Tag Archives: lifestyle

A Lifetime of Reading

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At five years of age, I visited the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne for the first time and the Reading Room filled me with awe, validated my love of stories, and showed me the value and high esteem of books, reading and study.

In Grade 2 the teacher read aloud to the class The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton and I sat captivated and whisked away into the Enchanted Forest to discover fantastic lands and characters.

The teaching of the subject of English left me bored until in Form 4 / Year 10 a young English teacher prescribed the book of Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. My excitement returned and I fell in love with the outstanding exploits of a common seagull. The notion that anything was possible nurtured the unsettled teenage mind.

As a Science nerd I loved Science Fiction and devoured the Dune series in meal breaks at boring first jobs.

Later I stumbled upon Illusions, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach. My reality shifted and although I am yet to master walking through walls or vapourising clouds, the possibility remains.

I read other books by Richard Bach and enjoyed these too. There’s No Such Place as Far Away, One, The Bridge Across Forever.

Inspired by my early visit to the State Library to one day become an Architect, later in life I became a Librarian, and this was a perfect career for me, and I loved helping people to find the books and information they needed. And in these years of work, I visited the State Library many times in my capacity as a Librarian and Library Manager. So, a happy outcome?

I prefer to read Non-Fiction, and I have invented a genre that suits my favourite type – Travel with a Twist, or perhaps Personal Quest.

I struggle to read “The Classics”. Sure, I love 1984, Animal Farm, The Great Gatsby, Wuthering Heights, and many others, but I can’t seem to stay with books like One Hundred Years of Solitude, Ulysses, etc. Benjamin McEvoy provides interesting lectures about the Classics, but I seem to enjoy listening to him speak as opposed to actually reading the books.

Every year for the past 12 years or so I’ve set my GoodReads challenge target to 50 books and every year I fail. Still though GoodReads is the perfect place to list the books I’ve read and those I want to read.

I keep few books nowadays, preferring to send them onwards, or back to the library, for others to read. Here is a list of a few books that I treasure:

A Course in Miracles – Foundation for Inner Peace

Echoes of the Early Tides – Tony Moore

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance – Robert M. Pirsig

The Artists Way – Julia Cameron

A New Earth – Eckhart Tolle

Illusions, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah – Richard Bach

Jonathan Livingston Seagull – Richard Bach

The Prophet – Kahlil Gibran

The Elegance of the Hedgehog – Muriel Barber

Chocolat – Joanne Harris

The Solitaire Mystery – Jostein Gaarder

So now as a retired Librarian in my mid-60’s and I reflect on this life of reading, the small book Illusions by Richard Bach remains my all-time favourite and has not been pushed off the Number 1 podium.

So, thank you Richard Bach, this little book reached into my heart and soul, nourished my intellectual and spiritual life, helped me appreciate simplicity, serenity, and kept me honouring my mission in this life.

Campfire Ghost Stories

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Just call me Alice. I’ve gone down the rabbit hole and have scared the living daylights out of myself.

The latest scary story comes from Timothy Alberino about the “face-peelers”. He sat in a comfy chair talking to podcaster Shawn Ryan, looking like a newer younger and more handsome Indiana Jones. He held an unlit cigar that he didn’t bring up to his Muskateer-moustached mouth.

He wove a tale, perfect for a campfire ghost story, set in remote Peru, where these “face-peelers” terrorized the people of a small village. Of course, Timothy speaks the local dialect, allowing him to speak directly with the traumatized victims.

This is the latest video I’ve watched on YouTube about strange anomalies, and I realise I need to stop this as it is giving me the heebie-jeebies.

Combine this with watching The Handmaid’s Tale on TV and I feel like I’ve got PTSD. The first time I tried to watch this dystopian story, I couldn’t. I found the repression of women too disturbing and too real. But of late I have watched the whole series, and it is truly traumatizing. What the heck is going on in Margaret Atwood’s brain?! She really is a sick person. Anyway, I’m glad that is behind me.

