What positive events have taken place in your life over the past year?

Probably the most positive events that have happened in my life over the past year have been self-publishing 2 books. Both God Bless Our Dogs and The Dance Of The Emerald Dress 👗 have been the 2 most major things that have happened in my life and my friends, family and associates have shown me so much support for these 2 projects.

Also, writing ✍️ my blog is another major positive event that brings me such joy, satisfaction, and fulfilment.

On a personal level, becoming close friends with Kathryn has definitely been a highlight as we bond even closer because of our mutual love for our dearly departed angel lady Susanna. Every cloud has a silver lining, and that is definitely how I see Kathryn in relation to losing my sister Susanna. Good comes out of everything if you choose to look for it.

Do you ever see wild animals?

I live in a country renowned for its native wildlife. I don’t often see a lot of these native creatures, but they are close by to where I live in Sunbury on the outer north west of Melbourne.

One day a couple of years ago, I encountered a kangaroo hopping down the street that I live on. I was in the laundry at the time. The kangaroo stopped a few times, very obviously disorientated, and looking for a way back to the nearby bushland. The poor thing ended up heading in the wrong direction, heading towards a busy main road. It is the closest I have come to a kangaroo apart from the tine in Tasmania, where I held a baby wombat at a wildlife park in Mole Creek. The baby wombat was lovely and snuggled into me. There was lots of native wildlife there, and you could feed the wallabies and wombats, etc. It is wonderful to live in a country with such wonderful creatures.

Do you have a favorite place you have visited? Where is it?

One of my favourite places to visit in Victoria would have to be Williamstown. It is a quaint little seaside village with lots of beautiful historic little old cottages. It has a port for ships and a beach. The shops on the main shopping strip are quaint and interesting too. There are lots of cute little shops and restaurants and a really good ice cream shop, and the fish and chips on the pier are to die for.

My parents nearly bought a house in Williamstown when they were first married, and I often wonder if they still would have had me and how different my life would have been growing up in Williamstown. I dream about what that would have been like. Yes, it is natural to dream of the things you ❤️ love.

Share five things you’re good at.

I had to ask some members of my family what they think I am good at, because I had a bit of brain fog about it , and they were helpful.

1. Writing my blog and writing ✍️ in general is definitely something I am good at.

2. Being a dog Muumy to Lily. Definitely, one thing I love doing the most is taking care of Lily.

3 Being optimistic and being positive towards the people in my life. Russell tells me that he thinks I am a strong positive force to be reckoned with.

Maintaining a routine and being organised.

5 Caring for my loved ones, particularly my nephews and nieces, as they are becoming wonderful young adults. ❤️ As I don’t have children of my own, my nephews and nieces are so important to me, and I want to be a special aunt to them.

What is one thing you would change about yourself?

The one thing that I would change about me would be that I would like to be able to lose weight easily. The psych medication that I have been on for many years has affected the brains chemistry ⚗️ and means that my metabolism has been altered, and I have gained a bit of weight that I am unable to lose. It has also made me diabetic. I don’t regret being on this medication because it keeps me mentally well, and I don’t consider my mental illness to be the worst thing that has ever happened to me. It is, in fact, quite the contrary. My experience of mental illness has made me a far better person, with compassion and empathy for all. I just wish I could lose the weight, because I feel I am judged as being overweight and people who stigmatise me because of it, don’t get that my overall health is a juggling act and I would much rather be a bit overweight, if the trade off because of it, is good mental health. So I guess it is a juggling act that makes me a better person. Never judge a book by its cover. You never know what a person is dealing with. So I guess the one thing I would like to change is other people’s attitude to my weight and my mental health.

Are you more of a night or morning person?

I am definitely a morning person. I love it when the day is young. Just about every morning 🌄 I take Lily for a walk in the fresh, crisp morning air and sunshine. I think the quiet, gentle start to the day is my favourite time of day.

My body clock is used to waking up with the sun. At nightime my brain becomes foggy, and I feel sleepy. I am definitely not a night owl, as I need a good night’s sleep to function.

Lily too is a morning person, though she does sleep in a bit. She wakes up happy every day, and normally, she greets me as I wake up. She wakes up happy every day, and this brings me happiness too.

What are your two favorite things to wear?

My absolute favourite thing to wear is the green dress 👗 from Susanna that she bought me to wear at Christmas time. Susanna gave me lots of clothes, most of the day to day clothes I now wear have a connection to Susanna.

The other favourite thing in my wardrobe is the mauve silk pyjamas thst my niece Emily gave me a few years ago in our family Kris Kringle Christmas present. I treasure these because Emily chose well and really did spoil me. I keep these pyjamas for good. They hold a lot of sentimental value to me because they came from my beautiful niece, just like I value the clothes from Susanna for just the same reason.

If you didn’t need sleep, what would you do with all the extra time?

If I didn’t need sleep, I would spend that extra time doing the things that I enjoy the most, that being reading and writing. They are the things I find the most fulfilling in my life. I also would give extra attention to Lily.

The other thing I would spend time doing is getting back into one of my past great loves, that being dancing. I would happily dance around my home to the music I love. This would become my main exercise, apart from taking Lily on long walks 🚶‍♂️. I would like to dance in private just for my own pleasure. As they say, we should dance like no one is watching. And yes, dancing in my own home means no one will see me.

Who are your current most favorite people?

Today’s topic is an easy one to write ✍️ about. One of my favourite well-known people is Sam Neill, who has written his memoirs whilst he has been battling cancer, called Did I Ever Tell You This. His memoirs are warm, heartfelt, funny, and poignant. I would love to have a meal with Sam and just chew the fat, so to speak.

My second favourite well-known person is Scott Aplin. I personally like Scott a lot because of my personal contact with him, he as been compassionate, empathic, wam, thoughtful, and engaging. He is one of the people I would most like to meet. He is remarkably talented, and I think every fan of The Voice and The Recording Studio here in Australia would really like him.

My other favourite people are Kathryn, Helen, Russell and Liz. These people, including Adrian, are my best friends in this world. I particularly appreciate Kathryn Helen and Adrian because during my hospitalisation many months ago, they would come and take me on outings outside of the hospital environment. This did me a world of good, and I appreciate that more than words can say. I appreciate Liz for looking after Lily at this time. She provided Lily with a warm, safe, loving home at that time. Russell, as always, is the most amazing gentleman friend I have ever known. We are soul mates in many ways. I am blessed with the people in my life, and I don’t take this for granted.

What are your favorite animals?

My favourite animal, not surprisingly, is a dog. I love my little Lily more than anything on 🌎 earth. Dogs are amazing creatures for their bond to us humans. They love us more than they love other dogs.

Also, not surprisingly, I love the wildlife native to my homeland, being koalas, kangaroos, and wombats, and I think that platypuses are pretty special too I live in a country know for its unique wildlife. I am a proud Aussie animal lover.