There are many excellent articles published recently on depression and the pains taken to get people to understand clinical or major depression, and how it is not what you think it is. I was diagnosed with clinical depression 12 years ago, and after one lot of nightmare drugs which amplified everything instead of helping, I … Continue reading »
Tag Archives: Life
Skin and ink
Once upon a time, I wrote (in this blog, I’m sure – but I can’t find it), that tattoos are like marriages: you’re bound for the rest of your life, and if you do decide it’s not for you, and you want to remove it, the process is protracted and painful, and you never get … Continue reading »
Reflections on a question I get asked often.
I went to a first birthday party today.* It was everything you’d expect from such an auspicious occasion. The birthday boys were the centre of attention: finding the wrapping paper far more interesting than the presents. There were kids everywhere. And there were the parents keeping a wary and indulgent eye on their children and … Continue reading »
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife…
Happy New Year! It’s 2013, and we’ve all survived the zombie apocalypse that had nothing zombie-ish about it. We also survived not one, but two raptures (not to be confused with raptors). After a beautiful, but blustery NYE in the capital (cancelling the fireworks. Again.), the first day of 2013 has graced us in a … Continue reading »
Waiting on a grey day in Sydney-town.
It’s nearly 8:30am, here in Sydney. I’ve been pondering the world since 5, which my body tells me is 7am, and, in New Zealand, would have been right. This is the most miserable weather that I have encountered in NSW, in all my visits, and a quick peek out the window confirms things: it’s grey … Continue reading »
With tendrils of possibility…
Weeks of silence, and suddenly I’m posting twice in consecutive days! What’s that about? Possibly the fact that I’m actually sleeping again, or that I’ve just (fingers crossed) finished a cover letter for possibly the biggest job application of my life, or maybe going through my knitting library online and the books I have here … Continue reading »
Tea and knitting in bed
I can’t remember the last time I woke up early on a Saturday, made a cup of tea, and went back to bed. It is miserable outside – and I will be venturing out to see people and places and do things later – but for now, I have a pair of Ood socks to … Continue reading »
What I learnt from the French, part 1.
It is with untold joy that I begin this post sitting in my favourite coffee bar, listening to their LP collection, and drinking my first decent cup of coffee in weeks. A brief break between Europe and Wellington in a beautiful part of the Coromandel, feet up, watching the waves, and spending time with Very … Continue reading »
And all I ask is for a tall ship and a star to steer her by.
Food is a touchy subject for many: for eating and discussing. It requires all the senses to really appreciate it. Food can also provoke an emotional response. If I am feeling homesick, for example, I make a big dish of macaroni and cheese, or champ (complete with loads of butter and spring onions). When I’m … Continue reading »
“They started out, beneath the knowledge tree”*
So, after 6 months of waiting, the weekend finally arrived. Shelley and her mum flew down, and we went to the WOW Awards. It was a spectacular Spectacular. An amazingly slick and entertaining production. And when we got the NZ ballet performing to the NZ Opera, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. It … Continue reading »
