50. Closed Doors Can Mean Open Windows

The Case of the 50th Newsie!

Hello, friend - hope you’ve had a good week!

Those of you living in the land of Oz should have received your complimentary democracy sausage this week, prior to walking the gauntlet of electoral pamphlets to vote for our next Prime Minister!

I looked for your name on the ballots, but couldn’t see it this round. Just say the word though, and I’ll totally vote you in to parliament next opportunity. I’d follow you anywhere - even to the Caucus!

We stayed up late (past 10 pm) and watched the results. Mostly to see Antony Green tap out stats on his computer book - cute! Chalk a win up for kindness, inclusion and equality. Nice voting, gang!

Ate all the coconut ice.

Fishbird Catch of the Week

We publish articles twice a week on the Fishbird Central website - every Wednesday and Saturday! This week’s included:

• Manifesting a Home: Reading Challenge!

  • In this post, we attempt to manifest a new home by building our TBR with 7 books - all on theme to get us on the property ladder! Walls, doors, rooms, and keys - these stories hold just as many mysteries as a contract of sale, but we can promise they'll be infinitely more interesting! At this point we don’t mind if the house is haunted, in an alternate dimension, or built on a crossroad - we’ll check it out.

Check out the latest post here - Manifesting a Home: Reading Challenge!

• April Sketching: Week 4, 2025!

  • In this post, we show off our sketchy wares in the form of VERY useful and hard to find greeting cards! No longer will you need to scour the shelves of a newsagent in despair, looking for a card to give your true love or convince your flatmate to drive you to Coles - we've got you! Do you have a situation that only a niche greeting card will solve? Let us know in the comments and we’ll sort you out!

Check out the latest post here - April Sketching: Week 4, 2025!

Do What’s Right For You

Did you know my husbandito and I are trying to buy a house? I know I’ve hardly talked about it, so it might not be on your radar.

This week we hit a wall. A wall that we don’t own, can’t buy and doesn’t exist except in our overwhelmed heads and hearts. No cars, careers or croissants were harmed in this this crash - but it did result in us having a serious conversation where we decided to step back and regroup on this project for now.

Turns out when property prices are so high, and turn-around time with estate agents is so tight, there’s not a lot of time to properly decide if that unit you’ve been in for 10 minutes could be your Barbie dream house before it gets snapped up. Also, I kept making friends with our competition - looking at you, Jasper the dachshund.

So we decided to re-sign our current lease, which has taken the gut-clenching time crunch out of the equation. This is absolutely the right step for us at the moment, but it also carries with it a sense of failure and disappointment.

Telling people that we’ve put a pin in the panic for now, is often met with exasperated sighs or a flurry of motivational pep talks. I know this comes from a place of love, however there comes a time when you have to listen to your heart and put the solicitor back in the cupboard for a spell.

We’ll let you know when this project gains traction again. We’re still looking.

Quick Fire Wrap Up

Currently Reading: ‘Still’ by Matt Nable.The humidity sat heavy and thick over the town as Senior Constable Ned Potter looked down at a body that had been dragged from the shallow marshland. He didn't need a coroner to tell him this was a bad death. He didn't know then that this was only the first. Or that he was about to risk everything looking for answers. Ned is about to learn that the world he lives in is full of secrets and that it takes courage to fight for what is right.

Currently Watching: ‘Spy Family’ on Netflix. World peace is at stake and secret agent Twilight must undergo his most difficult mission yet - pretend to be a family man. Posing as a loving husband and father, he’ll infiltrate an elite school to get close to a high-profile politician. He has the perfect cover, except his wife’s a deadly assassin and neither knows each other’s identity. But someone does, his adopted daughter who’s a telepath!

Currently Singing Along To: ‘The Lobster Quadrille’ by Franz Ferdinand. “… "What matters it how far we go?" his scaly friend replied "There is another shore, you know
upon the other side. The further off from England, the nearer is to France. Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance"

Have any book, song or show recommendations? Let me know in the comments! :)

Wishes for the Week

Trust in yourself this week, friend.

If a decision is not sitting right in your belly, it might not be the chicken korma’s fault. You’re pretty smart and might have sensed something in the Matrix that’s not quite right.

Everything works out in the end. If it hasn’t worked out yet, it’s probably not the end.

Stay cool, punks.

‘Anyone who missed out on a democracy sausage, can pick one up for free at their local library.’ Caucus Porpoise (probably)

Jen x