I met my first best gift in year ten. A girl called Sam. Then along the way I met other gifts, Kulja, Jane, Lise, Amber. All of them great listeners, open, vulnerable, authentic, real, and all of them made me feel needed. Twenty five years later they are still with me these gifts and for that I am so grateful. Their constant presence creates a feeling of safety, of meaning and fullness. Closer to home the most important people in the world to me, my love Ralf of twenty five years, my daughter Ahlia & my youngest Artemisia. My love for them is a meadow of wildflowers and bees, of swamp gums and blue devils, drumstick flowers and dahlias. My mum is the best gift of all for she is my roots. Without her deep love I would be a shadow.

It is the end of the year. And what a wonderful year it has been.

I pushed myself to do as many classes as i could to see what was possible.

I hosted as many volunteers as I could because these exchanges are deeply enriching.

I need my world to feel big, to feel open and full of possibilities. Travellers bring with them their stories and each story has an arc.

2024 is a year for theatre and dance and singing as I miss these parts of me.

It is the year where my oldest daughter leaves home. A big change for me, for us. My heart is full of so much love for her that I will need to fill jars upon jars with my love to preserve it, to ferment it …

And to you too I send my love, my care, my support, my listening, my presence. My best gift.

Below a tiny sample of the many fabulous humans that shared their stories with us here at ORTO.