A Day in Australia

Another one that resonated …

To the people who think we’re crazy

I know how it looks from the outside…It probably seems like people like me woke up one day and decided to distrust everything, reject the mainstream and live life on edge, driven by fear or paranoia. But, that isn’t how this started and it isn’t how it feels to live this way.

I’m not afraid of the world. I move through it consciously. I choose organic food and read ingredients, not because I think everything is poisoned and the sky is falling…but because I understand that the body keeps score. Small things add up, repeated inputs matter. Once you understand cumulative load, preventative choices stop looking extreme and start looking obvious. 

That same thinking applies to how I raise my children. They aren’t allowed sleepovers, they don’t have smart watches, wireless headphones, wireless chargers, unlimited screen time. All of this is to protect them, but it’s not ‘too much’, it should be the norm. They don’t have social media, not because I want to control them or keep them naïve, but because I understand brain development, dopamine, attention and comparison. I speak to my children like humans. I explain why we do what we do. I answer questions. They understand safety because they understand the reasons behind it. They’re not going to rebel because they’re not being restricted without explanation…They’re informed.

Nearly everyone now mocked as an ‘anti vaxxer’ didn’t start out that way. They were pro vaccine. They listened. They trusted. They blindly followed advice…And then something happened. Sometimes it was an injury. Sometimes it was watching someone else be dismissed or gaslit. Sometimes it was asking a reasonable question and being met with hostility instead of discussion. Sometimes, it was death of their child. Trust wasn’t lost in one moment. It eroded… and once that happens, you start noticing patterns that you didn’t see before.

We don’t distrust the government because it’s fashionable, popular or edgy. We distrust them because we study behaviour. Language. Timing. Repetition. Governments operate from playbooks, guidelines, psychological frameworks and historical precedent (WEF, event 201 agenda 2030, the Gaza development). They always have. And so do we. That’s why there’s a long standing joke that the gap between a conspiracy theory and the truth is about six months. It isn’t because we’re guessing, it’s because patterns repeat. ‘To be forewarned is to be forearmed.’

When we avoid things like unnecessary security scanners, constant Bluetooth exposure, smart meters, wireless tech or other avoidable inputs, it isn’t because we think we can escape every risk in the modern world. We know we can’t. We know there is already so much we’re exposed to without choice. But when choice does exist, it matters. Reducing what you can in a world full of unavoidable stressors, again, isn’t fear based…It’s discernment and it makes sense!

I don’t think people who trust the system are stupid…I trusted it too. I don’t think people making different choices are reckless or ignorant. Everyone is doing the best they can with the information they have. I’m not trying to convince anyone, convert anyone or feel superior. I’m trying to live with my eyes open, protect health in a world that profits from sickness and raise children who can think critically rather than outsource their thinking entirely.

You don’t have to agree with me. You don’t have to live like I do. You don’t have to like me…But please stop assuming I’m afraid, uneducated or irresponsible. I’m not. I’m paying attention and I’m willing to sit with uncomfortable information rather than look away from it.

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Happy Australia Day 🇦🇺 

We did nothing out of the ordinary. Harley play. Breakfast. Tennis. YouTube. Dinner. More tennis. 

I feel like the days are short.

We are already at the end of January!! What the!?!?

Meditation tomorrow so an early night is required.

Nite all.

Of Interest

I found this online today and it resonated …

The Care Partner: The Role No One Applies For

Parkinson’s disease is often described as an individual diagnosis. One person sits in a neurologist’s office and hears the words: Chronic. Incurable. Progressive. One name is written on the chart. One name on the pillbox label. One body becomes the focus of clinical attention.

But Parkinson’s never belongs to just one person. 

From the moment of diagnosis, a second role is created—usually without discussion, consent, or preparation. The role of care partner. Not a nurse. Not saviour. Not a sidekick. Something far more complex and far more human.

I say this not as an observer, but as someone who has lived with Parkinson’s for over a decade. My disease has progressed, adapted, surprised me, and forced me to renegotiate my relationship with my own body. But alongside that journey has been another, quieter one—the evolution of the person who walks beside me.

