One Ro, Many Roads

Dear Peeps, This week should have broken me. If it had been 6 months ago, it would have. Yes, I am about to air some dirty laundry but it is my blog so I can. An amazing, kind and loving person in my life died. I had to walk into palliative care on my own and say goodbye. I love you MJ. The Magpies can have the flag this year. I was assaulted at a school football game. I was pushed multiple times by a parent. How is that ok? I visited my favourite people,the police, to report the assault. I waited 3hrs to get in and it took 2hrs to make a statement to be told it was not high on the priority list, and he was not sure what he could do. Ummm get the CCTV and follow up on the name I gave you. Oh and do your job👮‍♀️. More memories of my sexual abuse have risen. Sickening and sad and much worse than I thought. One other thing I can't discuss. I finally said goodbye to someone special. If my actions don't show my feelings for them, then it is time. I should be sitting in the corner r...

Dear Peeps, As you can tell from my posts and social media , I am a little different. I like to interact with the world. I will stop and talk to anyone on a whim💫, I will let a homeless woman sleep 🛌in my hotel room on a freezing cold night and I will fight the good fight 🥊if I believe injustice is occurring. People find this strange and because it takes them outside of their comfort zone, they make negative comments to try to bring me back to what they believe is "normal". I have had family and friends say things to me like "You're an embarrassment", "You really should not post that stuff" and "People are laughing at you". I am glad I have such good relationships with these people that they feel they can share anything with me but what they don't realise is we have that relationship because of the type of person I am. If I was "normal", they would never feel safe to say this to me. They would be too scared by my reaction.😱...

Hey Peeps, Today I want to talk about something that’s been really on my mind for a while; teachers . Or, more accurately, what teachers are "expected" to do every single day. Spoiler alert 😉 we just want to teach. That’s it. That’s all. But sadly, life in education has become a multi-tasking circus 🎪 and honestly, we’re all feeling the burnout. First off, let me clear one thing up: teachers don’t want more pay 💰. Nope. We want less workload. (Yes, less. Not more.) Because we’re constantly drowning in paperwork 📝, admin forms, meetings 🗣️, and a million other things that pull us away from what we really love; teaching. You see, we’re not just educators. Oh no. These days, we’re practically social workers 🧑‍⚕️, data analysts 📊, social media marketing geniuses 📸, and sometimes even stand-up comedians (okay, maybe not that last one... but I think I am funny😂). And for what? Because someone higher up thinks it’s fair to ask us to do all of it. Let’s start with the data...

Dear Peeps, I had the most awesome night at the AFL a few weeks ago. And it was not just because The Lions won. It was because of the people I met. You all know I love a chat, especially to strangers. Firstly, I started talking to 🏃. 🏃is in his 70s and has run over 100 marathons. I felt good having run one, but he has run over 100. His mental strength must be phenomenal. I loved hearing about specific runs like the Boston Marathon. 🏃told a good tale. He then introduced me to 🦁 and H. 🦁 is his loving partner (not their first marriage, there is hope for me yet) and H is from Paupa New Guinea and it was her first AFL game. H was loving it and she could not have come with better people. 🦁 runs a Facebook page for Lions Fan and you can only post positive comments or she kicks you go 🦵🥊. Love your work 🦁. Because of this she has Lion's players wives on the page as they want to see positive news about their men - no trolls or keyboard warriors. Back to the gift story. A few times...

Dear Peeps, It is the words you dread to hear out of anyones mouth, especially your Mum's. My Mum was diagnosed with bowel cancer just before Christmas. She is fit and healthy and in her early 70s. Another friend, that very same week, was also diagnosed in his late 40s. He is fitter and healthier than anyone I know. Cancer does not discriminate. Young, old, sick and healthy. And it is someone's Mum, Sister, Brother, Dad or child. What broke my heart though was my Mum saying to me - I am sorry, you just did not need another thing right now. Even though she was about to go into the toughest fight of her life, she was worried about me. My Mum has always been my rock and I knew that she needed all her energy to focus on herself. Dad and Mum were inseparable, I wanted to take her to some appointments to give Dad a break, but he would not hear of it. In typical Dad fashion, he arrived almost an hour early to every appointment. Sometimes getting a cancelation phone call because the ch...

