Home interior.

Tell me about your home

Tell me about your home. My partner is binge-watching the new season of Orange is the New Black. Since I was on my own last night, I decided to watch something I hadn’t seen before. I started watching Outlander. Based on a series of novels, it’s about a Second World War-era English nurse named Claire … Read more

A vintage typewriter. On writing.

Writing and writers

I’ve been writing as long as I can remember. When I was a little kid in primary school, I wrote a Halloween-themed short story. It was for a local something, maybe a competition. I don’t remember if I won, but I got a certificate with a werewolf on it. I still have it. It’s packed in … Read more

A red flower growing the cracks of a dry bed to demonstrate resilience.

The secret to resilience

Recently I had lunch with a friend and she wanted to know my secret to resilience. We find ourselves in a toxic environment that we can’t change and are not ready to leave. It’s taking a toll on her not only emotionally, but also on her physical well-being. Her body wears the signs of stress. … Read more

A toy frog in a camper with a welcome sign.

Welcome to my new blog

Hello, dear readers, and welcome to my new blog. If you came here redirected from my previous blogs Stumble Down Under or Magickly, you’ll find much of that content here and more is coming. If you’re joining me for the first time, welcome! You might be wondering what on earth I’m doing now. Let me … Read more

map drawn on hands expat

The road to residency part 8: permanent residency

On Saturday, 1st April – April Fools’Day – I received an email from my migrant agent with the news. I am a permanent residency. The PDF from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection was attached. It took three years. I applied for the temporary residency visa in April 2014. Two years later, in April 2016, I became eligible to … Read more

Blogging LiveJournal

On blogging and LiveJournal’s new terms

I don’t remember when I started blogging. It was on AOL Journals so it was at least 2003, but I left before it closed in 2008. I don’t remember what I blogged about, probably nothing. Although there were some pioneers in the space, a blog in the late 1990s and early 2000s was, generally speaking, … Read more