Share Four Somethings - April

 And how is it possible we are already here again?

This month has FLOWN by!!

School holidays and a trip to Melbourne and suddenly it's all back to spreadsheets and talks with the accountant. Argh. 

Something we loved: Hard to narrow it down, been to four plays, a number of comedians and Ultra, which is my annual fabulous jaunt to Melbourne for a fun 24 hours of eating, art and dancing! But I will say I loved touring the University campuses with my youngest. It was great to see two of the regional Universities in detail and see what my daughter liked about them. It was a right of passage I didn't get with my others as they were going locally and just went off to look with their friends. 

Something that sustained us: Ultra. That  manically happy 24 hours of feeling free (in the sense of no one to be responsible for except myself - though my friend was recovering from covid so I was slightly worried she was pushing her self for my sake). I had to walk that fine line of being concerned but not being annoying...as the mother mode can occasionaly be overbearing. Anyway, it just made me pumped for the next occasion to dance!

Something we're carrying forward from this month to the next:
With the Comedy Festival in full swing, I've a number of nights out, all a good walk to and from the venues. Ditto I had two nights at the Belvoir, a theatre that takes me about 45 mins to walk to at a fast pace. So I've been managing to get my steps up and average 70-80 kms a week. One of my doctors, maybe the foot one - who knows, said 'it's counter intuative but you need to keep finding ways to keep moving and using it, even mindful of discomfort. Once you stop, it gets worse' and that has really stuck with me. I can't get less flexible, mobile, energetic than I am now. I look at my mum who does less and less and I don't want to become that. So finding ways to keep the exercise and movement up is something I'm working on. Another doctor said we (humans) rarely reach backwards so that becomes inflexible. I've been working on that too. A comedian, Jimmy O'Yang I think, but could be Ronny Chieng or Aaron Chen, made fun of his father and pointed out you never see elderly Chinese standing still. If they are waiting for a bus, they'll start doing exercises. That's what I've started doing. If waiting for the kettle to boil, in an elevator, whatever - I start doing ankle lifts or arm twists - whatever I can get a quick 10 or 20 done....

Something we're making space for: Writing. I really need to get my story submitted for Grief. I've written the bones but need to finish it this weekend. And submit it. I also have a number of blog posts to write and reviews. Just seem time poor constantly at the moment.

I've included two songs from Nimino who I saw this month and was fabulous. They've been on high rotation since....

Linking with #ShareFourSomethings.

The Street art is from Melbourne's Ultra weekend.

The Easter Decorations are from the Langham, where I went swimming.

Easter treats are from Black Star Pastry. And were delicious!

Mario's egg as a promo for the movie - which I saw on our trip to check out Newcastle Uni.

The  Gillie  & Marc is at Newcastle University. They have 2 million trees on campus.

The flowers are from some friends after a minor surgery - biopsy clear. Yay.

And the dandilion is in B&W here.

April Reading

 This month I did a little better in the book department.

A friend gave me this book and I really enjoyed it. I probably wouldn't have found it myself. A husband on life after children and a failing marriage. It's first person and I think that's an interesting perspective. I'm very close to all my kids leaving home, one went a few years ago and 2 will go by next year. It makes for a strange space, physically and mentally. Not that our situation is the same (thankfully) but you do wonder what it will be like. I also liked that you could be 50 something and still so lost in who you are and what you want to do. As are the people he meets up with from his past, or they aren't but they've created a funny life for themselves.

This was for the podcast bookclub - I do love reading what they choose and then listening to their discussion. I think I had read this long ago - I find all the Christie's vaguely familliar but I never remember exactly what happened. I did know who did it as I read along but I couldn't quite remember the how and why. Or maybe if you've read enough of her books you start figuring it out, even without following the clues. As I've said before, I'm more Poirot or Tommy & Tuppence than Miss Marple but I didn't find Marple as annoying as I normally do - maybe because she was in it less than in the short stories. As an aside, last month I read one of Christie's thrillers (not mystery) and it's really different and great fun.

I didn't love this - I didn't really learn much so for me it's not a must read. I think a lot of it is intuitive. As we have a lot of friends retiring, it was interesting though, as a lot are struggling with it. One went back to work after a few months! So the book is good if you've not really thought about things or if you wonder why you do the things you do. The starting point is the 110 year olds on Okinawa. I thought there would be some great insight there but I guess it's real life and that's made up of a million little things.

This was a book club book. I thought it was going to be terrible by the cover so I listened to the audio on Audible. You could say it was a little derivative - I had the feeling I was familliar with the story, but can't place exactly which book I was thinking of (so maybe that was just in my head). I was engrossed and really enjoyed it. It's a creepy, uncomfortable read. Definitely a great page turner!

This was mentioned by Kwarkito and I was intrigued. A few decades ago I started the New Words Dept and from time to time I would call out for the creation of a wrod among friends - it's a sort of game I play with my friends. This is the perfect book for me. I am carrying around when I go to plays by myself*, as it's the perfect dip in, dip out book. Really enjoying it. It's part poetry, part philosphy and part humour. It's also pop culture and art history and literary references too...I don't think it would work in audio but what do I know?

