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WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND, FRANKIE PALS?
Dear frankie, As a student currently submerged in the dreaded HSC, I wanted to thank you with all my heart for issue 90. Every day recently has been spent obsessing over marks, ranks, assessments and ATAR calculators, but with the help of those clever life mottos, I found myself more empowered than anything. I know now that despite every negative thing this year has and will throw at me, I’ll be kind to myself, say no when I need to, never settle and work hard while shaking my hips. Thank you endlessly, Jen x ...................
Dear frankie, I’m a complete flower fanatic, so no one was surprised when that was my first tattoo. By my fourth, I’d fallen in love with the idea that someone versed in ‘petal talk’ could read these intimate-but-disguised parts of me. The species I picked – native wisteria (‘I cling to thee’), snowdrop (‘hope renewed’), ragged robin (‘wittiness’) and mezereon (‘desire to please’) – all have their own importance to me, but reading Sophie Kalagas’s article on floriography made me fall in love with my living garden all over again… and really, really made me want to get another tattoo! Much love, Evie xx ...................
Dear frankie, It’s 4.05am on a Sunday, and while, according to Instagram, most of my friends are in Ubers on their drunken journey home, I’m at work, counting down the hours and minutes until I get to crawl into bed. I work as a nurse in psychogeriatrics – it’s hard, and the hours can be incredibly alienating. Reading issue 90 – from the interview with Würst Nürse to your piece on night-shifters – was a wonderful reminder of why I do my job, and that I’m not alone. You weren’t wrong about strange things happening when the sun goes down – especially when it comes to dementia patients – but it’s mostly rewarding to experience. E x Dear lovely frankie people, I’m probably not in your usual demographic, being a 66-year-old gramma, but I fell in love with frankie when I discovered it at my local library. Because I live a busy life but have to read every single page, I kept getting “please return NOW!” reminders from the library. So, I’ve taken out a subscription so nobody can take you away from me! Thank you for the recipe book in issue 90. I intend to make cauliflower soup today. Deborah ...................
Dear frankie, Ten years ago, the 12-year-old version of me wandered into a newsagency and spotted your pretty cover. Once my mum decided your pages were appropriate, I paid at the counter, and off we went to start a journey much longer than either of us probably anticipated. A lot has changed in 10 years, but one thing has remained the same: the latest frankie always sits on my bedside table, ready to be enjoyed while curled up with a cuppa. Thanks for being ever-present, even when the rest of the world has whirled too fast around me. Toni xx ...................
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Hey frankie, Among all the other lovely things in issue 90, I was really pleased to see your eco directory and the mentions of sustainability woven through your pages. As our governments seem quite happy to stall indefinitely (or straight-up stick their heads in the sand) about climate change, it’s clear we’ll have to be the ones making things better through our choices. Reusing, repairing and recycling (and choosing eco-friendly options when we do have to buy stuff) are all steps in the right direction. Keep up the good work! Lots of love, Hannah