Nice things for your Sunday

~ Carolyn ~ 2 Comments

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It’s a grey and drizzly day in Melbourne – and I am LOVING it! It’s been warm for quite a while so it’s lovely to have some freshness in the air and some rain falling from the sky. I was planting in my garden during the week – yep, that’s right, this non-green thumb was in the garden! – and the ground was SO DRY. My new little plants that I’ve taken to talking to will be loving this weather. I’m sounding like my dad, wandering around the house saying ‘It’s good for the garden’!

If it’s an ‘inside day’ for you too, you might want to check out these clever people for some Sunday sighs and inspiration. Or you might just want to check them out anyway!

  • Look at these AMAZING embroideries! You can also read an interview with the clever Cayce here
  • I love these paintbrush portraits by Alexandra Dillon
  • Terrarium cupcakes? Yes please!
  • This is a clever way to recycle old dolls, Although maybe be careful with the placement if you’re the type to go for wanders in your house in the wee hours!

Enjoy your Sunday, gang!

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Easter chillin’

~ Carolyn ~ 3 Comments

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What are you doing this Easter? Are you heading out of town? Are you in your pjs watching Netflix? Are you drinking tea and eating your body weight in hot cross buns and chocolate eggs? I’ll probably do a little bit of all of that.

There’s something very quiet and calming about the Easter break for me. Is it the same for you? I’m not a particularly religious person but I do like to treat Good Friday as a quiet day – a day to potter at home, read, craft, spend time with the fam. Today my boy and I had a chat for a couple of hours. So lovely! Don’t get that opportunity often when they’re grown ups!

For us, unlike Christmas, there’s no fancy meals to prepare, no rush to clean the house for visitors, no preparing to take off on holidays. Easter is a nice few days to mooch around and inhale a big breath before heading forth into the coming cooler months.

Enjoy your Easter, chums, whatever your plans are!

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Taking Stock: March ‘18

~ Carolyn ~ 3 Comments

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Gang! How are you? Long time no blogging! I don’t know what I’ve been doing with myself to have so much time pass and apparently nothing to blog about. Maybe if I take stock, à la Pip Lincolne, I’ll work out what’s been going on.

Eating: tuna pasta

Cooking: stewed plums. Autumn means plums, yes?

Drinking: wine, tea

Making: the weaving in the photo. It was my first commission! Woohoo! Gave one of my weavings to a friend’s daughter, her grandmother saw it and thought she’d like one too! Delivery is happening tomorrow so I hope she likes it 😬

Watching: Homeland, my footy team on the telly. I always feel like the year is really underway once the football season starts

Reading: Forest Dark. I borrowed it from the library and when I went to renew it they said it was on reserve and renewing was a ‘no can do’. Second time that has happened to me! So I had to go and buy book so I could finish it!

Hearing: thunder. It’s going to be a pretty stormy night judging by the radar

Waiting: for my boy to come home from work

Wondering: what to cook for dinner tomorrow. So many meals to think of…

Planning: to go the bookshop this week, maybe buy some magazines, have some quiet reading time, visit Opendrawer

Pondering: my next weaving design

Buying: wool from Wool and the Gang. My man gave me a voucher for Christmas and they have a sale on at the moment so more bang for my buck!

Marvelling: at how social media can create new friendships. Discovered one of my fave weavers who I follow on Insta goes to the same yoga school I go to, her son goes to the same school my boy went to, and we have a mutual friend! We’ve had a chat and will have a catch up! Lovely!

Liking: that daylight savings will end soon. The mornings are becoming very dark!

Loving: the autumn colour

Knowing: the next couple of months will be spent raking up leaves. I look at the trees in my front garden and think, ‘ay, ay, ay, so many leaves, so little space in the bin!’

Wishing: the council would start the street leaf collection earlier. I don’t think they start until mid-April and by that time so many leaves are already carpeting the footpaths

Celebrating: my mum and dad’s 50th wedding anniversary. Such a long time, yes? Dad used liquid paper in his card to Mum to signify some of the rough patches and things they would rather have erased! Funny man! But they have stuck together through all the icky bits. Pretty admirable.

Remembering: to buy Easter eggs for the egg hunt – because even when you’re 21 and 19 the egg hunt is still an essential part of Easter! The Easter Bunny received a scolding when the egg hunt was neglected a couple of years ago. Oops!

Hmm…still don’t quite know why I haven’t turned my mind to chatting to you, lovely blog buddies! Has anything interesting, happy, exciting been happening in your world?

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Have you read…? January reading

~ Carolyn ~ 3 Comments

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Gah! It’s already nearly the end of February so I have been a TAD SLOW getting these posted! Oh well. Better late than never! Here’s what had me flicking over pages in the first month of 2018.

