Time to Turn on Some Fun.

Hello, my friends. Yes, ten days until Christmas — and here’s the tree in Martin Place, Sydney. We’ve had some beautiful, hot weather and songs on repeat about snowfall and a cosy Christmas.

In my mind and heart, I am more than ready for a Christmas break. Work finishes this week — hooray! — and soon it’ll be time to sink into the season of joy.

I don’t know about you, but for me it’s time to have some fun — and be more fun.

Here’s my quick list:

  1. Put on a dress. It’s so simple, but it always makes people feel good to see a woman in a lovely dress. (Little kids especially love this. Why? It sings out, “Let’s celebrate!”)

  2. Ask for what you need. I’ve prepped the family that I want more games nights, less movies. More laughs, less of couples watching tv. More help in the kitchen. More help running up to the shops for groceries. Ask, ask, ask…and delegate where you can.

  3. Notice the joy. Sit by the tree. Look at decorations in your favourite shop. Wrap the gifts and think about the person who will receive them.

  4. Use puff pastry. Seriously, make that Christmas tree with Nutella and puff pastry. Fill puff pastry squares with spinach and ricotta. Or cut it into strips, sprinkle with cheese, twist and bake. It’s easy to pull something warm from the oven.

  5. Be imperfect. (This one’s for me. As a novelist, I love having control over the ending…but life is decidedly imperfect. So go on, CATHERINE…let things unfold. See what happens. Live in the now, and not an imaginary Christmas holiday).

  6. Walk a lot. Walk off the puff pastry. Walk to meditate. Walk with someone or by yourself if you need a reset. When something’s wrong, walking never makes it worse.

  7. Use the ‘pretty’ everything - that’s why you have it stored in the cupboard. The best glasses, the best dishes, the Christmas crockery and napery. You do have a little more time right now, and it feels good when things look pretty.

I wish you were here this morning while my house is quiet and everyone’s sleeping. I’d invite you out to the patio for our coffee by the pool and a loooooong girl chat about how it’s going.

If things are easy, I’d celebrate with you. And if things are hard, there’s this: remember who you are, and how hard you work in this world to bring your people together. You keep things ticking over, and you’re still going, and you’re about to gather together with some of the people you’ve been given to love.

I saw this beautiful hand-lettered sign this week, and I wanted to share it with you here. Made by Lori Hetteen - link to her work below. If we could see inside the heart of you, this is what we’d find: effort and weariness and beauty, a woman who has tried so many times to make the world at least a little shiny, someone with a huge, huge, beautiful heart.


Take care, and I’ll see you next Sunday. Sending you so much love from sunny Australia.

Catherine x

P.S. The Fun Stuff!

Ladies, Start Your Engines...

Hello, my friends!

Yes, it’s time to start your engines. The holiday season is soon kicking off, and if you’re anything like me, it’s time to get busy with the wrapping and the love, the baking and the party-planning.

Not gonna lie, some years I go into the Christmas season with a readiness to BE THE JOY, but this year I’m feeling a little more like cosy-ing up in my pjs and then into my swimmers, and back again. I’m truly craving REST and PEACE.

How are you? How are you really?

Wish we could have coffee and croissants together this morning! I could use some girl-talk.

I met my beautiful friend, Claire, for coffee in a neighbourhood cafe. (And it was so funny — when I walked in, my husband and his friend were there after a long bush walk they’d done, my friend’s husband was there having coffee and I had to laugh…because where could I sit to talk about ANYTHING with everyone there!? Anyway. shout out to the local cafe for being brilliant!)

But back to Claire. She said something that stopped me in my tracks.

Joy or service.

Claire’s words felt right to me. I want to do things that help my people, that spread love in my community, that are useful and relevant. And I want to do things that bring me joy. (Writing - baking - coffee-ing with friends - gift wrapping and tree trimming - gifting ornaments I love - having lunches - all the fun things that brighten my own heart and the hearts of others.)

What I don’t want to do is carry the crap that does not matter:

  • Regret

  • Comparison

  • Paralysing fear

None of those things will help me. They just ruin now, and squeeze the joy out of everything. This season, it’s time to deliberately seek the joy wherever I can find it. That’s my plan for Christmas. Would you like to join me? Would you like to let your shoulders down and be present to each moment that might contain a glimmer of good?

I hope you’re having a relaxing weekend, filled with at least a few things that you love to do.

Catherine x

P.S. The Fun Stuff!

  • The red sandals you can walk in forever are on sale. Ideal for Christmas barbecues down under! They’re the perfect shade of red (in person).

  • Welcome to Christmas in Australia! Ha!

  • Speaking of cafes, let’s go to Paris!

  • So cute for my sons’ girlfriends for under the tree. Can you imagine heading out for New Year’s Eve with one of these at age 19 and 23? I’ve got two wrapped up already.

  • Mangoes! Yum! It’s the season around here…

  • How fun is this…went to a meeting at my publisher’s office and this was there to greet me. I love how publishers do this. You kinda feel like it’s your “paparazzi moment”! Hahaha! The Bittersweet Bakery Cafe will hit the shelves in March 2025!

The Bittersweet Bakery Cafe proof is here!