 Dear Peeps, It is a very simple question - when did you stop having fun? I mean the type of fun that makes you smile until your face hurts or laugh until you cry🤣 (or maybe pee a little). I realised I stopped having fun quite awhile ago and that is when my mental health issues started. Fun is different for everyone; for me it includes being a little bit cheeky, breaking the rules (I don't really but I think I am :) and just being me. A childlike me. Some fun I have had recently includes: 🎠Riding a bucking mechanical bull 🎽Going in the running races with my students at the school athletics carnival (I did not come first or last) 🛴Riding a scooter around the city These are very simple things but they brought me back to my childhood. The innocent joy of a child is not something you can replace. It is amazing but as we become adults we let this go. We have bills to pay, dishes to wash, kids to look after but what about us? We lose ourselves and we lose our ability to have fun...

Dear Peeps, I have been very lucky so far to have been able to find somewhere to stay each night either housesitting, staying at my best mates, going away on holidays or the random night at my parents when a bed is free. I am currently staring down the barrel of a few nights with nowhere to stay. When I have told people why I can't live in my own home, most people have been very generous and tried to offer some help. The one which brought tears to my eyes was my old house cleaner, who became a friend. K listened to my story and then shared hers with me. She was truly homeless at one stage, sleeping in her car or on the beach, whilst her kids were in foster care. She had been a drug addict and fled a DV situation and left her kids with the authorities whilst she got herself together. She was so open and vulnerable to share this with me. She made me promise I would never sleep in my car or out rough. She now raises her grandkids and still has two of her own grown children living with...

Hi Peeps, This blog is not about COVID or panic buying, it is about that dreaded feeling you get when you reach into the toilet paper dispenser and you come back with nothing! Yip, zilch, nada. This actually happened to me 3 minutes ago. I am in one of the most prestigious hotels in Brisbane (hint it is right on the river and starts with S). I have a work function to attend and thought I will use the restroom before it starts. Thankfully it was just number ones 😉. But whilst I am sitting there thinking what I should I do, I think this should not be happening in a hotel of this standard. Thoughts of a trip to Singapore popped into my head. This would never happen at Raffles or in The Fairmount in Seoul, Korea. Caught, literally, with my pants down, I prayed I have a tissue in my bag. It is a bag I rarely use so I was not hopeful. Bingo!! I scored. I was so happy. I did not have to do the crazy game of dashing to the next cubicle and hope I did not get caught. There was no one else in t...

Hi Peeps, Put your hand up if you have a specific work meeting you dread. 🙌 That is a two hander from me. In my workplace, it is the all staff meeting that is held once a term and runs until 5pm at night. See most teachers usually leave by 3:30pm, so 5pm is late for us. We generally start work around 7am - 7:30am so don't give me the usually BS about teachers only working school hours. (And if you mention the amazing holidays I will put a curse on your first born). All day, a dark cloud hovers over the school, it has been looming for a week and today it arrives. Staff see each other and say are you looking forward to tonight? Knowing you want to stab yourself in the eye with a fork before going to this meeting. Everyone sees -who was brave or stupid - and called in sick. They don't have to come but have to make the time up another time. They have already made the time up 10 x over because remember we only get paid for 5 hours and work a 7-8 hour day. The Boss provides some foo...

Hi Peeps, Expectation is this word. The definition of this word from the Oxford Dictionary of English - Over the last few years, I have been told by a few people (yes, men), that I should have no expectations. I find this very confusing. Why should I not expect certain levels of commitment? Let delve into this further. Reasons for Having Expectations in a Romantic Relationship Clear Communication: Because “I’m fine” rarely means “I’m fine,” so having expectations helps them know when to bring chocolate. Motivation: You expect them to plan date nights, which means you don’t end up spending another weekend sitting st home waiting for a call or text. . Accountability: When they promise to take out the bins, it’s not a vague suggestion—it’s a sacred vow. Trust Building: If they consistently show up on time, you know they’re trustworthy (and not just lost again without Google Maps). Avoiding Mind Reading: Because despite your hopes, they still can’t magically know you need a cup of tea the ...

