Dingbat Chat

Australia, alongside Papua New Guinea, makes up 70% of the world’s biodiversity. And for a girl who gets excited about tadpoles in her pond, that’s a lot of new animals!I took a turn in the Wildlife Habitat of Port Douglas and came face to face (literally) with a bunch of new, incredible creatures. I still got most excited when a finch flew into my shoulder, but she was just a bit of me! Let the lovely Wildlife Manager Rebecca take you on an oral tour of Australia’s wildlife.

Nothing quite beats the adrenaline of physical sports. I’ve been playing rugby all my life and there’s nothing in this world that I enjoy more than a good tackle, whether I’m giving or receiving! So when the opportunity came up to try out Australia’s own footy league, no way was I turning it down. With Aquila as my master and the Unicorns as my team, AFL made me feel like I’d finally made it in Melbourne.

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it but I do happen to be in Australia at the moment! And I also happened to have noticed that I’m not as 100% welcomed here as I optimistically thought I would be...Feeling foreign is the mood of the day and it’s one that I haven’t truly felt before. Out of place, yes, a little peculiar, for sure. But being called an immigrant? Join me and my new American pal Revs to see what being foreign means for the traditionally privileged.

Blackjack, poker, all the naughty night time activities you find in a casino... well I wouldn’t know because I’ve never been! I have a little bit of an addictive personality you see and I think gambling would test me more than I necessarily need to.But what’s a Dingbat to do for episode 13?! This episode is a little different as we follow Alice (me) through her adventures at The Crown Casino...

When the opportunity to work for Plan International and raise money for women’s rights came around, I thought it would be the best job in the world! Little did I know the emotional and financial pressure that would accompany it...What I didn’t realise is that it’s still a sales job and that definitely sent me for a spin. I grabbed Theresa, a wicked fundraiser, to have a chat and tell me how much of a Dingbat I was about it!

I won’t lie, I was hesitant at first. I cannot deal with heat at the best of times so the idea of deliberately doing exercise in a hot environment was a little worrying. But after hearing about other people’s experiences and knowing that I already enjoyed yoga, why not throw some heat in with it?Hot yoga was honestly a completely new experience. Not only the activity itself but where it originated from and what it means to people. Amy shared her thoughts with me and, as an instructor at the Yoga Corner in Melbourne, it was an incredible conversation (but also probably the most dingbatty I’ve been so far)!

I’ve always been an avid listener of BBC Radio 2, so punk was never really on my Spotify playlist. I won’t lie to you, I’ve always had a preconception of what punk is; confrontational, cross and not very me. I’m usually happy for people to prove me wrong but unfortunately I haven’t come across much punk in my life, so the opportunity to change my mind never came up.Luckily, Criminal Blondes were happy to show me what punk is really all about, both on stage and behind the scenes, and I couldn’t have been happier to join in! So have a listen and experience a whole new attitude with Dingbat Chat.

I have been allergic to make up ever since I first used it, so I’ve never taken it as far as it can go. But in 2019, with all the amazing looks that people create, it was definitely time to use what little I have and try a tutorial for the very first time! Joined by Benefit and beauty guru Hannah, we discuss what make up means in the world today, how gender is falling by the wayside and how my own attempt to mix up my own paint went.

In the UK, Mental Health Awareness Week took place earlier this month so I thought what better time to have a chat with the lovely psychiatric nurse I met, Fiona! I understand what this topic means to me but it varies so much between individuals. It’s not a physical wound, there is no one way to deal with it so the discussion, which has only really just started, needs to keep on going! I went to a mental health support group as my experience to try and see from other people’s perspective. That’s, on top of all that Fiona’s knowledge, has led to quite the podcast!

Not sure what hops means? Think all dark ale looks/tastes like Guinness? Then this episode is the one for you! I have been drinking booze all my life and beer has stuck with me throughout; a crisp one in the summer, a cool can after a hard days work, beer is the alcoholic Bob the Builder- it can fix it. And yet it has taken me 22 inebriated years to go to my very first beer festival!At Melbourne GABS Beer Festival, I ran around a bit tipsy and got very excited about all the people I spoke to (alongside the free tasters they gave me), including Black Hops Brewing, a lovely volunteer called Matt and Grand Ridge Brewery. And as well as the people who know their stuff, also got a few clips of me getting carried away on the mic... But overall, the beer fest was a success!