Ask Steph

Who would have known. I've been in Australia 6 years, long enough to acclimate and take up citizenship, and I only just saw my first real live possum in my garden this month. I have lived in fairly new residential estates up to now, and I've moved into an older more established suburb recently. Where the trees and wildlife have recovered somewhat from the trauma of installing a new suburb over an old paddock of grass or farmland.  And there they were, 2 furry strange looking buggers running up and down my fence like a double act marsupial Spider-Men. They kinda look like a cross between a kangaroo and a meerkat. But stranger looking. Two observations - first, they are a lot bigger than I thought. I've always had this impression of them as being somewhere between a small rabbit and a large rat. They were much bigger than that. Turns out, the ones I saw were bush-tail possums . Locally called Bushy's apparently .  Second - That tail is something quite impr...

And it was fun while it lasted. I can honestly conclude that winter is definitely setting in. We've had rain for the last 4 days straight - and much cooler temperatures than the mid to high 30's of February and intermittently in March. And this morning - the heating actually turned on in the house. Brrr. No wonder I felt cold when I woke up , it was cold! Time to haul out the winter bedding , and re-arrange the heaters, possibly situate one right next to my desk  and start evaluating my sunlight needs. Winter here in Melbourne is so grey and miserable. And I am one of those people who just battle so much with the lack of sunlight. I've learnt these last 3 years . I need to get out at least once a day during the daylight. I need to be active . And I need to have a slew of social engagements that keep my mind occupied and distracted. So it's a good thing that work is taking off like a rocket - my calendar fills up almost 2 weeks in advance these days ... and I see...