Writing helps sooth the savage beast…

There are many psychologists out there that will gladly tell you that art, in its varied forms, is a great therapeutic tool. Drawing is often used with children to help them deal with whatever is troubling them, helping them to express their thoughts on paper, albeit in a cryptic fashion.

Writing  is like that for me.Read More

My Mother at Butterfly Creek

Letter to my mother…

Today is Mother’s Day in New Zealand, and I can guarantee that my mother feels a little under appreciated. She always does at this time of year. Let’s face it. I rarely call, and when I do, the conversations are short. I never visit (she lives in Auckland and I’m in Christchurch). And I never send a present or a card. But I love my mother dearly. Hopefully, she see this and realises that she is in my thoughts every single day, even if I don’t tell her that.Read More

Social Media: Is it the end of society?

Walking through the mall with my children, going to the grocery store, and one thing has become blatantly obvious to me: smartphones are everywhere. And it’s not just the youth.

Not that long ago, my husband, daughter and I decided to enjoy a nice lunch together out.  At the table next to us was a couple in their 60s and both of them were busy texting, or doing whatever, on their smartphones. Even my daughter commented on how they weren’t talking to one another.

“Don’t they like talking with one another, mum?”Read More

At ANZAC, remember all

Today is April 25th. 101 years ago, soldiers from around the world fought on the shores of Gallipoli. Throughout the country, New Zealanders will be attending services commemorating the lives lost in the fight for our freedom.Read More

Musical Support

Many of us have that one special someone in our lives that helps drive us forward. It doesn’t need to be a spouse or partner. It could be a parent, a sibling… a friend. They are the one person that will help you pick up the pieces when your world comes crashing down around you. For me, that one person is my husband.Read More