When I was up north in Japan, I suddenly realised I was in bear country. A quick google showed the bears came right into town. I read all about what I should do if I saw a bear and my panic grew (I am carrying a lot more past trauma than I realised from the Polar Bear incident). I had thought I'd walk to the station early in the morning, but as the web advice recommend waiting until 8, I worked myself into a panic. I then decided I would get a taxi, even though it was only a 10 minute walk (I had been told it was a 15 minute walk and google maps thought it was 22 for some daft reason).
I asked at reception and told him I was scared of bears (not lazy) and he laughed but humoured me. The shuttle bus driver dropped me off as it was that close that he could be back for his pick up time (it was minutes in the car). As I watched all the school kids arrive on their own, I was embarrassed. More so when I walked home and discovered it was probably 5 minutes - 6 minutes walk at the most!
In my defence, even the tourist office in town had bear signs!
At a number of the sculpture gardens, I played music and stomped about as loudly as I could (in lieu of bear bells). I was constantly looking around in a panic, as I was the only person in the woods more often than not.
The thing is, I don't live in a place with bears so I didn't realise quite what a problem I had. It doesn't come up. It is something to keep in mind for future travels.
This is a bear bin (and snow) and was in the middle of town. So it was not all in my head. And the app confirmed my worries!
#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.
Make sure you link back to this #AllSeasons post.
Please comment on the post before yours and the host. Don't dump and run.
What a wonderful July this has been - my 2 weeks of travels have been the most marvellous holiday!
READ While away I heard a press conference by some politician who spouted this fact and I just couldn't believe it so I had to google - and yes, it's been true and reported since the 2020s. 1 in 3 adults, of 44% of Australian adults are functionally illiterate. For a country that spends more on education per capita than most, we have really dropped the ball on education. (As an aside, every time we send delegations to Finland to find out how to fix our education system, they tell us to get rid of the private schools and the bigger the affluence divide, the lower the education standards but we aren't interested in that so here we are - Pasi Sahlberg has a brilliant book, Finnish Lessons if you are interested in reading this more fully). This stat is so alarming and before you blame the current education system, the worst figures are in the 65+ and then over 50s. I can see how people are manipulated by certain political parties that are intentionally misleading with 'facts' that are nonsensical. I can see how people don't believe basic science or fall for conspiracy theories. And let's not forget the misuse of they're, there and their. Signs are everywhere. How do we fix it?
This article expands a little for those that want to read more, but this has been raised in Parliament since at least 2020, because the figures are even worse in Tasmania (1 in 2) so they've made papers specifically to improve literacy in that State, but this needs to be applied to the whole country. I have a lot more reading to do on this, as we really need to make change in this area.
WATCHEDI like everyone else, went to The Odyssey as soon as I got back. We just went to Hoyts but will go to IMAX once the frenzy dies down. Given the carry on from some people, I find it interesting how little they understood the film (though from what I can gather, the ones complaining didn't go and see it, like those that dismissed Wuthering Heights without watching it). He even says it's 'based' on The Odyssey - like Butch and Sundance is based on historical events but they totally changed the ending and how they died (rather than the heroic blaze of glory depicted in the film, butch killed Sundance in a murder suicide...but that doesn't make for a good movie). To me Nolan's Odyssey is a critique of modern society & politics - the hypocrisy of those mouthing religion as a belief but not upholding the charity and generosity of it, the behaviour when a society functions purely in self interest rather than thinking about the country as a whole, the ugly side of war - there is no such thing as a righteous army, and as Helen shows, the spoils of war are indeed spoiled. The childhood stories (for some of us) create the frame work. Now I grew up with these stories; I even had a record where some were set to classical music as a way to introduce children to the music rather than the stories. So for me, I'm never quite clear which story is Homer and which is Virgil as they were presented to me as children's stories, not as a whole but short tales that wove together. And this is probably why I lovedJean Giraudoux's The Trojan war will not take place when I read it in French at Uni, as it was the familiar presented in an unfamiliar manner - the well known events from a different view point, saying something meaningful to present day society, rather than a tale from long ago that means nothing to us now. If you are not seeing our current global disarray when you watch the movie, I'd say you are missing the point. (I would also say that play is why Casandra is my favourite character of all the mythology and my only disappointment is she did not make the film!) So if you've yet to see the film, my advice is go looking at it as present day failings and you will see it is indeed a very clever use of those stories of old.
Last night we went to a screening of 150, about an Australian woman who ran 150 marathons in 150 days, from the top of the East Coast of mainland Australia to the bottom (In the Q&A she added that about a month after she finished she ran Devonport to Hobart as people pointed out she'd missed Tasmania - so she has run the whole east coast of Australia now). It's funny but also amazing. You can organise a screening through Fanforce or it's still showing at a few places around the country.