Hello, my friends. It’s time for an update about all the things. Wish you were here to have coffee with me at my kitchen table. If you were, I’d hand over the Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of my new book, launching in March 2025.

The Bittersweet Bakery Cafe is looking fabulous and I’m so happy with the cover design. Last weekend I had a virtual meeting with my Reading Team and I filled them in on the behind-the-scenes so they’d have the first look at the cover. (Thank you, thank you! Loved meeting up with you!)

Here’s one more peek at the final cover for you. The designer and publisher were aiming for something that pops online, with strong typography and a modern feel.

This one will hit the shelves on 4 March, so that’s just 90 days away! I’m excited about everything that’s to come.

  • We’re finding the right actor for the audio book — hooray!

  • We’re planning the marketing and PR activities!

  • The final version was sent to print on Friday!

Here’s what you’ll find inside: laughter and sorrow and wildly unique people, Aussies and a gorgeous white sand beach village, a woman’s struggles to find her new home, a bit of DIY on a beautiful but dilapidated apartment, a mouthy teen who needs some love, a little hint of romance, shocking betrayals, new friends, a midlife reinvention and more.

The more is…my favourite family recipes are included in my beautiful book. All the cakes I make and love, and quite a few extra treats, too. We’ll talk again in upcoming months…I’ll let you know about pre-orders and how you can get a copy. Thank you for being excited for me.

But now, over to you…

the holidays are coming!

How are you doing in your holiday prep?

I am behind! Too behind! But the tree is up, a few gifts are wrapped, and I’ve done a bit of shopping online this year. I’m truly looking forward to a break from work, and time to relax with family and friends.

This week I read something beautiful about women:

It’s true.

Holidays are absolutely a labour of love, and women stand at the centre. Spokes in the wheel, the strength and the planning and the getting people places — this is what we do. It’s who we are.

Over upcoming weeks, I promise to give you a few hints and tips that I use to bring the joy at holiday time…with the hope that I can make your load a little lighter, too.

As always, I’m wishing you a beautiful weekend. If no one has asked you yet today, how are you (really)? And if you need comfort or joy, I hope you find it in the simple things:

  • Step outside for a walk

  • Light a Christmas candle

  • Put your feet up and rest a while

Love, Catherine x

P.S. The Fun Stuff!

Have Yourself a Beautiful Weekend

Hi friends around the world! How gorgeous is this shot from my local Harris Farm fruit and veg shop? So many beautiful things to share with you this weekend, starting with a story.

Every day when I head into the office in centre of Sydney, I put my breakfast and lunch in the fridge. Breakfast is always a bit of Greek yogurt with some frozen blueberries (easy) and lunch is usually leftover chicken with some vegetables. And every time I open the fridge, there is a BIG PAPER BAG on the top shelf, taking up all the space.

And by the time I walk in at 8am after an hour’s commute, there’s always this short guy from the mailroom making an elaborate breakfast…I’m guessing, with grocery items he stores in the brown bag.

Now there are signs all over the fridge saying it’s cleaned once a week and everything is thrown out on a Wednesday. So, clearly, someone was storing groceries in the brown paper bag.

And that same crinkled brown bag has continued to take up the entire top shelf. FOR MONTHS.

On Thursday, I was in super early…and I was tired and in a bad mood and I just had it with that brown bag. The mailroom guy was not in, so I ripped that bag out of the fridge and took a look inside.

There was one rotten banana in it. That’s it.

For four months, I’d been irritated by the stupid brown bag. For four months, the cleaners also assumed it was full and restocked with someone’s food. And there it sat, taking up an entire shelf, filled with one rotten banana.

The lesson is this: just take a look, CATHERINE. Just investigate. Instead of all the assuming that things are a certain way and you can’t change them (the mailroom guy! His elaborate breakfasts! His brown bag full of groceries taking up half the fridge!)…just take a LOOK and see what you can do.

I threw out the bag and the banana.

It made me wonder how many other times in my life I’ve assumed some kind of dictated helplessness because I thought things couldn’t be different. Too many times.

There are definitely a few more “brown paper bags” in my life at the moment, so I’m starting to take a look, step by step. Who knows? Maybe it’s time for you to do this, too…

Sending you my warmest wishes for a relaxing weekend! I think we could all use a bit of rest and peace.

Love, Catherine x

P.S. The fun stuff!

When Life is an Avalanche

Hello, my friends. Hi if you’re new—I’m Catherine Greer, author, copywriter and baker, lover of Christmas, mum of sons, slightly-tired woman heading into the holiday season.

How are you? (How are you really?)

Today’s been challenging, and I’m not sure how to handle it. Someone in our extended family whom we love so, so dearly has a very big health worry now, and life feels like an avalanche.

When things go wrong, the worst of it—for me—is the shock. Just when I desperately need to think clearly, I can’t—and everything’s frozen. I try to chip away at that block of ice in my brain, searching for something: a way forward, an idea no one else has had, some small way to help.

Life is so long and full of opportunities, and also so very short.

Today, if everything’s okay, it’s the perfect time to say thank you.

And if things are hard, there’s this: I hope you get your dreams.

Take good care out there, and I’ll be back next week with a happier note in your inbox.