So, on the topic of UFO, UAP, NHI, and other unexplained phenomena, here is an unordered list of some of the podcasters I’ve been watching on YouTube (some are better quality and more credible than others):

I do find these stories perplexing and like many, I want answers. The Bob Lazar story is especially compelling. Jeremy Corbell’s account narrated in the gravelly voice of Mickey Rourke is excellent.

But this hobby can become obsessive and it sits on my psyche in a negative way. I think it is similar to the conspiracy theories that drew in many people during the COVID pandemic. Not the same content, but the same effect.

So, I really do need to escape from this rabbit hole. How did Alice get out? Oh, she woke up.

TV viewing is so bad nowadays, and the news media is truly awful. AFL has been hijacked by woke causes. And the only truly great sports viewing is the cycling in Europe. I love Le Tour. There is a wider variety of content on YouTube.

So, for a ray of sunshine and some more positive upbeat stories, I need to stick to art, music, books, travel, cooking, animal stories, etc. Here are some that I do watch and enjoy:

Any recommendations that I can investigate?

Pre-CAD Designer Me

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Lately I have been in my happy place: designing a home.

This has always been my favourite thing to do. As a child I would make house plans using the piles of grass on our lawn after my father had mown, then walk through the ‘rooms’ saying where things would be placed. Surely an early clue for my parents to foster and encourage this trait, but sadly this did not occur.

Graphic Communication at Secondary School fed this design urge. But instead of continuing down the path to become an Architect, I was detoured into qualifying as an Industrial Designer.

Back in the late 70’s and 80’s I was excited by the developments being made into sustainable and passive solar housing design. My thesis at tertiary level was on the topic of energy systems. Back then in 1980, the forecast was that coal and oil would be depleted by 2010.

During these tertiary studies I undertook an elective subject of computer programming as I could clearly see how the Graphic User Interface would open up a new world for designers. But this was way too early for the Computer Aided Design we see commonly used now. I was born too soon.

In later years as a mother with young children and working in another line of work altogether, I enrolled in a Building Construction course. I was the only female in a room full of young male tradies. I passed well enough and learned a lot, but CAD was still not being taught at this level. This was the early 1990’s. (Back in the 1980’s, when I had my children, women had to resign from their job when they became pregnant. There was no such thing as maternity leave or government assisted child-care. Maybe in some fields of work this was emerging, but not the male-dominated field of housing design and development.)

Despite this education, I have successfully designed four houses in partnership with Mick for our own family.

Swans Way 1989

Highfield Road 2002

Norfolk Place 2010

Sherwood Road 2015

These were always designed and built within our very limited budget and financial means at the time. Consequently, they were always modest and simple. We incorporated the things we wanted and needed at the time, and eventually after years enjoying these spaces as a growing family determines, we sold them and moved on. We were not ‘flipping’ houses. We are not developers or wannabe developers. We are not faux interior designers, stylists or desperate ‘influencers’.

My interest in sustainable living remains and over the years I have admired the development of “Earth Ships”. This method was initiated by a US architect Michael Reynolds back in the 1970’s. It is great to see the practical efforts and applications by Australian Architect Martin Freney continue to develop and build earthships here in Australia.

But personally, we have always lived in suburbia and are bound by the bureaucracies that bind us. Currently we have solar panels on our roof and a tank to gather rainwater for toilet flushing, and we will install these systems again in the new house.

So, we have a new project underway. We had been looking. I created a list of ideas for what we wanted – a vision board. And the very next day we had ‘manifested’ the property in the area we sought. Our wishlist formed the brief to the designer.

We have been looking at display homes, looking at materials, visiting showrooms, seeing what is being promoted online. It amuses us how curves, arches, and ribbed panels are back in style. This is an echo of the 1950’s, and not a look we like. Some interior designers seem to think they are cutting edge, but we see this style as very daggy and not new or unique at all. All things come around in cycles it seems.

