Talking Frankly is about everything from housework to human rights. It is a mixture of observation, commentary and opinions.
It also contains a lot of profanity along with the humanity. And please don’t steal my work. Somebody invariably dobs you in and it gets messy.
Enjoy!
What can I do?
An argument breaks out in the neighbourhood. Ugly words are screamed into the air. The street. A child screams, sobbing for their parents to “Stop. Mummy and Daddy, please STOP.” It stops. For now. 18 people stabbed in a shopping centre. Social media explodes...
1620 days later
Chrissy. Sharon. Greg. Carly. Marina. Angie. Melissa. Priya. Me. Julie RIP. Different folks. Different strokes. Mostly clots. A bleed or two. Takayasu’s Arteritis. Pregnancy. Blood pressure. Atrial Fibrillation. No fucking idea. Sorry ‘cryptogenic’. For some:...
It is what it is
It is what it is. It is the crushing feeling of despair, and overwhelming loneliness you feel during pandemic lockdowns when you can’t imagine living again without fear. It is what it is. It is the visceral grief you feel when you realise that you will never be a...
Dear Jenny
Dear Jenny Do you know what I find a ‘bit disappointing’? I find it a ‘bit disappointing’ you have time to worry about the manners of one individual when your husband is gleeful about the inhumane incarceration without cause of refugees, some of whom came to us as...
The power of stories
I spend a lot of time thinking about stories. A lot. Some of that is because I’m a voracious reader. Some of that is because I am a content creator and so I tell a lot of stories. Some mine, some for clients, some to justify why the tooth fairy was such a stingy...
Reflections of an imperfect ally
I think that part of being a good ally is to accept that you are a constant work in progress.
Just for the moment
It seems like a minute ago my babies were tiny enough to be snuggled into my neck, 18 months ago their cheeks still bore the chubbiness of childhood, and now they stretch almost from my chin to my toes, transforming into young women even though they have had to learn...
Things to love in lockdown
Yes. Lockdown sucks. But you know what doesn’t suck? Most people. So this is for them. The woman baking cookies and leaving them on the doorstep of her neighbours. The people in their houses who have teddy bears shoved in the front window for you to smile at as you...
Unexplained
I’ve joked more than once recently that if I was to release a memoir it would have to be titled ‘Unexplained’. That’s the official medical diagnosis for the stroke I had two years ago today. It’s the official medical diagnosis for the weird butt thing I have which has...
It is time to be a better ally
Let me start by stating that I am a white cis heterosexual woman. Since birth, I have benefited from the way the world works here in Australia (and most, if not all, other first world countries) Was I aware of this as a child? No. Am I aware of this as an adult? Yes....
Online platforms are not the devils work
Conversations with the two humans in our house aged eight and ten generally go something like this at the moment. “Harry Potter, Roblox, Minecraft, Anime, Manga, My Hero Academia, YouTube, TikTok, Fashion, Harry Potter, Roblox, Minecraft, Anime, Manga, My Hero...
Investing in mental health
The call to arms for 2020's World Mental Health Day is 'Invest in mental health'. Trust me, as somebody who lives with depression and anxiety I've bloody invested in it. Firstly, my time.... living with depression and anxiety is quite time consuming and secondly,...