Care partners rarely recognize themselves in the role at first. They are spouses, children, colleagues, and friends. They start by “helping out,” filling in small gaps that appear almost imperceptibly: driving a little more, reminding a little more, and compensating quietly.

Over time, those gaps widen.

What makes the role so difficult is that it is undefined. There is no training manual for how to help without diminishing. No checklist for when support becomes supervision. There is no clear line between loving assistance and unintended control.

From the inside, I can tell you this: the greatest challenge is not the physical care. It is the emotional calibration. Knowing when to step in—and when to step back.

Care partners carry an enormous cognitive and emotional load that is rarely acknowledged. They track symptoms. They anticipate fluctuations. They remember medication schedules, appointments, and subtle changes in mood or movement.

They also absorb the fear.

Fear of progression. Fear of the future. Fear of saying the wrong thing. Fear of being honest. Fear of being honest too soon. Fear of doing too much. Fear of not doing enough.

What often goes unseen is how much restraint this requires. How often care partners choose silence over correction. Patience over frustration. Strength over vulnerability.

And yet, they are rarely asked how they are doing.

From my perspective, the most meaningful care is not about doing things for someone—it is about preserving dignity with them.

Parkinson’s already takes enough. It interferes with autonomy, confidence, and identity. When care is delivered without sensitivity, even with the best intentions, it can unintentionally accelerate those losses.

The most effective care partners understand this intuitively. They offer support without spectacle. They collaborate rather than command. They allow room for independence—even when it would be easier to take over.

This requires emotional intelligence, not instruction.

Parkinson’s does not just change the person with the diagnosis. It reshapes relationships.

Care partners grieve, too. They grieve the ease that once existed. The predictability. The unspoken assumptions about the future. They often do this privately, believing they must remain strong, positive, or encouraging.

But resilience is not silence.

Care partners need space to acknowledge their own fatigue, frustration, and fear—without guilt. Without feeling that doing so somehow detracts from the person with Parkinson’s.

It does not.

The best care partnerships I have seen—and experienced—are grounded in mutual respect. They are not hierarchical. They are adaptive. They evolve as the disease evolves. They are built on conversation, not assumption. On listening, not rescuing. On shared problem-solving, not unilateral decisions.

Parkinson’s may alter roles, but it does not erase personhood. 

The individual with Parkinson’s is still a partner, still a professional, still a decision-maker, still themselves.

The care partner’s role is not to replace that identity—but to protect it.

If you are a care partner, know this: your role matters more than you may ever hear. Not because of what you do, but because of how you are present.

And if you are living with Parkinson’s, as I am, take the time to recognize the person beside you—not just for their support, but for the quiet strength it takes to walk a road they did not choose but chose to stay on it with you.

Parkinson’s is a shared journey. The diagnosis may belong to one of us—but the resilience belongs to both.

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Today I swam and rebounded in the morning, did the last of my washing - so nice to have access to my washing machine - Adoring Husband and BGWLBH seem to hog it more often than not, after which I made a rather large batch of curried egg with lettuce which I scooped onto some GF toast and feasted. 

I also made a smoothie of fresh pineapple, passionfruit, banana, Brazil nut, apricot kernels, Celtic sea salt and coconut water.

Then I plonked myself in front of the tennis and watched Alcaraz defeat Paul, Sabalenka defeat Mboko, Sverev defeat Cerundolo and Tien defeat Medvedev.

I did a baked chicken with baked potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot and onion, with zucchini, asparagus and broccoli plus home made gravy for dinner. Quite delicious.

This evening I had to choose between the T20 cricket final and the Alex De Minaur match. If I chose the tennis, AH would leave the room, so I chose the cricket and missed Alex’s seemingly easy win. His next clash is with number one in the world - Alcaraz! We’ll find out what Alex is really made of in that match!

Perth Scorchers have annihilated Sydney Sixers in the cricket final.

Tomorrow is Australia Day and we have planned a quiet one at home. More tennis. More swimming. More Harley play. More rebounding. More eating.

More remembering the horror of Australia Day 2013 and the tornado damage that we endured. The memories and photos will pop up on Facebook as they do every year at this time.

We caught the edge of a storm tonight. Lots of noise and enough rain to wet the road.

