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A little catchup
Life has been frustrating lately. I feel like the last three months have been one niggly health issue after another. No one thing has been serious but I feel like I’m constantly losing days to various ailments. On Tuesday I had one of the worst bouts of vertigo in years. It came on very suddenly around lunchtime and necessitated some crawling on the floor (to avoid falling), sitting on the bathroom floor unsure whether I was going to vomit and a couple of tears of frustration/self-pity. The worst was that I couldn’t even lie down because that set my head spinning violently and it did not settle in that position.…
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Third Places
This week I’ve encountered the concept of “third places” three times. The first in a newspaper article arguing that what makes European cities so good are their third places and that in general new world cities and towns lack these places. In Australia third spaces have been neglected, prioritising the home. In the article, Melbourne was singled out as the most “European” major Australian city, largely because of its places. Later I read a piece by Tsh Oxenreider (paid Substack) where she describes her third place and a common desire to live in a “humane-sized community.” In that, she offers some ideas for community building, several of which are already…
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Tenderheart Cook #11, #12 and #13
Cooking my way through the Tenderheart Cookbook. Charred Zucchini and Sweetcorn with Basil Caesar-ish Sauce The Quick Lowdown: Carrot Peanut Satay Ramen The Quick Lowdown: Brussels-sprouts-instead-of-egg Salad I often get a box of veggies delivered and a few weeks ago we got brussels sprouts in the box. Hubby is not a fan but I saw this salad and thought it would make a good lunch for me. I included the optional eggs for some protein. The Quick Lowdown:
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Cross Country Running
We had our last cross-country race on Saturday. This season has been a bit of a bust for me and the last race did not break the bad run. I never really managed to throw off my previous cold completely and now I’m down with another one. The course was a shocker with two hilly laps. Of course, the hills are on the back end of the laps with the race to the finish line up a steep, very uneven hill. It was enough to trigger flashbacks to school cross country. At our school, inter-house swimming, athletics and cross-country days were compulsory. For cross-country that meant everyone had to complete…
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A common sight … but still beautiful
It’s not hard to spot a Rainbow Lorikeet around our place. It wasn’t always this way though. They disappeared from Melbourne in the 1920’s but are now back in greater numbers than before settlement. Experts think this is due to the flowering gums from other parts of Australia that were planted by councils and gardeners in the 1970’s. The trees provide an excellent and more abundant food source than indigenous Victorian bush and the heat island effect of the city provides a warmer environment which the birds prefer. Rainbow Lorikeets also need tree hollows to breed which are in short supply which leads ecologists to believe that most are probably…
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101 Things in 1001 Days
The other day I was reading blogs and came upon Tobia’s post about her 101 Things in 1001 Days progress. I’ve done one of these before and it reminded me of all the reasons why this format is so helpful. It involves long-term goal setting, but not too long-term. Being longer than a year, you get multiple chances to hit seasonal goals. There is plenty of room for a good mixture of goals. It’s just right for people like me who love somewhere to aim but are OK with a less-than-perfect hit rate. I pretty much immediately decided that I was going to do this myself. I had a bit…
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August’s Books
Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology – Chris Miller So maybe I’m showing my nerdiness here, but this was great. A fascinating look at the chip industry from its beginning to now. Espionage, intrigue and science all rolled into one good read. Explains who the big players are in the chip industry, how they came about, the current choke points in the supply chain and the international tension surrounding the industry. Hilariously, the company that was an FBI front to entrap employees of Hitachi trying to steal industrial secrets had the same name as our small business. Be Still: A Simple Guide to Quiet Times –…
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Looking Forward, Looking Back – August 2023
Three times a week is a habit: For the second month in a row, it was a no, no and no. I’m still wanting to do these, so I’m recommitting this month. Read: Another small reading month with two books finished, but I was very close to finishing another two and they are finished now. Travel: I have a pretty detailed plan for our trip in October/November and I’ve started making some bookings. This month there are a few tickets that come available 30 days prior to booking so I’ll do those and finish booking the train tickets. I have two more blog posts I want to do from our…