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Showing posts from March, 2015

Finding the strength to scream

Recently, I read another piece on womens' experiences of everyday sexism and the impact it has on their lives. Laura Bates, founder of the Everyday Sexism project cites findings from a recent study which suggest that " a sociocultural context that objectifies women and their bodies is related to their sense of safety and security in the world”. Earlier in the month, it was Jessica Valenti, on how sexism is making women sick.   Bates' piece in the Guardian explored the impact that harassment and sexism have on women over time. It is not just the incident itself, but the effect on a woman's psychological bearing in the world . This piece made me reflect, again, on all the times that men had threatened me, flashed at me, and made unwanted physical and verbal advances at me throughout my growing up. M any grimy, offensive things have happened, including turning up for work experience to find that the experience involved the boss pushing his hard dick into my back

Can't see the fence for the trees

At one stage, I wanted a proper fence for our little picket fence home. Our tiny front garden was on a busy suburban street, so to make to the most of it I thought we could get a higher fence, with an electric gate to the driveway. It would keep the balls in, the kids safe from wanderings, and we could drive straight in from the road. Two quotes later and we were looking at $8,000-$10,000! For essentially a straight picket wooden fence. The electric gate added some cost-reinforced steel frame etc-but the quotes were prohibitive. No way. So our barren, bereft front garden stayed exposed and underused, until I decided to get a few native trees. About three years ago, I went to the nursery with my simple plan. Less than two hundred dollars later, I had the beginnings of my fringe of leaves. Burgundy Agonis, or Agonis Flexuosa , Westland's Burgandii 'Touch of Class'! Leptospermum petersonii , 'Copper Glow.' Leptospermum Morrisonii 'White Opal.' Another which f