When our team discussed ideas for this blog we were unsure if we had enough to write about. I mean, who still collects things? I remember the days people collected swap cards or tea spoons which were neatly displayed on wooden racks and hung on the wall but does anyone these days have collections?
 
Today our topic is collections I have started collecting postcards from different places I have been before and some places I haven’t been to. 
We’re do I start? Adelaide Zoo. It’s open and spacious and has many different types of animals. It’s the second oldest zoo in Australia (Our zoo in Melbourne is the oldest which opened in 1862). It has different things to see there. I have a post card from Arthurs Seat Eagle at Mornington Peninsula. I didn’t like the old chair lift because it wasn’t enclosed. I love the new one it’s more fancy and it’s enclosed. The view is stunning. 
I also have post cards from the Sea Shell Museum and Sea Road Ferries. I chose these cards because I like the pictures on the cards, and it’s worth going to both places. I also have many more postcards in my collection because they are cheap to purchase 
Do you have a collection? - Jess


​I collect footy cards. The reason I love collecting footy cards is because I love footy, especially watching. I particularly love collecting Sydney Swan's cards as they are the team I go for. I have collected footy cards for many years.
I also collect seashells. I collect them every time I go to the beach. I love looking for shells. I only take the ones that are not broken. I go to loads of different beaches.
I also loved to collect McDonald’s toys when I was a little girl. I have some Shrek characters and I have multiple characters from Despicable Me and many more. I keep them in a special box. I also love collecting Lego sets. Especially Lego friends sets. I don't have a favourite set.  Do you Like Lego?
I love collecting Birthday and Christmas Cards and many other types of cards. They bring back heaps of memories when I look back at them.
I also love collecting fidgets to keep me busy. They are so cool and fun.
I love collecting art and craft supplies, especially colouring books. I have lots of books which are different sizes and have different pictures. I also love collecting pencils and texas, I always love to have a backup in case they run out.
I love collecting anything related to polar bears because they are my favourite animal you can even see them at Sea World on the Gold Coast.
My brother likes to collect Squish Mallows because they are so soft and squishy they are so cuddly I love having a hug with them. I love also collecting board games. I love playing board games with friends or family members I love any type of board game especially Family Feud and Jumanji the board game. What is your favourite board game?
I love collecting photographs and memories that I have with friends and family and I put these memories in a box or a memorial album.
I also love to collect chapter books like Go Girl Books and The Baby-Sitters Club Books and Dork Diaries because they share many different stories and I like to pretend I'm in their shoes.
I love to also collect paper of any type I recycle most paper to use on my circuit machine. Most people think it’s a machine where balls come out but it's a craft machine that makes stickers, labels, and fancy cards they come out so cool.
I love collecting Girl Guide Badges as I used to be a Girl Guide leader so it makes me remember the time I used to be with them.
Thank you for taking the time to read about what I love to collect. Hope you learned something about what people can collect. - Scarlett


​I have been a gamer for over 7 years. I can say that I have a good collection of games that I'm very proud of they're like my babies. (Goo Goo Gah Gah)!
I love gaming because it feels good to play with my friends and other gamers online it's also funny and cool it keeps me busy when I'm home alone. Some of the games in my collection are Grand Theft Auto V, Fortnite, Call of Duty, Tom Clancy Rainbow Six and State or Decay. Fortnite is my favourite game because they have more updates that keep all of their players happy and wanting to play more. Fortnite is a hard game. It makes you think and you can work as a team with your friends to win the games. - TJ

What is a collection?
According to Merriam-webster.com a collection is an accumulation of objects gathered for study, comparison, or as a hobby.
In my case in this piece, I'm focusing on a collection or collecting things as a hobby. I have so many things I have collected or am still collecting and it was a hard choice but I've chosen Lego to talk about today.
Lego is either an occasional hobby or an all-out obsession, it can be a great way to relax and pass the time and you have a huge range to choose from. It's for all ages and skill sets.  So, no matter if you’re a beginner or an expert there is a set for you!
Besides the Lego brand you can also get petit blocks, mini blocks and nano blocks and many more different brands. I'm not picky for my collection, I have all these brands and really enjoy sorting the blocks out into the different sizes, building them and putting them on display.
Even going out and choosing a set to build is great fun. There are so many wonderful sets available from animals to characters from games and tv shows. Let me share with you what I have in my collection so far:
I have a whale, two unicorns, a calico cat, an American short hair cat, a Shiba Inu, a toy poodle, a Hercules beetle, a dragon, two sunflowers, an eagle, parrakeets, a flamingo, two penguins, an owl, a dolphin, a lion, a salt water crocodile, a manta ray, a great white shark, an orca, a football fish, an oarfish, meerkats, a peacock, four Lego mini monsters, a hamster, a rabbit, a red panda, a Pokémon Magicarp, a Pokémon Snorlax, a Pokémon Chikorita and a Panda.
My collection will probably grow more and more over time and I will have more Lego friends to build. It's always going to be something I enjoy and hopefully I can go and visit LEGOLAND sometime in the future, that would be amazing, I think. And for anyone who may have been wondering, I fit into the obsession category of Lego collectors.
 If you're looking to start a new hobby or to start building and collecting Lego, I highly recommend Lego for everyone! - Shan

