Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it. Ernest Holmes

 I really need to update my phone but for now, this has to do. Just pretend my camera is sharper. And with better zoom.

Linking with #SaturdayCritters and #GardenAffair

The Little Things

This month has sailed past. Lots going on but I'll try to focus on the positive. (Or interesting).

READ Not had much time for reading but did finish a book I started a long time ago. Just a puzzle book that I then put in my street library for someone in the school holidays.

Been reading too much about AI and the alleged rapes at Cornell. I keep trying not to read more but I can't help it. Both are so depressing. The bombing of the school in Iran, being in part because no one told AI to take into account updated information shows exactly what humans bring to the table. (Assuming what I read is true - it was just a link on Instagram). As for the Cornell matter, the men threatening women and doxxing them online is an own goal - the prosecuting lawyer will just use that as an example of the culture at the school, and why she felt she couldn't press criminal charges at the time. In my current frame of mind, I'm trying to focus on cheery, but my curiosity gets the better of me, and it's so awful.

I also read that there is a woman in Mexico who has developed a vaccine that has successfully eradicated cancer in 6 cases in the cell level.  I can't find the link to that sorry...but it's getting close.

Since writing that paragraph, I also read a man in Germany successfully erased cancer in the bowel (cells, I think) without operation or chemo....

WATCHED Went to a great play for Sydney Fringe - My Grandpa Doesn't Follow Me on Instagram - if it tours near you, check it out. I really enjoyed The Shark is Broken - heading your way Melbourne in a few weeks. It's very funny. We saw Hope at the cinema. Hilarious though a little long for a night session (for me). 

On TV I really enjoyed The Final Problem - a Spanish Sherlock Holmes/Agatha Christie-esque mini series. Quite fun and very glamorous to watch. Old style glamour that is...

Saw Aziz Ansari but with the surprise opening comedian, Aaron Chen! That made my night, even though we'd seen all of his set at his show a week or so ago. He's so funny. It was a very good night! (My husband's photo as my phone camera is terrible).

HEARD Loving this song. (NSFW) Filmed at Parookaville but the night after we were there. He got moved from our night which was devastating four us but he's hopefully heading to Australia soon....Lucky New Zealand, you get him New Year's Eve so don't miss it. He's the best fun!

and been listening to a lot of Calvin Harris as I got the tickets for my crew straight off. I was complaining it took me 45 minutes but I've since discovered so many people missed out, even though he added 4 more nights in Sydney. 

Lastly, for those that follow this cheery gem on Instagram, Casey Lowrey, he's coming to Australia as support for the Reytons. Dates here.

MADE a mistake changing vets a few years ago. They have been one problem after another but the final straw was when my dog got her bloods tested in August, I told them on the phone when I booked and in person when I dropped her off, that she also needed her Leptospirosis shot. I heard nothing more about it and there was an extra charge so I foolishly assumed it was done. Yesterday I asked for the updated vax certificate as they hadn't sent it. I discover they hadn't done it and the charge was for some random telehealth charge - probably for the phone call that they didn't bother to listen to me requesting she also get the shot done. So I am now trying to find a new vet to do the operation, and I have to book her into have her shots now 2 months overdue. 

WORE  I had a few solo gigs and decided to wear dresses I'm 'too fat for' - tight dress that my menopausal belly no longer suits. I love the dresses though. Anyway, I wore them and felt good in them so I'm now back into wearing them. I'm working on it but I'm also old enough to be me. It's what I look like so I should enjoy what I wear.

Been wearing face masks in the bath while I read....I do think they make a difference but really only for straight after and maybe the next day. Yet they feel like I'm doing something positive so I persist...I buy on sale so no loyalty to any brand...

MY TOP THREE MOMENTS FROM THE MONTH GONE BY Obviously mum's operation going well is one (though back in hospital not so good), daughter finishing school and graduation celebration with all my kids (I love the finally all together) plus Father's day so lots of family together time which is my favourite time of all.

Had a great dinner in Surrey Hills with friends at Tera.

