The health benefits of VIVID

I know it sounds funny but as well as a boost to the night economy in winter, there are health benefits to VIVID.

I did my usual 11km Sunday morning walk and the dog walks, but then went with a friend to one of the VIVID music events. After 90 mins of not particularly energetic dancing, I decided to check out some of VIVID. It was a chilly but pleasant evening and I wandered around in the crowds listening to snippets of conversations, some making me laugh, others curious. The art was beautiful or fun. There was much to delight in.

By the time I got home, my sense of wellbeing and contentment was overwhelming, and my steps were boosted to almost triple my normal daily amount:

There are many benefits to dancing (discussed here) and also to walking (discussed here).

There is also the escape from the SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), or at least you are out with people, sharing smiles with strangers or you've organised to go as a group, so there's the social aspect.

It also creeps into conversations, so you have something to talk about with friends other than work or family matters - sharing ideas and expereinces, not just the usual conversation, a more intellectual engagement.

And for me, there's a contentment. After all these years I am still struck by the beauty of the city, and a contentment about where I live. I'm amazed at how lucky I am to be able to enjoy all this for the cost of a train ticket.

So if you are feeling a little low, get out and about after dark. Be part of the city. Enjoy all it's beauty. There are lots of articles now about the health benefits of engaging with arts - lowering cortisol, boosting seratonin, building neuropathways to delay cognative decline - VIVID provides all this but the added benefit of physical exercise.

'Beauty awakens the soul'. Dante Alighieri

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Every time my husband goes away....

For some reason, every time my husband goes away, one of the smoke alarms starts beeping that it needs it's battery changed. 

At the old house, I was too short to reach the roof and had to ring my friend with the tallest husband I know and get him to come over and do it. As a woman, I was not happy about having to rely on a man, but I didn't have a longer ladder and there was no way I could reach it.

In the apartment I could put a chair on the table and do it myself.

This time, I was given a warning with a single beep a week before it happened. Alas I had a group of people over and thought it was one of their phones and not everyone had heard it over the gabbling laughter so I wondered if it was in my head. It wasn't.

It started beeping incessantly one Friday. I pulled out the trusty Stephanie Alexander cookbook and rearch it. I was so happy I would be able to do it myself, only to discover I couldn't work out how to pull off the cover. Usually it's a twist and click or a little lever, but it wouldn't budge. Worried I'd rip out the plaster, I had to admit defeat and get an electrician in.

When he arrived, I discovered embarressingly, you just pull them down - no twisting involved. However, they werre expiring (in 2026) so we replaced the lot. I know remember the electrician showing me how to remove them and saying 'but you won't need to do this for another 10 years'. 

While I probably could have done it cheaper, I couldn't have done it myself.

You know that joke about women needing men to open jars?  Well I can open my own jars - I have plenty of tricks to manage that. Apparently smoke alarms are my Achillies heel. So there are two lessons. Know when you need help and ask for it, and keep the big thick cookbook you never use as it's the perfect height adjuster on the step ladder. Stephanie Alexander is saved from the street library....

“It takes a well-adjusted animal to know when to ask for help”
― Sara Pascoe, 

Linking with #TrafficJamReboot

VIVID season

Long time readers will be wondering where my photos are - as usually every post at this time is splashed with a rainbow of shimmering lights.

I saw the tech testing night - a little preview and then rain. Non stop rain! (or just busy elsewhere).

Finally got into the city, and after the shows or the choir session (thank you Opera House!), I wandered around VIVID. Alas my camera wasn't charged properly the first night so ran out. The second night was worse! The battery was fully charged but I didn't put it in the camera I was lugging around with me all night! (In my defence, I left in a hurry for the train as Choir is an early 5.30 start).

So here are some pics from the phone - not nearly the quality I would like.

I will be out again Wednesday night so I'm hoping that bags me some good ones!

Do you love VIVID?

For those overseas, Sydney has a Winter Festival that lights up the city quite literally, along with music and talks and food events. It's a fabulous time to come. An American friend we took round said in surprise "And all this is free?' Oh, yes!

And special shout out to the Drone show viewing at Home for refunding our tickets. Very disapointed to miss the drones but appreciate the refund as I wouldn't have gone in for the replacement fireworks.

#Allseasons linky runs from Thursday to Wednesday each week. 

Link one post that shows something seasonal. Traditional weather wise, a seasonal nature marker or a seasonal celebration or event.  Please link relevant posts only.

HOUSEKEEPING Make sure you link back to this #AllSeasons post.  And please comment on the post before yours and the host. Don't dump and run. I will start reminding the dumpers to comment and 2 weeks running I'm deleting the posts. Please link with something seasonal. Make it clear in writing if the photo isn't obvious. I am considering disbanding the link up as it's really limping along. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

The Little Things - May

 I can't believe how fast this month has flown. And then we are almost half way thru the year, less than 50 days until my trip. I don't know how the wheels keep spinning so fast. And yet they do.