​Well it appears that my thoughts around collections were completely wrong! I’m glad that our team have so much to offer in this space and I’ve learnt something more about everyone through their blogging on this topic. I’m currently collecting memories and my new favourite is this blog…
 
Until next week when we "JUST WRITE", have a great week! - Cindy

 
When is your birthday? Do you love to celebrate? What’s your favourite memory from when you’ve celebrated in years before? Does a birthday party make you feel excited, maybe worried that you may be getting older or does it fill your heart with happiness?
This week our bloggers got busy documenting their thoughts on birthday’s and here’s what they wrote…
 
Welcome to my birthday blog. In this blog I talk about my experiences in my own words, like how I like to have my own parties and my own cakes which always look so yummy and delicious and might make you want to have a snack because you will start feeling hungry!
This year I’m turning 21 and I’m having my party at Amstel Club I can’t wait to celebrate the night with family, coworkers and friends. There are many different types of music that can be played at parties whether it’s a kids party or a adults party.
Some of the songs you can play at parties are the Chicken Dance, Nutbush, Macarena and YMCA.
It’s important to talk to an adult you trust about who you would like to invite to your special event. There are so many different decorations you can use or have at your event like balloons, party poppers and streamers. There are so many different flavours of cakes you can have. Some are: ice cream cake, chocolate mud cake or vanilla cake. I personally like the ice cream because I love ice cream especially if its cookies and cream. Which cake is your favourite flavour?  
You can make or buy your Invitations from the shops. I prefer homemade ones as it's the thought what counts not the cost. People turn different ages all around the world. You get a star sign each month for different birthdays. My star sign is Sagittarius because my birthday is in December.
You can have different themes for your party like a disco, unicorn, jungle, candy or rainbow theme. They are all amazing themes I like a disco theme with disco lights because I love dancing with disco lights on in my own time. 
What sort of theme would you have at your party or event?
You can have your parties at so many different venues like a restaurant, play center or a cafe. I’ve had some of my birthday’s at Maccas and Hungry Jacks when I was little. 
This year I’m having my party at Amstel Club in the courtyard where there will amazing food and some drinks too. 
It's also important to plan ahead for your events so you don't worry or get stressed on the day before and it's also a great skill for your resume called organisational skills. – Scarlett
 
 
 
Rewind back to the parties of the past, when parents planned the parties, the invitations were handed out before class at school, the excited chatter about who's coming, what everyone is going to wear, themes (wiggles, HI-5, Telly Tubbies & disco), if there was going to be a jumping castle or face painter, Lolly bags, balloons and your parents/guardians covered the cost. Don’t forget about the music! Dancing around to Aqua, S Club 7, Spice Girls and doing the Macarena.  Party games were things like twister, hide n seek, guess who, Simon says, charades, musical chairs and pass the parcel.
I remember having parties as a kid at a play center, in a park, time zone, at my house and it was always great fun! It was so much better when you got to have a friend stay the night and you could talk about the fun that was had and the day's events. The effort that was put in by my parents to make the parties special for my sister and I was always something to be grateful for.
 I always got to have my very best friend at my parties or if I didn’t have a party that year, we had a sleep over. There were always the best treats and party food my, favourite I think at the time was fairy bread, I wasn’t super picky about party food I just wanted to eat as much of it as I was allowed (I was the garbage guts), watching Disney movies was also a favourite for me too and most importantly it was always a fun experience for everyone.
My younger sister also had some very exciting parties planned for her as well, I loved being able to relive the magic of having a birthday party with her. Getting to do the kids party stuff during my teen years was great fun so I suppose I should thank my sister for letting me be a part of them!
As the years go by kid’s parties change and might not be the same as they were in the 90’s and 2000’s when I or my sister was a kid but one thing remains the same, kids' parties are and always will be magical.
And a shout out to all the parents/guardians who put the hard work and funds in so we could have the parties! – Shan
 
Birthdays to me are when I am having a party with my friends, listening to music and having a yummy chocolate cake. Getting older does not bother me because I feel the same, my star sign is Pisces which is known for being a friendly person. My birthday is also special to me because I share it with my twin brother. Can you imagine having a friend since you started to form in your mum's belly. This is very cool. Going to places like your favourite restaurant and sharing a nice meal with your family and friends is always very good. Some of my favourite gifts are an Xbox and gold class tickets from my favourite friends and this made me very happy. – TJ
 
