Today I’m admiring a new book, The Season, by Helen Garner. This is a beautifully-written non-fiction story about a grandmother and her relationship with her fifteen year old grandson through one junior Australian Football League season. At first, it takes some application to see how a book about this topic could be so rich in…… Continue reading The Season – a winter with Helen Garner
How to survive falling over
Falling over would never have struck me as a topic for a blog post. I’ve fallen a few times, but always pretend that it never happened. First let me say that falling is a verb. It is something we do. To fall is not a noun like so many health professionals would like us to…… Continue reading How to survive falling over
Frailty and age – can we overcome it?
Frailty, or weakness in health or body, is often linked with old age, as if they define each other. I wonder if it can be overcome by a change of mindset? Older people are diagnosed as being frail if they have a reduced grip strength, slower walking speed which can be self-reported or measured, and…… Continue reading Frailty and age – can we overcome it?
Remembering my beloved son, Timothy
We are mourning the death of my youngest child, Timothy Mark O’Callaghan. Tim (51) died at the home of a friend on 28 December, 2024. His death was sudden, unexpected and still to be explained. I do not need to tell you of our heartbreak. Instead, I’ll share again a poignant memory of Tim. We…… Continue reading Remembering my beloved son, Timothy
Delights – how to capture fleeting moments
Experiencing delights has not been among my priorities recently because I haven’t been well. Thank goodness, life changes regularly. Among my new plans, I’ve enrolled in the next Writing in the Dark twelve-week intensive course entitled ‘For the joy and sorrow’. It starts on 8 January, 2025. How could I resist when Jeannine Ouelette, the…… Continue reading Delights – how to capture fleeting moments
Untangling knots – learned from a dog
Untangling knots can be as enjoyable as doing a jigsaw puzzle. I’d forgotten the therapeutic value of unscrambling a ball of wool until recently. The newly acquired puppy, Maggie, delighted in taking wool from my knitting basket, left casually where I’d always left it. She chewed the paper around a new ball until it fell…… Continue reading Untangling knots – learned from a dog
Birthday hopes of an old woman
Birthday hopes! As I celebrate the day I was born, 4 November, 1937, I also recognise with a sense of awe that I’m officially an old, old woman. But it doesn’t mean that I no longer have plans, hopes and aspirations for the future. Everyone needs an idea about what the next part of their…… Continue reading Birthday hopes of an old woman
The universe conspires to make me fear driving
A stint in hospital left me feeling quite pathetic and weak and afraid of driving my car
Why strawberries make me happy
Strawberries, especially those that are ripe, red and juicy remind me of happy childhood days. My father grew the fruit on furrows in a sunny part of our garden. We watched the little plants grow, spread and finally display their pretty white flowers. Soon after they flowered, Dad mulched under the plants with fresh straw.…… Continue reading Why strawberries make me happy
Pacemaker to the rescue? Waiting to see
‘You need a pacemaker’, they said, standing at the end of my hospital bed. ‘Not a big deal. Not too many risks. ‘We’ll enter a vein near your collar-bone. Poke a wire through the vein into the right atrium of your heart, and one into the ventrical. Screw them into the muscles of your heart.…… Continue reading Pacemaker to the rescue? Waiting to see