When you spend a bit of time in the online world it's easy to become disenchanted. Hate sites, trolls, nasty comments, even respectable commentators resorting to bullying techniques to try to make their points, it can all make your head spin. Then in real life a tragedy strikes. I knew the old friends to be there, I was sure the new friends … [Read more...]
Then the World Changed
Last Sunday our family changed forever. My husband Simon tragically died in a rock fishing accident. We are in the midst of planning a funeral which seems so wrong when he was just 46 years old. As we struggle to come to terms with our situation I want to say a huge thank you to our family and friends who have been an amazing support. I … [Read more...]
Remember Written References?
Do you remember a time when you left a job clutching a written reference from your ex-boss? A little bit of paper documenting what they liked about you, outlining all the good stuff you had done. Apparently we don't do written references any more. Instead you list three referees with their contact numbers. The first challenge is finding THREE … [Read more...]
A World Without Bookstores
In my regional town our last mainstream bookstore closed down. We are left with a couple of Christian bookstores and one second-hand bookstore. Now Big W appears to be the main source of reading material. It's hard to imagine living in a place without a good bookshop but I guess that's a reality today for many out-of-the-city places. I still … [Read more...]
Signs I’m Getting Older
I don't put the :) smiley things at the end of my texts. Do you know how long it takes me to write a text? I'm not wasting more time on unnecessary key strokes. Still on texts, no matter how hard I try I just can't seem to abbreviate. I still write in full "are", "you", "because" and so it goes on. It just doesn't LOOK right otherwise. While we … [Read more...]
How Old Do You Want To Grow?
"Ilona's New Hat" Photo by Ari Seth Cohen of Advanced Style.*Given that this blog is my midlife crisis I'm obviously hoping to make it to 90 odd mark. Shambolic Living was born as I hit my 44th birthday and realised I'd neglected a few of my life goals in amongst all the baby, bills and mortgage stuff. So as I madly try to tick off the "to do" list … [Read more...]
What I’m Reading This Week
Well I've made it to Sydney! I left in the dark at 4.30am - and managed to waltz into the Curzon Hall at 9.30am - not a bad effort considering that involved almost an hour of standstill Sydney traffic - how do you people ever get anywhere? The Digital Parent's Conference is proving to be a mindfest of information and an overload of emotion - … [Read more...]
Animal Farm
Yesterday here at Shambles Manor it was all butterflies and flowers as I wrote a lovely post to my eldest daughter in honour of her 16th birthday. Today, well the atmosphere has grown decidedly icy, you could grow stalagmites. You see, turns out I am an evil mother. At the last-minute I purchased tickets to see a play, without consulting, … [Read more...]
An Ode To My Nose
It just sits there on my face, doing nothing much in particular. Then one day a scaly lump appears on it and suddenly my nose is trying to kill me. It's always been a bit dodgy. A childhood of allergies and colds left me with very little sense of smell. Unless I'm pregnant. Then, for the only time in my adult life, I can smell the ocean, and the … [Read more...]
Could You Spend Nothing On Your Kids For A Year?
The thought struck me recently that my kids, as teenagers, are costing me more than ever before. It's not that they are particularly materialistic, it's just now they go out more, and usually without me. As they head out the door for another trip to the movies, lunch in town, hiring canoes on the river I find myself handing over $20 or $40 each … [Read more...]