HEARD In Ibiza we say Robin Schultz who I've wanted to see for about 2014, so it was wonderfully to finally make that happen. My heart was bursting with joy and I frenetically danced for his whole set. I just adored it! So his playlist was the soundtrack for much of my trip (when not Alle Farben used to scare bears away in Japan and calm my nerves while scouting for bears...but that's a topic for another post).
MADE Such fabulous memories! It was such a great trip! I had the best time!
WORE When I finally did stop moving, and have 3 nights up in Misawa, I spent a good deal of time getting around in the room pyjamas and the slippers they gave you for inside, that you wore to the onsen and dinner (bathroom slippers stay in the bathrooms). It was like a cult uniform as the whole resort wandered around in them. Arriving late the first night, I went to the show in my normal clothes, and out of 130 of us, there were maybe 10 not in the pyjamas. So, when in Rome...(or when in Japan more accurately). That's me with the onsen basket, which you took your towels etc down to the Onsen in...
MY TOP THREE MOMENTS FROM THE MONTH GONE BY This is really hard to narrow down and the more I think about it, the more it changes....My day in Nantes following the green line was so joyful and elating, Parookaville and the nights in Ibiza - both felt like my heart would burst open with happiness and I think I'll go with my delight in the Towada Art Centre - I walked around with my grin getting bigger and bigger with each discovery and experience. What a magnificent collection!
That's been my July - slowly playing catch up on all the work that built up while I was away....
Just a little housekeeping. #Allseasons linky will be back next week on the Thursday. Just struggling a bit with jetlag so not getting up early enough to write....
Something I loved My travels! I had the best time - and while predominately alone for it (I did spend 4 days with a friend in the 2 weeks), it was such a luxury to travel at my own pace (which is more intense than my family can deal with) and cramming so much sight seeing in - I was still roaming around sites at 10pm some nights - there was not a wasted minute!
Seeing Alle Farben at Parookaville, neither of which disappointed. He was so great with a choir, brass section and violinist at times, as well as live singers. It was such a joyous set and my heart was full!
Something that sustained me My travels! I saw so much beautiful art and interesting history and culture. I was filling my mind every day with things to think about and learn. It was so invigorating!
Something I'm carrying forward from this month to next I read three books in the two weeks I was away. I really hope to keep that pace up, making time to physically read. There's a real joy in that, plus relaxation of getting lost in another world.
Something I'm making space for I think I say this every month but exercise. While I was away I was walking around so much, lugging heavy bags and really just getting a work out daily. I need to keep this up as I think I felt better for it....
I read Hooked because I liked the cover. I enjoyed it - it's quite nasty and funny, but it is a little too long and I felt the ending was a bit soft. I then read Butter as friends had been talking about it, and I realised it was the same author.
The concept is really interesting, and the ideas, that food is made to show love, but for women, it's restriction and a problem etc. Again nasty people, lonely people but a more interesting imagery thread than Hooked. That said, I think I liked Hooked better - more gritty and laugh out loud humour.
I liked Butter more than my friends did, but again, it's too long. I think both books would benefit with more concise storytelling. But it's a best seller so what do I know?
This is a short story and really lovely - powerful and impactful. I thought it was excellent. Dua Lipa's book club discussion about it with Claire Keegan is here.
This is our book club book. I have to say there's nothing wrong with it, just not for me. Very light and easy to read. Obviously about ageing...and people...It's written by a Australian Doctor who works in the sector and so there's a lot of what good aged care can do to allow elderly people to thrive in a new stage of life that can be so difficult to adjust to. It's sweet.
With the school holidays, and a very sick dog (breaking my heart) and a pending trip, I've shut #Allseasons until the end of the month, and am now off the blog until August. I want to apologise to all for the terrible effort in keeping up with comments on the linkies. I will try to do better on my return.
Life has just been unravelling for me of late.
Wishing you all safe journeys if on School holidays or just peace in your world.
I will be on Insta playing a real life version of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? So feel free to follow along to watch what maybe the most logistically idiotic trip ever imagined....(Or the best trip ever, who can tell?)
I asked at reception and told him I was scared of bears (not lazy) and he laughed but humoured me. The shuttle bus driver dropped me off as it was that close that he could be back for his pick up time (it was minutes in the car). As I watched all the school kids arrive on their own, I was embarrassed. More so when I walked home and discovered it was probably 5 minutes - 6 minutes walk at the most!
The past is alive in the form of gnawing interior discomfort". The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
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