Love, Catherine x

P.S. The Fun Stuff…

  • For each one of you this morning, this song is us. 🩷 Thankful.

  • We had a beautiful weekend away for my son’s graduation in the Australian Army. Thankful.

  • Today we’re decorating the Christmas tree, so we’ll have quiet early mornings with the tree lights on. Thankful.

  • I’m making a turkey dinner for the family, and I absolutely love the new KMART range of Christmas table linens. I mean, can you even believe this $10 tablecloth with Aussie bottlebrush? It’s so soft and so Christmas-ey. And these napkins? And these red velvet bow napkin rings? I know. So pretty.

A Day Early for a Special Occasion

Hello, my friends! And hello to all the new people this week. Normally I send my newsletter on a Sunday, but we’ll be travelling down to Canberra to a special event.

Our oldest son, a lawyer who will soon be working as a consultant at a global firm in Sydney, is graduating from the Australian Army reserves. He’s spent the past year getting qualified, so it’s time to welcome another Lieutenant into our family.

We’ll be at Duntroon, at the Royal Military College for a celebration dinner.

Life evolves so quickly…and of course with kids, we remember every age they’ve ever been as they grow into adulthood. I cannot believe I have a son trained for active duty. I can’t believe that his life could go in a very different direction from what I hope it will. (May this never come to pass…)

But a wise friend told me this once when we were talking about our kids.

So, we celebrate.

We celebrate his bravery, and a willingness to serve his country. We celebrate a young man who I very much hope lives to be old, arthritic and playing cards in a beautiful nursing home in his nineties one day, with grandchildren he adores and a full and long life.

For all the mamas out there, deep breath. This — whatever this is — is their journey. And we’re so, so lucky to be a part of it.

I hope you have a beautiful weekend. I’ll pop into your inbox as usual next Sunday. (Is it time for us all to think about the holidays? I hope so!).

Take care! Love, Catherine x

P.S. The Fun Stuff!

  • Yep, I’m wearing the shoes I mentioned last week in silver (photo above) so I can walk across grass and stand all night if I need to. Here they are in white. My silver ones are sold out online.

  • Also, this dress. A few seasons old, but it’s a winner. I’ll take a velvet wrap because I think the night will be chilly.

  • I have my eye on this dress. Nice for work in navy? Or fun in yellow? Elegant always looks best…is it a sign that it’s called Catherine?

  • This swimsuit coverup set (wide pants and tied top) is perfect for the young women on your Christmas list. The girlfriends around here are getting it under the tree!nSo cute with a brown bikini. (Those days were so much fun! Maybe I’ll give it whirl this summer.) And this copper bikini is super cute, too.

Sunday Ways To Treat Yourself

Hi my friends,

Thanks for all the love and messages from last week! It’s been rainy and cold in Sydney, and it feels so strangely wintery. I’m ready for swimming season, summer dresses and relaxing into Christmas, but the weather is definitely not co-operating.

But last night we had dinner with friends, and their house was so lovely and inviting. I’m a big believer in having people over, and here’s why. I love the day of a dinner party — the early morning clean that makes me appreciate the home we have, the choosing of a menu that I hope people will love, making the dessert, and my favourite part: setting the table, putting out the ‘good china’ and too many tea lights, using the crystal, making everything beautiful.

Of course nobody cares how clean the floor is, or whether our homes are lovely. It’s about being invited in. And last night reminded me of another truth. I believe this one with my whole heart.

Last night, the lesson was to be more fun.

I have been so bogged down and busy with the demands of my new job that I haven’t even remembered who I am or why I’m here.

But being in my friend’s home truly reminded me of FUN. Because she’s a person who embodies joy and celebration and interest and curiousity.

She’s unafraid to reinvent herself. Last night, I watched her shine and I listened to her speak. She was a lesson for me.

Every person is a lesson just for you.

The fabulous lesson. The frustrating lesson. The ‘I Wish I Didn’t Have to Learn This’ lesson. The lesson that says, “Oh, I want more of what she embodies.”

I love this about life: I love the learning.

And on we go—whether we intend to or not—inspiring each other along this path, until we walk each other home.

I hope you have a beautiful day!

Love, Catherine x

P.S. The Fun Stuff!

  • This shirt is a great basic. Flowy and easy and perfect for work. (Sorry, the photo is not that great, but go try it on and see what you think.)

  • Want to walk a million miles in a pair of heels? Try these classic ones. Seriously, you can stand and walk for 10 hours, no problems.Also perfect for outdoor events if you’re on grass.

  • Christmas is coming — I’ve been listening the new Stella Cole album called SNOW!

  • One of my favourite poems of all time. Oh, the last line! Do you remember this one? America is many things right now, but she has also always been her poets. Published in 1923. Still gives us a shivers of recognition a hundred years later.

  • My friend’s lemon ricotta cake from last night’s dinner party. Yum!

We Are Not Invisible Women

Hello, my friends from around the world. This morning, I wish all of us were in my kitchen together (but we wouldn’t fit, we’d need a huge hall!) I have something to say to you, to my own brain, and it’s this.

We’re growing older, and we are not invisible women.

All the parts of ourselves that are changing are not meant to be criticised and judged.

The arms.

The neck.

