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Broken toys
My son left home for six months in September last year and I (finally!) found time to develop a hobby. Okay, I write this blog as a hobby, but I also started having weekly guitar lessons. I’ve been playing guitar since I was teenager and I’m mostly self taught, so it has been great to learn how to play properly. I also did a creative writing course last year. And at the same time I went through (another) break-up and rediscovered Radiohead. I wrote this song at the end of last year, inspired by broken love, Fake Plastic Trees, Tinder and stuff that went viral on the Internet. It’s the first song…
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What is the human cost of your t-shirt?
Slavery and child labour in the fashion industry – how does it actually happen? Ethical supply chain consultant Kate Nicholl explains. When we walk into a department store and buy a new clothing item, we know the store did not make the item. But do we question, who did actually make it? When we buy clothing from a reputable brand and it is expensive, we make an assumption that it must have been made to a high quality in a high-end garment factory. But how do we know? When we buy something and it is a real bargain, do you ever wonder how the brand managed to produce it so cheaply? What is…
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What taking a selfie every day taught me
It’s 15 days into my #livingthegreen challenge and I have not bought any clothes, shoes or accessories. I did, however, buy some homewares for my bathroom, which is currently being renovated. That’s permissible! Taking a photo of myself every day for the past 12 days has been interesting. It’s far more narcissistic than my personality type, but it has been empowering to make myself so visible. They aren’t actually selfies, a kind (and very talented) work colleague has taken most of the images. Somehow she made me look like a model in a couple of them! Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way… It hasn’t been hard to stop…
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Living the green
Join the Sun on my Parade #livingthegreen 30 day challenge! I’m making a small significant change to my consumer behaviour to reduce the environmental and social impacts of my lifestyle. I’m not buying any new clothes, accessories or shoes for a month. Quite simply, I don’t want to support slavery. According to this article, Top fashion labels ranked on use of slavery, most of my favourite labels (Country Road, Veronika Maine, Cue and Witchery) have a B+ rank. I hope they improve. I have a few Saba pieces, which has a horrifying D- rank. I’m now boycotting that brand. Pleasantly surprised to see H&M and Zara have an A- rank. I work in…
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Empty nest, empty heart
I am broken. The sea of grief is so unexpected, so engulfing, so deep. A black cloud has hung over my head, resting on my shoulders like a heavy wet blanket, since he left on a jet plane. My soul, my heart, my being, longs for his presence. I am moved to tears at the thought of him. I have cried myself to sleep most nights for the past month. I have never felt so alone. I dread coming home to this empty nest. And having to be alone, completely alone. I have friends and a new boyfriend and work colleagues and new hobbies… but nothing fills the empty space…
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Six annoying things single women are told
I’ve been single for most of the last 20 years. During that time I’ve raised a baby boy into a good man, moved interstate twice, travelled to Europe twice, bought two homes and built a successful career. I’ve had two long-term partnerships during my son’s life – three years with my husband and then, a decade later, a fiancé for four years. There have been, of course, many short-lived love affairs over the years ranging from three weeks to 12 months. Some took barely a cup of tea with a friend to get over, others took months of therapy to understand (yes, Mr Narcissist, I’m looking at you). Maybe it’s…
