Little Loves - October

 

What a great month I had! Quite unexpectedly to be honest.

READ I am currently reading the The Friday Afternoon Club. I will do a whole post on this once I've finished but I'm really enjoying it. Griffen Dunne has an openness and honesty in his narrative that makes it so much more than name dropping stories. There are a few very arresting moments, and I am prepared for what is to come, having adored his father's work and read all Dominick Dunne's books, starting as a teen when I worked in a bookshop and stumbled across The Two Mrs Grenvilles. I went to his author talk, purely out of nostalgia for his father, but I can see he is a very talented writer in his own right.

WATCHED Been to a few plays and comedians this month, plus a number of author talks. Saw Jacob Banks and the amazing Gregory Porter.

At the movies, One Battle after another and the Springsteen movie today. It feels like it's been a quiet month, but not really. Just the lull before the (Sand)storm...bahahaha. If you don't have an earworm now you won't get that joke....

HEARD Bunt. A lot of Bunt. I saw him last year at Field Day and my Spotify is teasing me that he is coming back as I just keep getting song after song by him in my Daily Drive. So I'm hoping Spotify knows something I don't as I'm dead keen to see him again! Good vibes!

Also I like these covers - the Ska version of the Frank Turner song and the Frank Turner version of the Grace Petrie song.

But I do like her original better. Of course. (Aussies, she'll be here for the National Folk Festival in April. Hopefully with side gigs as I'll be at Bluesfest....though husband is aware I have to travel if I miss her...ha!)

WORE  My Luigi bag has been getting a workout. It makes me so happy, especially when the fans ask me if it's from Mario, as they a perplexed by someone my age using it as a serious handbag (they should see me with my Moomin or Hello Kitty bag!)

I got these weird things for my sore toe after big walks or big nights dancing. It does help ease the pain. Cheap and off ebay or amazon or something. Worth a shot.

AND LASTLY My top 3? Too hard to narrow down. Got a family get together for a birthday before the month is out, so even though that's yet to happen, I'll put it down as number 1. Ditto Halloween, just the decorations and the bubbly kids coming to the door sooooo sensational dinner at Mister Grotto with friends - it was AMAZING food! The flavours so interesting. I'm not even a big fish eater and I ate it all! Brilliant restaurant. If you are in Sydney, def go! It is only fish and seafood though, no other options.

Also made it to the last Bake Sale of the year! Winning!

Linking with #LittleLoves #TalkaboutitTuesday #MondayMusicMovesMe #WBOYC #TrafficJamReboot #HappyTuesday #TuesdayTwirl for the handbag

Little Loves - September

READ Longtime bloggers in the Australian bloggosphere will remember her, and her #SunsetsforKate, but Kate Morrell wrote this beautiful Insta post that I want to share with you. I think she raises a lot of important things to think about but I also just loved the line "Who is this girl? What a joy to feel so free". I too have been remembering some early 20's solo trips and I can't believe the stuff I did. The faith I had in humanity (and probably very lucky on personal safety). I just radiated happiness and delight in the European beauty that complete strangers would talk to me and show me hidden treasure as I walked the streets, they'd give me addresses of Mask makers in Venice who would welcome me into their homes and workshops to see their art (even I had pause when I found myself in the lounge room of an old artisan, struggling with Italian and explaining that some shop owner had sent me...but it was all fine and he was flattered by his reputation as the best mask maker in the city). Experience and age wears us down. We become more cautious (or less stupid). There is something strange about the naive youth we once were.

Not a great photo but love the ghost bird

WATCHED  I went to Garry Starr:Classic Penguins at Grand Electric. It is EXCELLENT! I laughed so hard and it is so clever and entertaining as he works through 100 Penguin classics (the Communist Manifesto was my favourite). I am also in awe of the person who joined in for the Jungle book. I am envious of such confidence and self assurance. Anyway, without giving anything away, you must get to Grand Electric by October 12 if you can. It's so good. I went with 10 people and we all loved it. Tickets are here. People in London, he'll be hitting the West End in Nov/Dec so keep an eye out!  

At the cinema, I watched Inter Alia. While I don't normally watch filmed theatre productions, this is well worth it. Meaty play, incredibly difficult and clever, and stunning performance by Rosamund Pike. She's extraordinary. It's the new Suzy Miller play (of Prima Facie fame). Again I can't really talk about it without spoiling so just check it out if you can.

Two Seagulls in light

Delectable crab tart at Midden

HEARD I stumbled across this song by accident but I just love it! It's about finding hope and joy and it really lifts my spirits.