Went to the new exhibition at White Rabbit with my husband and a lovely outing at Sydney Contemporary, so lot's of art this month, always makes me smile!

These are glass - cloth and pot too.

The food pics are all from Tera, share dishes. Not cheap but sensational.

That's been my month. Busy but not busy. Happy and stressful. Chaotic in all senses.

Linking with #MonthlyWrapUp & #TheLittleThings 

Wild Things - International Kids Festival

From the 26th September until the 11th October, the Opera House is hosting a kids festival with plenty of theatre shows and free activities aimed at children. See what's on here! 

One that will appeal to all ages is the Iwagumi Air Scape by Eness. As you move through the rock formation on the Forecourt, a soundscape of native birds, frogs and streams is triggered. After dark it lights up, melting into different colours.

A delightful art addition to an evening out. Lights off at 10 pm.

Don't miss it!

Linking the public art with #WeekendCoffeeShare

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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. 

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In the picture

These popped up in my memories and made me smile. They're at the fabulous gallery in Singapore, Art Now. Don't miss it if heading there, it's wonderful.

Their SM seems to have stopped at the end of last year so I'm hoping that doesn't mean it's closed. It was a must visit for me every trip in recent years.

Linking with #WeekendReflection #WordlessWednesday #HappyNow #WeeklyWonder #WordlessWednesday and #SundayBest

Shibuya Stencil Art

 

While wandering the streets of Shibuya finding all the Toilets in Perfect Days, I came across rare street art in Tokyo. It was commissioned, as a guess as it was stencils of all the famous things in Shibuya. There were many in different colours decorating the white wall, but these were my favourites.

Story of Hachiko here.

Linking with #WordlessWednesday #MuralMondays and #PictorialTuesday

More Street art in Shibuya here.

“The very best relationship has a gardener and a flower. The gardener nurtures and the flower blooms.” – Carole Radziwill

Trigger warning on estrangement.

There is a self proclaimed activist on Twitter and I happened to stumble across her post which read 'Feeling heart broken today about being judged, punished and banished by my adult children and grandchildren for the past 5 years [because of my activisim]...I'm standing up for HUMANITY....None of them [Her children] would exist in the form they do without me. The sacrifices mothers make to bring life into the world are sh@t on from a great height' I am keeping it vague and anonymous to protect her but I can't stop thinking about it.

I might be naive, but I can't believe someone would estrange themselves from you just for your political beliefs - they'd tell you to shut up about it when they were around. Or fight with you until you stopped bringing it up in front of them. The only reason they would cut you out of their life is if they or their child is the thing you are protesting against - gay, trans, migrant (I guess it would be one of her kids married a migrant and the grandchild's mother is a migrant). Whatever. If you are that oblivious to your insults and harm you might cause, or that insensitive, then you don't deserve to be around them. Full stop. Like Christians that do the unChristian thing of throwing out their gay child, they not only sin themselves in doing so, but punish them selves by showing their true colours. What kind of parent intentionally hurts their child?  I can not fathom that 'being right' would mean more than being able to love and grow with your family. 

The only other reason is if there is a litany of wrongs in their upbringing and relationship and either this was the final straw or she can't fathom any wrong doing on her part, and is assuming it's the activism. Given the wording of the post, I suspect this may be the case.

I can not stop thinking about the lack of self awareness. She centres herself - She's heart broken about 'being judged, punished and banished'. She is not heart broken about missing 5 years of her kids lives and not having a relationship with her grandchildren, not getting to know them in their formative years. She feels her kids owe her something for being born and the sacrifices she made for them. Not thinking the kids are her prize or most precious things in her life that made her life better because they were born to her. 

If it was me, I would be moving mountains to mend the relationship - and I know that is not always possible, though no fault of the estranged parent. We only get one version to the story, our own, but the wording in hers is telling. 

