September used to mean the footy finals for me...but then after storming away in a huff when I felt the Essendon management were backing Hird over Bomber (yes, that aged badly but at the time, it was the final straw), it became all about my annual jaunt to the Singapore Night Race.
Since 2013, that became one of my favourite weekends of the year. I'd spend weeks looking at where I'd eat and what exhibitions to go to, so as not to waste a single minute. Alas, not this year. No money and no way to get a ticket. Stupid DTS ruining it for us all....The first time I did it, I paid under $2k for the whole weekend, including spending money!
So this September is Fringe. I've got comedians, shows and theatre lined up for Sydney Fringe Festival. I've got Gryffin and Cyril tix too, so the party season is creeping earlier...that makes my heart sing!
It's exam time for the kiddo so I'm trying to be a bit more available. School holidays begin but we aren't going anywhere this year.
It is Father's Day, and it was lovely to get the family together to celebrate their dad, but it was also sad as I missed mine. It's a weird day to be honest. Not the good remembering like when a fond memory pops up and you feel the warmth and love from that moment. It's some sort of formal reminder, so you're just sad.
It is Spring, but you wouldn't know that at the moment, given the arctic chill in the air. It is lovely seeing all the flowers coming out to bloom!
(For those following the adventures of the bear, he made it on to the chair for a few sunny days but in the rain, headed back into the tree! Though helmet less this time.)
And of course, I couldn't talk about September without you thinking of this song....
I missed all the Lunar Eclipse and Blood Moon excitement but last night, I did catch the orangey moon on the rise. It was very low early evening...
The camera didn't pick up the colour - but on the phone, while less defined pictures, you get an idea of the colour.
It was bright like the one the morning before.
At bedtime it was white again and high in the sky but Saturn was shining bright next to it. I couldn't catch it with my camera or my phone, but if you look carefully, there is a spec on the right of the moon. That's Saturn. To the eye however, it was so bright and visible.
It got me thinking about AI travel plans and Instagram pics. If you rely on the these to organise your itinerary, you only see the 'must sees' where as for me, it's the quirks of a destination that make it worthwhile. I don't understand the appeal - in the same way I might get a travel agent to sort my flights, and maybe my accommodation, I rarely want or need their suggestions for the in between. There's too many crazy things out there I don't want to miss!
We were all told to watch the moon the night before but it was interesting last night as well, yet most people would have missed it!
Investigation and curiosity are what makes for the best experiences, and at times rewarding surprises....These are what make our humanness so special.
"The moon is beautiful only when the mind is seeking beauty and the heart is loving." -Debasish Mridha
If you can't see it in the pics, this is the clearest.
I didn't get up to see the Blood Moon or the Eclipse but I did wake in time to see it set at around 4.30 am.
Not great photos but you get the vibe.
I regret not setting the alarm but I've just been so tired this week.
Will be stalking Instagram to see what I missed.
The moon set and the following sun rise (below) were similar!
Short and sweet for #Allseasons, that is now back to normal.
#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.
I am not a good patient. My recovery is really easy and I'm not in pain but I'm on a soft diet which is not anything I normally eat and it's messing with my head (and my body). I also don't have my normal energy so haven't done much at all.
These were taken while waiting for take away up the road - I got flat noodles and had to pick all the beef out because I'm allowed mince but not actual meat. (Look after your teeth, people, because this is a terrible diet. My husband was crunching on nuts last night and I was jealous. Just the sound of it made me sulk!) Shout out to Dumpling Master - you've been the highlight of my week!
Our father's day celebration is Tuesday night so I'm really hoping I can eat normally by then....stay tuned.
(I loved the detail on the pole to make the legs work when you looked at it from across the street)
I am out of sorts with my wings clipped. Though it was nice lazing about in the sun on the weekend, it agitates me at the same time.
Other smiles came from the flowers on the dog walk.
This is my new saying. Because music DOES make your hear grow fatter! Also reflection of me being a shadow of normal myself for #WeekendReflection.
The newspaper on the driveway made me double take - it's something out of history. I grew up with this being normal, and how we got our newspaper, but it's so rare these days, doubly rare where I live as no one has a driveway in the first place. Anyway, I got a chuckle out of it, feeling like I'd time travelled....
