Feeling A Bit Sh*t #065

Flirty birds, treasure hunts, Kylie, pocket notebooks +

Hello! Hey! Hi!

Three Good Things

1/ A fluffy little tail disappearing under my car the other night as I crept out into the dark to put rubbish in the bin.
2/ Hearing two older women chatting at the deli counter this morning. They were laughing about the horrors of using farm toilets when they were kids. (They said they were long drop loos … ugh!)
3/ I’m reading a book that I’m loving, recommended by a friend. It’s my ‘bath book’ and I imagine I’m in Ireland wearing Aran knits, when in reality I’m in deep in Epsom salts instead.

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And the non-sh*t things …

one/ One of my favourite artists, David Shrigley, talks about his home: “A lot of my life revolves around caring for an elderly dog,” says David. “A good start to the day is when she hasn’t peed the bed.”
two/ Ten uses for a pocket notebook to keep you off your phone.
three/ Which birds ‘flirt’ by clapping in the middle of the night?
four/ How not to dwell on the past: “We can never go back,” bell hooks wrote. “We can go forward.”
five/ Moomins have taken over Central Park, friends. Gosh so summery and mischievous.

six/ Where does Kylie Minogue live? A little peek into her property portfolio.
seven/ I’m sure you’ll be tempted to participate in this super cool treasure hunt. (Below)

eight/ All the dogs of my life: “We encounter each of her dogs in turn, fourteen of them in all, across four countries, through childhood, two husbands, five children, countless house guests, and a world war.”

nine/ How the knotty genius of macrame helped one woman navigate her cancer journey: “One knot at a time, it gave me something steady to return to when everything else felt uncertain.

ten/ Old-fashioned Vanilla Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting are exactly my cup of tea. Cosy Herb and Cheese Scones, to sidle up to your favourite bowl of soup. Maybe warm up with a Moscow Mule, friends? Ottolenghi talks rhubarb and I’m listening because YUM. Perhaps you, like me, fancy some Broccoli Rubble Pasta? Also? Greek Pasta Salad looks delish. I’ve bookmarked this Italian Pot Roast to make this week.

eleven/ What ‘childlore’ do you still remember? “I taught my 6 yo daughter “crack an egg on your head” the other night at bedtime, and she got so excited she immediately fled the bedroom and did it to her dad and sister.”

twelve/ SUCH a helpful Reddit thread → What purchase under $30 solved a problem you didn’t realize was draining you?

thirteen/ I watched a short clip of this (also below) on Instagram, but it’s worth watching the whole thing on YouTube (skip to 14.24 if you’re impatient, but it’s better not to.) Very uplifting and why do things like this make us cry?! Hopefully he comes to Australia again soon (he was here in December last year.)

fourteen/ I love this! Eighty year-old Philippa Abela’s secrets learned from a lifetime making Maltese-style cheese in regional Queensland.
fifteen/ The amazing work of The Crochet Painter (below).

sixteen/ A new species of fish has been discovered and it’s named for its doppelganger Snuffleupagus. They really are twinning!
seventeen/ Helpful: How to make a living as an artist.
eighteen/ Is this even real?! (Below)

nineteen/ Let us spray: The best perfume shops in Paris, for your fragrant consideration.
twenty/ Alison ‘Snowy’ Campbell painted interiors inspired by Bunny Mellon’s home and they are so beautiful. (Below painting by Snowy Campbell)

Around the grounds

After months of saying different things like 'wah ee ee' and 'what ee et', (my granddaughter) June has triumphed and can now say 'what is it?' almost perfectly. She must be so pleased after all these weeks of saying it HER way and not being quite there. I don't know how babies manage, really. It must be so frustrating when you brain is ahead of your body. Anyway, 'what is it?' really sums up her attitude to the world. So interested. Always gasping and pointing and waving and nodding and clapping. It's the very cutest thing I ever did see. I have much to learn from this attitude!

What have you been watching?

I watched the Kylie Minogue documentary on Netflix and I LOVED it so much. I especially loved how Nick Cave contextualised Kylie’s cultural significance so wholeheartedly. And of course the Kylie and Michael era. Sob. I cried intermittently - which I think is good and cathartic - and was prompted to begin another rewatch of The Secret Life of Us last night because I last saw Kylie live across the road from that rooftop location, at The Palais.

Silly joke of the week

What do you call a donkey with three legs?
A WONKEY!

… Hope your week is sunlight and sweet thing-filled, dear reader. See you back here next Sunday.

x pip

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