My Story As I See It Today

13 June 2026

Recently I was looking through old photographs and realised how many different versions of myself have existed over the years.

Teacher. Camper. Animal lover. Wife. Daughter. Sister. Friend. Traveller. Silversmith. Curio collector.

At first glance they seem like different lives. Yet when I look closer, I can see the same thread running through them all.

People.

Stories.

Curiosity.

Connection.

For more than 30 years I worked as a secondary school teacher. One of my favourite roles was teaching Year 12 Outdoor Education. Some of my fondest memories are of taking students into the outdoors, watching them challenge themselves, build confidence, and discover what they were capable of.

At the time I thought I was teaching.

Looking back, I realise I was learning too.

Learning about people.

Learning that everyone carries a story.

Learning that there is always more than one way to see the world.

Today my life looks very different. I spend my days creating jewellery, collecting curios, sourcing gemstones and vintage treasures, and spending Saturdays at the Pomona Markets.

Yet in many ways, not much has changed.

I am still learning.

I am still curious.

And I am still listening.

One of the things I love most about market life is the conversations.

People often stop by to look at a piece of jewellery, a crystal, or an old treasure, and before long we are talking about something completely different. Family history. Travel. Loss. Dreams. Health. Spirituality. Memories. Sometimes things they may not have spoken about with anyone else for a while.

I often go home and say to my husband Mark, “I don’t know why people tell me these things.”

The truth is, I don’t try to fix people.

I don’t tell them what they should think.

I don’t judge.

I simply listen.

I allow people to speak their truth as they see it.

Then later, I reflect on what they shared.

I don’t always agree.

I don’t always understand completely.

But I am interested.

Every conversation gives me an opportunity to see the world through someone else’s eyes.

One recent conversation was with a customer who has become a friend. She shared her knowledge of astrology and soul signs, a subject I knew very little about. I listened with interest and later reflected on what she had shared.

Whether the topic is astrology, gemstones, history, antiques, spirituality, travel, or life itself, I have realised that the subject is rarely the important part.

The connection is.

The opportunity to learn something new is.

The chance to understand another person’s perspective is.

The markets have also brought some wonderful four legged friendships into my life.

People often stop by with their dogs and before long we’re chatting while the dogs introduce themselves. Sometimes I know the dog’s name before I know the owner’s.

One dog in particular, Koda, wandered into my life that way. The first time I met him, I swear he felt like my old dog Bruce reborn. Before long I met his mum Megan, and now we catch up whenever she comes to the market.

It is funny how friendships begin.

Sometimes through a gemstone.

Sometimes through a conversation.

Sometimes through a dog looking for a pat.

When I started TFD Jewellery, I thought I was creating jewellery and collecting treasures.

What I didn’t realise was that I would also be collecting stories.

Stories attached to people.

Stories attached to objects.

Stories attached to moments.

A ring may have witnessed a lifetime of love.

A gemstone may have taken millions of years to form.

An antique piece may have travelled through generations before finding its way into my collection.

Every treasure has a story.

Just like every person.

Looking at the photographs that make up my life so far, I see family, friends, students, adventures, animals, celebrations, challenges, and countless memories.

I see the teacher standing in the snow with her Year 12 Outdoor Education students.

I see a daughter and sister.

I see a wife.

I see friendships that have stood the test of time.

I see dogs and animals that have left paw prints on my heart.

I see the people who have walked beside me through different chapters of life.

And I see the woman I am today, standing behind a market stall in Pomona, surrounded by jewellery, curios, gemstones, and conversations.

At first glance those chapters seem unrelated.

Yet somehow the same thread runs through all of them.

A love of people.

A love of learning.

A love of stories.

The story is far from finished.

But this is my story as I see it today.

And I am curious to discover what the next chapter will bring.