The Barefoot Healer

Like many women, I have children to two different men. And I have dated and been in relationships with men who have children with previous partners. It seems to be the modern pattern, and the older we get, the more you can pretty much guarantee that blended families are going to be part of any dating scenario, with all the potential pittfalls and challenges that brings. One of the pittfalls is that, in Australia, the men get screwed in the scenarios. Its one of the few areas in our misogynistic society that seems to be totally rigged towards the mothers. Yes, I hear many you out there crying out about deadbeat Dads who don't pay child support or spend any time with their children. But there is a whole side to the story. And a whole group of caring loyal men who really love their kids and want to be part of their lives. I've seen it happen to two of my partners now, as well as to other close male friends. All of these guys are basically decent, caring human beings. An...

Back in the outback to work as a remote area nurse....This time in Papunya Central Australia. Due to the usual communication fuck up between the agency and the clinics, I've ended up being driven out on a friday morning, to do a few hours of orientation tot he new clinic and then sit in my little 1950's broken motel style flat behind the barbed wire fence twiddling my thumbs for the weekend. It started the usual way. The agency rang me and asked if I'd be willing to go out to Mt Liebig to work for 10 days, to replace one of the RAN's who needed to come into town for a courtcase. So I said, yeah sure! Cool, the agency rep said, I'll just send you a little bit of paI spent the next 2 days filling out this paperwork. And packing. Including 2 big boxes of staples and two freezer bags full of meat and fruit and veges. And 12 large bottles of filtered water. The food because though each community has a small local shop, the range available and the prices ar...