Dear Peeps, I was lucky to spend two nights at FV Peppers, in Fortitude Valley (FV). For those of you who don't know , The Valley is very close to Brisbane City Centre and is the night club precinct. A girlfriend and I shared the cost of the room for one night and as a treat to myself, I had the first night on my own. FV Peppers is amazing. Worth every penny to spoil yourself. You can hire out the private spa room or go to the roof top pool and spa. I took myself on a date to the spa room and just enjoyed the water and view. Here are some photos of some iconic buildings in Brunswick Street Mall. On the Saturday, we went to Enigma, which is a night club. It holds an over 30s disco every few months from 3 - 8pm, playing 80s and 90s music. We had a blast. We wore our sparkles and danced the night away. The other regular site in FV is homeless people. My grandfather always advised me to give food to the homeless, never money. If that is right or wrong I don't know. I spoke to Jazz,...

Hi Peeps, Please note there are triggers in this story. I mention sexual abuse. Please stop reading if this is a trigger for you. A few weeks ago I mentioned I have been undertaking Somatic Experience (SE) therapy. This therapy has been so helpful for me as part of the many other things I do to try and heal. Most of my anxiety and depression is held in my body. I would be constantly telling the GP about the physical sensations I have. The pins and needles in certain parts of my body, the knotted muscles, the soreness - I felt like they ignored this. The medication did not help these symptoms so I started to investigate. A few years back, I came across some somatic therapy information, it made sense to me. However, like anything it is another cost and when you are raising 3 kids with limited financial support from your ex you put them first. At the end of 2024, I came across a local Somatic Experience therapist. He popped up on Facebook. Yes, this time I lis...

 Dear Peeps, I have so many amazing people in my life, I just have to share them. I will write a series on them but in no particular order. As in the first one is not my most favourite, it is they are amazing and I need to acknowledge them. I love them all. Today, I am going to talk about 🌞. The back story is I used to work 🌞 when I worked in a Admin Management role for a Hospital. 🌞 was in the same office.  🌞 is one of those people who are just so positive even when the chips are down. She taught me to like hugs (I am not a hugger so that is huge for me). I love 🌞. 🌞 and I started a staff wellbeing group at this Hospital. Once a month we used to run a challenge or event and ask all the staff to attend. We did push up challenges, plank challenges, Melbourne Cup hat competitions and many other fun things. However, when I left to go to be a teacher 🌞 stepped up the program and started an annual fun run called the  Reddy Fun Run  .  This run/walk raises...

Dear Peeps, You all will have your own opinion on this but for me it is being a parent. Please notice the present tense as once you have a child, this job never stops. As you know S&P were amazing parents (I thank the universe daily for them). I was lucky to have such great role models, and also see some other great parents like S&G, my childhood BFF's parents 👩‍❤️‍👨. These are the people I modelled my parenting style from. I was 24, when I had my first child - beautiful little boy 🐒. I do want to acknowledge, I had a miscarriage prior so he was not my first pregnancy. He was the first grandchild and great grandchild on my Dad's side. He was so welcomed and so loved. Then 18 months later I gave birth to identical twin girls 🐒🐒. My son was only 10 months old when I found out I was having twins. I laughed hysterically when I found out I was having twins. Only a parent will understand why. I was determined to be a great Mum and with the help of my ex husband we made a...

Hi Peeps, As you know I have 3 🐒🐒🐒. The oldest is a male and the other two are female. Yes, I love them all equally, even though they say I have favourites. Like any mother, I have watched my son and his mates over the years. I have seen them grow into amazing young men. He has amazing friends who have supported him (as he supports them) for years. But sadly, sometimes I see them struggling with their place in the world. All over the news we see woman's rights and equality. This is great but many times these media outlets also show young men in a bad light. Men are violent, men are rapists, men are bad. Well, it is time someone spoke up. The minority of men are violent, there are a small amount of men who are bad and not all men are rapists. Shock horror, women are also violent, some women are bad and woman can be rapists. I hear boys talking about consenual sex and worrying if they should get a woman to sign something to say they agree to have sex. No, I am not joking. These yo...

