Author Archives: The Lady in the Back Row.

Life doesn’t wait for anyone. Some days, the ordinary holds more weight than we realise. Yesterday, a friend learned her tumour, removed 18 months ago, has grown back bigger. Life can shift in an instant, and control is never guaranteed. Today, I am thinking about my daughter. She cannot feed herself. She cannot leave theContinue reading “Small Moments, Real Life”

Life accelerates. Responsibilities expand. Today, I paused. A doctor’s appointment. A check-in. A realignment for the year ahead. Not because anything is wrong — but because staying well is intentional. Health requires review. Direction requires adjustment. Energy requires protection. Positive thinking isn’t blind optimism. It’s discipline. Today was maintenance. And maintenance builds strength

5am. Mosquito bites. Once I’m awake, I’m awake. I sleep less the older I get. Coffee. Dark sky. Clear constellations. Today begins a new lunar cycle, a pause to reset. Last year was about illness recovery, health rebuilding, financial pressure, and waiting for stability. This year: Recovery into maintenance. Health into structure. Money into strategy.Continue reading “By Design”

Weekends fly by now. So do the days. There was a time when Friday opened wide. Now it feels like a breath in, a breath out, and it’s Sunday night. Time hasn’t changed. Awareness has. This weekend I tried to learn Instagram. A small thing, really. Yet stepping into a new space always reveals somethingContinue reading “Weekend Fly-By”

Awake at 2am. Seventeen-year-old little dog yelping confused. Dementia. Yesterday I took the kids back to see the little horse. I got too close to the electric fence. The shock hit like a log across my back. Sharp. Invisible. Real. Dinner was another pub menu. Same meals, different heading. I hate cooking, which probably makesContinue reading “Reality vs the Scroll”

Growing up, we are taught to believe in the Cinderella story, the fairytale, the rescue, the happily ever after. My relationships have often felt more like cinders than castles. I carry no regrets, because life is meant to be lived, experienced, and learned from. The truth I’ve discovered is this: I have always been myContinue reading “Happy Valentine’s Day”

Restless sleep. Awake at six. The air is crisp, holding that fragile space between night and day. The moon lingers, a quiet smile in the fading dark while beneath the clouds, the sun begins its patient rise. A changing of guard. A reminder that nothing stays still. Friday carries its own rhythm. My favourite workday,Continue reading “Before the Sun”

I woke up in my own house this morning. The scent of my garden drifting through the air felt grounding, familiar, steady, safe. Yesterday reminded me that progress is rarely linear. Two steps forward, one step back. Work was difficult. Home felt heavy. My energy was unsettled, and everything seemed to amplify from there. WorkplaceContinue reading “Recalibrating”

I stopped to talk to a 95-year-old man last night who lives around the corner from me, on a hill with paddocks and horses nearby. I’d wondered if my granddaughter might one day ride one of them. The horses aren’t his, but he invited me inside. The stories he shared were living history — aContinue reading “A Moment of Living History”

Day four today. Small amounts of fruit continue — steady, meaningful progress. My brother and his family remain a constant source of support, calling daily and surrounding her with positive energy. Momentum is building, gently but surely. A fresh day begins — birds chirping, hopeful vibes, one step forward in a long journey.