Octopus legs and personal growth

Sunday Blog 221 – 8th Feb 2026 It’s definitely too early to be making such heady claims, but I think my smart watch has created the personality revolution that I hoped I was paying for. Sure, I may have jabbed inexpertly at the preferences and set my goals a little low. It tells me every …

The Wonder of Weak Ties

Sunday Blog 220 – 1st February 2026 Last night I had the joy of attending a private musical evening with the sublime Alexia Parenzee singing. She will be touring more over 2026, so 10/10 I would recommend you sign up for updates on when and where and get along. Before the music began, another gem …

Shedding the Wood Snake Skin

Sunday Blog 219 – 25th January 2025 For those of you who have not yet jumped on the “New Year New You” bandwagon, one of my personal favourites, there’s still time. The Chinese New Year is not until 17 February. 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse, of which more later. Right now we’re …

Never a Cross Word

Sunday Blog 218 – 18th January 2026 Like many teachers, my parents married in January. On an excruciatingly hot January day they embarked on more than six decades of wedded bliss adventure. The in-joke each anniversary was like a nervous tick “X number of years and Never a Cross Word.” For their fiftieth wedding anniversary …

Days between the years

Sunday Blog 215 – 28th December 2025 I would be a liar if I said I didn’t like this time of year. The days between the years – between Christmas and New Year – are all about the goals. Reviewing the goals. Setting the goals. Talking about goals. And I’m all about the goals. Weekly …

What would my life have been like if I’d been sporty?

And similar days-between-the-years questions Sunday Blog 214 – 21st December 2025 “I wonder what my life would have been like if I’d been sporty,” I found myself asking my very sporty husband recently. Ours is a union of very different people. For me to have ended up with a sporty non-drinker is as unlikely as …

Almost the end of the year

Sunday Blog 213 – 14th December 2025 As promised, I’m back on the planning horse for 2026. The year hasn’t even finished, there are still goals I’m hoping to achieve before New Year’s Eve rolls around, and already, the 2025 year’s post-mortem is racing down the track, leaving my quieter, introspective self choking in its …

Walk in Jarvis Park

Sunday Blog 212 – 7 December 2025 I’m sticking close to home this weekend. After last week’s big effort running a neighbourhood event, I’m trying on “being in the moment” for size. On an evening walk this week, I allowed myself to notice what I saw, heard and felt at a local park, called Jarvis …