While G and I were away in Lorne, dad drove up to Shepparton and bought five boxes of peaches for bottling. That meant Monday was spent bottling them. Mum and H peeled them, I cut them and dad packed them bottles and moved them in and out of the processor. Dad had to finish off the last few batches on Tuesday morning. I think they have 36 bottles and I took home 5 for G. It was a big job and I think in hindsight dad should have rested instead of doing that kind of work when he was feeling unwell.
I have less than 6 months to go until time’s up on my 101 Things list. One of the items on there was to go to an outdoor movie, something that needed to be done in summer if at all so I booked tickets to Wicked: For Good at the rooftop cinema in Elsternwick before Christmas for G, E, K and I. On the day there were big thunderstorms so the session was cancelled. I thought that was going to be it because I expected to be away until after the last showing of Wicked on the 17th of January. When dad’s birthday lunch on Saturday was cancelled because of his hospital admission, I re-booked G and I to see the movie on Saturday night. The rooftop is a pretty good setup with big wooden stairs providing a tiered floor with proper height chairs to sit in. There is also a bar up there. Things I didn’t like: it was very, very windy the night we went and we both got cold by the end of the movie, and you are given headphones for the sound and whenever I wear headphones for an extended period of time I get sore ears, by the end of the movie this was really bugging me. I don’t know whether I’d do this again because of those things. Before the end of the movie I wanted to rip those headphones off and hop in a hot bath. Plus it is very late! Maybe I’m too old for this?
While I was at Point Lonsdale my little veggie bed has got completely out of control. The tomatoes are growing wild! I did manage to refill the water tank on the bed while I was home and tried to re-stake the tomatoes. I don’t think G had properly refilled the water in the bottom tank—it took a long time to refill and I doubt he had the patience. Next year I will work out a sturdier way to stake the tomatoes. I got a small early harvest of tomatoes and some more cucumbers to add to the ones G and already picked.
I took the cucumbers with me to Point Lonsdale when I had my unscheduled return to Point Lonsdale to help mum when dad was discharged from hospital. I made pickled sliced cucumbers. If they’re good I’ll probably make some more if I have too many cucumbers again.
I’ve been gradually working through the posts in my feed reader but this week I finally decided to delete all and start again. I also unsubscribed from Substack Newsletters which weren’t doing it for me anymore. I send them all to my feed reader as well so that was part of the problem. Hopefully I can keep everything at a more manageable level from here.
And lastly, a little something echoing my thoughts in this post.
Or what about the freewriting approach to engaging with a crisis-ridden wider world that seems, in so many ways, to be spinning off its axis? Not first trying to figure out what the hell’s going on – increasingly, that seems beyond any of us – but simply embodying, in your daily activities, the sanity, neighbourliness, boldness and care you’d like to see more of.
Oliver Burkeman, The Imperfectionist: The freewriting way of life
Have you been to an outdoor movie? Have you found yourself subscribed to too many newsletters?
Comments
16 responses to “Five on Friday”
Oh, what a shame about the rooftop cinema! It sounds great in theory, but cold, wind and annoying headphones would test anyone’s patience. I agree with you, that’s not age, that’s simply knowing what you enjoy and what you don’t. Still, well done for ticking off a 101 list item under very non-ideal conditions!
Your post made me smile because I go to an open-air cinema every summer in Zurich with my parents (87 and 84!) and they absolutely love it. In 2024, we got completely drenched in a summer storm. And the film was TWISTER! The rain, wind and distant lightning felt like part of the show. They still talk about it today!
Yes, it was worth trying, but I probably won’t do it again. Funny you mention about Twister because there is a part in Wicked when the weather is whipped up and Dorothy’s cyclone arrives and the wind was particularly gusty at that point. I turned to gEoff and said “It feels like we’re in the movie”
I hate, hate, hate being cold so I might have had to leave. I am in absolute misery when cold (and get cold so easily).
Those preserves look amazing! As does growing your own produce.
I have had to get more and more selective in how much I read/comment (I don’t subscribe to many newsletters, though; ironically, I felt overwhelmed yesterday and only skimmed Oliver Burkeman’s newsletter!)
I hate being cold, too; it was uncomfortable. I feel you, there is so much good writing being produced but we have to be selective.
I watched The Great Gatsby in an outdoor movie theater many years ago. By the end I also was anxious for it to be done. I was not able to lean my back to anything and I had a severe backache which was getting more severe by the cold night. And the sound was horrible since we heard it over speakers. But the overall feeling of watching it outside in summer was nice. However it always seems a bit romanticized.
I have never made pickled cucumbers but maybe I will do so next year. I want to have cucumber agin but they are became eatable at the same time.
We would never go to an outdoor movie where you don’t have a backrest, that would be painful. When we went to the park we took our low beach chairs to avoid that.
I’m not subscribed to too many newsletters but my email is over run by stuff I am gradually unsubscribing from. So annoying.
I watched Frozen at an outdoor showing when the kids were little.
I hate the way every time you make a restaurant booking online or shop online you start getting emails from them. I do unsubscribe but it seems like a constant todo.
We had a friend in grad school who would show silent movies on a sheet in his backyard. We’d eat cheese and crackers and feel very sophisticated watching Buster Keaton. What a life.
Only six more months to do all the things on your list!! That’s so exciting. I love the 101 lists so much and I love all the updates.
I think outdoor movies in the backyard would be so much fun. I know you’ve said you don’t have neoguh ideas for a 101 list of your own but you should do try one.
I loathe being cold so I would have struggled to make it to the end of that movie. Plus I think it is quite long! But good for you for crossing another item off your list!
I wish I could take some cucumbers off your hands! Garden-fresh cucumbers are sooo good! My mom used to slice up gobs of cucumbers and tomatoes as a side dish at dinner when we were kids and we would fight over them since we all loved them so much! Now neither of my kids is a big fan of either. More for me, I suppose. I used to have a garden at a community garden plot but gave it up the year after our youngest was born as it was just too hard to get over there consistently. I’d love to yank some bushes out of an area of our backyard and plant some tomatoes and cucumbers there… but I need to get Phil on board with that.
I agree garden fresh cucumbers are great. I hated cucumbers as a child but I’ve come around. We had another one for dinner last night but the plant got a bit stressed in the couple of +42C days we’ve had so I will have to wait and see whether it recovers enough to start producing fruit again.
While I adore winter, I am absolutely basking in the images of your sunshine and fresh produce! Congrats on making such fantastic progress on your 101 list. (Also, I love that one of your items is make a new list!) And you still have six months to go!
Thnaks Suzanne. My new list is gradually accumulating ideas.
Love your garden and all the canning you do. What do you use the peaches for?
I went to an outdoor movie theater ones, but it was a long time ago.
We bottle the peaches and then G has them for dessert. Mum and dad eat the bottled peaches with their cereal for breakfast.