The first Phoebe book which holds a collection of whimsical Phoebe illustrations, stories, Phoebe Fixes and some very wise quotes. Written, illustrated, designed and self-published by myself, it’s now available to purchase exclusively at a quirky little shop in Canowindra called ‘Fabulously Mad!’ (44 Gaskill St, Canowindra 2804 NSW). Or if you’re not close by, email me and I’ll post one to you!

And don’t forget that one dollar from every book sold is being donated to the WASH House, a community-based, not for profit resource centre for women in the western suburbs of Sydney. Their mission is to resource and support women and girls to be empowered to live fulfilling, safe, joyous lives. They work to reduce the impact of poverty, social disadvantage and violence on their lives. You can check them out at washhouse.org.au or go to facebook.com/washwomen or search for @washwomen on Facebook

#thewhimsicalwisdomofphoebe #phoebebook #Phoebe #whimsical #wisdom #books #goodread #goodbook

Phoebe was on fire. She was where she was meant to be, doing what she was meant to be doing… this was her bliss. She felt weightless, ageless and more alive than ever before. All the distractions had fallen away and there was nothing blocking her way. Surrendering all control, she leapt into the Universe, like the fearless phoenix she had become and decided to live every moment like there was no tomorrow.
No regrets.
No procrastination.
Just being positively prolific!

Is it a bird? Is it a lizard? No! It’s Phoebe… like a Phoenix rising!

Instinctively, every bone in Phoebe’s body seemed to be pointing out that she needed to do something, something really important. Meanwhile, an annoying little song suddenly burst out in her head… “I’m a little tea pot, short and stout,”. Of course!! It was time to make tea.

Make Tea. Not War…. xo

Phoebe had flat-lined. It had been a busy few months on an energetic and emotional rollercoaster, and now her battery was dead flat. She had noticed herself start to fade and slide slowly under the table, and knew then that she needed to gracefully slip out of sight and back into her cocoon. Being social was way too exhausting for Phoebs! It was time to recharge, reconnect, renew and then eventually at some point in the not too distant future, resurface.

Sometimes we just need a little reminder to stop and reconnect with nature…x

It was time for Phoebe to clean up her act and Doomsday Doris was the first to go. This dreary little pest had been in her ear for way too long and Phoebs had had enough. She had tried ignoring her, sticking fingers in her ears and even ‘La, la, laaing' but Doris just wouldn't budge. And just when she thought that she had silenced this pessimistic pest, she heard the all too familiar drone of, "I told you so!". Argh…

Then it occurred to Phoebe that this was actually the perfect situation to use the dreaded F word..

"FUCK OFF DORIS!!!"

And with that, she not only freed herself of that annoying critic, BUT also overcame her fear of the F word. Touche!

P.S. Directed solely at the pesky little critic on my shoulder and no particular person called Doris. I'm sure they are all lovely... xo

Tags #planetphoebe, #phoebe, #mindfulness, #positivity, #punch, #freedom

Phoebe had found her voice. It had taken a while to muster the courage to speak up, be heard and say what she really thought. Sometimes it didn’t quite come out how she imagined and often it was a little mixed up but it didn’t matter because finally she was able to ROAR. Words were now pouring out in continuous ‘blahs’ that ricocheted across the Universe in animated conversations. And although she was still learning how to harness this sometimes out of control beast, Phoebe’s voice was finally out there…

Yeehaaa!!

Phoebe was sooo ALIVE! She had found the music in her soul and let it loose. It made her sing and dance like she had never sung or danced before. It felt incredible! Finally she was groovin’ on the outside (and not just on the inside). The goddess of grooviness was free!

Move over Uma Thurman (from the iconic dance scene in the movie Pulp Fiction)… xo

Phoebe was positively a ‘glass half full’ sort of girl. It only took exactly that amount of bubbly to send her completely off the planet. Was it the bubbles or was she simply bubbly enough? In fact, it had taken many years and many sloshy misadventures for her to realise that she was not and could not ever be a fully fledged drinker. No fun you say? Well, it’s much more fun to dance on the tables when you know you’re not going to turn into the slosh monster lying under them.

You can never have too much tea though…xo

Phoebe was a sensitive soul with many strange sensitivities but there was one in particular that affected her so much that it caused a very irritating reaction - that is, putting her fingers in her ears and singing “La-la-la-la…” very loudly (and very badly). It seemed she had an intolerance for the F word. Hearing it was so cringeworthy to Phoebes that it caused her very soul to writhe like a leach that just had salt poured over it. What was she going to do? Walk around with ear muffs on and never risk talking to anyone… ever again? Nooo… Phoebe decided that if she had to put up with hearing bad language then the offenders would just have to put up with hearing her very, very bad singing… “La-la-la-la-la-la-la…”

All’s fair in love and war!