Dear Peeps, We have all had mean stuff said about us over the years. But the teenage years are a sensitive time, especially as our body image is formed. I went to a high school in country Victoria, a small town, where they had a festival about potatoes and every year they crowned a Potato Princess🥔. For year 11 camp we got bused to QLD and spent 2 weeks travelling around. So cool! It was the highlight of your time at high school. I was so fortunate that S&P paid for me to go. 😍 First stop - Great Keppel Island aka Paradise!! We swam and hiked and just had fun with our mates. Second stop - Fraser Island - not as beautiful as Great Keppel but stunning in its own way. Just watch out for dingoes and mean boys. Mean boys? What does Ro mean? One night I was walking back to my tent, which I shared with 3 other girls - yes we did laugh and talk all night💕💕💕💕. I had amazing friends. I walked past a tent, which was filled with boys and heard one boy, lets call him 🤡 speaking. 🤡 said ...

Hi Peeps, A few posts ago I mentioned moving close to my arch nemesis. I know you haven't been able to sleep waiting to find out 🤷🏼‍♀️. Today, I am going to put you out of your misery. In some contexts, an arch-nemesis can refer to a task or goal that a person struggles to achieve. And let me tell you, this task has broken me on occasions. I finally feel I have conquered it and yet again it beats me. Just like any good enemy, Batman and the Joker, Tom and Jerry, Jerry and Newman. (I love how Jerry Seinfeld spits out Newman😂. Drum roll please🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁 Sunnyside Road. Strava name - How do you like your eggs??🥹😂 Looking at this image you are like, why is Ro complaining about 0.31metres. Ro is 🤪. I challenge you to come and try it yourself. This is a hill in Scarborough, yes Scarborough does have a hill, just like Margate has King St. Over the years, I have crawled, walked, jogged and run up and down this hill. I am being serious!! The worst time in our relationship was during...

 Dear Peeps, If you were a Friends fan you will understand the title of this blog. It is the age old debate that if you are on a "break" during your relationship is it ok to sleep with someone else? If you never watched Friends, Rachel suggests they take a break from their relationship after a fight.  Ross agrees, but they never discuss the specifics of the break. Ross goes to a party and sleeps with another woman, which leads to a major conflict when Rachel finds out. This situation sparks the "We were on a break" debate, as Ross claims his actions were ok because they were on a break.  The episode, which aired in 1997, is the origin of the famous "We were on a break" phrase in pop culture.  Nova FM were discussing this again on the radio last week. I thought of Ross and Rachel straight away.  Now I am going to jump into the debate. The Oxford Dictionary defines a break as -  short period of time when you stop what you are doing....

Dear Peeps, The other night I was coming home from work and I was stopped at some lights and bam💥, a car runs into the back of me. I pulled over into the side street and obviously was hesitant to the reaction I would get from the driver. He was actually really nice and I was surprised there was so little damage for the force he hit me at. I was jolted forwards and pulled back by the seat belt. It gave me a shock. We exchanged details but I did not get his address. He told me to contact him if I needed anything. He also admitted fault and went on a whole big ramble about how people don't take responsibility for their actions. He admitted to being very tired and he was not paying attention. The insurance company told me I needed his address or I would pay the excess. This would be reimbursed later if he was proved guilty but why should I pay $900 excess if I did nothing wrong. When I took the photo of his licence I missed 2 digits and did not take a photo of the back. I was too shak...

Hi Peeps, I have arrived in Scarborough. Did you guess my - Back to the Future - reference. I moved to the Redcliffe Peninsula (Scarborough, Margate, Redcliffe, Kippa Ring, Woody Point, Clontarf) in 2002. My finance (now ex husband) loved water. I loved QLD and wanted to return after living in Victoria for such a long time. We came to visit my ex husband's family and he fell in love with the place. Me, I wanted to live in the city. Being the person I am, I gave in because I wanted him to be happy. My parents and brother decided to come also. How lucky was I!! These are the places I have lived on the Peninsula: Woody Point - a rented unit. I used to travel to Greenslopes from there to work. Yep stupid. Scarborough - we bought our first home for $165k off J&L. The most beautiful couple, who became dear friends. They will get their own post. Scarborough again - same street but different number. We built an amazing house to raise 🙈🙊🙉. Scarborough - back and forth to S&Ps hou...