So, while I used a drafting board and pens back when I was employed as a Designer, now using my graph paper, a pencil, ruler, and eraser, I have been plotting out designs for this block of land. This is what I love to do, and I envy the young designers who have their expert hands on CAD tools. The clients brief has some complexities that include a two-car garage as well as a parking spot for Mick’s small boat, while not sacrificing a nice street-facing façade of the building. The block is not big but fortunately flat (unlike our last project at Sherwood Road).

With Mick’s input and ideas, we have come full circle with our design plans, and we are up to Sketch Design Number 8B. Let’s see what our young CAD Designer has to say.

To blog or not to blog?

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Creative writing brings me joy. I love to have pen in hand, a blank page, and to freewheel across the page. Later I transfer this into digital format.

I’ve been blogging since 2008 and journalling since about 1996 when I applied myself to writing Morning Pages as prescribed by Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way. I ditch most of the journals because they are full of whingey personal crap where I sort out the problems of my mind.

But when I look back over the blog archive, I think it is a personal account rich in images, metaphor, questions, ideas, and experiences.

But the online landscape has changed and over these recent years it has been overrun with scammers, hackers, criminals, loud opinionators, and stupid promotions and ads for companies and organisations. No, I don’t want to buy your idiotic product or join your ”woke” cause!

Fortunately, there are still some authentic, peaceful souls brave enough to continue to post beautiful pieces: Rich Roll, Isabel Paige, Valerie Lin, Rip Esselstyn, and others.

Lately I’ve been considering closing down this blog. I want to minimize the risk imposed by hackers and scammers. I loathe the barrage of fake emails, clickbait articles, catastrophized news, and petty advertising. I don’t want to feed the hungry phantom of the negative online world, or AI for that matter.

So maybe this is it? What do you think? See you on the outside?

Dogs can meditate

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So, I finally built up the courage to go along to a local group meditation class.

I have meditated in a group situation before at a Sangha in Port Fairy that was excellent. So, I am no stranger to the practice.

But new to this session and the people, I go in and sit quietly, respecting the space and the reverence as others arrive.

The male guru sits at the head of the room, eyes closed, smiling, in silence, and I take my cue from him to settle.

Some regulars straggle in late and the female guru welcomes them in and apologises to everyone for the late start.

Then I hear the familiar sound of small irregular taps of dog nails on the wooden floor and I think to myself, “WTF!”

The woman comes in with her dog on a lead. I look up. She isn’t blind and doesn’t declare she needs an assistance dog.

The dog is a young lean dark energetic Kelpie. Why would any person think this kind of young dog will sit quietly for a whole meditation session?

The female guru asks the “group” if everyone is okay for the dog to sit in with the session. All affirm and nod. Is that really a “yes”, or are they succumbing to a gentle group bullying tactic? Or is the guru too cowardly to assert herself and set the boundaries for her own session?

Let’s just say that I am a “cat person”. So, I put up my hand and say, “No. I am fearful of dogs.” They don’t believe my quiet response and ask, “Oh, do you have allergies?” I say louder now, “I am fearful of dogs. Like some people are scared of spiders or snakes. For me it is dogs.”

The woman says she’ll have to take the dog home and will come back.

This session is off to a bad start for me. I feel like the leper of the group. As a lifelong introvert I didn’t want to stand out. I wanted to sit quietly and MEDITATE! All my former thoughts of melding harmoniously with this group of strangers now evaporate into incensed air.

What I don’t comprehend is the selfish, inconsiderate, audacity of the woman bringing a lively DOG into the session at all! As a regular she surely knows how meditation works: to sit still in silence.

It seems I wrongly assumed a meditation class was one of the last havens for cynophobics. Oh, I could rant on … but I will leave it there. I’ve paid for four sessions, so I’ll see how things go in my next session. Hopefully I can muster that loving kindness.