Adoring husband made friends with a snake today. He was on the step ladder in the front yard when he looked down to see a whip snake trying to climb the ladder! Mildly venomous. When I say ‘made friends with’ I mean ‘jumped and ran for his life’. He survived to tell the tale.

I need to nap now.

Nite all.

Yes! More Tennis!

Obviously, my days and nights have been filled with tennis. It starts at 10am-ish and goes til it stops! Sometimes that can be quite early and other times, like tonight, it’s still going at 10.45pm.

Djokovic had a good win tonight. The retiring Wawrinka lost to Fritz. The Aussie girl, Inglis, was supposed to play this evening but her opponent, Osaka, pulled out with a pulled abdominal muscle.

Inglis was a qualifier and was not really expected to get past the first round. Here she is in the fourth round and even if she loses, will win more than $320,000!

There has been some amazing tennis and I am thoroughly enjoying it.

I’m glad I prepared so many meals to freeze last week, because it’s been much easier to prepare meals this week without missing too much tennis.

I enjoyed a lovely morning with my art girls on Thursday and our next gathering will be for lunch in the bay in a couple of weeks.

I’ve been rebounding every day and I swam a few times this week, including this morning.

It was ‘fend for yourself’ night for dinner, so I crumbed some prawn cutlets for myself and drenched them in lemon juice. Harley ate the tails.

I was introduced to a new YouTube channel which I began watching yesterday before the tennis started. It’s called ‘Joe and Nic’s Road Trip’.

They are American and they drive around searching for dying towns in USA.

They drive through the empty streets looking into closed shop windows, some of which are full of treasures!

There are old abandoned houses taken over by nature, cars left to rust and decay in the yards (some would be worth a fortune) and Joe gives information like peak population compared to today’s population, crime rate, median age and median house prices, cost of living.

Sometimes the town might have an interesting history, like how it was created, the industry that kept it thriving, the reason that industry died, a famous person may have been born there, historical buildings worth noting, beautiful churches etc.

While Joe is not the most exciting commentator, he is very knowledgeable and obviously loves what he does. Nic is not always with him, but they came to Brisbane for a visit and did a video on the city, visiting city hall, Southbank, the botanical gardens, Queen St Mall and did a food review at a restaurant.

In a weird way, it’s a bit addictive. They’ve been doing these videos for almost 20 years!

Anyway, that’s it for me. I need sleep now.

Nite all.

No Contact

Tennis and cricket have hogged all of my time.

I missed meditation on Tuesday due to a crappy bout of vertigo. Vertigo sucks.

I was still able to make a creamy chicken pasta for dinner that night.

Today, I was much improved but not so motivated to cook. I arranged for Adoring Husband to do the snags on the barbecue while I crafted a garden salad, potato salad and Monday's leftover coleslaw.

There has been no art, no journaling, no swimming but lots of sleeping and lots of couch potato-ing!

It’s after 11pm and I’m feeling weary so …

Nite all.

Missed It

Unfortunately, I urgently required some ‘stuff’ like dog bones, meat for dinner, butter, lotto and to exchange my bras for a smaller size, so I had to forego a number of hours worth of tennis watching to fulfil my needs.

I missed the Storm Hunter match and the Alex De Minaur match and most of the Jordan Thompson match.

Bugger.

I’m currently flipping between the Popyrin vs Muller and the Djokovic vs Martinez matches.

No cricket tonight, so I didn’t have worry about that, but I did flip over to ‘I’m a Celebrity’ a few times.

I crumbed some chicken for dinner and made potato salad, coleslaw and a mixed salad to go with.

This evening, I hid some liver treats around the lounge room and waited to see if Harley would find them with his trusty nose. He found every one of them.

The reason that I did that, is because, in the afternoons, the ground around the pool is too hot for him to run on so I have to find other ways to keep his mind active. So I threw his knotted rope around the yard for a little while. He was catching it on the full and loving it!

Before I let him back inside, I hid the eight liver treats around the room. It’s not something that I’ve done before, so I was surprised at how quickly he found them.

