#044 Feeling A Bit Sh*t?

Help is on the way!

I was reading about a gift-giving idea that is WAY better than a Kris Kringle, and I think we might do it next year. Have you heard of it? It’s called the Favourite Things Tradition and it’s just what it says. Each person buys something they LOVE for their recipient/s with the proviso that the item brings ‘comfort and joy’. There are a bunch of variations you can read about here, if you’re keen to adopt this tradition next year. I really like how focused and cosy this feels! Now on to the (other) good things …

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1/ Everything you need to know about setting yourself a personal curriculum (I love this trend so much!)

2/ I’m definitely making one or two Ann Wood happy goose ornaments for Christmas. Maybe you fancy making some too? (Above)

3/ Picnic at Hanging Rock is being turned into an off-Broadway play! Imagine it as … a ballet, even? (Actually I just looked it up and it HAS been interpreted as a ballet before. I’d love to see that!)

4/ Perhaps your family or best friend needs their own Air Dancer (you know, like the ones they have at car yards/car washes?!) Found via Kottke.

5/ The what, the why and the how of commonplacing, as told by Ruby’s Studio. So interesting and helpful, don’ t you think?

6/ Australia’s top fifty children’s books, as voted by The Guardian readers … click through and vote for your favourite title!

7/ A $31 million US hippopotamus-shaped bar is a thing to behold!

8/ A bunch of lovely Christmassy videos to dip into.

9/ In case you feel like running away to a Swedish cabin. Or tapping into ‘Frazzled English Woman’ interiors. Or peeking at this pretty-cosy place. Or getting prepped for the circus-inspired interiors trend!

10/ Stanley Tucci’s Pasta E Fagioli looks very delicious(and also thrifty!) Heidi’s got some excellent holiday cooking ideas. Roasted asparagus is a good idea. Lentil Soup Jars are a cute and thoughtful holiday gift idea. And you might need some Potatoes Anna on your table? Or whip up some Confetti Cookies, perhaps? (Top) Taste’s top twenty healthy recipes of 2025.

11/ Kerry’s posts are always bolstering to read and packed with interesting thoughts and ideas. High recommend.

12/ A (vintage) crash course in fencing (below) in case that’s something you’d be into.

13/ Searching for meaning in found objects and discarded books …

“After reading over the page, I would take a long walk to let the words float in my mind as I knelt to look at small things — pebbles, petals, leaves, feathers, and a whole lot of that great teacher in resilience, lichen — picking one thing up to take home.”

14/ This gift-for-the-host trend is a very useful one. Perfect.

15/ Why we need weird stories …

“… (reminding) us that the world is stranger and more alive than we imagine, and that our old stories of control and mastery no longer serve us.”

16/ This Peter Rabbit X Fable collaboration is exquisitely adorable. (Below)

17/ The City of Melbourne is getting a floral emblem and its citizens get to vote on it!

18/ Can you even believe these ornaments are made from a tomato paste tube?! The cleverest!

19/ And these DIY crocheted stars are prettily ornate.

20/ If I had a sauna I’d definitely need some sauna elves … (Slide Five)

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Around the grounds

Can you even believe it? I popped in on Rin and June this week and June REACHED OUT HER LITTLE ARMS TO ME! And I swept her up! And we were both delighted and smiled at each other. Such a sweet and special moment. She is very, very much into reading books (below) and music, and she’s just started to crawl forwards, only a couple of tentative times, but the thing is she’s on the move. How has this all happened so fast?! It’s too fast, yet still very lovely.

What’s for dinner at yours?

We’re having spaghetti, I think. Due to feeling a bit fragile and spaghetti being a cure-all. Or leftover meatball noodle salad from last night. I haven’t quite decided yet.

What have you been watching?

PS: Silly joke of the week -
What did the termite say when it walked into a pub?
Is the bar tender here?

Have the best week you possibly can.

x pip

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