What trip?

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As our recent trip to the far side of the Earth fades into memory, I take stock of the few months since we’ve been back at home. The trip of a lifetime seems like a dream now. Did we go at all?

So, what have I been doing with myself for the few months since then?

Exercise

I’ve been tracking my walking using Strava just so that I know how far I go and how many steps I have taken. While I walk, I listen to podcasts: Rich Roll of course, and Bronwyn, the true crime mystery, among others.

I continue with my yoga routine at home, and I play Mahjong and learn French with Duo on my iPad to exercise my brain.

Visits

Baden Croft is an artist whose work I admire, and he had a recent exhibition at the Studio and Co. in Moorooduc. I love his big bold paintings thick with colours and it was great to see these up close.

Original artwork by Baden Croft

Lunch with friends is a treat and I’ve caught up with a few recently at Kirk’s in Mornington and the Wildflower Café in McCrae.

Watching our granddaughters and the local primary school children perform Christmas songs was lovely and we felt very proud to witness Lily confidently present the “Welcome to Country”.

We went along to a gorgeous family wedding at Noojee beside the Latrobe River on a hot sunny day, and then to the fun and happy reception at a family home in Drouin. It is always precious to catch up with extended family, especially our 80-year-old aunt.

Sue and Mick beside the Latrobe River, Noojee

Watching

Too much screen time applies to Grandmas too and I am guilty as usual. I’ve been watching Homeland on catchup TV, Survivor 47, Yellowstone, and vlogs and podcasts on YouTube: Isabel Paige, Valerie Lin, Nick and Mathilde, and Alex Ferrari to name a few.

Reading

I haven’t read many books this year and won’t reach my Goodreads target of 50, having only finished 27 so far.

I recently read The Color of Everything by Cory Richards after listening to a conversation between him and Rich Roll. I gave it five stars on Goodreads and found it exceptionally insightful and well written.

I am rereading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M Pirsig for about the fourth time. It is one of my all-time favourites.

I am also reading Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari, which is about Artificial Intelligence, something we all need to learn about. In fact, in preparing this blog post I tested the Microsoft Copilot function which was a real eye-opener but totally generic and boring to say the least.

I have a lot of books reserved at the local library, but the queues are long and inevitably they will arrive together, which is of little use to me.

Thinking

My mind is always searching for new things, and I’ve been thinking about art, creativity, inspiration, learning, and house design. I enjoyed making a vlog this year but can’t see that expanding into anything. I will continue to watch, like, appreciate, and enjoy the efforts of others who are making this into a positive lifestyle.

Planning ahead

We have been actively looking at potential prospects for a new house design project which is exciting.

I will set my reading target for 2025 at 50 again on Goodreads.

I plan to join a local meditation group and a local art group.

My own reading, study, writing, and art will continue and if anything of interest emerges, I will mention it here. I did enjoy the Armchair Travel exercises that I plotted out prior to our actual travel this year.

As a committed SiLLé learner I love expanding my knowledge and enjoy delving into things that interest me and are available online.

We have no big trips planned for 2025 at this stage, but you never know.

Merry Christmas and a Happy and Peaceful 2025.

Grandma Can Vlog

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Riza has a perfect face for vlogging. Through her YouTube videos, Life of Riza, she documents her life in her twenties. She aims for cinematic quality in her stories. These biographical vignettes look simple but when you analyse the sequences you realise how clever she is with her camera work, lighting, video-editing, and finished vlog. Kudos to her and thank you Riza for your efforts.

Is Casey Neistat the Master of the Art of Vlogging? Or have I missed an earlier influencer in this field? He published a vlog every day, and after 800 days got that out of his system. But he still offers informative, action-packed, and authentic vlogs about his life in New York city. I love the way he carelessly throws down his boosted skateboard when he comes into his workspace.