 
My birthday was on Monday last week and I turned 19 years old.
I went out to Amstel with my family to have dinner. After that my family and I went home to have a black forest cake for my birthday and afterwards my family and I played deal or no deal with 8 boxes. In each box there were different presents.
How did I feel opening all of my presents? I felt happy and excited about every present in the boxes but my favourite thing that happened was spending time with everyone at Umbrella Support on that Monday which was my birthday.
There are so many different types of birthday cakes for so many different birthdays. Some people also make cakes for birthdays or even buy store bought birthday cakes
What is your favourite birthday cake or present? - Charlotte 
 
We hope this blog has you excited about your next birthday or party you are going to. We’ll be back next week to…JUST WRITE! 

You’re back! That’s great news. We hope you enjoyed our first blog because we certainly enjoyed writing it. After our personal introductions last week our team returned ready and eager to get busy with our second blog. We welcomed Angelina and TJ to the team and caught them up on our understanding of what a blog is and how we are learning to write one.
As a group we then discussed options and came up with the unanimous decision that this topic would be WINTER! I mean It makes sense. It’s June and the morning we wrote this, it was raining. A lot!
So, get comfy with your hot chocolate and favourite blanket as we… JUST WRITE!
 
The Challenge of Winter and How It Affects Your Mood.
 
Each season brings its own changes and challenges, though the beginning of winter either brings excitement or absolute dread to our minds.
Regardless of if your idea of a good time is dancing in the rain and jumping in puddles or you're counting down the days until summer, winter is affecting your mood.
 
So how does it affect your mood?
For the anti-winter the changes in time, colder weather, never-ending rain and less daylight can cause less of a chemical in your brain called serotonin. (The happiness and optimism chemical) this means that unless winter is your happy place, you're probably going to be feeling a little bit or a lot down in the dumps.
Waking up and opening the blinds, curtains or windows and seeing grey skies, rain, storms, wind and all the gloomy weather probably isn't going to motivate you to be excited about your day.
 
There should be a focus of self-care, mental health and wellbeing through winter make it your challenge to bring yourself some happiness, make your bed before you leave the house, have a hot shower with your favourite soap or body wash, cuddle with your pet, have a pyjama day, face time with family or friends, write in a journal, learn something new, treat yourself to your favourite lunch at work, wear your favourite scarf, curl up with a good book or have a lounge room dance party!
 
Remember that there are people who wake up see the winter weather and dance with happiness, I suggest you find one of those people and take a leaf out of their winter loving book because they’re going to need you when summer comes around! – Shan.
 
 
I love watching the Big Freeze on TV every winter. It's something I look forward to each year. I also buy a beanie to help find a cure for MND. The Big Freeze is an event which occurs as part of the King’s Birthday/Queen's Birthday clash between Melbourne and Collingwood. This was started by Neale Danaher, an AFL Legend in 2014. He suffers from Motor Neurone Disease (MND). Everybody comes together to support this cause in finding a treatment and a cure for MND.  Originally the Big Freeze started in America where they only used to have a bucket of ice on their head but now in Melbourne at the MCG they have a slide for celebrities to slide down into the ice pool. People can also buy a beanie or a scarf to help raise money for the cause and all the money goes to MND to help find a cure – Scarlett.
 
 
What is a Rainbow?  A rainbow is an optical illusion. A miracle that can occur when there is sun and rain in the sky together. There are seven colours in a rainbow, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet  I love rainbows because rainbows can make people happy and I feel happy and excited when I see one. How do you feel when you see a rainbow? Is there a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?  Is that true or not true? It is a sign of hope but it's not real. It's a sign of dreams that could come true. Have you ever driven around to find the end of the rainbow? I've never done it but would like to. Alyshia.
 
 
What is comfort food?  To me it is food that provides us a sense of warmth and foods I like. Some of these are soups, Hungarian food, stew and tuna bake. I love these foods because it gives a feeling family heritage and a sense of warmth and I like to eat comfort food because when I get sick it helps me get better. In winter people drink more hot drinks like coffee, tea and hot chocolate. In the every 1 cafe at Amstel Club we are serving soup during winter. What is your favourite comfort food or drink? – Charlotte.
 
 
The weather in Melbourne can be crazy. For example, lightning, rain, floods, hail, thunderstorms, damaging winds, fog, frost, sunshine, and humidity. The damages of Melbourne’s crazy weather can be droughts, flooding, destruction, landslides, loss of animals, health risks, loss of power, wildfires and damaging of crops. As I am typing I can see a beautiful no cloud moment. The sun is shining through the windows as I type to our readers, I feel the glow on my face because of the warmth of the sunshine. What I have come upon during these times of winter is that the sun always shines. I believe in God so I call this “Gods power” – Angelina.

