My Five Favourite Monthly Moments - July.

 I think I said this last month, but I love putting this list together as it makes me realise how much fun I've had, even when in the moment I feel like I've been doing nothing. Scrolling back on my Insta always makes me smile!

I've had a great month!

1. I caught up with not 1 but 2 local 100 year olds. One was just a catch up over tea and one was a birthday party. At the party, an 80 year old who had lived in our street since the early 1960's was telling me all the historic buildings that housed important 'firsts' in the State. It was really stepping back into living history and a fun afternoon. It went from grandeur, to slum and now just Sydney expensive!

Epilespy warning - don't watch if sensitive to flashing light

 

2. Volume Festival - I was at the Art Gallery of NSW for Genesis Owusu, Andre 3000, the Flume exhibition (and the Archibald). It made for such a great month to be out and about immersed in art. Fantastic addition to the annual calendar!

3. School Holiday fun and the annual trek to the Hunter Valley for the Snow Time festival. I assumed it was the last time, but apparently not...I'll take her for as long as she wants to go. I also have my favourite activity, getting up early to shoot roos...with my camera, of course! We stopped at the Reptile park on the way home and that was truly a delight. Finally saw the baby koalas!

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4. Had a lot of fun catching up with friends for birthday parties, laser shooting on a tall ship, life drawing with Opera, fabulous meals at 20 Chapel and Six Penny (we'd been given a voucher thankfully as we racked up quite a bill!) and gigs.

5. A few dates with my husband - Ali Wong, Chelsea Handler and Teddy Swims. It's nice to share laughs and concerts together. We often have different preferences on arts so do them with others seperately, which is also nice. However, I love it when we both like something and can do it together.

So that's been my month. How about you? What's your favs?

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Chilly

We are in the cold snap of winter and it's freezing! Even the dog is shivering! Our little one took to the couch so I wrapped her up and she happily stayed there a few hours....

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The joy of new places

Engaged friends just bought a place together. We went to visit their new home and then go up to their 'local' for dinner. 

It's really lovely to see friends in an exciting and happy part of their lives. It makes you forget all your woes and distractions for awhile.

It was a lovely evening, the pub felt like a magical little adventure with it's nooks that seemed like we'd stepped back in time to some English library and then turn the corner and we're in a little French dining room...(I'm rewatching Dispatches from Elsewhere and I think that does something to spark my imagination. I seem to see magic in every day things....)

Anyway, this post is just to remind you to keep your eyes open to the joy of new places.

Sharing an unrelated song that makes me think of tropical islands (because our dinner conversation discussed just that) Pretty much any Deep Chills song but I've picked this one because we're going there soon.

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And question, if you were having a honeymoon in the UK, where would you have an Asian island stop over on the way home (to Australia)?










This song, while not about an island, makes me feel the happiness and warmth you feel when on a tropical island. I've no idea why.

July Reading

I'll be honest, I've really struggled to read this month so I've gone back to Graphic novels as I like to when I'm not focusing well on reading. Just too much going on and my head is all over the place. 

I read the 2 Snowpiercer prequels. I actually found them interesting and I do hope the last one comes out. It's that look at human nature when facing unavoidable destruction (and what people do to survive, and the ego at play with power).

I'm now working my way through the Snowpiercer series, which is what inspired the movie (and later very loosely the tv series). I thought I would like them more, though the first one has an interesting take at the end. About to start the second book.

We watched the movie because of Mads Mikkelsen and the whole vibe screamed Comic, but when the eye patch got involved, I know it was - what is it with eye patches in GN? Anyway, they're ok. A little sexist to me but still curious enough to get to the end - helped by the fact they are free on Hoopla (borrowing app) so I can read them fro free and on my phone, while waiting around.

This is a book club pick. I've never read a Reilly but I've seen his rise. He's an Australian author and I remember when his first book came out. He is now a prolific, best selling global author and writes for adults and kids. Most importantly for the self published authors, he self published his first book with a run of 1000 and has since sold 7.5 million books in his career.

I like the story in this title (the historic setting - the end of WW1 and the rise of the Nazi's and WWII but mirrored with what went on in America with the prohibition, market crash and rise of the Klan).

It's a female view point which is interesting though not always believable. I think a lot of the characters talk in cliches but then there are moments that fully suprise me or in one incident, poigniant and devastating. 

I don't know if it's a must read, and it's not great literature but I'm finding the interesting history and the story engaging enough to enjoy it.

The Coconut Children was a book club pick. I just couldn't get into it but to be fair I suspect that was more me than anything, as I can't really explain why. Looking forward to hearing the group's thoughts.

Before we say goodbye I read this straight after the first one and that was a mistake as it just felt too formulaic and a 'sameness' in each story. So I'm giving them a break and will return with the next book soon. I feel that was an unfair reflection and I would have enjoyed this book a lot more if I had read a few other things in between, as this book focuses on loss and memory, two themes that I love to explore.

What have you read this month?

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Japan

 I'm currently trying to find flights we can afford to japan in January (ideally in and out o Hiroshima and Nagoya) but landing in japan will do. Give me a nudge if you see any.

This was in Japan a few years ago now....I like the shadow on the ball as much as I like the whole statue...makes me think of the world.

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Little Loves - July

This month has flown! I feel like I just did this!

Read Currently reading Puccini's Butterfly. I'm not far enough in to review it but I do like that it's about all the women in his life - their view points seem to carry the narration - his wife, mistress, maid. I hadn't expected that.

Watched We finished watching The Loudest Voice. So very creepy. And even though I remember the news fall out at the time, I just can't believe how he got away with it (and even denied it). He was so disgusting.

In the Theatre, saw Dracula which was amazing. Zahra Newman was fabulous and the production is brillant. I kept catching myself looking from the screen to the stage to see what the 'other people' were doing and how they were reacting, only to laugh when confronted with the almost empty stage because she is ALL the characters. Ha! (If there are still tickets, definitely go!)

Heard Loving this song - no clip but worth a listen! So cheery.

Wore  Enjoying my Alice in Wonderland stockings with Birkenstocks! Winter is fun and comfy!

And lastly I went to the Flume installation at Volume at the Art Gallery. It was so fun. I was beaming as the lights and images dazzled me. I'll be honest, I was a little underwhelmed with the new composition by Flume but was a wonderful exhibition.

So while I'm sharing the pictures of  Every Dull Moment (EDM), I'll leave you with one of my old Flume favs. 

They've been my little loves, what about you? What have you been loving?

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