Latest Posts
The solace of nature
Lately, I’ve been saddened to the point of despair by the state of the planet, by the fear and divisiveness that abound, by the algorithm vortexes that contract rather than expand minds and gobble up the gullible. I have no answers, but when I look at the wonder of...
Cancer In The Time Of Covid: Part Two
It’s been a while since I shared my cancer diagnosis online. In the days following that post I was overwhelmed by the messages of love and support I received from friends and family across the world and have drawn strength from every comment and acknowledgement. It...
Fighting cancer in the time of COVID
Curve balls and short straws On any ordinary day you go to your GP because of something you’ve noticed in your body, something that you think, you desperately hope, is nothing to be alarmed about. But it’s been there for a while and you finally decide to have it...
Winter Newsletter
Greetings all You may have noticed that I haven't been posting much lately. There's a very good reason for that, which may (or may not) come to a blog near you soon. I’ve been writing about it daily as a way of coping, but I’m not sure whether I’m ready to share it...
Greener Grass
When someone tells me the grass isn't always greener on the other side, I always correct them by stating unequivocally that the grass is most certainly greener in the land of my birth. Ireland is poetically known as the Emerald Isle for very good reason. I would even...
On friendship and music
Way back in the 1980s I worked with a guy called Neil on the advertising sales team of a magazine company. I was a terrible salesperson. I wasn't motivated by money or targets or commission, but it was fun for a while, despite my lack of business acumen....
In praise of walking
As I walked I started to notice more, to pay closer attention. I watched the ever-changing cloud shapes as they shifted from moment to moment. I was transfixed by the first star appearing against a burnt orange horizon.
Sweet Nostalgia
So, there have been these challenges going around on Facebook. You know the ones: choose ten favourite songs from the 80s or ten albums that influenced you and post them over ten consecutive days, without explanation. I don’t usually join in with such things. But the...
Spanish seduction
The first time my confirmed Francophile husband (CFH) went to Spain was on a Contiki tour with a bus load of Antipodeans. He has hazy memories of dancing fountains in Barcelona but not much else. The second time was with me, some 28 years later. I was keen to impress...
#gratitude
We are all feeling very grateful, judging by the ubiquity of this common hashtag. But what does it really mean? The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, meaning grace, graciousness or gratefulness. It is a thankful acknowledgement of all that is good...
The power of creativity
My school was buzzing with creativity last month. As a relative newcomer I was impressed by the depth of artistic talent being nurtured amongst the peppermint trees, as showcased in the production, Footloose, and on display throughout our Arts Day. What struck...
New monthly well-being column in PLC Lighthouse News
My unexpected journey Sometimes our lives don’t follow the path we had expected. If you had told me six years ago that I would be a published author and a Beyond Blue speaker I would have looked at you as if you’d just told me Donald Trump had won the Nobel Peace...
Read, write, speak, heal
Six years ago I was in a very dark place as Christmas approached, and in early 2013 all the light in my world disappeared. As I began to emerge from the blackness, I found reading other people’s stories enlightening and immensely comforting after the despair and fear...
Shedding light on mental health: a heartwarming testimonial.
‘We were lucky enough to have Sue Tredget as the guest speaker at our workplace information session about mental health. Having the opportunity to hear Sue’s story was an absolute privilege. She was warm, knowledgeable, informative, captivating and hilarious. Olivia...
Through the sunset: disconnect and reconnect
I went to Melbourne recently for an event to promote my books, raise awareness about anxiety and depression and share some of my story. It just so happened to coincide with the start of the Australian Open – what perfect timing. Travel, books, well-being and tennis:...
Rest, reflect, replenish, reset
It's easy to feel overwhelmed as Christmas approaches. Just when we need to rest, reflect, replenish and reset, it seems there is an endless list of things to be done. Sometimes we can lose sight of what really matters and get caught up in the fervour and frenzy, in...
Sue’s book literally changed my life
This comment popped up on my timeline last week: ‘Sue’s book (Changing Lightbulbs) literally changed my life. Easy to read, this heart-warming story of a personal journey is wonderful’. To that reader, thank you. I’m humbled and beyond joyful that my book changed...
Read, write, speak, heal
Six years ago I was in a very dark place as Christmas approached, and in early 2013 all the light in my world disappeared. As I emerged from the blackness, I found reading other people’s stories immensely comforting after the despair and fear that had engulfed me....
Into the sunlight
I recently attended a ‘free’ masterclass event, hoping to get some tips on how to market my book, Changing Lightbulbs, and get more speaking engagements. The presenter was a charismatic multi-billionaire. I liked him. He was engaging and entertaining. He got the...
Notes from France #1: Vive l’Australie
A village market in Haute Provence. Locals kissing and chatting and bantering and complaining and wishing each other a good day. One enormous dog sniffing the rear of a very small dog. The dog owners looking on and laughing – ‘il n’est pas méchant,’ says the owner of...