 
Winter can be hard for a lot of people. Keeping our bodies warm is so important and wearing warm clothes is a must to prevent hypothermia. Hypothermia is when your body loses heat faster than it can produce heat. It can affect your heart and body. It’s important to keep our core body temperature of 37c to stay healthy. Winter clothes are made from thicker material, water resistant and thermal underwear. Layering pieces of clothes like vests, long sleeve tops, coats, beanies, thick socks and scarves rather than one thick piece is better for keeping your body warm. It’s also important to wear a good pair of boots so you don’t fall over – Tyson
 
 
We hope you have enjoyed learning about winter with us. We have so many topics to discover and we are  glad you are here with us for this blogging journey.

​Until next week, stay warm! 

​Hello and welcome to the very first Umbrella Support Blog – Just Write!
​
I’m Cindy and together with our super support worker Jessy and Program Volunteer Delia we are bursting with excitement because we have a team of very eager bloggers ready with LOADS of topics they are itching to share with the world. Our very first session was an explosion of so many ideas. We could have done with a whiteboard the size of a drive-in theatre screen!

Please allow us to use this very first blog as our personal introductions, written with much enthusiasm personally by our team...
 
Hello Friends!
I'm Shan! I love making friends with all creatures, I'm unicorn obsessed, I'm forever chasing rainbows, I count Tesla's and I sew scrunchies for everyone. I'm also a big believer in kindness and inclusion. I'm so excited to get started on our blogging project! Just here to learn and get creative.
 
My name is Jess I’m here to learn how to blog. I am a massive fan of craft, bowling and also love cooking up yummy dishes. I have joined “Just Write” so I can learn new skills, try new things and learn about different subjects I am passionate about. I am engaged to an amazing guy. His name is Robert. I also have a big family. I love spending time with them.
I have four nephews and one niece. I am caring, honest, friendly, and a generous person and I have been volunteering at Vinnies for 5 years.
 
Hi name is Charlotte and I’m almost 19 years old. I joined Umbrella Support a little while ago. I love everyone at Umbrella Support because everyone is so supportive and caring. I love cooking and painting for fun. I love my cultural background, especially Hungarian food and I've got a paid job through Umbrella Support at Amstel Club. I've been working at Amstel for a couple months now and today as I write this  (June first) I'm starting at the every 1 community cafe.
 
Hi, I'm Scarlett. I love to work in many different areas for example Salvos, cafe work and Amstel Club. I'm also a radio co-host on the Buzzz once a month. Our radio show is called Disability Matters. It airs every Thursday night at 6.00pm (www.thebuzzz.com.au) I love listening to podcasts, and the reason I joined blogging is because I love writing and reading stories. I love footy and go for the Sydney Swans. I love chocolate. Any kind! I love cooking in my Thermomix and love having cuddles with my great Dane Lucy.
 
Hey, my name is Alyshia I’m 19 years old turning 20. I love animals, family, butterflies, sparkling water, cooking and art. I am excited about blogging because we can write about anything we want. It makes me smile.
 
So, as you can see, we have a team who have so much to offer. This team will grow and as it does, we will add their names to our blogs so you will get to know this creative and informative team.

Each week we will meet and choose a topic of interest we all agree on. Then we will get to work, researching, learning and sharing with you, our readers our collated information right here on this platform!
 
Watch this space, exciting things ahead. 

The internet is a great place.
 
Okay, so that’s a matter of opinion I suppose. It can be used for both good and bad, but when used for good, it can open up the entire world. 
 
I recently went to Google and typed in: “What is a blog”. This is what I got…
 
blog
noun

1. a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style.

 
Hmmmm, that helps. Thanks Google! So a blog is writing. It can be really long pieces of writing or it can be quite short.  But about what exactly? 
 
When I researched further I discovered that a blog can be about anything you like. ANYTHING! Then I got excited. You see, at Umbrella we have a group of intelligent and excited individuals who have so much to share. About SO MANY THINGS! 
 
Personally I love writing. I’ve co authored two books and would love to write more but these days time for writing is not on my side. To educate our team on the benefits of writing and to share my love in this space is really going to fill my cup. But enough about me! 
 
Today, June 1st 2023, our group of writers start the journey of learning the power of written expression. We will brainstorm about every single idea we have and will get busy making a plan. 
 
As a team we will research, format, understand everything we document, check our spelling and grammar and most importantly, we will have fun whilst learning. 
 
Watch this space… Our team is about to get busy. Did I mention we start TODAY?!
 
Wait… Did I just write a blog? 😜
 
Cindy.