Friendship blesses those who share it, and I am very blessed by my circle of friends. They keep me sane, support and challenge me. As well as that, they encourage, nurture and offer solace. They provide wisdom, good times and fun. According to one definition, ‘Friendship is a state of enduring affection, esteem, intimacy and …
Continue reading “Friendship – how to grow and cherish it”
Recognition of First Nations people in the Australian Constitution is long overdue. But later this year, Australians will take part in a compulsory referendum to change the Australian Constitution. If a majority of voters in a majority of States vote ‘YES’ to the First Nations Voice to Parliament, the original inhabitants of this country will …
Continue reading “A First Nations Voice and why I’ll vote ‘YES’”
Your convenience, under normal circumstances, should be taken very seriously. In ordinary times in the western world, we have the right to freedom of movement. We can choose with whom we associate, where and under what circumstances. We choose what goes into our bodies without sanctions. Everyone wears what they like. But during a pandemic …
Continue reading “Is your convenience more important than my death?”
Ideas about gender neutral clothes for my next batch of great-grandbabies interest me. Three of my granddaughters will present us with babies in the next few months. Two other babies were born at the end of last year. By June, I’ll have twelve great-grandchildren. How did happened so quickly? I should feel incredibly old, but …
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Naming ageism got me into deep trouble recently, and I’ll do it again when I need to. I named it when I saw it because it seemed the right response. However, I ended up on the wrong side of one of the residents in this apartment building, the target of his wrath. Sadly, I’ve never …
Continue reading “Naming ageism gets me into deep trouble on Facebook”
Masking-up in Western Australia has been with us on and off for months. After a year of freedom from this practice, at first we found it hard. And it continues to be a difficult duty we perform for our own good and that of others. However, older women seem to have a more difficult time …
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I started nursing sixty years ago this week at Royal Perth Hospital. What a milestone! It was winter, 1955. Winters were wetter then, and seemed colder.
Nursing comparisons between today and the olden days, when nurses trained in an apprenticeship system, make me laugh. Recently some nurses exchanged ideas about this topic on Facebook. I was seventeen years old when I began to train as a nurse in 1955. Then, nurses in Western Australia became indentured to the Health Department. Actually, …
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Witness: An investigation into the brutal cost of seeking justice by Louise Milligan deserves its place on the Stella short-list (2021). Witness provides a frightening account of what it can mean to be the complainant in a sexual assault case. Few people report sexual assault to the police. Fewer still take their case to court. …
Continue reading “Witness by Louise Milligan – a review”
Baby steps. The concept resonates. Do one small thing. Then another. Brush your hair. Put bread and cheese on the table. Water the plants. Rest often. Talk. Cry. Find a comfortable space to be. Fold the washing. Put the socks in drawers and fresh sheets on the bed. Take care of yourself. Ask for comfort. …
Continue reading “Baby steps on the road to recovery after loss”
