The Season – a winter with Helen Garner

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?

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

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Categorized as life skills

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

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

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Categorized as Personal

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

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Categorized as Health