Phoebe was all over the place and just couldn’t seem to get it together. Too many distractions, things to do and places to be had tugged her in so many different directions that she no longer knew if she was coming or going. How much longer could she keep this up?

Sometimes you just need to throw caution to the wind, quit the act and start following your heart… x

Phoebe was almost unrecognisable in her full PPE which clashed with her pure and simple intentions for Christmas. She had wanted to spread light, love and joy as far wide and as she graciously could, without all the over-indulging in wayward Christmas consumerism, fancy feasting or exhaustive multi-venue socialising. This year was simply about giving from the heart. Unfortunately for Phoebs, this year was also about not giving or spreading (you know what), which complicated everything. If only her goggles would stop fogging up so that she could actually see where she was going… xo

Spreading love and light (not germs) to all this Christmas.

Phoebe had ventured far, far back in time to face truths she had never faced before. Why on earth was she back here? And why was the pain so raw? Maybe this was the last of the entangled webs to clear out of the deep dark corners of her soul before she could propell forever forward onto her true path. Sometimes you just need to get in there and give everything a good clean out before you can start a fresh. And if you come across the missing key to that treasure chest you’ve had hidden away down there for an eternity, then make sure you open it before you go…

A heart is no good to anyone unless it is open. xo

Phoebe was stranded. There was no toilet paper left… anywhere! Where had it all gone? What was a girl to do?

(But seriously, in case of emergency, here's a useful list of toilet paper alternatives: grass, leaves, newspaper, phone book, love letters from your Ex, hate mail, bills… Let me know if you have any other suggestions?)

Phoebe hadn’t been down to Earth for quite some time. In fact, she had been so preoccupied with her own little world that she had almost forgotten that she was part of a much bigger picture. Peering out into the universe, she was shocked by what she saw. The earth was no longer a sparkling jewel of blue, white and green, but rather resembled a big ball of plastic in 50 shades of fluoro… What on Earth had happened?!

Hind sight: Choose wisely and avoid a Plastic Plague…x

Phoebe needed a hug. There was something comforting abut hugs that made everything feel better. A hug could stop her feeling  lonely, comfort her when she was sad, make her feel loved and even make her feel safe. It didn’t need anything else to back it up - a simple hug said it all. And if no one was around and she needed a hug? She could always just hug herself.

Hugs fix everything... xo

Phoebe felt blah. She was over it, in fact, she was over everything. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. Even making lists didn’t seem to help. What was her problem? Why was everything such a mess? How did it get this bad? She didn’t even know herself in the mirror anymore. It just made her want to crawl back inside her cocoon and hide, Maybe if she disappeared for a while, someone else would sort it all out. Then she could re emerge like a beautiful butterfly, refreshed and renewed, back into a perfectly sorted life and start again.

Phoebe was having trouble grasping reality. It felt like she was floating in a bubble slightly above the world. She could see the pain and trauma, she could read the words, but she couldn’t hear anything – she was just out of reach. Everything looked surreal. Inside the bubble she couldn’t feel anything. She was numb to reality. But because nothing could get through to her, she couldn’t understand what was going on. It appeared she was completely out of touch...

Phoebe wished she could do magic. The shower drain was clogged again and needed to be cleaned out. Yuk! It was definitely her least favourite thing to do. It would require lots of preparation – tea, chocolate, goggles, gloves. She dived in and got to work. After pulling out a humungous hair ball the size of a small rabbit, Phoebe decided she needed a reward for her bravery. Later as she sat sipping a chai latte, relieved that the next shower wouldn't turn into a swimming pool, she remembered one of her favourite lines from 'Rocky and Bullwinkle'... "Hey Rocky! Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat..." 

Hmm... maybe she could do magic?

Rocky and Bullwinkle was a classic kid's cartoon that used to be on TV when I was little. I loved it then and still do...

Phoebe woke up feeling like there was something she needed to do, something really important. She felt taller and more sure of herself, like she had a purpose, but what was it? If everyone had a unique gift, what was hers? She looked out the window at the perfect day - her world was safe and peaceful compared to the rest of the world which was in turmoil, at war and full of hatred. Maybe that was it – she needed to save the world. But how?  How could one person alone make a difference? She had no money, no power, no name… in fact she didn’t even have any clothes! All she had was her conscience and a big heart. What on earth was a girl to do?

#helpphoebesavetheworld

Phoebe was sick of colouring her hair. In fact, she couldn't even remember why she had started in the first place so she decided to go a la natural. Only problem was, she couldn't remember what her natural colour was. Was it blonde? Red? Or was it dead mouse brown? Hmmm... only time would tell.

