The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Image by Emma Kendall - Pixabay … Mary turned down the walk which led to the door in the shrubbery. She could not help thinking about the garden which no one had been into for ten years. She wondered what it would look like and whether there were any flowers still alive in it. When …

2024 Already?

Image by Tham Nguyen (Pixabay) Happy New Year! Well, I don't know where 2023 went but it has been a very long time between drinks. Or blog posts. Ten months in fact. Where has the time gone? 2023 turned out to be a very busy year. There were no family tragedies or other catastrophes but …

Freaks, Geeks & Asperger Syndrome by Luke Jackson

“Always remember that different is cool.” Have you ever been called a freak or a geek? Have you ever felt like one? Over the years Luke has learned to laugh about the name-calling but there are other aspects of life which are more difficult. Adolescence and the teenage years are a minefield of emotions, transitions …

A Valentines Read: Aphrodite by Isabel Allende

the only truly infallible aphrodisiac... is love At first glance you may expect Aphrodite to be a fictional retelling of the life of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, long associated with love and lust, beauty and passion. I know that I was probably thinking that when I first picked up this book at a Lifeline Bookfest …

Gaia 2023: Greeniology 2020 by Tanya Ha

You must be the change you wish to see in the world Mahatma Ghandi Climate change is at the front of our minds these days, particularly as we experience soaring temperatures and more extreme weather events than ever before. Hearing the dire predictions for the future, it is quite natural to feel overwhelmed. We wonder: …

REDFEB 2023 – Wearing Red for Heart Disease

February is heart month. Traditionally it is the month for celebrating Valentines Day, which makes it also strangely appropriate for Heart Research Australia’s major fundraising campaign called REDFEB. Both Valentines and REDFEB are concerned with the heart and with love. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Australia and annually takes over 18, …

Twenty Years

Grief is the price we pay for love. Queen Elizabeth II The 31st of January is no ordinary day for us. It is a day of memory and loss, grief and love. On this day, twenty years ago, our lives were changed forever. My husband Rob, the father of Dan and Bec, died suddenly from …

The Secret Holocaust Diaries: The Untold Story of Nonna Bannister

It is nearly eighty years since the end of World War Two but I don’t think we will ever lose the chill that runs down our spine when we hear the word “Holocaust.” We are instantly reminded of the six million Jews and at least five million other victims, including prisoners of war, Romany, homosexuals …

January 26: Reflect. Respect. Celebrate.

January 26. For some a day to celebrate the opportunities of living in a free, multicultural societyFor others a chance to reflect on their own citizenship and what it means to be AustralianFor many, January 26 is a day of sadness, mourning and a reminder of colonisation (National Australia Day Council) For the first time …

International Day of Education: To Invest in People – Prioritise Education

This week marks the beginning of the school year for many Queensland children, with other states to follow next week. Some children will be stepping into the classroom for their very first day of school, while others are preparing for their final year of secondary education. While I am glad that both my children received …