I started drawing horses very young - it became a passion and I've continued to the present day. Recently I put my paintings in an exhibition and this has obviously increased my desire to paint and create. Expression is what it's all about. Imagine riding an intelligent, free-spirited animal and seeing nature from its back. Of course I gained a love of nature from this vantage point and so I love to paint landscapes and sunsets.

Chances were I'd rush off to ride at the drop of a hat, night or day - I made sure I had friends who owned horses :). I'd put one of my tentative sisters on the back of a horse and smack the animal on the rump. Off it galloped with the sister hanging on for dear life! It was my macabre sense of humour coming through.

As well as riding, books were a passion and still are. Mum couldn't take me visiting without having to reprimand me for sitting in a corner next to a bookshelf and preferring to read rather than mingle. Every book on our shelves was read, the library was my favourite quiet place (no privacy at home with 8 family members) and so my head and heart expanded with knowledge, home truths, fantasy places to escape to and practical things I could put to use. The night sky was a passion for me, learned as a young child sitting on our patio gazing upward. So there were books to read and pictures to draw.

Memories come back. I'm walking along the road and in the gutter is a smashed up cat. Hit by a car. I pick it up and take it home. This is the story of my young life - mangled birds, "homeless" dogs, cats, whatever, they came home with me. Much to the chagrin of my father who put his foot down - "no animals!" But I just couldn't help it. I love animals. That's just the way it was. That's the way it is.

Music was a medium I loved. I attended the Conservatorium of Music in Brisbane and made it to Grade 6 level in piano. What's more, I heard a girl play the guitar while in High School and decided then and there that I'd learn too. So I taught myself the guitar, sang with my sister Tricia at church concerts and camps and continue to play today. In addition, I now have two sons who are magic on the guitar - to hear them say, "Mum, check out this riff" is a bonus.

One of the best parts about music over my lifetime is how it gets people together, improvising. In our church as children, singing harmony was a given but now it seems to be a lost art. Additionally, standing around the piano and singing or playing another instrument is a special memory for me. "Practising the piano" is not, however. Under the watchful eye of my mother I was cajoled, encouraged and egged on to play better. I still "play by ear" better than by reading the music. And I loved to dance around the room to Swan Lake, my favourite ballet.

In 1971 I travelled to Papua New Guinea with Youth With a Mission and made another trip in 1977. We were based in Port Moresby but in 1977 as an accompanying pianist I also flew to Lae and Madang. My initial trip was fueled by the missionary zeal in our church and family and missionary stories that I still have on my bookshelf.

My Chronic Fatigue Syndrome story