Goodwood by Holly Throsby

I read this book whilst down at the beach and it was the perfect holiday read. Goodwood is a small community in rural New South Wales. Life is uneventful and uncomplicated for the residents of Goodwood until two of its residents disappear – the beautiful and inscrutable 18 year old Rosie, and one week later, the local butcher and pillar of the community, Bart. Greenwood is rocked to its core as the residents and local policeman, Mack, attempt to discover what has happened to the two. Could the two have been involved with each other? Why did Bart not seem to want to discuss Rosie’s disappearance with his wife whilst the rest of the town was abuzz with speculation? Was Rosie’s violent stepfather involved in her disappearance? Or Lafe, the leering uncle of Rosie’s boyfriend? Why was $500 stashed in a hole in a tree trunk by the river? Throsby has populated her novel with deftly drawn, idiosyncratic characters, who, together, create a community that feels very real. The resolution is uncomplicated, as befits the town, yet satisfying.

First Person by Richard Flanagan

I have never read any Richard Flanagan books before so I was keen to read First Person when it was proposed at book group. In the early 1990s, struggling Tasmanian writer, Kif Kehlmann, is employed to ghost write the autobiography of Siegfried Heidl, a conman who has defrauded the banks of 700 million dollars. Heidl becomes an increasingly frustrating subject for Kif – he leaves writing sessions abruptly for meetings and interviews, he refuses to divulge details of his early life to enable Kif to write his story, or to show any repentance for his actions. A further unsettling aspect of their relationship concerns the warning Kif is given by his friend, Ray, Heidl’s bodyguard, who warns Kif not to reveal details of his personal life to Heidl as he has a way of insinuating himself into people’s lives. When the relationship between Kif and Heidl comes to an end, we follow Kif’s subsequent writing endeavours beyond the world of books and into the world of television. The novel owes much to Flanagan’s own experience of ghost writing the autobiography, Codename Iago, of fraudster John Fridrich. There can be no doubting the quality of Flanagan’s writing but the story? The consensus amongst our book group was that it was a bit ‘meh’. In a meeting between Kif and his publisher, Gene, that takes place about two thirds the way through the novel, Gene tells Kif that whilst he has some ‘interesting things’ in his manuscript ‘something needs to happen.’ And that is exactly how I felt. Nothing was happening. It was a continual cycle of Kif meeting Heidl, Heidl running off, Kif’s book going nowhere, and Kif becomingly increasingly frustrated, as was I! Maybe that was the point – to make me feel as frustrated as Kif. There were, however, some interesting observations made about trust in the novel. Heidl explains to Kif how trust is ‘the oil that greases the machine of the world.’ He observes that people we don’t like we still trust; that people who profess to know their professions – who lead the world – we trust. But what if they don’t know what they are doing? Heidl suggests that they are ‘the real conmen’. And, for me, the issue of trust in a world of reality TV – the world Kif comes to inhabit – and social media, is an interesting one to ponder. So would I recommend it? If you are happy to read a novel purely for writing style and language, yes, but if you want an engaging story, perhaps go for something else.

Force of Nature by Jane Harper

Force of Nature is the second novel by award winning writer, Jane Harper. Aaron Falk, the federal police officer who featured in The Dry, returns to investigate the disappearance of the acerbic Alice Russell during a team building hiking camp in the fictional Giralang Ranges. Falk and his partner, Carmen Cooper, become part of the investigation team as Alice has been assisting them in revealing the money laundering activities of her employer, BaileyTennants. Force of Nature is structured in a similar way to The Dry switching between chapters which focus on the investigation, and those which detail the unfolding events of the hike. As with any good thriller, there are a number of possibilities to keep the reader guessing as to who could be responsible for Alice’s disappearance. Could it be the son of the late notorious serial killer Martín Kovac, who dumped his victims’ bodies in the Giralang Ranges? Maybe Daniel Bailey, Alice’s boss, who was seen talking to her alone one night at the camp? What are we to make of the injuries to the face of Alice’s boss, Jill Bailey? What about the message ‘…hurt her…’ left on Aaron’s phone from Alice the day before she was reported missing? And there’s a red herring thrown in for good measure too! For me, the ending was not quite as satisfying as that of The Dry but it was a page-turning read along the way so I finished it a pretty content reader!

How’s your reading year going so far? Have you read any of these? What did you think?

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Taking Stock: January ‘18

~ Carolyn ~ 5 Comments

52FA7955-F41F-4C28-B6D7-AA5FD97762A3.jpegToday was one of those days where I woke up feeling a bit flat. Do you have those too? There was no reason for me to feel down in the dumps but I just did. Maybe it was hormones? Australian Open hangover? Lack of sleep after the heat of the past couple of days – and yep, we did lose power at our place. Sweaty, sweaty, sweaty with no air con! So I thought, as I was out on my morning walk, feeling like I was about to burst into tears 😩, that it might be a good time to take stock to give myself a bit of a rev up!

Cooking: well, about to start cooking bolognese because cool weather means a more hearty meal.

Drinking: green tea at the moment. And I’ve also been drinking water with fruit chucked in it. Yep, it’s a 2018 thing happening in my kitchen. Today’s combo – pineapple and lime.

Eating: the ice cream birthday cake from my girl’s birthday yesterday. That necessitated a quick trip to my mum’s to pop it in her freezer during the power blackout.