I discovered these vloggers this way:

Previously I have been intrigued with the Aussie caravan travelers, although there are so many that I favour just a couple. My current favourite is the delightful couple of Brad and Hayley of Our Australia Trip. Having travelled Australia in recent years it is nice to revisit (through their experiences) the many places we went and know. I appreciate the movie making work that goes into making the videos for YouTube.

I then discovered belatedly Nick and Mathilde of Next Meridien Expedition. Now these two young French travelers are REAL adventurers, having embarked on a worldwide trip with their Land Rover Albo. They were already two years into their adventure when I stumbled across their YouTube channel. Now in Australia I really admire their positive attitude despite repeated major setbacks, such as needing to install a new engine in Geraldton Western Australia. And they did much of this hard work themselves!

Some others I favour for their quiet simple peaceful videos are The Cottage Fairy and Valerie Lin. The Cottage Fairy lives a quiet rural life but has recently had a baby and is understandably taking a break from her vlogging. Valerie Lin is a young artist, and her paintings are exceptionally beautiful. Her careful videos show her lovely creative process and techniques. She sells her prints online and this helps to sustain this lifestyle.

So as someone with a creative urge that persists into my senior years, I decided to have a go at creating a vlog. And I learnt a lot from going through the process:

  • Firstly, there is the idea in the minds eye. So, do you story-board it like Riza, or just dive in like Casey?
  • Then the action to record the moment. This might take one or many shots. What gets in the way; unexpected movements; sounds of traffic, or birds, TVs, or people; weather, something else?
  • Then there is the expected quality of the image. Do you need formal photography lessons to understand this better? Or will you just wing it? I did take photography lessons before we travelled Australia, but I’m not sure much sank in.
  • Cameras! Which camera to use? Smart phone? Proper DSLR? Special video camera with extra lenses? GoPro? Underwater camera? Drone? This all gets daunting and expensive. Then there are the sticks, props, tripods, clamps, etc.
  • Once you have taken the shots you need, then you must save, store, transfer, consider, delete, name, organise, and manage these files. Well as someone with a Masters Degree in Information Management and a solid knowledge of digital preservation, this little exercise is the easy part for me. You’ll need some kind of hard drive and connection for storage and transfer of the files.
  • Then you load the video clips into the editing software. But which software? There are so many available. The editing process is complex and takes a lot of time. But I suppose the more you do it the faster you become.
  • You’ll need some music to give atmosphere to the vlogs. Will you need to pay for downloads, royalties, permission, subscriptions? Probably, but there are still some free databases out there. Remember to always cite the creator and source.

So, I plunged in. As it was an experiment, I was not going to spend money on anything. I used my iphone, handheld, didn’t use music tracks, and used iMovie on my iPad to edit it. I uploaded the video to YouTube and shared it with some friends and family.

Grandma’s Winter Vlog 2024

Then I wondered why I had done this. ‘Why?’ is probably the first thing you should consider. Afterall who wants to see some old bird going about her boring daily life? It’s not something I feel I can expand on, so the one vlog might be it.

It was good to go through the process and learn about how this is done. These young vloggers and digital natives make it look so easy.

Being retired from paid employment means I have a lot of time to spend doing these things. I am a strong believer in the Self-initiated Lifelong Learning experience, and being SiLLé, a concept I labelled back in 2015, and it is a remedy for aging well. I am in constant need of a new project to get my mind into. When I was working, I had no time to spare and making vlogs was far from my busy mind.

Anyway, I will continue to enjoy the vlogs of others, liking, sharing, and subscribing to help sustain them in their chosen lifestyles.

Visiting Le Louvre

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I visited the Musée Du Louvre today. It didn’t cost me $35.72 Australian Dollars entry fee because I did a virtual tour from my home in Australia. (Although perhaps the same amount in Internet access?)

Back in 2008 I did visit in person and loved the fleeting visit that was provided by the Trafalgar Tour.

Me standing beside the inverted pyramid at Le Louvre July 2008

We bunched to see the famous Mona Lisa painting of 1503 to 1506 by Leonardo Da Vinci.