As a non smoker, I didn't know about this, the warning on the cigarette. It looked like pop art, discarded on the side walk (at a guess they were waiting for an uber, given it was thrown away half smoked) but let's pretend they read the warning and gave up. It's sooooo bad for you!!
Wish me a little more patience. (Because I'm really very lucky and it's really nothing to complain about)
I have been reading this every time I go to hospital for day procedures. I didn't realise that's what I was doing, but I guess subconsciously I was reading about Charley's far worse hospital experience and thus removing any stress from mine. The book is interesting, even if you don't ride bikes, and Charley speaks with that same endearing openness that he displays in the show. He doesn't hide his flaws or fears. He's charming to the reader in his hopefulness and good nature. He wears his heart on his sleeve, not just with his wife and family, but with his friends, all of whom he loves dearly, appreciates and sort of idolises - and I don't just mean Ewen, also Jason, Russ, Claudio and everyone one else who gets a mention. The book begins with the terrible accident and documents the recovery, peppered with some early life memories and other anecdotes. I really enjoyed it.
This was a book club book. A lot of research had been done, and it covers a lot of Australian history that isn't really well known between the 1930s and the Menzies era. The fall out of war, as well as the experience of women in rural Australia are some of the themes. A large focus on the political climate shapes a love story. It is interesting and an easy read, that said, I found it light on in coherence of the narrative and characters. Someone else in the book group really loved it, so I guess it probably falls in both camps.
I won't repeat what I already discussed here but this book is so relevant to now. It shows how we march along, not thinking of the world we are shaping. Not thinking of what we are losing with our panaceas that we hid in to avoid standing up for what is right. It looks at what our online world is doing to our real life connections. One of my favourite lines is about how Faber saw what was coming but did nothing, one of the innocents who could have spoken out for the 'guilty' and thus became guilty himself. I think we can see around the world now, we need to speak out for the migrants and the LBGT people is we are lucky enough to have no skin in the game. It's easier for an ally to speak out than a target.
One part which I hadn't noticed in my previous reading, but seemed so relevant now was where Faber lists what is needed - 1. Quality of information; 2 - the time to read and understand it and 3 - the "right to carry out actions based on the first two" and in Fahrenheit 451 (and many countries now) that third one has been removed, and the first one is becoming rarer or harder to find.
It also has one of my favourite quotes of all time (see here) but no need to repeat it as I'm sure you've read it a number of times on my blog.
I found it interesting reading this after Goodbye to Berlin. The Isherwood is how the propaganda and control sneaks in, the Bradbury is once it's fully in place. I see it all around us, so these classics are timeless in their warnings. Or we just don't learn. The section on the Phoenix is both relevant and a warning. (Or as Frank Turner says 'Don't go mistaking your house burning down for the dawn".
I mentioned a few times how much I loved this book. I got the play (which Bradbury wrote about 20 years later) and read that too. He changed the ending. It is a much more sentimental man who wrote the play. I guess in his old age, he wanted the hope. A kinder life for people. I feel perhaps I feel that now too, thought the lessons are hard learned, so I feel the book is probably perfect as it is.
Junky crime, this time of the charming old ladies style. Murder in the library of a small village. It is what it is. I enjoyed it but not a must read. Perfect for a plane or holiday read.
As an aside, this was in the street library and I was taken with The Book Club - when people signed up and got a book delivered monthly. The editions were published specifically for the book club, so you could collect the hard back editions of classics and popular books. There is a sentimental enchantment in this for me. I love that people who knew other people with a subscription would informally discuss the books when they bumped into each other. That books were curated for readers to enjoy. With more free access to books online and in audio, we are losing the tangible copies, and it's something I lament a little, though I am part of the problem.
Just a reminder, Room To Read is a charity 'creating a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality' and you can donate here.
September used to mean the footy finals for me...but then after storming away in a huff when I felt the Essendon management were backing Hird over Bomber (yes, that aged badly but at the time, it was the final straw), it became all about my annual jaunt to the Singapore Night Race.