The tummy.

We’re not meat packages laid side by side in a grocery store for comment and choosing. I like this bit. This one looks too fatty. Yes to her. No to me.

And we are not invisible.

Our arms are made for holding. Our older teeth and mouth wrinkles are for laughing. Our throats are there to swallow down the disappointments of life and then buck up to help the people we’ve been given to love.

You know this. I know this.

We are not invisible. Not to ourselves, and not to our friends. Certainly not to the people we love.

I am tired of society telling older women we don’t matter, and that we have to look young to look good. I’m tired of women our age who swallow and believe the lie.

I don’t want to pick myself apart, piece by piece. (I don’t want you to do that, either.) I want us to love, fully and deeply, and matter and work and create and build and hope and hold tight to the sails while our people learn to whoosh across oceans…and grow older and wiser themselves.

So today, please take a moment to appreciate you.

  • What have you learned? That everything is survivable.

  • What have you done? Tried — no matter the obstacle.

  • What will you do now? Love and love and love.

People are starting to ask me what my new book is about. And it’s about this: a woman who is sick and tired of people acting like she’s invisible. So she stands up and fights back with humour and joy and love…and baking.

Hugs to all of you, all over the world. Australia. Canada. Sweden. Germany. England, Scotland, Ireland, Norway, Mexico, Taiwan, Singapore, Portugal, Japan, Barbados, India, Italy, the Channel Islands and America. This is what’s coming for you in 2025 (in some places, via Kindle only). The Bittersweet Bakery Cafe. And I hope you love it. But even if people don’t, I love it. And I’ve worked so hard to bring it into the world.

And on I go, like you do.

Growing older, falling down and standing again.

Because we are not invisible.

Love, Catherine xx

P.S. The Fun Stuff!

  • Do you see the size of this proofread? My Reading Team has been helping me fill out a survey so I understand where and how you buy books. Thank you to my beautiful team!

  • These slides are the best. You know how slides always flop around and slap the back of your feet, even Nike and Adidas ones? These don’t. So good! And you’re getting them half off. Run! Great for Aussie Christmas gifts for the girlsssssss. M=size 8/9 and S=6-7

  • This amazing Aussie female athlete is my son’s girlfriend. She’s an Aussie-Mexican boxer (and Dental Assistant) and is trying to build her Instagram audience to gain sponsorship for her sport. Can you help with a follow? She’s asked for my help, so I’m asking for yours. Thank you!

  • This spot in downtown Sydney is the most beautiful. Take a peek!

  • If my message today has resonated with you, please share this newsletter with a woman who needs to hear it. Thank you. I appreciate you.

Easy Tips for Quick Entertaining!

Hi my friends. I hope you’re having a relaxing weekend!

We’re in the middle of jackhammering — literally — while a couple of builders are replacing pool tiles this morning, so I will make this short and sweet. (And send apologies to our neighbours…so gracious when I texted them with a heads up about today! Thank you!)

After making an impromptu breakfast for six, I thought it would be fun to talk about my quick and easy entertaining tips.

I love welcoming people into our home, and the trick is to keep it easy. Here are my top tips:

  • Always keep a few staples on hand in the freezer or pantry. My list includes:

    • Cannellini beans, a jar of sundried tomatoes, frozen spinach — for this quick dish for lunch. Recipe is linked for you below.

    • These croissants (again, linked below) — you will be so grateful I told you about them and the link is below. The pain au chocolat are also incredible.

    • Hummus and carrots, for an easy snack or roasted and displayed beautifully as a side for dinner.

    • Nuts - I love the mixed nuts from Aldi in the green foil package.

  • Cut greenery from the back garden. Sometimes I use rosemary and often the leaves from a camellia bush. In Australia we’re lucky that there’s always something blooming if you search around. But bare branches are also beautiful. See below.

  • Quick clean — for me, this is guest bathroom, vacuum the kitchen and set the table.

  • A tablecloth and napkins always makes your home look special.

  • Light some candles, even in the daytime. I love it when our home smells inviting.

That’s it. People care far, far more about us than about our homes anyway. It’s never about how perfect things look, or what you’re serving. It’s about inviting people in with an open heart.

Even if you are stressed and tired and it would feel easier to cancel altogether or go to a cafe, it’s lovely to BE the love you need in the world.

While the jackhammering carries on here, I’m going to hop off and tidy a few things. Thanks for joining me this morning, and I hope you have a beautiful Sunday.

Love, Catherine x

P.S. The fun stuff!

A Pause is Also Rest

Hello, friends. Are you ready for some Sunday inspiration? I’m here with a beautiful sunset photo of Luna Park in Sydney…you can read about the history below. I don’t know about you, but when I need a little rest, I try to look at my surroundings with fresh eyes.

A pause is also a rest.

A pause and noticing lets me fall in love with my life again.

I used to believe that it took a holiday or a new experience to let go and relax, but now I know all it takes is noticing what’s right in front of me.

I breathe in and look for something beautiful.

Sometimes I capture it with my phone, and other times I don’t. But it gives me peace and a feeling of wellbeing to know that wherever I am, I can seek out and find something worth looking at and appreciating.

It’s such a simple trick, but I hope you try it. Even now, look out and up—what’s around you that is beautiful?

