30 Day Challenge, Day 19. A list of all the places you have lived at.

August 25, 2015 raphaela991 Comment

This could take a while! I lived in the Western Suburbs of Sydney as a child, and then (in order):

Guildford-I rented a room from a friend. There were three families living in one little house!

Balmain-I rented an old stable here. It was converted into a series of one bedroom flats.

Parramatta-I rented a unit.

Katoomba- I lived in two different houses, though eventually came off the mountain as the cold affected my breathing.

Bexley-I rented a unit.

St Peters-I had a terrace.

Nth Ryde-I rented a house.

Newcastle-I rented a townhouse.

Hurstville-I rented a lovely old three bedroom house which was knocked down in the name of progress.

Taren Point-I lived in a share house.

Sans Souci-I lived in a rat-infested house where some of the walls were patched up with cardboard and the hot water system was designed for a shed, not a house!

Since then, I have lived in many other homes. Some lovely, and some nightmares. I really believe that each move is a step closer to my forever home!

30 Day Challenge, Day 18. Name the TV show you have become addicted to.

August 23, 2015 raphaela993 Comments

I can’t say I have one. I would have to sit still for long enough! That was quick! I tend to watch a little of a lot of shows. The season has ended now, but I adored Love Child. It was set in the 60’s to early 70’s, my favourite era!

30 Day Challenge- Day 17. What do you want to be when you get older?

August 22, 2015August 22, 2015 raphaela994 Comments

I want to be an independent woman with enough financial security to provide me freedom. I want to continue writing and speaking and have time to dedicate to making art. When my daughter is older, I would quite like to be a counsellor or work in the funeral industry, consoling the grieving. I would love to age as these majestic ladies have aged!

30 Day Challenge-Day 16. If the world were to end tomorrow…

August 22, 2015August 22, 2015 raphaela992 Comments

If the world were to end tomorrow, what would you do with your remaining time on earth?

I would let go of all the extraneous stuff we fool ourselves into thinking are important. You know, stuff on the to-do list that we panic about accomplishing. Stuff like remembering to pick up bread, file your nails and shoot off an email. The world wont end if we don’t do this stuff. I would fire up my car and seek out my local friends. I would tell them all how much I love them and what a difference they made to my life. I would send messages to friends far and wide (no phone calls as that would take far too long out of the day). I would eat fairy bread with my daughter, then we would play board games. We would go to Lush and fill up a basket, then I would buy her the most beautiful dress and shoes. I would celebrate that I don’t have to do any housework by opening a bottle of 1907 Heidsieck. I would relish the sound of the cork popping, and drink it slowly. I wouldn’t have any regrets. It has been quite a ride, this life. I wouldn’t have missed it for quids. Ironically, I would probably have the best slumber of my life, knowing that I did the best I could.

30 Day Challenge. Day 15, A photo of someone you fancy at the moment.

August 21, 2015August 21, 2015 raphaela992 Comments

His name is Santa Baby, and he is divine! He loves playing board games and partaking in warm baths.

30 Day Challenge. Day 14, Provide Pictures of Celebrity Crushes

August 21, 2015August 21, 2015 raphaela993 Comments

I can’t say I have crushes on anybody, but I do admire some celebrities.

30 Day Challenge, Day 13. Three Confessions of your Choice

August 20, 2015 raphaela994 Comments

I have always wanted the experience of a confessional booth, and this is the next best thing!

I am impervious and impatient, whilst having the ability to smile beatifically so nobody would know.

I once tried a colour diet. I was young and perused the dietary advice in magazines (I don’t any more)! This one consisted of eating and drinking only one colour for a whole week. I was stumped when it got to purple, and ate a whole raw aubergine(skin on), because I didn’t know it needed cooking!

3. I can be in great pain and you would never know. The smile disappears once I am in a hot bath and I let the tears flow. As long as I am in good company, I can remain cheerful. It is a blessing to transcend the physical pain for a while, and also a blessing when I am alone dealing with it.

30 Day Challenge, Day 11. What is your Favourite Quote?

August 19, 2015 raphaela995 Comments

The week before my attempted murder, I read a piece about a young girl who had died tragically. This was inscribed on her headstone. It touched my heart so, and I wrote it down. I have kept a hold of it throughout the years.

I love this one too! It is indeed true. If you never reveal your pain and struggles, people take it as a given that you are always strong. This leaves you with no room to move, nor to admit that you need support.

30 Day Challenge. Day 10, One Food and One Beverage

August 18, 2015August 18, 2015 raphaela997 Comments

If I could only live off of one food and one beverage for the rest of my days, what would they be?

I immediately thought of claret, blood-red and fragrant.

I then became an adult, and realized that my beverage would have to be water.

This made me sad.

The food would be apples. All that goodness in one little fruit!

It would be quite boring, but I feel I could at least survive on water and apples!

30 Day Challenge. Day 9; Pet Peeves

August 17, 2015August 17, 2015 raphaela997 Comments

Okay, here is where you discover how grumpy a little pixie I can be!

People who talk incessantly without drawing breath. What’s that about? I have to lay down in a quiet space after encountering these types.
People who push into queues and pretend not to notice your eyes burning into the back of their heads.
People who cough and sneeze on you. Thanks for that!
Neighbours who have an abnormal interest in your goings-on. I didn’t think that my greeting a friend out the front, or collecting my mail would be that fascinating.

stock-photo-nosey-neighbor-34551175

5.People who are always late. I am always early, so this frustrates me.

6. Women who talk incessantly about their Thermomix. I have one, as preparing food from scratch was aggravating my spine. Nothing like feeling bones grinding along your spine as you chop! Now, I just throw things into the bowl and it does the rest. It is a handy appliance, and that is as far as my obsession goes.

7. I find it aggravating that nobody ever calls by when the house is clean. They come en masse just as I am thinking of tidying!

8. Government agencies that keep you on hold for hours. Hours of my life that I will never get back.

9. People who cant make their minds up. I have had to make some very important decisions in a snap, and must admit, I do get irritated when in the company of an indecisive type. This is especially irritating when the time comes to order food.

10. People who take life too seriously. You have to have some fun! Most things that occur in a day aren’t life-changing. They are transient hiccups.

11.Movies that people see en masse. Its almost like a rite of passage to see a certain film, and people gather together in groups to view a popular film like 50 Shades of Grey. Most aren’t my cup of tea and I politely decline.

12. Noisy bars and restaurants. What’s the point of a night out if you cant even talk to the people you are with? Have these places ever heard of sound-proofing?

13.Too much emphasis on status symbols. I would rather my child and I not be branded and made to into a walking advertisement for a clothing company.

14. Noisy shopping centres. The ones with the whole disaster; garish lighting, crap music, hard to negotiate. My idea of hell.

15.Party plans of any kind.

16. Mean-spirited people who gossip.

17. People who kick the back of your chair at the theatre or movies.

18. People who continually ask why you only had one child. I used to ramble on about my fertility issues, as though I had to justify having one kid. Now I just smile and say “I stopped at perfection.”