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a life on the flipside | The view from here | Page 2

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A life on the flipside. The view from here. Music to move to. August 15, 2014. According to research reported this week. By 50 Cent before a job interview can increase your chances of success. When the Silver Fox was offered the interview that would eventually lead to our move to Australia, music did play a part – although there was no rapping involved. While we hadn’t actually agreed that we would move if he was offered it, we agreed it would be nice to have the choice. The joy of the incidental visitor.

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Trams, bikes, rain – sound familiar? | a life on the flipside

https://alifeontheflipside.com/2014/09/13/trams-bikes-rain-sound-familiar

A life on the flipside. The view from here. Trams, bikes, rain – sound familiar? September 13, 2014. So the other day I went to Amsterdam for a couple of hours. Yes, it’s a long way from Australia, but I have form in this area. I once flew to Benidorm for lunch from Lancashire, but that’s another story. Going back for the first time in a decade, albeit briefly, reminded me of how much I love the place. There are so many reasons. As they pedal along. There’s the amazing public transport. That can take you...

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Losing a language | a life on the flipside

https://alifeontheflipside.com/2014/07/24/losing-a-language

A life on the flipside. The view from here. July 24, 2014. July 26, 2014. I read a story on the BBC website recently about people who had lost fluency in their own language. At first the idea seemed ridiculous, particularly as I work with words. Surely I could never forget what they mean, no matter how embedded in another culture I become? It was only a couple of years later, when I went to hear the poet Jackie Kay speak, that I realised just what I’d given away. Her poem,. Described precisely my loss.

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Riding for Albi, and ourselves | a life on the flipside

https://alifeontheflipside.com/2015/03/07/riding-for-albi-and-ourselves

A life on the flipside. The view from here. Riding for Albi, and ourselves. March 7, 2015. March 7, 2015. There are so many reasons why I ride a bike: fitness; the speed compared to other forms of transport; the sheer joy of feeling the wind on my face and the energy in my legs. But yesterday I rode for Alberto ‘Albi’ Paulon. Albi, a 25-year-old chef, was killed last week. To put cyclists at risk, but they do, every day. At that time of day, Sydney Road is a clearway, so we filled the two northbound lane...

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Welcome to Australia? | a life on the flipside

https://alifeontheflipside.com/2014/06/22/welcome-to-australia

A life on the flipside. The view from here. June 22, 2014. June 24, 2014. Not taken at my ceremony. If only I’d lived in Glenelg Shire, I’d have got a plant. And even although I told everyone I was really only upgrading my permanent residency to citizenship so that I could vote and choose the appropriate passport for the shortest queue at the airport, I was still a little bit excited about taking the pledge. After waiting in the cold for 25 minutes, we were invited inside. I was surprised to be hande...

alifeontheflipside.com

The curse of swearing like a foreigner | a life on the flipside

https://alifeontheflipside.com/2015/04/05/the-curse-of-swearing-like-a-foreigner

A life on the flipside. The view from here. The curse of swearing like a foreigner. April 5, 2015. WARNING: This post contains swearwords. But so did the most popular blog post. I’ve ever written, so either deal with it or move on…. My love of appropriate swearing – no, that’s not an oxymoron – has been documented before. I thought I knew the whole lexicon. So you can imagine how excited I was to discover a whole new swearword:. But a quick scan of the Urban Dictionary. Fuck me, I lost my right testicle!

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Reclaiming the night | a life on the flipside

https://alifeontheflipside.com/2014/10/19/reclaiming-the-night

A life on the flipside. The view from here. October 19, 2014. October 24, 2014. Last night I joined hundreds of others marching up Sydney Road in Brunswick for Reclaim the Night 2014. Reclaim the Night is a movement that calls for an end to violence against women, in all its forms. A woman at Reclaim the Night actually thanked my husband for turning up (he was one of many men there). The Silver Fox just shrugged his shoulders. Of course he was going to be there. It was the right thing to do. I’ve n...

alifeontheflipside.com

About me | a life on the flipside

https://alifeontheflipside.com/about

A life on the flipside. The view from here. I’m Val. I’m Scottish, but I haven’t lived in Scotland for nearly 20 years. Having travelled further south with each move, I’ve finally landed. In Melbourne, Australia, where I plan to stay for a long time. Forever? I write for a living and for fun. I like bikes, dancing and not acting my age. Thanks for stopping by. Next time I’ll make sure I’ve got some biscuits in. Leave a Reply Cancel reply. Enter your comment here. Email (Address never made public). Learn ...

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Dressed for success | a life on the flipside

https://alifeontheflipside.com/2014/10/01/dressed-for-success

A life on the flipside. The view from here. October 1, 2014. October 1, 2014. I won’t be wearing pants for the next month. But the good/bad news, depending on how you look at it, is that I will be wearing frocks instead. And UK readers, Australia has adopted the annoying Americanism of saying pants to mean trousers, so rest assured, there will be no going commando underneath. Apart from anything else, Melbourne is still bloody freezing. A vision of sophistication. This is how proper models pose, right?