Jot down the first thing that comes to your mind.

The very first thing that comes to my mind is the hope that the weather dries up soon so I can take Lily for her morning 🌄 walk 🚶‍♀️.   It has rained overnight, and the ground is still too wet to walk 🚶‍♀️ a dog, and it looks like it could rain again soon,  so I am waiting for it to clear before I venture out with Lily.

Describe a random encounter with a stranger that stuck out positively to you.

The first time I met Kathryn stood out in my life. We were strangers who met at  Susannas’ mothers funeral. We were drawn there by out mutual love for Susanna, who at the time of her mother’s passing was battling cancer.

I don’t remember what started our conversation, but I think Susanna may have introduced us, and we both expressed how beautiful Susanna looked on that day. Kathryn was easy to talk with and paid me an enormous compliment,  that being that by working in mental health as my recent past career, that I had fulfilled my life purpose by God and now could just enjoy whatever life brought my way.  It was a comment that stayed with me, and I could tell that Susanna was glad that Kathryn and I had met.  When Susanna herself went into palliative care, I managed to contact Kathryn, and we supported one another throughout our own difficult time of Susannas passing.  As I don’t believe in coincidences, I know that it was a God thing that Kathryn and I met as we both dearly loved our angel lady Susanna.  So yes, there was a time that a serendipitous encounter with a stranger led to something positive.

Describe a decision you made in the past that helped you learn or grow.

The best decision I ever made was in my late twenties when I decided to use my experience with mental health issues to help others with similar experiences by working in welfare. This course was so empowering, and I learned so much.  It opened doors to my career and gave me a solid qualification for the work I did later in peer support in mental health.   It helped me to grow as a person,  increasing my knowledge and helping my empathy and compassion for people to grow.  I learned not only about mental health but also about other aspects of welfare, like child protection, gambling, and drug and alcohol abuse.   I became a better and far wiser person, having gained all that knowledge.   I definitely put everything I learned in this course to good use in my career in mental health.

Describe a positive thing a family member has done for you.

There is a lot I could write about my family helping me, but I have endeavoured to write about a special talent of my mother’s.

Groeing up my Mum was a talented seamstress.   She made me alot of clothes when I was growing up, particularly in my early 20s,  when I was into 40s and 50s style of clothes.  She made modern versions of 40s and 50s styles, and I loved her for it..

I always knew that when I got married, I wanted her to make my wedding gown.  I may have married later in life, but I knew I wanted a Mum original for my wedding dress 👰 👗,  which was again a vintage traditional style dress that I have kept, along with some of the formal clothes Mum made for me in my early 20s.  A couple of these dresses 👗 are now for sale on my ETSY site to hopefully be sold to other ladies who love vintage style.

What is your favorite restaurant?

I like today’s blog topic   In the past I would have said that my favourite restaurant was the Hopetoun Tea Roons in the Block Arcade in the city of Melbourne. It was quaint, beautiful and old fashioned and dated back to Melbourne in the 1880s,  alas the tearooms became a victim of the long lockdowns here in Melbourne, closing its doors and then reopening in another location,  which has not been successful.  I think it is wrong that the tearooms became a victim of the lockdowns.. our government should have stepped in and not let such a historic landmark  be affected.   The Hopetoun Tearooms were lovely and being part of The Block Arcade, it was a Mecca for tourists in Melbourne 

My other favourite restaurant is Itahlia,  an italian restaurant that is local for me It has something for everyone,, with its range of pizza, pasta,  steak and seafood, and is good value for money.  I try to go there every few months or so, and I am always impressed by the quality of the food and service.. I guess I have a soft spot for Itahlia because one of the owners is a cousin of Susanna, so I have even more reason to love Itahlia.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I haven’t thought ahead in my life to know where I will be in 10 years.

Hopefully living in my dream accommodation,  all going well that could happen sooner, rather than later.

Hopefully, my mum will still be around. She is 82 now, so I hope she lives a long and happy life.

Hopefully my close friends will still be in  my life.

I hope to still be writing ✍️ my blog and will have written more books by then.

I hope that I am healthy and happy.

What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness?

1. Walking Lily in the fresh morning air.

2. A little bit of honey 🍯 on my cereal.

3. Good coffee.

4. Having the radio on in the background during the day.

5. Reading a good book.

Describe something you learned in high school.

I would have to say that I learned a lot in high school.  The thing I remember most in high school was reading classics like  To Kill A Mockingbird,  Wuthering Heights, Romeo and Juliet, etc, as well as well known modern day Australian classics like Monkey Grip. It gave me an appreciation of good literature and made me want to be well read.

I also homed m y writing ✍️ skills in high school writing essays as well as learning how journalists write, in the inverted pyramid style,  where you write the most interesting details first and write the least interesting details last.  It is quite a skill to write in that style, and I enjoyed writing in that style.

Definitely, high school cemented my love of both reading and writing.  My memories of high school are fond, and I enjoyed the while learning experience.

Describe one positive change you have made in your life.

One positive change I have recently made is a conscious decision to slowly declutter my life and surroundings.   I plan on moving to a smaller place in the not too distant future and trying to take a baby step every day towards decluttering in some way, recycling, or throwing away at least one thing a day.  In the past, I have been  hoarder, so it is no mean feat that I am undertaking.   I try not to beat myself up if I don’t always achieve my goal. Every effort is a step I the right direction.

What’s the most fun way to exercise?

My two favourite ways to exercise are to dance and to walk 🚶‍♀️ Lily.

I love dancing 🕺 as a means of creative expression and have the radio on in the background whenever I am at home during the day,gently swaying or moving to my favourite songs 🎵.

The other form of exercise that I love to do regularly is to take Lily for a walk 🚶‍♂️.   It is great to be out in the fresh, crisp morning air, and it really is a bonding experience for us both, as Lily loves ❤️ to be walked.  It is her favourite time of day, and I try to start the day with a walk for her, so she has a happy start to her day.