  

WORE My new clogs turned up. I've been wearing them around the house with socks to wear them in, as the leather is a little scratchy until it's been worn a bit. These match my gold ones I got a few years ago. These are my new heels now that it appears I can't wear heels anymore for any length of time.

AND LASTLY The first two weeks of the month were hindered by medical issues and recovery but then I've hit the ground running. The highlights? Definitely the Underground film festival, with a smellorama film and Movie Bingo - both films, UHF and Living in Oblivion are still very funny and worth watching. 

Who knew watching movies could be so fun!?!

 Pigeon Fool was an extraordinary highlight but deserves a separate post when I get a chance. 

I've mentioned some of the plays and gigs I've been to, so I'll go with Genesis Owusu at the Opera House, just so I can share the pictures, and state yet again I have no idea how this song didn't make the Hottest Australian 100. Off to Cyril tonight and a talk by Ivan Coyote, a brilliant author and performer and a beach weekend away so my Insta will be flooded shortly. Also got more fringe comedy (already saw Brodi Snook) on the weekend...so all in all, a great month! 

Linking with #LittleLoves #Stylewithasmile #MondayMusicMovesMe #ThruMyLens #You'retheStar #TravelTuesday #HappyNow #TuesdayTwirl #WednesdayAroundtheWorld #WWWhimsy #TforTuesday #TravelTuesday

Little Loves - August

This may be the last official Little Loves, so I'd like to thank Rachel Swirl for the format - I will keep doing it as I find it a shorter version of Taking Stock, which I find a little too long.

READ I saw this post on the Jindo Path and became obsessed with understanding the science behind it - how only twice a year if it's related to lunar cycles? 

I am also re reading Fahrenheit 451. It's such a great book. Opens with a description of a fire that is both the fire burning but also the fire inside the man, that eagerness that lights up fuelled with power and hate - and you see both clearly. Extraordinary writing. It also has the most beautiful description of effects of depression, without ever mentioning it. It's the paragraph that surrounds this line  "Two moonstones looked up at him in the light of his small hand-held fire; two pale moonstones buried in a creek of clear water over which the life of the world ran, not touching them." I am savouring the rereading of it, not for the story but the beautiful imagery. If you haven't read it, the story is engrossing and a terrifying look at our current life, where we feel connected with strangers on the internet but disconnected from those at the dinner table. Astounding that is was written in1953! If you don't have a copy, you can also listen to it through your library on Hoopla. (Read it, and listen to. There's so much in it to savour!) 

WATCHED I went to see three short Tennessee Williams plays, one of which had the line "the past keeps getting bigger and bigger at the expense of the future" which has been haunting me ever since. 

We also went to the kooky When Night Comes as the start of our Sydney Fringe Festival. There is an easily recognised Shakespeare speech but at another part, there is a speech that ends with "behind me I heard the tapping of a blind man's cane" and it's driving me nuts as I can't place it. I initially thought Poe but I can't think which one. So maybe Frankenstein or The Invisible Man (H. G. Wells not Ralph Ellison). If anyone knows, let me know.

On tv I'm watching Vice Principals (which is a cringe fest) but really nothing worth noting seems to be on at the moment.

HEARD I couldn't get tickets to Alex Warren so I've been playing him on repeat at the moment, making myself jealous of all those lucky ducks that got to go to what I'm sure would have been a fabulous concert.

 

I did get tickets to Chane Pena so I'm beginning to play him so that my husband wants to come too, as I know he'll like him. This is not his best song but it's filmed in Iceland and I want to go there so it's a visual treat for me!

WORE Sydney's endless rain is doing my head in. So cocktail dress with rain boots is the go!

AND LASTLY I love looking at the month to pick my three favourite things. It's hard to narrow it down! And that is a blessing. Listening to the fun my kiddo had at their birthday party - singing, dancing & laughter - all round good vibes. Sheng Wang was very funny and I keep getting a bit in my head every time I see berries at the supermarket, which makes me chuckle out loud, resulting in strange looks, which makes me laugh more. After a short music drought, I've seen gigs every Friday night so that always makes me happy. The high lights for elating fun with friends, has got to be the line dancing, the singalong and many meals out with friends. It's been a month of lovely catch ups! I am also beside myself with excitement at how my ice plant is progressing. I can't wait until I can eat it!

As always, my Insta is here and linking with #LittleLoves and #WWOT #WWWhimsy#TuesdayTwirl  #WeekendCoffeeShare #FloralFridayFoto #TforTuesday