Two Peas in a Pod
22.11.25 Growing up, my parents’ friends would always pinch my cheek and say, “You look exactly like Marysia!” I hated hearing it. It annoyed me every time. Back then, I thought I was young, slim and cool — and Mum was different. Older, rounder, a bit stodgy. I was sure we were nothing alike. And yet, half a century later, here I am: that older, fuller, more stodgy woman. And suddenly I can see that we really were two peas in a pod. Most of mum’s friends are gone now, except
Jane
Nov 22, 20251 min read
Happy birthday sweet Marysia 💝 102 years old!
May this day, Simchat Torah, 2025 A day of mourning and a day to dance, See only peace in Israel, Gaza, and the whole Middle East. ❤️🩹 October 2025 To celebrate Mum’s 102nd birthday, I’d like to share a story about an unusual friendship — between her and her University lecturer. About a month ago, I was reading through a draft of mum’s life story and found myself thinking about all those years she spent at Melbourne University. She was a very mature-age student, studying
Jane
Oct 14, 20255 min read
Gloria Gaynor walks out the door
I often wondered whether Gloria Gaynor ever saw my video Dancing Auschwitz, and if so, how she felt about it. Did she mind that I used her song, I Will Survive, a short film where my father, my children, my niece, and I danced 'to life', to my father's survival, on the grounds of Auschwitz? I had no idea how she felt about Jews, or if her heart went out to Israel. When I uploaded my video in 2010, it went viral, and then was quickly taken down by Youtube due to a copyright c
Jane
Sep 26, 20252 min read
The Dancing Queen
Silent disco in the city Mum has always been the Dancing Queen. She told me that ever since she was a young girl, back in the 1920s, she loved to dance. Her father, a charmer, a good singer and dancer, would return home from an evening at a local tea room with a slice of creamy chocolate karpatka cake for her. Hearing him arrive, she would jump out of bed, and together they’d dance around the room. And she has loved dancing ever since. Then came the war. In 1939 everything ch
Jane
Sep 20, 20252 min read
Alive with wonder
31.8.25 This is footage from the time Mum got lost — and I panicked. But more than anything, it’s a glimpse into her essence: her love for the beauty, peace, and simplicity that surround her. We were staying in the hut. I thought Mum was outside in the garden, but when I went to call her, she was nowhere in sight. So I started searching — running down the road, to the right, to the left. I was scared a car might have hit her. I finally ran down the path that leads to the riv
Jane
Aug 31, 20251 min read
Our little refuge
3.8.25 I’ve written before about having international volunteers and long-term lodgers in my home. That all began after I separated from...
Jane
Aug 3, 20255 min read