Gone are the days of sticky, indecipherable artworks brought home to adorn her kitchen. Pat McDermott laments the lost art of fridge decoration.
Hovering at the school gate on the last day of term a few years ago (okay, 25 years ago), I saw my five-year-old approaching. She was wearing a paper crown covered in silver stars and carrying a drippy painting. It looked like a house or maybe a turtle. I’d learned to wait for clues before saying, “What a lovely cat.”
“Do you know what Miss Fogarty calls painting and craft stuff?” she asked, placing it carefully on the car seat – paint-side down.
“No. What does she call it?” I asked. You could count on Miss Fogarty to say something nice.
“Pointless busy work.” Miss Fogarty made a good point about pointlessness, but fortunately, I’m a fan of school art and craft. Nothing says, “I love you”, like a teapot stand made from clothes pegs, red felt and superglue. Although the green clay house with “Dear Mun Hapy Chirstmas xxx fr Geoffrey” on the bottom runs a close second.
“Who’s Geoffrey?” asked the MOTH (the Man of the House). Our boys’ names are Patrick and Rowen, but if they know, they’re not telling.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 2017-Ausgabe von The Australian Women's Weekly.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 2017-Ausgabe von The Australian Women's Weekly.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Hitting a nerve
Regulating the vagus nerve with its links to depression, anxiety, arthritis and diabetes - could aid physical and mental wellbeing.
Take me to the river
With a slew of new schedules and excursions to explore, the latest river cruises promise to give you experiences and sights you won’t see on the ocean.
The last act
When family patriarch Tom Edwards passes away, his children must come together to build his coffin in four days, otherwise they will lose their inheritance. Can they put their sibling rivalry aside?
MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN
When Alexei Navalny died in a brutal Arctic prison, Vladimir Putin thought he had triumphed over his most formidable opponent. Until three courageous women - Alexei's mother, wife and daughter - took up his fight for freedom.
The wines and lines mums
Once only associated with glamorous A-listers, cocaine is now prevalent with the soccer-mum set - as likely to be imbibed at a school fundraiser as a nightclub. The Weekly looks inside this illegal, addictive, rising trend.
Jenny Liddle-Bob.Lucy McDonald.Sasha Green - Why don't you know their names?
Indigenous women are being murdered at frightening rates, their deaths often left uninvestigated and widely unreported. Here The Weekly meets families who are battling grief and desperate for solutions.
Growing happiness
Through drought flood and heartbreak, Jenny Jennr's sunflowers bloom with hope, sunshine and joy
"Thank God we make each other laugh"
A shared sense of humour has seen Aussie comedy couple Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall conquer the world. But what does life look like when the cameras go down:
Winter baking with apples and pears
Celebrate the season of Australian apples and pears with these sweet bakes that will keep the midwinter blues away.
Budget dinner winners
Looking for some thrifty inspiration for weeknight dinners? Try our tasty line-up of low-cost recipes that are bound to please everyone at the table.
