"conversations with myself" artwork

I wrote Conversations with Myself a few years ago. Last year (March 2009) I made this piece of artwork and wrote the words to go with it. "Social connections are very important. Until 5 years ago I hardly spoke to anyone. It was not unusual for a day to pass with the only word spoken being 'thankyou' to a shop assistant. I am so glad my life is not like that anymore. Social connections help me to know myself better every day".

and more news from my garden

Getting frustrated with working out the layout of photos and text and my technical assistant (aka Alysha) is currently at school. Oh well, it's a learning experience. I started a new post to add more garden photos.

These are my two garden beds with various vegies planted - radishes, carrots, onions, spring onions, lettuce, broccoli, pak choi. Lots of rows of newly emerged plants as well as almost grown radishes. Also in the photo - lots of marshmallow weeds - they are certainly growing well at the moment.

A mystery plant! Just after planting the second garden bed and providing water, this plant (which I didn't plant) popped up. Leaving it there to see what it turns into. ???

News from my garden

As I mentioned previously, gardening is my passion. I thought it was time to share some news about how it is all going. I am still really keen and just love the stage that various plants are at at the moment - so cute! So here's some photos.


This is how it all started. A mini vegie garden box made at the Sustainable Living Expo at Noarlunga Leisure Centre on May 2nd 2010. Everything (spinach, various lettuce, broccoli and chamomile) has grown quite a lot. There was the loss of some spinach leaves thanks to something eating them. Something quite large - a rat maybe? Yuk! Since being put in the bird cage the spinach has not been eaten - there will be some for me soon! Also in this photo are some broccoli seeds planted in toilet rolls. Half of the seedlings have emerged. Hopefully they will make it into the garden soon.
















The snow peas received for Mother's Day and the tendrils which provided inspiration for the poem. They have grown so much.

I can sing!!!

Question: What is better than doing something that you never believed that you could do???



For me - doing something I never believed that I could do and feeling good while doing it and afterwards. Feeling that it is just something that I do now and that I can do it again without too much trouble at all.



Yesterday I sang on my own in a group. If anyone had told me a couple of years ago that I would do that I would have thought they were absolutely crazy. But I did and I enjoyed it too!

What is Selective Mutism (SM)? — Selective Mutism Group

What is Selective Mutism (SM)? — Selective Mutism Group: "Selective mutism (SM), formerly called elective mutism, is best understood as a childhood anxiety disorder characterized by a child or adolescent's inability to speak in one or more social settings (e.g., at school, in public places, with adults) despite being able to speak comfortably in other settings (e.g., at home with family).
Affected individuals understand language use and, although they have the physical and cognitive ability to speak, they demonstrate a persistent inability to speak in particular settings over a particular period of time due to anxiety. This differs from the developmentally appropriate behavior of a child with limited speaking and social interaction behaviors during the first month of school or daycare when he or she is adjusting to a new social environment with peers and teachers. SM also differs from shyness, which is a socially adaptable personality trait.
To meet diagnostic criteria, the child or adolescent with SM shows significant impairment in daily functioning, typically in educational or occupational settings, and by refraining from social participation at school and other settings due to a pronounced fear of speaking. Most affected children and adolescents function normally in other ways and learn age appropriate skills; however, some may have other comorbid anxiety disorders, developmental delays such as impaired social skills, and communication disorders in addition to SM."

I feel that now is the right time to post this information from the www.selectivemutism.org website. I am not going to say a lot about it right now other than learning about selective mutism has made a huge difference to my life. My life is very different now from when I first starting learning about the effects of my own silence. The biggest change being how I feel.