Phoebe was having a zen moment as she sat taking in the cool breeze. Finally a southerly buster had come through, obliterating the stifling hot air that had been suffocating her all day long. She closed her eyes and listened to the wind roar through the gum trees – here, there, and way way over there. It was music to the ears – a symphony just for her. The cool breeze filled her lungs, calmed her soul and made her feel at peace with the weather. It was no longer a battle for survival.

Phoebe couldn't cope with all the noise. It was too loud, too busy and too much. She just wanted to run away and hide somewhere quiet. She wanted it to stop. In fact, she felt like standing up and screaming at the top of her lungs, "STOPPP!!!" But it was no use, she would never be heard over the ever pounding, ever amplifying noise. So instead, she knelt down with her eyes closed and ear muffs on and prayed for Peace on Earth...

It had been a while and Phoebe had been very patient but her head was hurting and Monday morning was always such a disappointment. Another week and still she hadn't seemed to have gotten anywhere. Enthusiasm, nil... energy, zilch... she sat and tried to pick herself up. Was this just a sugar burn out? Did she eat too many jelly beans yesterday? Maybe listening to The Cure really loud would help... usually it did. Or maybe this was just a lull, an unscheduled stop in her journey. Anyway, Phoebe decided to kick back, take a moment, and wait for something to happen.

Phoebe collapsed in a heap... she was over it. Done. Finished. She was seriously all shopped out. Christmas shopping, grocery shopping, post Christmas sales shopping, more grocery shopping, using-gift-voucher shopping, January sale shopping, even more grocery shopping, school stuff shopping... surely that was it? Exhausted, she decided to make herself a nice cup of tea. Ahhhh! She gasped and almost fainted as she realised with great horror that the one thing she had forgotten to buy was tea... oh no!!! How was she going to survive?!

(Horrible truth: The one thing you forget when you go shopping is ALWAYS the most important.)

Phoebe felt like she had been here before. Was it de ja vue? It all seemed strangely familiar. Anyway, she was tired and over it and needed to rest. Maybe she had just been going in circles? Maybe she hadn't really gone anywhere at all? Ho hum. It was all too much to think about so she decided to sit and wait for a sign, or a miracle or maybe just a bus?

Day turned to night and still she sat, deep in thought, waiting for something...

"Good things come to those who wait." – something my father used to say.

Phoebe felt trapped. She was unable to escape from the darkness within. All she wanted was to be free but there was no easy way out. Everything seemed impossible. The only thing that could save her was love – yep, just like in a fairytale – she just needed to believe. And then, by putting her trust in those who loved her, she could be free to live happily ever after. Of course, all her dreams would come true too.

‘Ribit!’ (common Frog Prince latin) translation: “Phoebe, oh Phoebe,
let down your golden hair!”... xo

Phoebe was so sick of saying sorry. She seemed to apologise for everything she did, said, thought… the list goes on. In fact, she said sorry sooo much that she decided to delete the word from her vocabulary altogether. It was time to stand tall and embrace her inadequacies and stop apologising for being… well, Phoebe?

Stop apologising... xo

Phoebe decided to get into the swing of things early this Christmas and avoid the last minute rush but it seemed she wasn’t the only one…

There was something in the air, a murky unsettling feeling... Ah Choo! Was it dust? Phoebe had no idea what was going on but it stunk. Everything had been shaken up, turned on its head and inside out - it was completely out of her control. All she could do was hang on tight so she held her breath, made a wish and waited for the dust to settle.

Phoebe had been on a high for longer than usual and was starting to worry that she might just lose her balance, so she asked her true love, “If I fall to pieces will you put me back together?” He simply replied, “Tweet.”

True love... xo

Phoebe had been very distant for a long time... possibly as far, far away as another universe. She had needed some space and perspective – somewhere quiet so she could hear herself think. Everything appeared differently from a distance. Big things appeared much smaller, small things completely dissappeared and the things that mattered the most stood out like stars. Finally she could make sense of the world...

Follow your heart... xo

Phoebe wanted to paint. She had vermilion on the brain. All she could think about was painting scarlet, vermilion, crimson... in fact, she just wanted to paint everything red. What did this mean? Was she angry? Mad? Going mad? She didn’t care. She just wanted to get the red out of her head...

Paint it out... xo

Phoebe couldn’t think straight... her head felt like spaghetti – inside and out. Nothing seemed to make sense... had she got her wires crossed again? She tried to focus but lost her train of thought so instead, she decided to embrace her present tangled mess and just go with it... ROCK ON Phoebe!! Secretly she always wanted to be Suzi Quatro even though she only knew how to play classical guitar... oh well, no one would notice the difference?!