Judge not
One of the perils of putting yourself out there in the public domain is that you become completely vulnerable to the judgement of others, and for sensitive souls this is less than pleasant. I can’t imagine anyone would like it, but for some of us it is more of a...
Wanted: Dependable housekeeper/office manager. Flexible hours. Terms negotiable.
So I’m doing my best to keep a neat and tidy home office that projects just the right blend of creativity and efficiency, a streamlined yet stimulating environment in which to play with words. In reality my organisational skills are less than conventional. My modus...
Reconnection
A few years ago, when I was in a very dark place, I had a friend with the most amazingly luscious curly hair. We had been through a lot together. We had talked for hours and cried and buoyed each other up and hugged and cried and cried some more. And had fun, and then...
Sweet dreams
I met this great guy at a party recently. He is a sleep specialist. Why did I not meet him years ago? In the totally platonic sense of course, both of us being mostly happily married. We have so much in common. He is also renovating his house and experiencing ‘tradie...
Days like these
There are days when everyone and everything grates, when the driver of the Qashqai in front of you hogs the right hand lane while maintaining an infuriating speed precisely 3 km/h below the limit; when the frosty receptionist at the medical centre tells you with...
The (not quite) lost art of letter writing
The (not quite) lost art of letter writing Sometimes we forget to look up. We become so weighed down by the clutter of our daily lives, preoccupied with the screens in front of us, or the pressing problems we feel will never be resolved, so ridden with fruitless...
Post Retail Stress Disorder
My choice of therapy has never been of the retail variety. I’m not a shopper. There are many reasons why, some of which include the fact that I’m not good at making decisions (you can read more about that in my book, Changing Lightbulbs), I feel guilty that I have...
New Year’s Revelation: Let the day begin
Apparently New Year’s resolutions don’t work for Meghan Markle. Looks like she’s doing OK. Has a pretty good life, starred in one of the most popular TV shows of the decade and has found her prince. I’m with Meghan. On New Year’s Day I turned on the TV to find a happy...
A trifecta of unfortunate events: the sequel
So Christmas came and went, and was really very pleasant, despite my huge reservations about the all-consuming consumerism that descends at this time of year. Not really what God had in mind when the angel Gabriel descended methinks. Not much to do with a child born...
Kindred spirits
For those who read my last post, ‘A trifecta of unfortunate events’, there is a sequel, coming soon to a website near you. And it involves shovelling shit. Literally. But that’s not the tale I’m going to tell today. Today, Christmas Day, is a time for joy, love,...
A trifecta of unfortunate events
They say that things, good and bad, and sometimes buses, come in threes. This week the proverbial trifecta of events decided to occur at a time when my stress levels were already through the roof, what with moving house and trying to declutter the impossible tangle of...
Chidren’s Book Launch: My Colour Collection
I am thrilled to be launching the first four books in My Colour Collection in the Library at St Mark's Anglican Community School on 16th August at 11 am. Huge thanks to the wonderful Head of Library, Shirley McKibbin and all the library and early learning staff for...
Inspired Story
In Sue’s words... What inspires me: The beauty of the natural world, finding kindness where you least expect it, making new connections with amazing people, travel, curiosity, taking life slowly, the simple things, my beautiful family, my close friends, honesty and...
Wednesday afternoon
A quiet classroom corridor on a windy afternoon. The students long gone, their school bags packed, off home in Mum’s capacious 4 wheel drive, the latest model equipped with leather seats and bluetooth and all the additional extras, every comfort for the school pick...
A tale of three leaders
Three leaders were appointed this week. Firstly, the announcement of a new headmaster, after a five month search and a no doubt rigorous selection procedure, who will soon be bringing his family from east coast to west, to take up residence on the magnificent school...
Vive la France
It is hard to believe that this weekend marked the 1st anniversary of the unimaginable horror that took place at the Bataclan concert hall in November 2016. One year on, Sting took the stage; there would have been no song more apt than the hauntingly beautiful...
Long Distance Friendship
My friend Julia and I talked on Skype last night. We don’t do it often enough. She lives in London, I am in Perth. We’d locked the time in for 6.30 and I warned the family – “I’m Skyping Julia”. They knew I would be a while. The connection wasn’t good initially, we’d...
Being creative
I was brought up not to ‘blow my own trumpet’, to such an extent that at the ripe old age of 54 I still struggle to believe that anything I do or create is ever any good. But I am changing, gradually and quietly changing into someone who finally believes in their...
Travelling light
A few years ago I was carrying around at least five over sized suitcases of baggage. They came with me everywhere, although plane travel was clearly out of the question. No airport trolley could accommodate my five suitcases, and my excess baggage costs would have far...
