There is a street in Sydney’s north that is famous for Halloween. Every year hundreds of families descend on it to knock on doors in search of treats. I live on that street. Which is probably why I curse Halloween like a witch spitting chips.When we first moved here over a year ago, I’d heard it was a popular destination for trick or treaters. No one seems to know why, although some like to point … [Read more...]
Archives for October 2012
Twitter-struck
Yesterday morning I woke up, scratched my crotch sleepy head then lazily switched on my phone to check my email. Through my blurry morning eyes I saw a notification from Twitter. One of Australia’s most notable CEOs had retweeted me.I was chuffed that someone of that stature had not only read my blog, but had also retweeted it to his followers. That’s the beauty of Twitter. It opens a window to … [Read more...]
An executive’s guide to Twitter…sort of
Earlier this week I read an article in the Australian Financial Review* declaring that senior Australian executives are set to become more commonplace on social networks over the next two years in a bid to avoid losing control of their brands. Oh my! Is that my communications helpline ringing again? I feel a dreamy wavy thing coming on… Ring, ring...ring ring. Me: “Hello. … [Read more...]
Could’ve been. Should’ve been. Wasn’t.
Recently I sat next to a woman at a dinner party. I won’t go into who she was or where we were, but our conversation gravitated towards our children.Her face beamed proudly as she told me about her teenage sons. Her eldest son in particular, who was achieving top marks in all his subjects in his final year at school. But then her eyes flickered with worry as she looked down at her food.“He’s just … [Read more...]
The woman in the iron apron
There is a pile of aprons steadily growing in my kitchen cupboard. Freshly folded, brightly coloured, some with cutesy slogans or the odd pink frill. ‘Subtle’ gifts from various members of my family – my mother, my sister, Busy-And-Important-Husband – in hope they will one day be put to good use. But no matter how funny the slogan or how cute the frill, it ‘aint ever going to happen people. I … [Read more...]
Let the show school go on
Imagine facing the prospect of sending your five-year-old child to boarding school? As someone who bawled earlier this year when her own five-year-old started school, just half a kilometre down the road from our home, I can’t fathom it. In fact, my heart breaks just thinking about it. But as I write, there is a group of people whose hearts are breaking as they contemplate sending their children … [Read more...]