It's your mate, Nikky Bates-Exley, writing.  Hope this finds you in fine fettle.  Me, I have my good days, and then again, I have my bad days.  It's all good, though.  I know me family and me bestest mate, me partner, Susana, is watching me back, so no worries.  

T'is very cold here in Oz.  Almost winter time, y'know.  While you Yanks in the States are approaching summer, in our part of the world, Down Under, everything is backwards: we are approaching winter.  We've already had snow in parts of the continent of Australia; that's how cold it's been.  They're forecasting a colder than normal winter with above normal precipitation.  Yawks!!

I still have a fairly charmed life.  Still going to university to pursue a career in music.  Want to be a professional singer; my major will be voice and vocal technique.  I find school very interesting; I always love learning about new things!

Well, me pop keeps trying to reenter me life, but I say nothing doing.  The bastard raped me when I was but a mere child; how am I supposed to win his trust?  He violated my rights; I want nothing to do with him!!  If he even comes close to where I am at, I will have the police on him faster than one can say "Vegemite"!

Then people wonder why I am the way I am.  D'oh! (Nikky does her best Homer Simpson imitation)

I'm also ready to give the nosy, no-account Christians a piece of me mind.  They keep harrassing me, telling me my lifestyle is a sin, and shit.  O, really??  How about them trying to convert people??  Haven't they anything better to do than to harangue people??  I have me way of believing, and they have theirs; they need to keep the fuck outta me business and leave me the bloody hell alone!  Case closed!!  O, they drive me absolutely BONKERS!!

Life is good, but as you can see, some aspects have something to be desired.  If it were not for me stupid pop or the Christians bugging me to death, life would be just great!!  I am so stressed out about these things it isn't a bit funny!

Today I actually have no doctor's appointments. Other than school, me day is open.  Wide open.  I can actually go out with me family or me partner and do something fun for once instead of sitting at home, bored to tears, or watching the paint peeling from the walls!  I'll just have to remember to bundle up, as it's very cold out there!  Looks like it may snow, it might; clouds are low and heavy-laden, a dark slate-grey in colour.

And the wind's howling like sixty.  Rather breezy out there ....

Well, the phone's jangling, so I'd best answer it.  I will write in here again; until later, this is Nikky saying so long!  Take care; talk to you  soon!

~Nikky.  :)

~To be continued.~