My Child has Osteogenisis Imperfecta and an Unbreakable Spirit

May 10, 2013 in Anecdotes, Children, Family, Health, Mothers, Parenting, Relationships, Stories

Imaging looking at your newborn baby. Their tiny lips their long figures That cute button nose. Now imagine being told to limit the amount of times you hold your baby. That every time you pick him up you need to carefully plan every aspect in handling him or you could seriously injure him. That’s what life is like with a baby born with Osteogenisis Imperfecta. Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI, sometimes known as brittle bone disease, or “Lobstein syndrome”) is a congenital bone disorder. People with OI are born with defective connective tissue, or without the ability to make it, usually because of [...]

A Moment of Perfection

May 9, 2013 in Anecdotes, Family, Self, Stories

Standing on my parents’ balcony, looking over the edge. A whip bird cry some metres away. The distant sounds of a wallaby startled and bounding away through the bush. It’s warm, and I stand there in my red t-shirt and bike pants, baggy around my tiny little legs. I dip my cardboard toilet roll into a meadow lea margarine container full of water and morning fresh, the distinct smell fills my nostrils as I raise the roll to my mouth. I blow. Not too hard, not too soft. Just firm enough. The bubble forms at the end of the toilet [...]

Where Do You Draw the Line Between Tragedy and Stupidity?

April 29, 2013 in Family, Health, Lifestyle, News, People, Society, Work

Life can throw curve balls. You could be blissfully happy in your relationship, and next thing you know you are breaking up. You may have found the perfect job, only to be made redundant. You could be completely healthy until an accident renders you paraplegic. The above three things are devastating, but completely out of your control. The last one would even be considered a tragedy. But what if the “tragedy” is self inflicted? What if someone becomes brain damaged because of an overdose of drugs or alcohol? What if someone becomes a paraplegic because they were messing around when they knew better? [...]

Why I Care New Zealand Voted in Favour of Marriage Equality

April 18, 2013 in Dating, Family, Gender, Health, Human Rights, Marriage, Mental Health, News, People, Politics, Relationships, Sexuality

I’m sure you would know by now New Zealand has voted in favour of marriage equality, winning at 77 to 44. If you haven’t already heard about this, you can read all the details here, but I had to share this news with you even if you already know, purely because I am just so excited and so proud of the country my father is from. Well done New Zealand! I can’t explain how much this news has meant to me. Equality is something I am incredibly passionate about, whether it be discrimination based on race, gender, on gender identity, [...]

I Want Your Approval

April 9, 2013 in Dating, Family, Friendship, Lifestyle, People, Relationships, Self

Is there someone in your life you always go to get advice from? Does this person’s opinion matter to you? Has it gotten to the point that their approval of whatever you are doing is required before you do it? I would love to be able to say that I’m not like that. Well actually for the most part I’m not. There isn’t one person that I just need to have their advice on something. I tend to ask a few people and then go from there. And as far as approval goes, I really couldn’t care less. I’ve finally taught [...]

Recipe: Hot Cross Buns

March 29, 2013 in Family, Food & Recipes, Home, Nutrition

This weekend I am going to immerse myself in all things Easter, especially chocolate. I’ll be spending the holiday at home with my hubby and three kids and to celebrate I am going to be doing lots of baking. Well, I probably should say, I intend to do lots baking. Although the Easter break is four days long, it doesn’t seem long enough to get through all the baking I’d like to eat. And of course, I need to leave room for chocolate! Some of the things I’d like to bake: Hot Cross Buns Fritole (Italian-style donuts) Easter Bunny shaped cookies [...]

Fiction: The Easter Egg

March 28, 2013 in Anecdotes, Children, Family, Fiction, Stories

This is based on a true story… It was a yet another Sunday and her big brother was annoying her once again, only it wasn’t a normal Sunday – it was Easter Sunday. He was doing all the usual annoying things that big brothers were good at. Touching her…not touching her. Farting, burping, pulling faces, calling her names. Being Easter Sunday, he also added showing her his half-eaten chocolate Easter eggs on his tongue. “Stop it! Eeewww, gross…!” He just laughed, ate another piece of chocolate, and repeated the process over again. She wanted to eat her chocolate eggs, but she was feeling sick. [...]

My Favourite Place: The Queen Victoria Building

March 14, 2013 in Family, Relationships, Travel

Studying the changing landscape of Sydney in year nine geography, we were shown two photographs of the buildings along York Street taken from the same angle but separated by a century in time. The views were unrecognisable. The teacher noted there was one building that stood in both photographs and asked us to name it. I put up my hand, “The Queen Victoria Building.” I knew it well. I was introduced to the Queen Victoria Building by the special Sunday shopping trips into ‘town’. Grandma would pick us up in her ruby red Celica, my sister and I would play [...]

Dying with Dignity

March 6, 2013 in Family, Health, Human Rights, Pets, Self, Society

It was a typical Australian summer morning. Off to get a coffee I decided to swing by the vets to buy some rabbit food. It was surprisingly busy and I queued patiently, taking in the pets and their owners. The doorbell rang again to signal the arrival of another patient. I saw a golden retriever before anyone else. Tongue lolling because of the heat, he looked like he was smiling. I only noticed his age when his owner, a smiling grey-haired man, helped the dog pet negotiate the steps up into the waiting room. And then I saw the rest [...]

The Day My Father Died

February 28, 2013 in Anecdotes, Children, Family, Fathers, Mothers

Based on true events… It was a crisp winter’s day, the day my father died. He had been in palliative care for a few weeks, still in a coma that he would never recover from. It was school holidays, and I was at home with my mother. When the phone rang, my mother was told that my father would most likely not last the day. She took the news stoically, as she always did in moments of extreme emotion. Emotions were meant to be expressed in private, they were not for public display. I think that’s why she asked me to ride over to my [...]