When was the first time you really felt like a grown up (if ever)?

The first time I really felt like a grown up was when I first went to university straight out of high school. It was just such a melting pot of ideas and people from all walks of life. I felt privileged to be able to attend such a place and I think I grew up quickly by being in amongst such an environment.

If you had a million dollars to give away, who would you give it to?

If I had a million dollars 💸 I would give some to my nephews and nieces. I would also give quite a bit of it to mental health services here in Victoria. Headspace, Mind and Beyond Blue. I would also give some to the Royal Children’s Hospital and also some to So They Can to help build schools in Africa 🌍.

What was the hardest personal goal you’ve set for yourself?

The hardest personal goal I’ve set for myself over the last couple of years is to walk 🚶‍♀️ away from and end any relationships in my life , thst are toxic for me and negatively impact upon my mental health issues. This is far easier said than done because of my feelings towards such people, but ultimately I now put my own mental health first and know however hard it is for me, my own well-being is my number one priority. Because of my relationships, this is definitely the hardest goal to maintain but ultimately looking after myself brings me peace of mind and emotional equilibrium.

Who are your favorite artists?

My favourite legendary artists 🎨 are Monet Van Gough and DaVinchi.

My all time favourite artist is Michael Fleming my very lovely friend and father figure, who sadly passed away in 2009. I am pleased to say that I own one of his paintings 🖼 that he gave me as a birthday 🎁 gift many years ago.

There is another reason that I cherish Michael so. Not long before Michael left his job and moved to regional Victoria, he painted a version of Madonna and Chlid. Michael was very much into religious iconography and had created several versions of Madonna and Child over the years. This one was particularly special to me, because it this version the Madonna was wearing a green top, had blonde bobbed hair and blue eyes 👀 and glasses. A few people commented that the lady Madonna in this painting 🖼 looked exactly like me, but I was too embarrassed to ask Michael about this and Michael was a very quiet, gentleman, so I never questioned him about it. I lost my chance to talk to Michael about it, because not long after he left work and moved he suddenly tragically passed away. I know that Michael’s son Anthony had all of his Dads paintings, and he moved back to Ireland not long after his father’s passing. So the mystery of the Madonna and Child remains in my life. Was it a painting of me, and if so , why did he paint me as the Madonna. I will never have a answer to that

For people who are interested in Michael Fleming , he was becoming a known artist here in Australia before he passed away. Look him up on the internet. Word of warning, he is not the American children’s illustrater also called Michael Fleming. If you put in keywords, such as Ireland and Australia, hopefully that will guide your search.

What is your favorite hobby or pastime?

My two favourite pastimes should aurprise none of my regular readers.

My first favourite pastime is writing ✍️, both writing my blog and writing books and stories for children

My other favourite is to go opshopping, particularly when I go with Kathryn. It is amazing what you can buy second hand and I have even started my Christmas shopping at the local Salvos shop.

What would you do if you lost all your possessions?

I have thought a little about what it would be like to lose all my possessions, because a good friend of mine many years ago lost everything in a house fire 🔥 and it changed her attitude about possessions and what we need to survive forever.

If I lost everything I would begin to regain some of what I need, by thrifting at charity opshops. It is amazing what you can find at second hand shops. It would be an opportunity to declutter and buy good quality second hand goods and buying only the things I need to survive initially, and slowly over time bring back the sort of items that bring me the most pleasure 🙏.

I would hope that I would still have some devices that I could use to blog about my experiences along the way and what I would learn as to what is important to me. I would scrimp and save, so I could have some sentimental items, that would make life more pleasurable, but this would be very gradual. As I already slowly save for things, that I can really afford it brings more pleasure to save for something as you can afford them, than just going out and getting everything on credit. You then are left with a big bill, that you most likely won’t be able to pay back. I am a firm believer in delayed gratification. It feels better to get something you have worked hard to save for, rather than the instant gratification of getting everything on credit and never really outright owning anything, because your debt increases overtime as you spend and spend to keep up with the Jonses.

Keeping up with the Jonses has never been of interest to me, so perhaps the lesson to learn from losing everything is to learn how shallow and meaningless keeping up with the Jonses is. The true pleasure 🙏 comes from appreciating what we have , and treasuring the small meaningful things we have. I have never been big on keeping up with the Jonses. I believe in being grateful 🙏 and appreciating the things I do have.

Tell us about a time when you felt out of place.

There is a time when I felt out of place. In my mid teens I travelled with my parents to Fiji. Whist we were there we became friendly with a few of the resort staff. One of them, the lady who was on the car rental desk, was a Fijian lady called Sugar. Sugar was about to get married to a Polynesian Isander and invited my parents and myself to her wedding.

It was amazing. I have never experienced anything like it in my life. There was lost of tables of lots of Polynesian food and lots of cakes and a turtle was cooked in the ground in palm leave..

The number of little Fijian kids was amazing, but I felt a bit out of place, because my parents and myself where the only Anglo white people there. The children kept running 🏃‍♀️ up to us, touching us and giggling. We were a novelty to these kids, and for once I experienced how it was to be in a minority group. These kids weren’t racist. They had only ever seen white people in tourist areas. To see 👀 us up close at a wedding was something they obviously hadn’t expected. The wedding was lovely, and I feel honoured to have experienced that and very much enjoyed the innocence and playfulness of the children at the wedding.

Your life without a computer: what does it look like?

My life would be very different without a computer 🖥. I use my phone for everything, as it is a pocket sized all in one computer.

Before we had computers I still did a lot of writing. Yes handwriting. As a young adult I started a trend I continue to this day of giving my loved ones heartfelt loving, positive messages. Admittedly this is so much easier to do on a regular basis with the help of texts and gifs. I guess if I didn’t have a computer I would be using snail mail regularly and would spend a small fortune in postage.

That all said, I think our loved one’s still appreciate a small thoughtful note, be it handwritten in a card or typed onto some sort of screen.

I know that even without a computer, writing is my passion and I would use old fashioned methods to express my creativity.

What skill would you like to learn?

There are two skills I wish I had. The first is to learn to play the piano, because it is just such a beautiful musical instrument..

The second is to learn how to do leadlighting, as I love leadlight windows 🪟 I think they are just so beautiful. It is an old fashioned skill and I just love looking at leadlight 🪟 windows.