Sarah Farraway on IVF, snails and modern feminism. A belated New Year interview.

Sarah Farraway lives in Sydney, Australia.

What did you get up to in 2011?

I spent the first half of the year feeling quite pleased with myself as I came to realise I might finally (after many false starts) have worked out what I want to do when I grow up. I started studying psychology and loved it.  I feel sure that when the 15 or so years of study are completed, I will make an excellent psychologist....

I then spent the second half of 2011 trying to get pregnant - and no, that was nowhere as much fun as it sounds. IVF was hands-down, the least fun experience I've ever had (even worse than that time when I was 16 and a crazy Dr tried to 'extract' a huge cyst from one of my breasts through an enormous needle without any anaesthetic!). But it worked so worth it in the end.

What was your Most Useful Thought of the year?

You can feel married without needing to go to the bother of actually getting married. Oh, and backyard pools make great babysitters. 

What’s on your ‘to do’ list for 2012?

Well, I have to have this baby now!  It's amazing how time-consuming babies are before they have even arrived. I am also getting fit in preparation - lots of walking and pilates. I am also re-reading all the Harry Potter books, which has been a long-term goal. Please don't judge me. It's not all tragic, reading the Female Eunuch is also on my list and incidentally, I am really looking forward to hearing Germaine Greer speak in a couple of weeks time!

Which villain really yanked your chain in 2011?

Australian politicians. All this decision-making by focus group and pandering to minority views in marginal seats nonsense really annoys me. Also the US Government for wasting the opportunity to regulate the American banking industry. And Rupert Murdoch and his newspaper cronies. 

...and who was your hero?

All the protesters around the world bringing change to their countries and communities in dangerous circumstances. 

What book/s did you read this year that we might like?

I really recommend anything by Persephone Books. They are a tiny UK company, publishing obscure female writers and poets from the early 20th century. The stories are all wonderful. I read Someone at a Distance this year - brilliant. And How to Run Your Home Without Help has some great tips for the reluctant housewife.

What did you discover in 2011 the rest of us should know about?

That I can make an active and important contribution to modern feminism without having to write a book, publicly argue with other women, march in the street or grow my armpit hair. Just parent consciously and say no to all those stupid things women do without thinking about why, like waxing our pubes. 

Will you be secreting a slow or dirty vendetta in 2012?

I will soon be waging war on the snails which have invaded my life, destroying my herb garden and eating all my mail.

What could you do without in 2012?

All this bloody rain wrecking havoc around the country, not to mention ruining my summer