Grand plans for a sunrise photo session from the hill of nymphs were dashed when I missed my alarm and got caught up tying up a few final work issues back home. I had also intended to head up to the Acropolis today but found that the site closed early on a Monday, and due to my now late start, I decided to wait another day and spend some more time exploring other parts of the city. I bought some fresh fruit from the markets for a late morning tea and… Read More
It was late morning when I arrived at the Enattica Suites, a lovely new boutique block of holiday apartments hidden down a cobbled back street just a few minutes stroll from the lively Monastiraki Square. To my delight, directly opposite the hotel were a row of needlecraft stores, lace makers and bead shops – my heaven! If it weren’t for the aircraft baggage limit on my suitcase and the knowledge that I still had 56 days of lugging said suitcase around, I could have spent all my spending money right there! The… Read More
A still mind, A calm body, A contented soul, Surrounded by love, Abounding with Gratitude. This picture perfectly captures the state that I hope to stay in throughout 2022. It was Christmas Day (always my favourite day of the year). My adult children, Amy and Brandon, who had been caught up in the Melbourne lockdowns for the past 2 years were finally able to travel to Queensland and I had booked us all into the beautiful Clear Mountain Retreat where we could relax and unwind for few days. Earlier in… Read More
As I walk the streets of a city built thousands of years ago,My imagination wanders to the souls it used to know. The hands that lay stone in walls that have stood the test of time,The battles fought and soldiers armed to defend the long coastline. The houses and their occupants over many centuries,What were their dreams?How did they live?What was their place in history? These cobbled streets and bowed stone walls,whisper wisdom as I pause to listen,“slow down and tread with purpose, build for futures beyond your vision.” Inspired… Read More
A city known for sunshine, sand and surf is fast becoming an Australian innovation leader known for digital export, ecommerce and space exploration. Ask any Australian to describe the Gold Coast and you can be pretty sure that the scene that they will share will be one of holidays and nightlife, theme parks, long beaches and rolling waves but for those of us that call the Gold Coast home the city has been through a transformation over the last few years. Adding to our beaches and incredible lifestyle, the Gold Coast… Read More
“Right now you are sitting in the deepest depths of shame. You feel like you have thrown away every privilege that your parents worked so hard to provide for you. You feel foolish, heartbroken and beaten by the world. You have dropped out of university, you are a teenage mother, you have your first failed marriage under your belt (yes…first…there will be more!) and you have just moved back to your parent’s house, penniless. You can barely look at yourself in the mirror you are so disappointed in the person reflected back to you.
But this will change. One day soon you will look in that mirror and instead of seeing a reflection of every mistake you have made so far, you will see the girl behind those mistakes, a girl that just 2 years earlier had the world at her feet. It is then that you will realise that you are not broken, you are in fact stronger than you ever believed you were. With the wisdom of experience from every poor choice you have made and the knowledge that you can hit rock bottom and survive – your life is about to take you to places you never even dreamed you would go.”
The above is an excerpt from my contribution to ‘Postcards from Tomorrow’.
In recognition of International Womens Day 2020, I was invited to contribute to an awesome project in which 270+ fabulous women have written letters to our 21 year old selves to create a moving, powerful and inspiring new book. My fellow contributors encompass a wide and varied pool of women, there are Australian and international luminaries from the worlds of comedy, theatre, TV and dance; there are adventurers and Olympic champions, broadcasters and journalists, activists and philanthropists, politicians, business leaders, innovators and instigators.
All proceeds from book sales go to Lou’s Place, a daytime drop in centre for female victims of domestic violence that has been operating for 21 years. When you purchase a copy of Postcards From Tomorrow, you are sharing your spirit and support with Lou’s and enabling its team to continue their incredibly important work.
The book is available from Amazon and is a great gift for young women in your life: Postcards from Tomorrow: A Collection of Letters From Inspirational Women to Their 21 Year Old Selves
As I run my hands across the bolts,In my mind I see,A dozen new creations,That this fabric soon could be. The sight and touch of every thread,Is a chance to bring to being,The incredible potential,That only I am seeing. From within the mental catalogue,One image steals the show,I lift the fabric from the rack,and the magic starts to flow. Scissors, pins and needles, Are guided by my mind, A dress takes shape as the fabric drapes, A true one of a kind.