This week our dear mother and grandmother, Joy, passed away in the early hours of Wednesday morning with her lifelong partner and dearly loved husband, Hedley, by her side. It was only just Mothers’ Day last year that I wrote about her diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. It seems sadly bittersweet then, that this Mothers’ Day … Continue reading A Sadder Mothers’ Day This Year
Author: Karen J Schoff
The Schools’ Patriotic Fund
Image by Bec T - pixabay A few days ago Australians commemorated Anzac Day. It is a time to remember those who have sacrificed their lives and their physical health and mental wellbeing in the pursuit of peace and freedom. There are numerous books, both fiction and non-fiction, that pay tribute to the soldiers and … Continue reading The Schools’ Patriotic Fund
Disability is a Blessing Too
The Australian Federal Election campaign is now in full swing and "Scotty from Ableism" has lit up the internet because he is “blessed” to not have “children with disabilities.” Understandably parents with children who have disabilities and the rest of the disability community are shocked and outraged. What does that make us? The Cursed Ones?? … Continue reading Disability is a Blessing Too
The Betrayals and The Glass Bead Game
Never judge a book by its cover, so they say. But we do. For The Betrayals by Bridget Collins, it was the cover that captured my attention. It's hard to go past gold embossing on a dark cover. Especially an embossed gold antique clock surrounded by golden swirls and dark red flowers. It was just … Continue reading The Betrayals and The Glass Bead Game
The Next-Door Neighbour
Living in the wide open spaces One of the things we love about our place is the open space and the semi-rural atmosphere. Across the road are some stables and our house is set back far enough on our one acre block that the dust from the gravel road doesn’t bother us too much. We … Continue reading The Next-Door Neighbour
Gaia 2022: The Yield by Tara June Winch
Yield itself is a funny word - yield in English is the reaping, the things that man can take from the land, the thing he’s waited for and gets to claim. A wheat yield. In my language it’s the things you give to, the movement, the space between things. (The Yield - Tara June Winch) Profoundly … Continue reading Gaia 2022: The Yield by Tara June Winch
Ease the Pain
In September last year I wrote a post about Migraine Awareness Week. My daughter Bec experiences migraine attacks on a regular basis. Fortunately, with a combination of lifestyle changes and over the counter pain medication she has been able to more or less manage the attacks. However, for many other people with migraine it can … Continue reading Ease the Pain
World Down Syndrome Day
Do you know anyone with Down syndrome? We do. One of my closest friends has a daughter with Down syndrome. Jess is now 23 and she lives here in Toowoomba in her own unit with the support that she needs. We have known Jess for just over 20 years now. She likes to dress up … Continue reading World Down Syndrome Day
Day of Happiness
It seems somewhat incongruous to be celebrating the International Day of Happiness when so many people around the world are experiencing anything but happiness. The corona virus is still claiming lives and there is great inequity across the world in access to vaccines and treatment. There is also an unsettling disquiet about whose lives have … Continue reading Day of Happiness
Historic Toowoomba – the Influence of Ancestry in the Business Sector
A hint about some Toowoomba ancestry One of the pleasures of travelling to new places is the opportunity to dig into some local history and one of the best sources are the historic buildings that have been preserved and sometimes even repurposed. Historic buildings are not just preserved because they look grand and stately but … Continue reading Historic Toowoomba – the Influence of Ancestry in the Business Sector