A pause is also rest.

I hope you have a relaxing Sunday. I’m off to play pit crew for my family…they’re in the Tough Mudder today, which is a race that will have them all covered with mud and water and obstacles and hard, hard, hard. I’ll be the one with the bag of towels and hoodies at the finish line. ♥️

Love, Catherine x

P.S. The Fun Stuff!

Things lately

Hello, beautiful!

(And yes, you are. How do I know? You’re a woman, which means that today you’ve already helped someone, listened even if you were busy or tired, probably made at least one meal, tidied up some area of your home, and took the time to make someone else feel like everything is going to be okay.)

That, my friend, is being beautiful.

Your effort is beautiful. So is your intention, and how you love all the people you’ve been given to love.

Lately I’ve been learning so much, and thinking quite a lot about the next twelve months. For me, here’s what’s on the list:

  • I’m settling in to a new full time job that I absolutely love. (Did you know I’m a copywriter like the author who wrote Lessons in Chemistry? Yep!)

  • Be present for our young adult sons while they finish uni, get launched into careers, and make their way into the adult world of relationships, careers, uni debts and setting themselves up for the future.

  • Launch The Bittersweet Bakery Cafe into the world in March 2025. If you’re on the Reading Team you know — there are a few key decisions coming up, and you’ve been SO HELPFUL.

If you were here, I’d make you a coffee or a tea and listen to your list.

There’s a lot to do, right? People to love, things to get done. And on top of it, the worries can easily creep in.

I saw something this week that really helped me, so I’ll drop it in here in case it helps you.

It’s so much better to spend all that energy and brain power thinking about the solution to the problem.

But how?

I ask myself questions like this:

  • Where do I want this situation to land?

  • How can I take one step forward?

  • What would an ideal future look like?

For me, that’s the best place to begin.

Happy Sunday, everyone. I hope you have a beautiful, future-focused and worry-free day.

Love Catherine x

P.S. The Fun Stuff!

  • I’m making strawberry shortcake for Sunday dessert. Will share the recipe with you next week!

  • Perfect dupe for the DISSH dress, and it’s $25.

  • Salsa class…we walked up to one in our neighborhood. We’ve been too busy to dance lately but this was easy. I just love the sparkly shoes!

  • My son is coming home from the army today! He’s playing cello in a classical concert next weekend. If you’d like to meet up, you can get tickets here. It’s a charity concert — if you can’t attend, the link offers a spot to donate to Too Good Co, a women’s domestic violence charity. 🩷

Good morning, sunshine!

Happy Sunday, everyone. It’s a chilly day in Sydney, Australia, and I’m writing to you from the living room where furniture is stacked everywhere. I painted another room yesterday and promptly caught whatever bug my youngest son had…so I’m a bit tired and feeling unwell.

But. But! I wanted to take a sec to share my blueberry muffins with you.

These are the best. And you know what — you can also make them as a morning tea cake! This recipe will be in my new novel, THE BITTERSWEET BAKERY CAFE, coming in March 2025.

Yes — recipes! All my favourite baking recipes will be in the book. I can’t wait.

This one comes together so quickly, but it tastes divine. (Emergency tip: I always keep a package of frozen blueberries on hand, and the ones from Aldi are the absolute best.) You can whip up these muffins and bake in under 30 minutes.

Let’s go!

‘Billie’s Blueberry Muffins from The Bittersweet Bakery Cafe’

INGREDIENTS

  • 195 grams (1 1⁄2 cups) plain flour, spooned and levelled

  • 150 grams (3⁄4 cup) sugar, plus more for muffin tops

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1⁄4 teaspoon seal salt

  • 80ml (1⁄3 cup) vegetable oil

  • 1 large egg

  • 80ml (1⁄3 cup) milk

  • 1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • Generous 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 350F fan forced

  2. Line muffin cups with paper lines. You will need around 10.

  3. Whisk the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a bowl.

  4. Choose a glass measuring jug that holds more than one cup.

  5. Add the oil, then crack in the egg, and pour in enough milk to reach the 1 cup line on the jug. And the vanilla extract and whisk together.

  6. Add the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry, and stir until the batter comes together. It will be thick. Try not to overmix.

  7. Gently fold in the blueberries.

  8. Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops with additional sugar.

  9. Depending on your oven, bake for around 15 minutes.

My favourite way to make this recipe is as a morning tea cake when a friend comes over. Pour the batter into a lined cake tin (20cm round, or a small rectangular tin) and bake.

Let me know if you decide to give this one a try.

Sending you best wishes for a fabulous, relaxing Sunday!

Love Catherine x

P.S. The Fun Stuff!

Hey, hello Sunday!

Hey, hello my friends! Happy Sunday. To all the new people, a special welcome: I’m Catherine Greer, author of books, mum of a shih tzu puppy and two young adult sons, Canadian living in Sydney, full time copywriter in the corporate world…and lover of baking!

Every Sunday I get up super early (before my family) and sit in my favourite chair with my favourite pink coffee mug and write to you guys.

I love this!

I love it so much!

