Hello dear reader,
My kids went away for a 4D 3N camp last weekend. When I told my friends this, many of them cheered and gave me big smiles and high fives, telling me to “go enjoy yourself!”. And I tried. I really did. But to be honest, I was such a bag of mixed emotions. (Or a mixed bag of emotions… however the saying goes.)
This was the first time they were both going away without any of us with them.
It was the first time Alistair was going to a camp without us.
This was the first time since Alistair’s diagnosis in 2021 that I had to relinquish control over his day-to-day care.
Four days of quiet and three nights of not tucking them into bed just felt… strange.
My anxiety levels were on a rollercoaster ride, especially after receiving a call from the camp organiser on Saturday morning that Alistair might be unwell. (He turned out to be okay, but we packed our bags just in case we had to drive 2+ hours to pick him up or meet him at the hospital. We didn’t have to in the end, but, we were pretty much on our toes for the entire weekend.)
But anyway. I survived.
Worries and strangeness aside, I did enjoy a lot of quality time with the hubby. In fact, this was probably the first time since Amy was born (so that’s 9 years) that we’ve had a full weekend just to ourselves.
And it was a good break. We actually could pause and do what we wanted to do (like hiking up the 1000 Steps in Dandenong Ranges. I almost fainted. And I’m not speaking in metaphors at all – but that’s another story for another day). It was nice to be able to just rest without having to constantly be switched on and taking care of the little ones.
But I admit. We missed the kids. So. Much.
So it was with much joy and relief that we went to pick the kids up on Monday. They had such big smiles on their faces – and so much to share! Helicopter rides, police escorting them from one place to another, ferry rides, movie at the cinema, crocodile shows at the wildlife park… Wowee! It went on and on!
I’m so happy they had fun, and so proud of them for taking care of themselves independently at camp. But most of all? I’m so happy to have them home.
A big thank you to Challenge for organising this wonderful camp – and for always supporting kids with cancer and their families. It means so much to us.
My recent writing work…
As part of my role as a copywriter/content marketing lead (I recently had a change of jobs), I sometimes get to meet and interview interesting people for feature articles. Here are a few I’ve done recently:
A work of art: Meet Melbourne’s favourite art dealer, Irving Laffner
Inclusivity in fashion: How JAM brings dignity back to dressing for people with disability
Hybrid and beyond: Navigating the future of work
… and podcasts…
Speaking of interviews, I don’t know if I’ve ever shared here that I did a podcast for the agency I was previously with. (Probably not, seeing that my last newsletter was in Jan! Oops.)
The Why Between the Lines podcast was my baby. I’ve been playing around with the idea for a while before sharing it with my former boss. And she was so excited about it that she offered to let me create it with the agency’s support. So I did!
I managed to complete the first season before I moved to my current role, so if you’re interested in hearing about the ‘why’ that drives people in what they do, have a listen!
What about Stories of Yore, I hear you ask?
We’re 8 episodes in! And I have every intention to continue this podcast. I just need some time to plan how to go about it, settle into my new job, and… rest. So at this moment, no, I don’t know when the next episode is coming. But I do hope to continue.
… and paintings!
The last few months had been quite a whirlwind as we moved house and I started a new job. So I hadn’t touched the paintbrush at all.
Until last week.
I did a few sketches here and there, but this is a (relatively) big acrylic piece that I finished over the weekend. And I’ve named it, The Pink Beach. Of course.
A roundup of recs
What I’ve been reading
A few books that captured my attention (and heart) recently: The Stolen Heir, The League of Gentlewomen Witches, The Wife and the Widow, and The Burnout.
I also picked up this copywriting book, A Self-Help Guide for Copywriters, after following the author in LinkedIn for a while. If you’re a copywriter, or if you just love seeing clever words in action, I highly recommend it.
What I’ve been watching
As Black Friday rolled in, I treated myself to a BBC Maestro subscription! I suppose it’s like Masterclass, but British. I’m excited about a number of the courses they have there, and I’ve just started the one with Jojo Moyes.
During the weekend, the hubby and I thought of going to the cinemas, since, you know, we were without kids (!). Sadly, none of the movies listed caught our interest. So we decided to stay home and watch Just Go With It again. Glad we did! It was a classic Adam Sandler movie – silly but hilarious!
What I’ve been listening
A few podcasts:
Simon Pegg in Desert Island Discs
Gillian Anderson in How to Fail with Elizabeth Day
Shaun Usher in In Writing with Hattie Crisell
That’s all I have for you in this newsletter. If you’ve made it all the way down here, I want to say, thank you so much for reading and humouring me, and I appreciate you.
As we head towards the end of 2023, remember to be gentle and kind to yourself – and to those around you xx