Making: a weaving with purple wool to pay homage to ultraviolet being the Pantone colour of the year.

Reading: about to start Force of Nature which I just bought at the local bookshop with my babysitting money from this morning’s work. Thought it might pep me up!

Watching: lots of tennis! But now we need to find something else. Maybe Search Party? I did see Three Billboards outside Ebbing Missouri the other day and it was great. Frances McDormand… LOVE!

Listening: to birdsong with my little people this morning. How much fun it is to see kiddies observing the world around them!

Hearing: tv in the background. My man clacking away on his keyboard.

Knowing: it is our wedding anniversary on Thursday. 26 years. I think that’s a long time.

Hoping: everyone has a happy, healthy year.

Wanting: to see all the movies – I, Tonya, The Post, Sweet Country. It’s Oscars season and this year there seem to be some really compelling movies out there.

Wondering: how to develop my creative endeavours this year. A few classes, inspiring excursions, looking through books in the library?

Loving: this new ad campaign for CGU Insurance. I know that sounds completely weird to love an insurance ad, but it’s so great to give applause to migrants after the many negative messages that are presented in the media. I hope it brings a bit more humanity into people’s hearts.

Liking: the freshness in the air after some pretty humid days.

Laughing: at being called ‘a legend’. Chuffed!

Looking: at the photo of one of my weavings hanging on Shani’s wall. It makes my heart sing to see it in its new home!

Feeling: super happy for a friend who has just announced she’s having a bub!

No reason for me to be feeling slumpy at all! Lots of good things happening here! I hope your 2018 has started swimmingly. Maybe you want to take a leaf out of Pip’s book and take stock as well?

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What I did in 2017

~ Carolyn ~ 2 Comments

 

So this is a thing I like to do. Rather than coming up with resolutions for the new year and wondering what lies ahead, I like to reflect upon the year that was – to think about what I enjoyed, achieved, and maybe even what was a bit challenging. And whilst we are already one week into the year, and 2017 is starting to feel like a bit of a distant memory, I think I can recall just enough to make up twenty noteworthy happenings. Here we go!

  1. Walked across the Brooklyn Bridge in very heavy snow. The rest of the family LOVED the snow but I must confess, no matter how rugged up I am, I do not handle cold well and I may have shed a little tear whilst they emitted exclamations of joy!
  2. Enjoyed not being a school mum anymore. It was fun – for the most part – at the time but I’m not unhappy to see the back of concerts, sports days and parent teacher interviews.
  3. Cheered when my girl got her driver’s licence. No more driving supervision. Woohoo!
  4. Worried when my girl got her driver’s licence.
  5. Worried when my man suddenly didn’t have a job. Gulp!
  6. Sighed with relief when the employment gods shone upon him after not too many months of job hunting. What an exhausting, rollercoaster ride that is!
  7. Enjoyed our first child free holiday in Tassie. We have had nights away from them in the last twenty one years but not an actual holiday.
  8. Joined a book club and met friendly new people. Thanks Isabel!
  9. Played chauffeur to my man when he broke his foot. moon boots are a bit cumbersome!
  10. Opened an etsy shop!
  11. Celebrated my girl’s 18th, my boy’s 21st and our 25th wedding anniversary. What a year of milestones!
  12. Held a new baby for the the first time in years! When I came home my girl said ‘your clothes smell different’. Yep, new baby smell! Heavenly!
  13. Volunteered at the Melbourne Writers Festival.
  14. Walked more steps than I ever have before because apparently my bones are a bit on the soft side. Gah! Ageing!
  15. Learned I can kill weeds with boiling water. Best discovery ever! I like a tidy garden but I DO NOT like gardening. And pulling weeds out of the cracks in paving? much hrrumphing under my breath!
  16. Probably wasted too much time scrolling through social media. That is a new year’s resolution if I have to have one!
  17. Reached my reading goal on Goodreads.
  18. Binge watched TV shows – The Crown, The Americans, The Handmaid’s Tale, Before We Die. This is what happens when my man is free to watch TV at night rather than working.
  19. Bought a long coveted lamp from Retro Print Revival.
  20. Watched the passing in parliament of the same-sex marriage legislation and shed a tear of happiness – and relief.

So 2017, I now bid you adieu. There were some ups, some downs, but you were mostly kind to me and for that I say ‘thank you’.

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Crafty uses for book vouchers

~ Carolyn ~ Leave a comment

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I may be getting ahead of myself here, but perhaps you might find a book voucher in your Christmas stocking on Monday morning? The good folk at Readings have put together a fab list of crafty books  to help you put that voucher to good use.

My friend Karen lent me her copy of On the Loom and it is lovely. I may need to buy my own copy to add to my library. I’ve seen Craftivism sitting on the shelf of my local bookshop and I think that looks like a pretty good read too. And I like the look of the macramé one. And maybe this one may tempt my girl to take up a needle and floss? Going beyond the Readings list, this one by Hollie Chastain about collage is also a goody.

Do any of these appeal to you? Maybe you already have some? Happy reading, happy crafting!

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*this is not a sponsored post