About Me

I've introduced several members of the family already, now it's time to write a little more about me. You can skip this part if you like!

You may notice that I prefer to use “mum” rather than “mom” and that some words are spelt differently. This is because I’m Australian and prefer to use the words and spellings common to my part of the world. Hopefully any unfamiliar terms I will be able to explain (such as “fringe” instead of “bangs”).

I was born in the beautiful Hunter Valley (NSW, Australia) forty-something years ago and for 30 years didn’t move very far from the town where I’d been born. Until twelve years ago that is when my husband and I packed up house and kids and moved to New Zealand to be closer to his family (you can read about it here). This was quite a change for me and even after all this time I still haven’t acclimatised to the cold winters!

Not long after we moved we bought a big old house that had been built in 1913 with the aim of doing it up. If I’d known then what I know now (mainly that it was going to take 10 years to renovate ONE bathroom) I would never have started. LOL. As well as renovating inside, we have also worked on the gardens during that time: planting fruit trees, removing trees (I love trees but the previous owners’ ideas differed from ours), tidying up utility areas (woodshed, compost bin, etc), and creating a semi-formal garden filled with roses, lavenders and rosemary (my ‘Fragrance Garden’).

I am not a huge fan of gardening. I don't spend hours each day in the garden but I don't mind a little weeding or feeding when I have the time. And I do enjoy the serenity and beauty that can be found in a garden.

However given a choice, I would far rather sit and quilt or read or spend hours at the computer writing. When I'm writing, time ceases to exist for me. Hunger, thirst, comfort, are all forgotten as I immerse myself in my imaginary world and look for just the right word or turn of phrase. Thankfully I have a very understanding family!

I've shared my romance with my husband in any earlier post (here) and if you've been a regular reader you will also know that I have five wonderful sons, a lovely daughter-in-law, and one absolutely adorable granddaughter. I am so blessed.

But the greatest blessing is my relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. I am so thankful that I was born into a Christian family. Both parents had given their hearts to the Lord before they married: my mum as a child, my father as a teen. At about five years of age I committed my life to the Lord, but it was several years before I really understood what that meant and at age eleven I went forward at a Youth For Christ Rally and re-dedicated my life to the Lord.

A year later I was baptised by my great-uncle who was a Baptist minister. It was Easter time 1997. I will never forget the complete certainty that I had done what Christ asked of me that filled me as I was lifted out of the water. I have seen similar expressions on each of my sons’ faces as they have been baptised.

Ever since I gave my life to the Lord I have seen Him work in my life, changing me and making me more like Him. So many times I fail, but He is always there, ready to pick me up and gently lead me. And always giving me another chance.

The fact that I’m here today is a testimony to His goodness and love. And the power of prayer. At the age of two I contracted meningitis as a complication of the measles. When finally hospitalised my parents were told that I wouldn’t survive and that if I did I would not be the child that they knew (basically severely brain damaged). The doctor told them quite bluntly to go home and forget about me (check out a story I wrote about it here). But my parents and their church believed in the power of prayer and they prayed for me and stormed heaven’s gates on my behalf. And God heard! I have no side effects from that illness apart from partial deafness in one ear. Earlier this year I researched meningitis online and I'll never forget the heading on one article: "To Survive Meningitis and Be Deaf is a Miracle." I believe that it was indeed a miracle that I did survive and that I had so few side effects.

God is an awesome God!