50 years of friendship- that deserves a celebration!

You may have noticed on my website that there is a little cluster of childhood photos in my About page. That was the idea of my webshop designer Claire Quirk - to share with you my story in a more personal way.

In one of those grainy photos is my oldest/longest buddy Shez! Everyone knows that the name Sheryl must be shortened to Shez…its just mandatory behaviour for those born before 1980. We became friends at the beginning of primary school in Kyabram and maintained our friendship when she moved 4 hours south by alternative Sunday night phone-calls. Strictly only 3 minutes so you had to be prepared for the topics you were going to cover. Latest Australian Crawl albums, latest hearthrob status etc…you get my drift!

She came to my big old mudbrick home on the Orchard to swim in the channel on the Summer holidays, and I got to stay in the back of their tuck-shop that had its own lolly bar…and entire glass cabinet of lollies. Our families spent our Easter holidays camping by the river, with icy mornings after a visit from ‘Jack Frost’ playing elaborate made-up games on the fallen trees, that went for days.

Our friendship has weathered living on different continents, relationship breakdowns and having children at different times. But somehow all that love still exists…all those Abba songs that were sung, all those Donna Summer moves that were danced, all those chocolate cakes we made, created the foundations for a lucky thread of love that weaves around our lives and gives us goodness today.

Here we are, a couple of ‘spring chickens’ pictured at Magma Gallery in Collingwood last month, in front of paintings from my son’s solo show.