Crowd admiring the Mona Lisa painting at Le Louvre July 2008 (photo by me 2008)

But I was enthralled by the large painting on the opposite wall, The Wedding Feast at Cana by Paolo Caliari 1562 – 1563. The detail on this epic painting stopped me in my tracks.

I think my favourite piece though is The Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Greek Goddess Nike. She commands her place and guards the Art.

The Winged Victory of Samothrace (photo by me 2008)

As a lifelong student of art, design, and architecture, I admire The Pyramid of Ieoh Ming Pei that was completed in 1989. Not only does it sit perfectly in the courtyard amidst the old buildings, the underground structure is genius. Standing beside the inverted pyramid below street level I paid homage to the architecture while also being excited to recall the fictional movie of The Da Vinci Code.

Pyramid structure at Le Louvre by Ieoh Ming Pei completed in 1989 (my photo 2008)

Via Google Earth I descend to the courtyard and view the 360-degree images of others.

Musee Du Louvre image screenshot from Google Earth 2024

I follow one of the Visitor Trails provided on the Musée Du Louvre website. I’m happy to choose Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Louvre Highlights from their music video of 2018. This music video has always captivated me. I love the music, the soundscape, and the juxtaposition of new performance art beside old masterpieces. So, I watched their music video again from my favourites list on YouTube. And of course I followed the Art Trail reading about each artwork.

I delve deeper into artworks via the official website, absorbing more. On the Musée du Louvre YouTube channel, I find more information about the restoration of artworks and the Arc Du Carrousel in the courtyard. I look at the images on their Instagram site.

Musee Du Louvre on InstaGram

Then I stumble upon a magical piece of work featuring Le Louvre in 2020 through the eyes of Flo. I join him as he walks alone through the Louvre. He whispers impressions in French that float on a quiet backdrop of imagined sounds. It is poetic, and art appreciation at its finest.

It’s been a great way to spend a cold winters day at home. I wonder where I will go next on my Armchair Travel adventures.

Beautiful Slow Life

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The half light of morning is my favourite time of day. I sit at the desk in my study looking out at the dawn, watching the colours appear, listening to the birds calling, and the distant traffic building.

Morning pages

I write in my journal. Not Morning Pages anymore as that habit is unnecessary now. This practice steered me through the difficult times. It helped me to sort through the things that irritated me or upset my sensitive equilibrium. With retired life, this need has lessened significantly.

I realise we are all subject to jumping into the “rat race” to be involved in this life. So, we push ourselves to achieve and acquire for decades. We rush and learn and train and work. For how many years did I wake to the alarm clock in order to rush through the day meeting all of the deadlines? It is exhausting.

Now though I love this slow life. And I have discovered some kindred spirits via the online world. Slow living is something wonderful and enriching. The Cottage Fairy offers videos on YouTube that shows her beautiful, natural, and considered life in a beautiful rural environment. The Artist Valerie Lin paints and sells her beautiful artworks online. Her videos too are pretty, precise, and mindful. These two young women offer an alternative approach about how to live in this world and not get drawn into this daily grind. I wish them well with their endeavours.

Inspired by their gentle and authentic reminders I returned to my own art. While my own “style” differs to theirs, I managed to complete an oil painting of a sunset with reflections on water on a large canvas. This topic differs greatly from my usual subjects. I often use variations of green for foliage and not the bright orange, yellow, and reds that I have used here. Of course, this scene reminds me of the many sunsets we saw when we travelled around Australia during the pandemic years.

Finished oil painting of Sunset Reflections by me.

Recently we spent a week bush-camping on the banks of a river with some other people. It was nice to get away from the traffic, signs, restrictions, tourists, and the daily news. While the others fished, I was content to sit beside the river and watch the water flow, the trees rustle, and the birds fly about. It is a treat to see Kingfishers and I came face to face with one wayward flier. A few snakes swam across the river making us careful while tramping around in the thick crunchy leaf matter.

