers will know that I have already written a post about my nickname, but I will briefly recount the tale.

When I was a teenager at Secondary school one of my friends started to call me Sparkles because according to her I always had a big smile on my face and exuded positivey. The name stuck. The friend who gave me that nickname had the nickname herself of Possum. At the time in Melbourne there was a famous female clown, who also was called Sparkles, so I don’t know if that also influenced my nickname. Yes I was a positive young lady, but I certainly wasn’t the class clown. Coincidentally our school chaplain used to call me a ray of sunshine. This tickled my fancy because of the famous song 🎵 here in Australia by Axiom called A Little Ray Of Sunshine. My parents used to tell me, that song was about me, because it was released not long after my birth and today is one of my all time favourite songs……. so Sparkles I am.

What strategies do you use to maintain your health and well-being?

There are a couple of strategies that I practice for my sense of health and well-being.

The first is that I try to practice mindfulness in my everyday life as a means to keep my mental health issues at bay. I need it to stay centred in the present. I try not to think too much about my past, as if I do and it festers, it has a negative impact on my well-being. To that end there are toxic situations and people that I occasionally need to steer clear of, when I am feeling vulnerable so that again I practice self care to manage my day to day life of living with mental health issues. I know to trust my gut instincts and avoid any situations that could potentially be triggering for me. I think I get better at this with age and experience.

Probably the most important thing that improves my well-being is looking after my dog 🐕 Lily. She is definitely a canine antidepressant and being responsible for her well-being brings me joy and pleasure beyond all else in my life. Dogs have a wonderful impact on out day to day life and help to improve our health in general.

I also use music as therapy and there are certain songs 🎵 and types of music that I use as needed. Music can be a very powerful healer and I need music as much as I need my daily medication 💊.

What are your future travel plans?

I do have travel plans, but not in the short to meduim terms.

Ultimately I would like to go on another cruise and see more of Nrw Zealand 🇳🇿, but this is a long term goal, as there are a few things I am saving up to purchase first, before I can consider planning another trip. Ultimately the cosy of living at present mean that travel plans are on hold.

What would you change about modern society?

The thing I would like to most change about modern society is the greed and selfishness of those people, who don’t share what they have with others. If all the world 🌎 would learn to share what we have poverty could be diminished. It seems in our modern 🌎 world that those with the least wealth, give the most to help their fellow humans, and those with wealth selfishly hang on to their resources and don’t share. Money isn’t everything in this world, and when we have an abundance of something, we should share it around. This would make our society more community minded and compassionate and no one would be left behind because they have less in this world.

It was what the John Lennon song 🎵 Imagine was c all about. If all the world would share, we would create Utopia, heaven on earth. Maybe I am a dreamer, but what would life be without dreamers.

What do you listen to while you work?

There are a few songs that I listen when I need to get motivated.

Definitely two Crowded House songs 🎵 being Something So Strong and Distant Sun. Both songs are upbeat and about love in general. When I am in a creative mood two songs 🎵 by 1927 fit the bill being That’s When I Think Of You and If I Could. My past reader’s will know of my association to That’s When I Think Of You and the significance of that song to past loved ones in my life. Recently I have been listening a lot to my favourite Noiseworks song 🎵 Touch and that song 🎵 picks me up and inspires me.

I use music as therapy in my life and different songs 🎵 inspire different moods and my personal play list is long and extensive. This blog just taps the surface of the music I listen to.

Dogs or cats?

If I had to choose between a dog and a cat I would always choose a dog 🐕. I have grown up with dogs 🐕 right from when I was baby, the family has always had dogs.

The first dog we had when i was an infant was a Border Collie called Sadie. She would guard me when I was in the pram and bouncinette and I could ride her like a pony when I was a toddler.

I have always loved dogs and cried my heart ❤️ out and all the way home when I saw the movie Benji when I was six. Seeing sad stories about dogs always makes me cry. I named our dog Tiffy after Benjis little girlfriend Tiffany.

The first dog 🐕 I owned myself was my little Maltese caller Chloe. Chloe was a loving loyal little companion and it took me a good three years before I felt ready to have another.

My regular readers will know of Lily, my current dog 🐕 ♥️ and love of my life. She really is the best thing that has happened to me in a long time and the inspiration behind my book God Bless Our Dogs. I love ❤️ her more than anything else in my life and treasure her everyday because I know it’s not forever on this earth and that one day she will return to heaven.

Yes I believe that our 🐕 dogs and even our 🐈 cats are angels 😇 sent from heaven to give us love and protection. It is our God given duty to love and protect them too. God Bless Our Dogs and cats.

Which activities make you lose track of time?

The things that make me lose track of time are my ✍️ writing, in particular writing this blog and other things.

I lose track of time when I am out walking Lily 🚶‍♂️ and also lose track of time talking to my friends, either on the phone or in person. There are friends I can laterally talk to for hours, and never run out of things to talk about.

What bothers you and why?

One thing that bothers me in this world is when humans are deliberately cruel to animals. I get very upset when I see cruelty to animals, particularly news items on television about it. I feel so sad for the dear creatures and rage with anger internally that humans could be this way to another of Gods creatures.

I look into the innocent eyes of my dog Lily and burst with love ❤️ for her and ptay very deeply that she never be abused or harmed in any way.

Throughout lockdown more dogs than ever were adopted, and sadly since the pandemic ended more dogs than ever have ended up in shelter’s seeking homes. I find that really sad. A pet deserves a forever home where they are loved and cherished.

One of my favourite television 📺 programs is A New Leash On Life, here in Australia on the ABC. In this program the presenters match dogs in the pound with people looking to adopt a dog. It is both a sad and uplifting program, where dogs from sad circumstances are given a new home. To hear the stories of how these dogs ended up in the pound is often tragic, but there is always a happy ending with these dogs being placed in new homes with loving owners.

I guess as a compassionate sentient being I am always going to be upset at any type of cruelty and do my best to love and care for the creature I have chosen as my own. Hopefully the dogs in shelters will be housed in loving forever homes and the burden on shelters will be lifted.

I ask my fellow readers to pray for our vulnerable animals 🙏 and show compassion and love towards them. After all they too are God’s creatures with a soul.

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