Terrifyingly large fungus

I get a lot of benefit from these monthly summaries. It's like a gratitude post for all that I've not acknowledge in the last 30 days. I often feel I've done nothing but when I look back, I'm always struggling to find my top 3, to narrow down the field.

The pictures for the most part this month are just things that made me happy when I saw them.

READ My husband sent me an article about going to live music keeps you younger - that reseach show it reudces biological ageing by 4 years. I don't know about that, and it definitely takes a toll on hearing so wear earplugs (ONE BILLION people are suffering hearing loss from going to festivals apparently). Apparently going to gigs fortnightly could boost life expectancy by up to nine years. I'm not sure how this can all really be true, and the article was a little lose on it's explanations. I will say for me, it definitely helps with my well being (and mental health). Some of the reasons are because it reduces cortisol and boosts endorphins, I would also add certain gigs for me are the equivalent of 10kms or a festival up to 30 kms (I've got bounce...mad jumper!) so there is heart health and general fitness (but by the end I feel every bit of my age and hobble home). Apparently listening to music stimulates the auditory pathways and encourages neuroplasticity - but surely the same would happen if you listened to new music (unfamilliar music) at home? Singing and dancing in a crowd creates collective effervescence and according to the article reduces loneliness and increases self worth. Again, I'm not sure about the loneliness and self worth however these is something in the collective effervescence. I definitely find myself smiling at people like we're sharing something, or when we all move together in unison, there is something unifying in that. There are studies that say The Arts do this - and I would agree there's something very nourishing in theatre or galleries. Reducing aging though? I'm really not sure that's possible. No matter how much we wish for it!

(To clarify, I don't have any facts to argue it's not true, I'd need to see more of the study details. I'm not dismissing science outright, I'm just saying my personal expereince, as someone who by their outlines should be reducing ageing.)

WATCHED I've been to so many great plays this month. A young playwright, Ruby Blinkhorn had her first play produced and it was so clever (and funny). Yet it's left me thinking about things, about how no one is incorruptible and how power corrupts for it's own end (benenfit). Tickets to Cadaver Synod are here until next Saturday. (Based on a historical event). If this is her first place, it's safe to assume she'll go onto great success.

Guttenberg at Hayes Street theatre was hilarious (mentioned here) and the Illiad at STC was excellent. Both superb staging and acting. If you don't have tickets, make sure you go. This show is worth every cent. It's incredible.

Lastly I saw Savior (on until 14 June). It's something I think about when giving money to charity. Who decides who gets what? How is it delivered? How do they treat the on the ground workers? Does government or local power brokers corrupt the process?  This is a very funny show but will leave you thinking about the issue. 

I also had a great time at the Comedy Festival and the Writer's Festival. Sydney is in full festival mode and I do love to be part of it all.

HEARD Had a string of gigs - Eric Bibb, Ev Jones singing Sam Cooke, Jeff Goldblum, Beck(husband's pick but a good way for me to see the SSO without having to struggle with classical music), Frank Turner, Clayton Doley, Electric Fields, Galantis, Genesis Owusu and Hot Dub Time Machine. A little bit of everything and a lot of fun dancing. I was very disappointed to miss Ruthie Foster and Jaguar Jonze due to clashes but you literally can't have everything.

 

MADE The most of my husband being away by having a gaggle of friends for dinner before Hot Dub and the Mah Jong ladies over for dinner and mah jong. Not that he minds if I have people over but you don't like to be taking over the dining room and lounge all the time. All that open plan living becomes in convenient at times...

WORE More in the giving away dresses. Another from Paris that is just a little too tight. And my friend gave me these socks, and as I'm part Moomin, I absolutely adore them and have been wearing them non stop! Sparkes and Moomin themed - what more could you want?!

In the street library

MY TOP THREE MOMENTS FROM THE MONTH GONE BY Now the tricky part. I'm not sure I can narrow it down to three. I laughed so hard with Takashi Wakasugi and Gutenberg (so I will tie them for that post show moment where you are a little giddy from laughing and feel your cheeks hurting from smiling so hard). I spent time with so many different friends this month. That was really lovely, to catch up with so many different people. While I will admit I accidently overbooked myself this month, as I'm at the end of it, I will also admit it was really wonderful and I feel lucky I got to engage in so many different aspects of the arts. As I've said before, I find it stimulating and nourishing. (I also had a family get together for my mother for Mother's Day and my MIL for her birthday, so it was lovely to see all the extended family together too).

As always, you can follow along on Instagram here.

Linking with #TheLittleThings  #Skywatch #GaleriaHimmelsblick #FloralFridayFoto #TalkaboutitTuesday #HappyNow #HappyTuesday  #AnythingGoes #NaturesNotes and #GardenAffair (just for the pics); #AwwMondays for my baby!

I am amazed this is not Sam Cooke's most famous song. I'd forgotten about it and now can't stop playing it.

  

 

I leave you with this fabulous gift from a friend! I adore them! Practical and funny! Perfect for the avid reader!