Australian river scene

At night we gathered around a campfire, talking, laughing, and trying to identify satellites, stars, and planets in the clear night sky.

And while I soaked up the quiet and gentle sounds of the natural environment, these colours of the typical Australian bush do not inspire me. The olive-green river, and a million shades of brown and grey did not give me cause to pick up a coloured pencil or paintbrush.

Now another pause between projects. What will I paint next? I do have an unfinished painting on my easel that I want to complete. I recall the encouraging words of Valerie Lin and know that this is my work, and I can do whatever I choose. I must remind myself to NOT watch the News. Especially when there are so many inspiring and positive things in the online media world. Rich Roll, Simon Hill, Rip Esselstyn, and many others.

Grandma Life

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It was in May last year that I last wrote in this blog. I’ve had thoughts, but apart from irregular journal writing, I’ve mainly been adjusting to and assessing this “retired life”.

It has been almost five years since I retired from fulltime paid employment in my chosen career. And while I felt useful in my work, serving the community in a positive way, I am relieved to be away from the relentless and soul-sucking power plays of office politics.

In these past five years I have done things I have wanted to do: travelled Australia; “finished” and printed our family history; organised the family photos; wrote a short story of fiction; and walked in some beautiful places.

So many life goals and achievements are behind me now: getting married (still married for 41 years now); enjoying 20 years nurturing three children into adulthood; achieving two degrees and one Masters; designed four houses we built and lived in; travelled Australia; visited London, Paris, as well as other gorgeous parts of western Europe; competed in many events swimming, cycling, and running; trekked many mountains in Australia and the Overland Track in Tasmania; and fed my creative urges through writing, drawing, painting, photography, and playing the piano.

Now my hip is sore, and I feel my age. But I value this Grandma Life – #grandmalife. I cherish the memories I hold of my own grandparents, especially the women. I loved being in their company, soaking up the warmth, endless cups of tea, stories, and love.

It seems to me that era of basic warm circles of women is undervalued in today’s society. Who even makes tea in a pot anymore? Well, me, but … Apart from the tea-making, I hope I show my own two little granddaughters the value of this warm, quiet, cherishing, in the same way I experienced.

Still life sketch with teapot by SuesBent 2023

These days with most of my life behind me, I gladly put the “GO-GO-GO” lifestyle aside. I try to live in the beauty of a slow life – #beautifulslowlife. I enjoy the YouTube videos of The Cottage Fairy and try to soak up her slow rhythm and appreciation of small pleasures. (Although her life is about to change in a profound way with a baby on the way). I still listen to Rich Roll and enjoy his considered and in-depth conversations, although the testosterone levels can be a bit much at times.

I love regular dips in the clear green waters of Port Phillip Bay and this visceral experience always reminds me of the dips I have loved in this bay since first learning to swim as a child.

Cooking is always something I’ve loved and it’s great to have time to spend in the kitchen making healthy and nourishing meals for my husband and me.

I continue to feed my creativity with writing, painting, and piano playing. I walk and I will return to daily yoga when my hip feels better. I may have strained it doing pigeon pose with Adriene recently. Or perhaps when I trekked up to the top of Genoa Peak recently.

I read and log my journey on GoodReads. I reached my target of 50 books last year for the first time in the past eleven years. This year though I will relax and let my reading journey unravel as it will. So far, I have loved Wifedom by Anna Funder, Question 7 by Richard Flanagan, and A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.

I continue to study things that interest me, so I will see what is available on Future Learn. I do lessons in the French language every day. I am also working through the daily lessons of A Course in Miracles, as well as watching some discussion online about this text. Many years ago, I attended a presentation in Melbourne where Marianne Williamson talked about A Course in Miracles. It was intense and spellbinding. Now she is a candidate for President of the US. Now there is someone who has never slowed down.