I’m good at being reliable, and I love this newsletter where I get to send out a positive message to so many women around the world. I imagine all of you pausing at some time during your weekend, knowing that you’re going to get a little hit of good news or encouragement when you hear from me.

For the new people, here’s an example. I heard a phrase this week that was so helpful. When we need to ask someone for help, either in work or in our personal lives, an interesting, easy way to do it is this:

What’s the chance that you could…walk the dog? Throw on a load of laundry? Make dinner tonight? Read my report before tomorrow? Such a beautiful way to ask! These are the little things I learn that I love to share with you every week. 🩷

But here’s the thing. Now I need YOUR help…because I’m struggling with social media. Let me tell you why. I have a new book coming out in March 2025. Look! The pages have now been typeset and I am SO EXCITED.

Gulp! I’ve been asked to “build my social media following.” You guys…I’m an ordinary person and I don’t know how interesting my life is!

I want to share what’s valuable for other women. And I don’t want to jump up and down and pretend that I’m a big deal.

So here’s my ask:

  1. If you have ANY tips for me (some of you are amazing at social media), please let me know.

  2. What’s the chance that you could…follow me on Instagram? 😉 Thank you!

  3. Either now or if you have a favourite Sunday message, could you please share / forward this newsletter to a friend or sister who might like it?

Thank you so much for your advice!

I appreciate you helping me…and I am so glad we’re here, in this life together, figuring out how to enjoy it despite the ups and downs.

Love Catherine

P.S. The Fun Stuff!

Want to be on my Reading Team? 🧁🩷

Hey, hello! And happy Sunday! I’m dropping in this morning with a quick update. How are you doing? And if no one has asked you yet today, how are you really?

I’m gearing up to get painting again. Not the fun kind, the home improvement kind! And I’m nearing the final copyedits on THE BITTERSWEET BAKERY CAFE. Yay! I make myself laugh every time I read it, but also if I’m honest, I am SO HOPING all of you will love this one as much as I do.

The book opens here—at the Sydney Opera House at dawn.

Publication date is 4 March 2025. You can expect laughs and fun and recipes, too…and a smart and sassy story set in Sydney, Australia and the South Coast of New South Wales. 🩷

Here’s an invitation for you all

So here it is: a beautiful invitation for those of you who are interested…soon I’ll be setting up my Reading Team, and I’d love to invite you to join.

What is a Reading Team?

  • Amazing people who are interested in receiving a package of goodies related to an author’s book, including an ARC (an Advance Reader Copy).

What do people on your Reading Team do?

As part of a Reading Team, you’ll do three things.

  1. Read the book early — that means before launch date on 4 March.

  2. Write a review — easiest place is Amazon and I can help with the tech, if this feels tricky for you.

  3. Post a photo on social media — and / OR tell your friends about the book, or gift a copy to a friend. (I know that not all of you are on social media, and that’s totally okay.)

That’s it. You can be from any country at all, but note the packages will differ a little bit because I’m not sure yet about the budget and postage.

Are you interested?

Email me here if you’d like to be on my Reading Team! There’s no commitment at this point, but I’d like to cap my Reading Team at around 25 spots.

Happy Sunday, everyone. And here’s a big huge hug and thanks for your ongoing support.

Love, Catherine x

P.S. The Fun Stuff!


Hey, sparkly person!

Hello and happy Sunday! How has your week been? And how are you really?

I AM BUSY. Things are mostly okay, but I can feel my habits sliding into ‘not great’ territory and I have a lot to do. This weekend while waiting for the final copyedit on my new book, THE BITTERSWEET BAKERY CAFE, I finished painting the trim in the kitchen.

Painting trim was a big, exhausting job but it looks fantastic. (And embarrassingly, it has taken me months to get the trim painted, even though I’d painted the kitchen Dulux Classic White months ago.) That’s the way things have been rolling around here. But two days later, the trim is done, and today’s my day to delve back into THE BITTERSWEET BAKERY CAFE.

I mean, come on, look at this beauty!

Writing a book is a lot like raising a child. Work, work, work, fun, pure joy, work, work, work, disappointment, more work, insecurity, fun, laughing at yourself by yourself because the dream world in your head is now real on the page in human form, work, work, work.

Can you see why a positive book review from a reader makes us feel so good and sparkly?

A book we read in six hours is years of a writer’s life.

It’s an absolute privilege and joy to be able to do this. And I promised myself a long time ago that if I ever got the chance to be an author — I think I was around eight years old on the farm, and I’d read a Byron poem in a book at my great Aunt’s home — that I would take care of my writing. (It didn’t have to take care of me. It wouldn’t have to owe me anything.)

I’ve kept that promise for fifty years.

That’s the kind of dream writers hand to the world when we raise up a book, and put it out there.

So today, I’m back at my desk in my comfiest jeans and sparkly shoes. And I would highly recommend this to you: I wear something sparkly when there’s a metaphorical hill to climb. Besides, I can sit at my desk and I’m not walking anywhere, right?

Maybe it’s something you want to try?

We can put on the good earrings, the shiny ones. Wear the sparkly shoes at Sunday dinner. Use the nice napkins, spray on the perfume.

It’s a beautiful day to be alive, right? Right.

Wish you were here today for Sunday dinner because I’m making Chocolate Dipped Strawberries. Recipe below!