Rock on... xo

Phoebe’s life had become a big blur. She was so busy, each day seemed to zoom into the next in a continuous motion. (Was she in a movie?) She didn’t even have time to stop and smell the roses. She zoomed from place to place, job to job, person to person, thingy to thingy... at a ridiculous pace. Luckily she had a zippy red sports car to zoom around in because as we all know, red cars go faster... go Phoebe, GO!!

Life is short... xo

Phoebe was sooooo tired... so tired that she thought she’d catch an early night in and curl up with a good book. Unfortunately the book wasn’t that good (and she really wasn’t that into books...) so before she knew it, she had literally fallen sleep (yawn) curled up with her book... z z z zzz.

Sometimes all you need is a good book... xo

Everybody wants to be tall. But it does have its down side... I don’t think its possible to be tall AND down to earth when your head is continually in the clouds. Besides, there’s way less oxygen up there. Any wonder Phoebe is so airy fairy...

Stand tall... xo

Phoebe felt cold. She was so cold, she thought she was going to freeze to death. Well, maybe not quite to that extreme but certainly into an exquisite ice sculpture?

Be exquisite... xo

Finally, Phoebe had made an appointment with the hairdresser to get her hair done. A bit of a snip, some swooshy styling and lots of hairspray later and wholah! It was done. It looked fab, in fact, she looked hot (stop looking at yourself in the mirror Phoebe...). Her hair had so much extra bouffe and bounce! It was so bouncy, she could now actually sit on it without even nearing the ground... cool!

Get a haircut... xo

Phoebe was tired. Her head hurt and she felt a bit unbalanced. It felt like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders and she just couldn’t carry on. Actually, she probably just needed a good hair cut or maybe a slight trim? Or maybe she just needed to talk to someone. After all, isn’t that what friends were for? And tea of course...

Sometimes you just need a friend (with tea)... xo

Phoebe couldn’t see for the fog so she climbed to the top of a hill to see if she could get her bearings. She had lost all sense of direction and was completely lost. No matter which way she looked, everything looked the same. In fact, everything looked like... socks? In her lostdom, she had actually stumbled across the lost land of odd lost socks (as in the place where all your lost socks disappear to, never to be found again...). She couldn’t believe her eyes and she couldn’t wait to get back to tell everyone - if only she could work out which way to go...    

Don’t lose it... xo

When Phoebe was little, she thought her mother must have been some sort of mythical Super Being with magical powers who could do everything at once and move at the speed of light. In reality, her mother was just always in a hurry and often walked so fast that Phoebe could never keep up. Holding on to her mother’s hand as they walked down the street, she literally flew behind her suspended in mid air. OK slight exaggeration…

Follow... xo

Phoebe needed some space. Everything had become too crazy, too messy, too much so she jumped in her car and drove far away. In fact, she drove to the only place she knew where there was enough space to think… Mars. At last, surrounded by nothing but eerie silence and infinite spaciousness, she sat down in the middle of nowhere and took it all in (like a lizard sunbaking). Finally she had some breathing space… sigh. This was the place to be.

Space out... xo

Phoebe had temporarily lost sight of where she was going. Was she out of her mind? Engulfed in darkness, she couldn’t see a thing. In fact, it was so dark, she had completely disappeared into the abyss… After being out of sight for what seemed like an eternity, Phoebe finally found her way back out into the light. It was bright. Squinting and blinking, she put on her rose coloured glasses… ahh, much better! Now she could see exactly where she was going and it had never been clearer (or rosier or brighter). Her destination was back in sight…

Keep focused... xo

Step by step she climbed, until finally she reached the top. The height of heights. Top of the world. Dizzy heights? Phoebe had made it! From there she could look down over the top of everything (luckily she wasn’t too scared of heights…). Now what? Fly? There was really only one thing left to do… a perfect swan dive back down to reality. It was way too lonely at the top.

Spread your wings... xo

A single tear ran down Phoebe’s face as she watched her love disappear into the distance (don’t go...). All she could do now was wait (and wait) in hope that her true love would return...

If you love something set it free,
if its yours it will come back to you,
if not then it never was... xo

Phoebe was swamped by doubt, in fact, her mind felt exactly like a dark, murky swamp. She was bogged - overwhelmed by an entangled soup of swampy green envy and bubbling self doubt. Lets face it, she was a bit over-dramatic sometimes... nothing a good cup of tea couldn’t fix though?!

Tea fixes everything... x

Phoebe refused to yield. She pushed against the opposing force that was blocking her path - it wasn’t going to win this time. She pushed and pushed with all her will until finally it yielded. The walls came crashing down. She was free to follow her dreams at last..

Be strong... x