The Australian Women's Weekly January 2016

THIS YEAR, I want to learn to ride a scooter. It might seem a bit late to take up a form of transport most people abandon in their late 20s, yet I am so irritated by cab drivers, bus routes and parking problems that I am prepared to risk the consequences of this slightly juvenile ambition. Besides, I am not planning to scoot across Sydney’s Anzac Bridge, but lately, I fantasise about never needing the assistance of a cab or a bus. To be fair, the bus system is perfectly adequate and on balance, I prefer public transport to a filthy cab or rude driver. Some days, however, a bus just doesn’t cut it. My friend, Anna, who in a past life held a very important job, booked herself into…

PEARL OF WISDOM Life is like maths. Our memories and learning experiences all add up. J. CLANCY, FAIRFIELD, NSW. The winner of our Pearl of Wisdom this month wins a 12-month subscription to The Australian Women’s Weekly, valued at $83.40. From tears to happiness Collectively, a river was cried for Glenn, Holly and James McGrath, when their beloved Jane lost her battle with breast cancer. It was heartbreaking to see the sadness and devastation on their faces. Tears of happiness flowed when Sara entered their lives, bringing hope for the future and putting smiles on their faces. Sara had big shoes to fill and she has done this admirably, forming a close, happy relationship with both Holly and James, who have flourished into well-adjusted and happy young people.…

What bittersweet memories Sara Leonardi-McGrath’s recent birth experience generated, (“I Almost Lost Both My Girls”, WW, Dec) and how true the special bond between premature baby and mother. Our first child was born in Lae, New Guinea, eight weeks premature and was a virtual identical weight to little Madison. The best advice my mother had offered prior was “pack your bags early”, which I had done! Two weeks in a humidicrib and three in hospital for us both and, fortunately, I did not have to go home without her. Our daughter was just under 2.2 kilograms upon discharge, but her jaundice and colic were an issue for months. Premmie babies are fighters and end up very determined little individuals. A truly heartwarming Christmas story with a joyful ending. CLAIRE JOLLIFFE,…

WHEN BINDI IRWIN arrived in Los Angeles last August to compete on Dancing With The Stars, she had never even worn high heels. The first time she tried on a pair, she fell over – and then she had to perform in them. Her dance partner was patient, but Bindi was awful. She had never taken any kind of dance class. “It was terrifying,” says the 17-year-old. “I’m just this girl from Australia who works in khakis and wears boots and kisses rhinos. I had no idea what I was doing.” Even worse, Bindi could tell the show’s producers were quietly horrified. Yet they underestimated her. This is a girl whose one-word description of herself is “determined”. Bindi kicked off the series with a cute Crocodile Rock routine in green…

RENAE PLANT GREW up in the tiny bush town of Eumundi, Queensland, in the 1970s, which is another way of saying that her childhood was idyllic. “I never wore shoes,” Renae, 45, tells The Weekly. “We weren’t scared of anything. I have photographs of Dad holding a king brown snake. That was our upbringing.” Nobody in Eumundi went to crèche because why would they? Aussie kids had access to push bikes and muddy puddles, which were all anyone thought they needed to grow up curious and strong. There was certainly no Baby Yoga. “Things have definitely changed,” says Renae, laughing. “Most parents these days are working. They are worried about letting their children roam free, but they don’t want them sitting around bored.” Renae didn’t set out to plug that…

DI MORRISSEY The former Women’s Weekly journalist who now lives in the Manning Valley, NSW, has sold more than two million copies of her novels. Her latest is Rain Music inspired by Far North Queensland. 1 Kristin Lavransdatter Trilogy by Sigrid Undset. This trilogy evocatively charts the life of the headstrong, passionate beauty, Kristin. Volume 1 The Wreath was first published in 1927 and the two subsequent volumes weave a rich tapestry of the medieval world in 14th-century Norway. 2 Shadow Of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Evocatively capturing pre– and post-war Barcelona, this absorbing novel cleverly entwines two worlds, linked by young Daniel, whom we first meet when he stumbles across the Cemetery of Lost Books – a back street…