*I have a little theatre club and four of us go to plays together but I booked one and realised I was at Ultra so had to move my ticket, and then for the next play they all had to move their tickets due to work travel and I was already at a different play the night they moved it to, so again went solo. I think next play we are all together again though!

This was picked at random because I liked the cover. I was checking the library audio selection for The Others and this was on the landing page of BorrowBox. It's a young adult book but I'm really engrossed. There's a lot in in about happiness, mental health, fitting in and LBGT issues - predominately the bit that is really making me uncomfortable is the character who has not really come out and his internal monologue everytime everyone makes comments assuming everyone is heterosexual. I have to admit, even as a ally, I recognise I do this too. It's interesting the feeling Silver is creating in me. But that aside, it's also a rollicking action story. Creepy undercurrent of unclear intent and the reader is trying to figure out what exactly is going on, along with the characters.Would recoomend both for late teens and adults.

As an aside, Josh Silver is out for the Writers Festival at Marrickville Library on the 24th of May. It's free but you need to reserve a spot. He's talking about his new book, Fruit Fly. I would def go except I'm already at another ticketed event, which is disappointing. Bookings are here.

Linking with #TrafficJamReboot #TuesdayTwirl

Biennale of Sydney

Every two years art takes over the city. This year, it returns to White Bay Power Station, as well as many other locations around the city.

There are music events as well as markets, and of course exhibited art.

Best of all, most of it is free, so no reason not to get amongst it!

Enjoy the thought provoking ideas behind this year's theme: Rememory

Website is here for full details.

The Biennale runs from 14 March - 14th June. Don't miss it!

Linking with TforTuesday if the teapot counts?

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Ibis

I was walking by the railway tracks and this Ibis let me get very close. I've mentioned here I always think of this art work when I see them on bins like that.

I was excited to get the wings extended.

Coming home, the bonus sunset made me attempt to get the wings in full span, but alas, no luck!

Linking with #WildbirdWednesday

How fragile our lives are anyway. How quickly things can change forever. Nancy E. Turner

 It is all so troubling now. The shift in both the world and this country is alarming. It feels like all hope is blowing away in the wind.

I have had a few conversations online where Australians have shown their lack of economic literacy. It is slightly alarming that these people will vote for policies that will have unintend conscequences. Just remember if we cut immigration dramatically, someone else has to pay for our ageing population. So that's us. Either our taxes go up or we work until 75 (or more). Ask how they pay for their policy. Demand transparency.

As Hemingway wrote "Innocence is like a dumb leper who has lost his bell, wandering the world, meaning no harm." 

Linking with #TalkaboutitTUesday #AnythingGoes  #WeekendinBlackandWhite #FloralFridayFoto #GardenAffair #NaturesNotes Just for the photo

Sofitel Melbourne

When down for Ultra, we stay at the Sofitel, in part because I used to get a free night under their paid reward programme. Now there's not a lot of benefit for me as I'm failing to be able to use the free night since they changed the offer to require buying 2 nights to get one free, as I rarely do that, so while the refurbished rooms are nice, I look forward to trying out newer hotels next year. I seem to get better discounts through booking dot com or other hotel chains free memberships, so after decades with accor, it looks like I'll be sadly moving on. Of course there are still discounts with the Accor free membership so you never know...

I digress. The building was build by the architect I.M. Pei in the early 1980s, so the look is strangely dated yet also still appealing when caught at the right angles.

I love in the sea of reflections, there were two people like hidden like a Where's Wally? in real life.

Linking with #TravelTuesday #TalkaboutitTuesday #SundayBest #WeekendReflection. #WeeklyWonder

Please note if you have 2 nights to stay in Japan, their 2 nights, one free in the Fairmont Tokyo saves you about $900, but that was the only time I could have used it, but it wasn't the location I needed. If you can get away out of school holidays or for some weekends, it might work for you, it just stopped working for me.

Ultra

It was our annual pilgrimage to Melbourne for Ultra. We have it down to a fine art - land, head to Supernormal for lunch and then off to the festival. This year we added brunch at Lucy Lui before our flight home. It's always a 5 star weekend.

My friend was recovering from Covid so we took it easy with a rest break for one set and then staying up the back after that. She did incredibly well to last most of the day/night. We were there for about 6 and a half hours, plus the taxis and a walk home. It's a big day!

But the sense of well being and elation is priceless.

Do you have annual traditions you look forward to even though you do the same thing each year?

As an aside, the rain did come, but so did the rainbows. And my $11.95 raincoat did so much better than a poncho. So all good!

Posts on previous Ultras are here: Sydney, Melbourne 24  and Melbourne 25 plus this funny one on the stress of what shoes will make my feet last the distance! And of course it gets a mention in Tell us about Festivals! 

Linking with #Skywatch #GaleriaHimmelsblick & #MondayMusicMovesMe