Tired

Here we are, ready to tackle another week. The last week of Term 2 here in Victoria. My kids are tired, I'm tired, and from what I can glean, the whole world is tired. A pandemic will do that, so I've discovered. I've planned to take annual leave, so that I'm at least not trying…

Planting and Growing

I clutch onto the little paper bag in one hand. The other is holding Clarabel's pudgy, soft fingers. We're on our way to the vegetable patch. In the bag are various seeds for cos lettuce, zucchini, tomato, pumpkin and sweet potato. That should be enough to keep her interested. 'Wherz da patch, Mumma?' asks Clarabel.…

Twinning is Winning

I don't have to look far to find an example of something that's not a pair. I look around my home and snap! There they are, right under my nose. My twin loves, T1 and T2, who are forever entwined as a pair, yet due to their fraternal status will also, always, be individuals. Here's…

Fortnightly Visit

Celeste stares in the mirror. First, she leans in close. Really gets a good look at her pores. Big, open. She makes a mental note to book an appointment with her beautician. Meryl is brilliant. Her products even better. She moves away from the mirror, surveys her symmetrical face with her chin jutted high. Years…

In the Shed

'There's too much clutter,' I say to Hank. He's sorting through an old trunk that contains tools that belonged to his father. Above his head, wooden boxes hold nails, screws, paint tins, cables, and, astonishingly, our old Venetian blinds. Why he's keeping them in the old shed, I'll never know. 'It's not clutter. Everything that's…