We left Andy’s dinner out on the kitchen bench. A short time later it wasn’t there – and there was a supremely happy big white cat nearby.

It wasn’t difficult to put two and two together.

The basics: I’m Australian, I like to write (fiction and non-fiction), create art, play music, make knotwork and beaded jewelry, solve puzzles and jigsaws, do needlework, speak with and hug my loved ones, sing, and generally live.

I trained as a computer programmer, and worked as a programmer and system administrator until a disability struck me down. After several years, I became well enough to attempt to work again; I tried at three different companies over five years before deciding that it was unrealistic for me to work as a programmer.

So I switched to technical writing. I wrote for several technical websites, until I started sending article applications to O’Reilly.  Some of my work there is outdated now, and the articles don’t appear on my author page; however that page shows one of my great achievements.

I wrote a book about CVS – a content versioning system – that they published. Royalties from it bought my family a car and a complete set of whitegoods for the house! And, of course, the book itself adds to the body of human knowledge. Much of what is there is duplicated elsewhere, but I organised the knowledge in a way which is helpful to the absolute novice, to the moderately experienced user, and also to someone who only needs a reference text. Making one book serve all three purposes took a great deal of thought.

As implied earlier, I’m disabled. A large part of my life is managing the disability – using self-awareness and mindfulness to help me pace my activity within the limits the disability places on me. I’ve studied a great deal of the theory, and had a lot of practice (more than twenty years) about handling it. I’m sure some of this website and blog will pass on some of that knowledge.

I live with my husband, our best friend, a dog and a cat. We share ownership of the home with the bank, but are gradually increasing our share. The place isn’t pretty, but it’s sound and handles Australian weather well; and that’s what really counts down here.

My life is filled with love and learning. I am lucky in that, and I hope that others are as well.