It’s now almost 10pm and I have an early start in the morning because meditation recommences in the hall, so I’m hoping that Djokovic wins quickly. He won the first set 6-3. Popyrin is winning 2 sets to 1 so hopefully, he wins the next one quickly too. I’d really like to be fresh for meditation class.

Oh … remember Tones and I? She sang that godawful song “Dance Monkey”. She was different and unique and seemed to be her own person …

Now, she has become this …

… a carbon copy of all the blond bimbo pop singers. I’m a little disappointed.

Nite all.

You Don’t Know Me

For the coming two weeks, I do not exist.

The Australian Open tennis tournament has commenced today, which means that I am unavailable between 10am and late, every day.

I have enjoyed watching the Aussies play, although only one of them made it through to the next round.

At the age of 45, Venus Williams was fabulous to watch, even though she lost in 3 sets.

My favourite, Sabalenka, won easily.

It was tough going, tonight, surfing between the T20 cricket, two tennis channels and I’m a Celebrity Get me out of Here.

On Saturday night, I watched a doubles match between Roger Federer (44yrs) and Andre Agassi (55yrs) against Pat Rafter (53yrs) and Lleyton Hewitt (44yrs). It was an absolute joy to watch and my cheeks were aching from smiling and laughing so much. Ash Barty was called out to replace Andre when he’d had enough.

Roger, Andre and Ash were the winners.

I finished editing and proofreading my friend’s book! At last!

It has been stinking hot all day and the pool water is warm like bath water. Even late in the afternoon, the ground around the pool is too hot for Harley play, so he missed out today. I’ll make it up to him in the morning.

I took spaghetti bolognese sauce out of the freezer and served spaghetti bol with salad for dinner.

Nothing else to report from this end. Tennis is now done for the night, so it’s sleep time for me.

Nite all.

I Am Sated

I enjoyed a fabulous day with The Gypsy.

She is dog and house sitting for a couple of days, so Adoring Husband drove me out to the house at 10am and I called him to pick me up just before 5pm.

Even after 7 hours of non stop talking, it was difficult to say goodbye. After 8 years of friendship, I am still amazed at how we can fill so many hours with just talking. We simply sit somewhere comfortable and talk until time is up.

It’s always interesting, inspiring, comforting, educational, funny, reminiscent, supportive, challenging, empathetic and full of love and light.

Ours is a very nurturing relationship with a strong connection and I enjoy it very much.

So that was my day.

It was chicken wing night so I didn’t have to cook.

I watched some T20 cricket.

I had a 30 minute phone call with Number One Son because he didn’t respond when I tried to contact him for his birthday yesterday. He was otherwise engaged.

Now I need to sleep because I had a very restless night last night.

Nite all.

Fully Distracted

Happy birthday to Number One Son! A big 44!

Happy birthday to AJ! An even bigger 83!

Nothing much happening here.

A day in the Bay yesterday, doing all the normal things at the usual places, but I DID purchase a new top and 3 new bras - which I have to return because they are too big! I’ve gone from a 16DD to a 14B. Crazy!

I was going to edit today, but I got distracted by a Netflix movie called “People You Meet on Holidays” which I loved. 

I followed that with the new episode of Jet lag the game.

The tennis was next.

Harley play x 2.

I had a 30 minute phone call with Bubbles who will be on the Sunny Coast for 2 weeks from Saturday. We won’t be catching up this time, but will catch up in June/July when she returns.

Dinner was chicken and vegetable stir fry with boiled buttered potatoes which is now on the ‘favourites’ list.

I surfed between the cricket and the tennis.

Now it’s after 10pm and I’m ready for sleep. I slept for a solid 8.5 hours last night - probably because I only slept for 3 hours the night before!

Let’s see what happens tonight.

Nite all.

Still Reading

 A friend/x-neighbour posted this on Facebook and it resonated …

The truth is, we’re not always easy to love. We get angry when we should stay calm, we retreat into silence when we need to speak, and sometimes, we say things we don’t mean. We all have our moments of messiness, our flaws, and our struggles. But despite all that, some choose to stay, who love us through the bad days and the hard moments, and see us for who we are, not just our mistakes.