Love, Catherine x

P.S. The Fun Stuff!

How to love our age

Hi friends, current and new. I’m Catherine Greer, author and copywriter, and I’m up early with a coffee writing to you before anyone else gets out of bed—including the dog. I feel like I’m having a mini-holiday and I’m trying to be extra quiet so I glean a few peaceful minutes alone. (I love my own company. Do you?)

I’ve been working on my new novel, and copyedits are due this week. In THE BITTERSWEET BAKERY CAFE, the main character grapples with the fallout from her own ageing. It’s a funny book, but also true. And yesterday I was writing about why the world expects that we’ll wither away in the second half of our lives.

We’re no longer young and beautiful. We’re experienced and beautiful.

Some things are harder, but a whole lot of things are actually easier. Things like this:

  • Knowing what really matters to us.

  • Being patient.

  • Understanding how and when to forgive — especially when to forgive ourselves.

Growing older makes me think of the past. It is far too easy to mull over our mistakes. And then I realised this.

Whatever we did or failed to do, whatever happened then, and how it happened…it might as well have been 800 years ago.

We can’t go back.

We can’t choose differently.

So why not just let it go? Let it drift down like a piece of white paper we’ve dropped from our hand…because that was then, and this is now.

We grow older. We grow smarter, too. And through it all we balance the hopes and disappointments that come with a life fully lived.

This is loving our age, right? Loving the fact that we’ve lived and are living—that we have today, and now, and the opportunity to enjoy what life is offering us: fresh air, fresh chances.

We can let things go, and move on.

I hope you have the most beautiful Sunday, filled with tiny moments of appreciation, love from unexpected places, and a whole day of rest and peace.

Love Catherine x

P.S. The Fun Stuff!

  • Happy Father’s Day in Australia! This guy’s the best.

  • School’s starting back in North America—and have you seen this beautiful idea? Wow.

  • Reporting back on Moo Goo from last week. I tried and love the face moisturiser. My favourite products are the face cleanser and body cream. Has anyone tried the hair care?

  • I made these blueberry muffins for my son’s early morning drive to the snow for his snowboarding trip and they were so good.

  • Driving back from the beach last week, I found this 70s Road Trip playlist that I loved. I was young in the 70s, but I had so many older siblings so I remember all the music. What about this one? Time to kitchen dance…

Have you overlooked this? I have...

Hi friends, and hello to all the new people this week! (Hi Zoe, who I met on the beach yesterday. I loved your vibe!) If you’re new, I’m Catherine Greer, mum of two adult sons, lover of wild shih tzu pups, believer in starting now and never missing a chance to dance in your own kitchen. I’m also a writer of books and a compulsive baker!

Today I want to talk about something simple that most people overlook. This isn’t deep, but it’s important so hang with me, please. Are you ready?

It’s your own legs and feet. I know — not so inspiring. But there’s this:

Our feet and legs carry everything.

They literally carry us through our lives…but let’s be honest: it’s so easy to ignore them or criticise. So today, from me to you as a friend, will you take a second to consider yours?

If we’re walking, we’re so, so lucky. If we can get outside…lucky. If we’re pain-free when we do this—lucky. And on the most basic level, if we have functioning legs and feet at all…lucky. (I’m thinking of paralympians, diabetics, veterans, wheelchair users.)

I know this is basic, but you all know me by now…and if you’re here, you believe that it matters to notice the simple, beautiful things in life.

So today…take just one minute to think about trying a few things:

  1. Lotion up. My absolute new favourite is below. You’re gonna LOVE IT.

  2. Foot stretches. Yep, it’s a thing and if we’re over 35, we should be doing this.

  3. Calf raises, standing or seated. (GREAT to do at work…did you know there’s research out now that you can reduce a glucose spike after eating if you do ten minutes of simple calf raises while seated?)

That’s all. Three simple tips to take better care of you. Are you with me? We can start right now.

I hope something unexpected and lovely happens to you today.

Love Catherine x

P.S. The Fun Stuff!

Heartbreak Hotel

Hi friends, and hello to the new people this week! I’m Catherine Greer, writer of books, lover of little dogs, mama to grown sons, compulsive baker of Sunday desserts. You’re so welcome here every Sunday in my little corner of the internet garden. I do my best to give you something encouraging and upbeat every week.

But today I want to talk about heartbreak.

You know—all the stuff that drags below the water in our iceberg lives.

If we were in a room together (okay, a huge hall), and we stood up one by one telling our truth, our hearts would be so full of grace and understanding for each other. All the things we never say, the thoughts that give us sharp pains, the secret worries, the wonderings. Can you imagine what that would feel like?

I know it’s the oldest cliche around, but it bears repeating.

Every one of us.

When I wrote Small Steps are Perfect, I said it another way: “Nobody rides for free.”

My week has been a little hard. I’ve been working long hours, and I’m incredibly lucky and grateful to say that my copyedit is almost due on my upcoming novel, The Bittersweet Bakery Cafe. (The title of that book was almost WHEN EVERYTHING IS BITTERSWEET — because everything always is, right?) And yesterday, during edits, my beloved very old, well worn laptop had the neverending beachball pop up and I had a stone in my stomach because gahhhhhhh and I knew it was time to get a new computer. Later that day, I had an upsetting conversation, then another one, and all the while my worries about everything lapped against my ankles like winter ocean waves.