My advice to her was to get off twitter and do whatever she could to mend the relationships. I was ignored. But I still keep thinking about her. There's a sad, tragic character in a novel there (who am I kidding, in a short story if I'm writing it).  My kiddo moved out of home at 21, luckily lives nearby. I try to give her space as I resented my parents and in laws making visiting an obligation, and I'd never want my kids to feel that way about time spent with me. So we see each other every few weeks and I try not to text too much in the mean time. And that is hard for me. I miss her so much. But 5 years because they felt I'd done something? I'd be devastated and do anything to try and reverse that or build that bridge.

The worst thing in that tweet, was it wasn't really about the kids at all and the loss of relationship. It was to show how great an activist she was to forsake all else for the cause. But to me, it just seemed very sad and damaged. And honestly, nasty.

 “If you tend to a flower, it will bloom, no matter how many weeds surround it.” – Matshona Dhliwayo

So tend your garden at all times.

Please note, I am not saying in all cases it is the parents fault, nor is it the parents job to pander to the adult children at all times. I'm just saying in this case, the wording and presentation seems to be telling a different story, and I am relating only to that.

Linking with #NaturesNotes  #GardenAffair & #FloralFridayFoto just for the photos. #TalkaboutitTuesday  #SeniorSalonPitstop #TrafficJamReboot

September Reading

My bookclub is doing The Bookbinder of Jericho. I listened to it, and to be fair it may be the same narrator as Dictionary of Lost Words (which I didn't get into at all) but I was an hour or so in and just thought 'Haven't we already read this book?' It just felt like a do over of the previous book, though of course it's set in a different time. My mum read it for her book and she really enjoyed it, especially as her dad was in WWI so a lot of the stories resonated with what he told her.

I listened to this on BorrowBox.

As an aside, a friend took me to the STC season launch - I thought it was a stupid thing to go to but was being a team player. However, it was really fun and exciting! A few years ago they did a very successful stage adaption of The Dictionary of Lost Words and there was a roaring cheer in the audience when they announced they were doing The Bookbinder of Jericho, so assume it's just me and my criticism is not valid, as I am definitely the odd man out on this book. Sydney people the tickets and dates are here.

This Jerome K. Jerome is a series of essays on life. They are at times hilarious. The one on babies was so funny and insightful - how everyone know the first baby requires so much more attention to look after than the sixth. He touches on love, marriage, work, money and more. At times he had surprisingly feminist views (unless he was being satirical and he thought those opinions ridiculous, but I took them at face value). He seems very modern though quite kooky in his humour. I listened to this on Hoopla.

Three men in a boat reviewed here. Jerome K. Jerome ghost stories here. 

I read this on my phone, borrowed from Hoopla - it's another in the graphic novel series. It's vol 24 but the library only has 3 I can borrow. I enjoyed this one and will try to source more, however, as they take about 45 minutes to read, I'm reluctant to pay the $$ to buy them. I do like that you can get comics online like this, while at times I have to enlarge the pictures to take it all in, which is disruptive a little to the flow, I'm getting a broader range of comics and I always have something to read while waiting, even if I've not carried my book with me (I am a paper reader, not kindle, so there is a downside there). I thought this one was a little better than the first one I read but I did work it out well before the end).

The first in this series I read discussed here.

Back on my Josh Silver crush. He talked about this title at the Writers festival so finally got to it. I think Happy Head is better but I did enjoy this too. A little darker but I felt more menace in Happy Head. So if you haven't read any Josh Silver, start with those. If you have, you won't be disappointed. I listened to it on Audible.

Happy Head discussed here, and Dead Happy discussed here. Josh Silver at the writer's festival.

I don't really know why I thought I wanted to read this. I realised after I started it, I didn't love American Marriage. This is good but I don't love it (nor do I hate it), I'm just sort of rolling through it. It's interesting enough, and there's a few pretty awful segregation stories so far, that we find pretty shocking over here but I guess we ignore our own segregation history as we didn't call it that. Still a bit to go, and it could also be my mood (as I have a lot going on) so I'd go with someone else's review.

Linking with #MonthlyBookworms #Acupofteaandagoodbook #TuesdayTwirl #TalkaboutitTuesday #Bookdate #IMWAYR #AnythingGoes #SundayPost #SundaySalon #StackingtheShelves