Nan's Lucky Duck

I went for a run-quickly-turned-walk along Sunrise/Sunshine beach this afternoon to skip around in the waves and do other child-like movements that might make others question my sanity.
I came across a long stick as I was heading back; at the time I was digging my big toes into the sand to create lines, but this looked like a much better option. I picked it up and began leaving a trail of squiggles behind me. The lines were so crisp, I couldn’t help but stop and draw a face by the water’s edge.
The face looked weird without hair, then a head with no body looked even weirder. After about 45 minutes, I’d drawn a mermaid with long wavy hair reaching into the white wash. The final addition was a speech bubble saying, “Smile, we are in paradise!” I ran over to the nearest sand dune to admire my work.


While trying to capture a photo of my masterpiece, despite the awkward light and angle, a mother and her young children stopped as they reached the mermaid's body. I walked over to the boy …

Friends and family more commonly ask, “Where are you?” than “How are you?” these days, based on my Instagram posts. I thought maybe it’s time I share what I’ve been up to over the past few months, as well as what’s ahead. Where am I?I arrived back in Noosa two days ago, after spending four days in Canberra and three in Melbourne. I didn’t know how far south I was going to be when I booked my flights; I booked the Gold Coast which meant I had to drive 3.5 hours prior to departure, then back again afterwards. Before my trip to Melbourne, I felt foot-loose and fancy free, so I gave myself a day to explore a few spots along the coast. I stopped in at King’s Beach and South Bank in Brissy for a little looky loo and sight-seeing.


At this very moment I’m laying down on my king-single size bed (except it’s a little shorter in length) in the van, my laptop screen surrounded by darkness. I would usually have dewy fairy lights on for ambiance, but one wire snapped last week, causing mayhem across…