Be kind, Catherine—everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.

So what do we do with our heartbreak? (Asking for a friend…ha.)

I think it’s this:

  • Long walks in nature. Look up at anything that is older than you—the sky, the stars, a tree, rocks or hills.

  • Breathe. Out with worry, in with peace.

  • Love whatever is in front of us. Love the work. The person in the coffee queue. The dog that needs walking. The grubby fridge. The bed you’ve got and the new morning that comes with 24 hours of fresh chances to give life another go.

If you’re in a space of pain or sorrow today, I am so sorry that you’re there…and you really aren’t alone. We all carry our burdens like stones in our hearts.

But let’s keep going.

Let’s dust off, and continue to shine.

I’m hoping that something amazing, unexpected and beautiful happens to you today. And if nobody’s said it to you, Thank you for keeping on keeping on.

Love Catherine x

P. S. The Fun Stuff!

  • In Aussie movie theatres, we have choc tops. I’ve lived here for 26 years, so I don’t know if North American theatres also serve ice cream now? We went to see Iris and the Men…a French film, so it was racy and funny and I’m not gonna link to the trailer because not sure how that will land. So French! On now at Roseville Cinema if you live in Sydney ❤️.

  • I need an eyeshadow tutorial for beginners. I’m so bad at it!

  • This looks so yum. And healthy!

  • I finally bought the viral wide leg trousers from Uniqlo and they’re as good as everyone says. On sale in Sydney now. (I know the photos are kind of average, but the trousers are fantastic.)

  • Elvis, of course. But the best song I know about heartbreak is by Fleetwood Mac.

I Received Some Great Advice This Week

Hi everyone. I had a quick trip down to Melbourne again this week, and I took this photo of a rower on the Yarra River.

Doesn’t it look like a Monet painting?

So beautiful!

While I was there, I received some great advice and I’m excited to share it with you. Here’s the context: life has been a little busy for me lately. You know what this is like, right? Too much to do and too little time, and loads and loads of meetings.

As I was floundering around trying to figure out where to begin, a friend said this:

So simple, right?

To much to do? Feeling overwhelmed and unable to figure out a plan?

Just start by starting, CATHERINE!!!

So here’s what I’m diving into this weekend.

  • Copy edits on my new novel, The Bittersweet Bakery Cafe! Coming to you in March 2025.

  • Finding concrete pavers for some outside renovations that we have to do.

  • Family Dinner tonight, with a delicious dessert. I’m thinking of Sticky Date pudding.

  • And all the things: bathrooms need cleaning, there’s shopping to do, I need to organise my work clothes…

Whew! I don’t know about you, but I’m going to just start by STARTING.

Sending you good vibes for tackling some of the items on your never-ending To Do List. (And asking you as a friend…How are you, really? Hope all is well.)

Love Catherine x

P.S. The Fun Stuff!

  • Love classical music? My son’s charity concert with Seraphim Strings is on Friday 11 October from 6:30pm at Trackdown Studios in Moore Park, Sydney. All proceeds will be donated to TOO GOOD, a women’s shelter and charity. Are you in America or the UK or Canada? Would you like to make a donation to the concert but can’t attend? You can buy tickets or donate here. Thank you, thank you.

  • I’m finally reading Hannah Kent’s Burial Rites. Reminds me so much of Atwood’s Alias Grace, and I’m loving reading about Iceland. (Note: it’s literary fiction, beautifully nuanced and themes are upsetting. But worth it!)

  • Dancing around my kitchen to this. So fun.

  • Making Sticky Date Pudding for dessert. Yum.

A Curious Thing Happened.

Hello, my friends. Thank you for letting me share your weekend! I love to drop by with a little bit of joy, and a reminder that we get a whole day in front of us. We’re the oldest and smartest we’ve ever been! We’re the youngest we’re ever going to be again!

It’s a lovely day to have a lovely day, in the words of Ella Fitzgerald…

I had a beautiful getaway last weekend filled with chilly air, delicious food, the laughter of women who have been through a lot and have survived it, a chance to dress up, a fireplace, warm matching slippers and love.

While I was away, a curious thing happened. Our beautiful hostess made some pre-dinner drinks, and when she did, she whipped out these icecubes she’d made for us in advance. Can you see them in the photo?

MASSIVE DIAMOND RINGS.

How fun is that? She could’ve done the usual—ice from the tray or even from her fridge dispenser—but she thought of us in advance and froze ice in the laughter-inducing ice cube trays.

She reminded me of something I’ve written about before, but it’s been a while.

It is so easy to forget about BEING fun.

It’s the first thing that drops off our radar as soon as stress hits, but it’s exactly what we need. I believe that pretty much anything can be done with love—and pretty much anything can be done with fun.

Maybe give that a whirl today and see how you feel?

Add a dollop of fun to your Sunday wherever you can. It’s the best way I know to be magnetic and loving to others.

Thinking of you this morning, and I’m hoping you have a beautiful day.

Love, Catherine x

P.S. The Fun Stuff!