Celebrating – Achievement Unlocked!

08 Aug 2016 4 Comments

by Debra Manskey in Biography, Chickens, Cooking, Inspiration, Music, Performance, Urban Farming, Writing Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Hi everyone,

I know I’ve been a bit lax posting lately but I’ve been busy with all manner of things. Despite it being winter, a time when a lot of folks think there’s nothing to do, I’ve been flat out!

I’ve planted dwarf apple trees in wicking barrels, made sauerkraut, started shooting a music video with The Superstars, preparing for a debut gig this month with my student Callum, also from OAK Tasmania – all of which I’ll write about in the coming weeks.

But last month I reached a milestone – I’m officially halfway through my online Bachelor of Communications with Griffith University and Open Universities Australia. I won’t pretend – it hasn’t been easy! And there have been times when I’ve thought (however briefly) about giving up.

So to celebrate my achievement, tenacity and sheer bloody-minded stubbornness I bought myself a little present. Below is a fresh Tasmanian black truffle that arrived Friday via courier from Perigord Truffles. There were two in the pack, which are now nestled in tissue paper in a glass jar in my refrigerator. While I’m working out what to cook with them, they require daily airing which makes the whole house smell utterly divine…….

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With the chickens laying again, I’m definitely having scrambled eggs with shaved truffle in the coming days and I’m planning to make ravioli with some herbs and vegetables from the garden too. Don’t worry, I’ll let you know how it goes 🙂

Meanwhile, I have to get back to researching another assignment. Take care one and all, and don’t forget to be nice to yourselves occasionally as well as others ❤

Reinventing Me – A Work In Progress

19 Nov 2013 Leave a comment

by Debra Manskey in Biography, Inspiration, Music, Writing Tags: , , , , , ,

Seems like there’s no end to the things I discover through life. One of the major problems I have is never enough time to do everything. This is not just a day-to-day thing but has a much broader context. As I get older I discover there’s so much I don’t know that I want to know! And the other major issue I have is a short attention span. Call it a character flaw but if I’m not fully engaged with something, or don’t have a solid deadline, I tend to put it aside for a rainy day. On the upside, I seem to have developed a flair over the years for reinventing myself. It seems like I find a comfortable place to be in the grand scheme of things and then start rearranging the furniture. This is very true of my musical career as well as my personal life – and I like it! I find it inspires me creatively and musically,  I am never bored, and (I sincerely hope) never boring!
So, I made the decision earlier this year to return to study. I’ve enrolled in a Bachelor of Communication at Griffith University, studying fully online via Open University Australia. This is going to be a bit hairy considering I have no Internet at home until January – all my recent blog posts have been done on my mobile phone (god bless the WordPress mobile app!) but I’ve got some contingencies in place to stay up to date.
I’m taking just one unit at a time so I can still fit in all the other things I want and need in my life
And today, my first unit arrived in the post. I’m feeling scared and excited all at once – a fabulous way to be! So, I’m off to a quiet spot in the garden to start my first week’s reading and discuss it with the bunnies. 
Let the reinvention commence!

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