I’ve just read a novel called The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa and it got me thinking back to our life in South Africa, the place we called home for over 6 years. The German Girl is a novel, based on a true story, about the plight of German Jews during WW11, and in a sweeping tragic …
Last Minute Gifts for Mothers Day in Australia
Mothers Day in Australia “The tradition of giving gifts to mothers on Mother's Day in Australia was started by Janet Heyden, a resident of Leichhardt, Sydney, in 1924. She began the tradition during a visit to a patient at the Newington State Home for Women, where she met many lonely and forgotten …
How a Walk in Bali made me realise I’m a Worrier.
Today I'm going to let you into a little secret. Firstly, I love Bali. Secondly, I'm a worrier. And I'm always looking for tips to help me stop worrying. You might see suposedly super-confident me doing 70kms on my bicycle on Instagram, or jetting off to Bali without a care in the world in my …
Little Life Lessons: What would your 95 year old self tell you?
We had just been to the movie to see Finding Your Feet which was all kinds of hilarious, heartwarming and inspiring. It offered up lots of little life lessons for later mid-life. It touched on all sorts of issues, and the acting from Imelda Staunton, Celia Imrie, Johanna Lumley, Timothy Spall and …
Little Life Lessons: What would your 95 year old self tell you?Read More
Lessons learnt from life abroad
I've lived 'abroad' for most of my life. These are the lessons learnt from life abroad. Life Lessons I like to think that I've learnt some life lessons along the way. Of course I forget them regularly. But this much I know is true. Short Quotes about Life Lessons "What would life …
60th Birthday Messages and Thoughts on Turning 60.
I've been absolutely bowled over and humbled by the 60th birthday messages I've received on my very special Big 0 day! So I thought I'd share some with you, and compile a useful resource of 60th birthday messages and also some present ideas too. In a following post, I'm going to create 10 …
Fun Things to do in Perth and 5 Fab Books You Just Have to Read
There are so many fun things to do in Perth, many of them free; from cycling the many bike tracks to walking along the river, to enjoying beautiful Kings Park, but for me one of the best things is to attend a festival. There are loads of wonderful Australian festivals and the Perth Writers …
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10 Songs That Make You Cry
Music is such a part of daily life for me. And there are certain songs which arouse deep emotions in all of us. Songs that make you cry or tingle with emotion might consist of both sad and romantic songs, or evocative haunting instrumental music. Songs that make you cry As the tribute band …
Selfie Poses: How to Take a Super Selfie
Selfie Poses are tricky. I dare anyone to say they took a super selfie the first time they tried ;) The only way to get good at selfies is to take lots of them - try out different things for the best selfie poses - prepare to delete loads and learn from your mistakes, and most of all don't be self …
Celebrity Chefs, Four Ingredients, Holiday Heaven. Welcome to WA!
If you could only lay your hands on four cooking ingredients, what would you buy and cook? This is one of the questions I asked four of the celebrity chefs who were appearing at the Margaret River Gourmet Escape in South West Australia last weekend. (Scroll on down for the celebrity chef …
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21 Tips for a Happy Marriage (without Marriage Counselling)
Yes! It's a Yes! On the evening of the day Australians voted Yes to same sex marriage (Yay Australia!) I mulled over the reasons so many of us, straight or gay, want to get married in the first place, and then started thinking about how to keep marriage happy (without resorting to marriage …
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Are you open to new windows of opportunity?
As I was drinking my early cup of coffee, looking over the lake this morning a bird flew into the living room. With floor length windows on one side the bird in a frenzy flew against them again and again to try and get out, banging his head, fluttering furiously away from me in my attempts to guide …
Merry Christmas and Farewell 2016
It's a funny old time of year really isn't it? On the one hand there's all the razzmatazz of the festive season and the lead up to Christmas Day and on the other there's a feeling of, 'Oh crikey, another year is drawing to a close - how did that go by so fast?' Some of you social butterflies …
13 great books to make you laugh or cry.
If you're like me, you love reading but never get enough time to read very much! Today I'm bringing you my selection of books to make you laugh or cry. If you're stuck for some last minute gift ideas or need an idea for yourself, I thought it would be a good idea to put together a list of 13 …
What I’m Loving This Week – Lovin’ Life
I hope you've all had a good week. I can't believe how fast this one's flown. And it's already time for the Lovin' Life link-up again. I'm wondering what you've all been up to, and would really love to hear about the things you've done or loved this week, or if you'd like to link up something you've …
What I’m Loving This Week – A Lovin Life Linky
Each Thursday I'm going to write a post sharing with you some of the things that I'm loving about life, and invite you to think about what you've loved about life during the week that's flown. A sort of Thank You Universe letter. It might be a random selection of happiness or something specific …
What age is elderly? What age is Mature?
Here's the thing. I was an expat wife and a stay at home mum for around 20 years. When the day came and our house was empty except for Dave and myself I felt completely at a loss. I also, overnight, felt quite a lot older. I spoke about the empty nest syndrome and all that it entails on radio the …
Help! What is Life Purpose?
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What will your Legacy be?
Do you have a legacy you'd like to leave to your children? For instance, how would you like to be remembered? What life lessons do you think you've passed on to your children? Life Stories If our life stories are our legacy then what would you like to pass on to future generations …
Dame Edna comes to York. Hello from my little corner of the world.
This Post is no longer relevant and has been removed. Please pop to the home page for all Lifestyle Fifty posts. …
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How to live a more simple life
For a long time now we've been contemplating living a more simple life. You know, I think back to when we were first married and we really didn't need or have many material possessions. Life was quite simple - work, eat, sleep and make a lot of merry. Housework didn't enter the equation. …
5 Good Habits You Really Should Start Today
We all have habits, right? Good and bad. I hope picking your nose isn’t one of them! But it’s true we have habits even if we don't realise we have them, and the good habits really can help make life easier. Why are good habits important? I find that if I stick to a (good) habit, it …
How to be more creative on a daily basis
The Perth Writers festival is done and dusted for another year, but my memories are still vivid, and the things I learnt are being practiced daily (cough). I love the event ... it's a bit like being offered a literary chocolate box. Everything is a treat and with so many sessions, both paid …
Lifestyle Fifty Survey Results Made me Cry (with relief)
I have a love-hate relationship with polls. Generally they pop up online when I'm at my busiest and I really don't want to complete them. But then I often feel a loyalty to the person who's asked me to answer a few questions, because I know my small input will probably help them direct their …
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Merry Christmas from My Little Corner of the World
Merry Christmas Everyone! How amazing that I'm yodelling best wishes across the internets, when it seems just like yesterday that I was doing the same last year. It's true when we are younger with tiny kids or new careers the days might seem long, but the years are short. Now the days are short and …