May we all find someone who decides to love us even when we’re unbearable, who holds us close when we push them away, and who understands that love isn’t about perfection, it’s about showing up for each other, no matter what. In a world full of chaos, may we be lucky enough to find someone who stays through it all, with all our moods and all our complexities.

♥️🧡♥️🧡♥️🧡♥️🧡♥️🧡♥️🧡♥️🧡♥️🧡♥️🧡♥️🧡♥️🧡♥️🧡♥️🧡♥️

It was another rainy day, but very light rain and intermittent.

Harley got his play time.

Four hours of my day was spent on my bed editing the book and I’m STILL not finished! I’ll get there eventually. Probably another 3 hours remaining.

I made hamburgers for dinner using lamb mince.

I missed all of the day time tennis but have watched some tonight, surfing between cricket and tennis.

BGWLBH and I plan a day in the Bay tomorrow, so I will attempt to have an early night.

Nite all.

A Bit of Rain

Approximately one inch of rain has fallen in just over 24 hours.

Everything looks very damp, including the inside surfaces of all the windows due to the high heat and humidity outside and the coolness of the air conditioner inside.

BGWLBH and I decided to drive into the Bay where it was very wet with a steady mist most of the day.

There were plenty of crazies on the road. Speeding in the wet. Inappropriately pulling out in front of other vehicles. Veering to each side of the lane for no apparent reason. Tailgaters. You name it. It takes a LOT for BGWLBH to honk her horn, but today she let one person have it for about 5 seconds.

School holidays and rain - not a good combination.

We updated our lotto tickets, visited Nanas Pantry, did a butcher and grocery run and bought juice.

A spruker/recruiter for the organization “Canteen” (provides support for young people with cancer) cornered me in the plaza, so I told her what I thought of them scrounging money from the poorest in the community when they should be targeting the wealthy - and I rattled off a few names.

She agreed with me (more than likely trained to agree with cynics and critics like me) and we were very polite and friendly towards each other so there was no animosity.

We were home by 3pm and after unpacking the groceries, I began preparing dinner. Nobody had eaten all day so my world was getting ‘hangry’.

I prepared chicken saltimbocca with sweet potato/potato mash and green beans with carrots for BGWLBH and I. Adoring Husband had butter chicken.

We ate at 4.30pm. That makes us officially old.

AH and I watched some tennis (from Adelaide now), then some T20 cricket (Thunder defeated Renegades in a blinder of a match) then some more tennis.

I’m in bed watching the Australian, Kokkinakis play Korda from the USA. It’s a close one with Kokkinakis in front in the third set tie breaker 4-2. Exciting!

I have to finish editing the book tomorrow. 

Sleep time for me.

PS Kokkinakis won!

Nite all.

I Was Discombobulated!

I thought yesterday was Sunday, but TODAY is Sunday!

Whoopsie!

Once again, I spent this afternoon editing the book.

We’ve had light rain for most of the day, but Harley still got two plays.

I watched some tennis this afternoon. One of the T20 cricket matches was abandoned due to rain in Sydney. I am in bed watching the Adelaide Strikers play Perth Scorchers in Adelaide.

I think the Scorchers will win … but ya never know … the Strikers are fighting hard!

My cooking last week, came in handy tonight and I served Butter Chicken with rice and papadums for dinner.

I made myself a milkshake with Brazil nuts, apricot kernels, sea salt, banana and maple syrup. Delish!

Now I’m returning to editing.

Nite all.

Hot Sunday

Too hot to swim!

Too hot for Harley. He chased the ball for 5 minutes, then dropped the ball and stood at the gate looking at me as if to say “Let’s get back inside where it’s air conditioned”.

So we did.

It’s nowhere near as hot here, as it is down south where they are experiencing 43°- 44°C. Ugh!

We stayed inside all day watching all six episodes of the new Stan series “Dear Life”, which I loved and really hope that there is a second series. Series two is not even on the horizon but fingers crossed.

I followed that up with tennis and T20 cricket x 2.

I ate almost an entire Viennetta Classic ice cream cake on my own! I will probably suffer tomorrow.

After such a lazy day, I am feeling very tired at 11pm so it’s time to sleep.

Nite all.