one of today’s 1600ish photos

I deleted my twitter account over 6 years ago – mostly because I wasn’t too keen on my twitter self, who was far too whiny and complainy. So I’m thinking carefully about whether to leap into mastodon. This in addition to my extreme overthinking (definitely my super power) about which instance to join. I’m currently happily lurking.

I did discover that I can add mastodon accounts to my rss reader** – which is a pretty nifty way of keeping up with the Imaginary Internet Friends haps while I continue to dither.

In other excellent Imaginary Internet Friend news, the blogger formerly known as small quiet pretty has a shiny new blog! Get along and visit after solsbury hill.

Hulaseventy has also returned with a shiny new blog – which you should totally also visit.

And if your blog is lying fallow, perhaps it is a good time to give it some love?

You know you want to.

** just add https://[instance name]/user/[username].rss A+++

Current morning routine:

+ wake (5:30am-ish), dress, walk to beach

+ watch sunrise

+ take 800 photos of sunrise

+ walk along beach and back

+ take 800 photos of interesting beach views/objects

+ grab coffee

+ back to room to change for yoga

+ yoga class

+ breakfast (coffee and all the pastries)

+ back to room – shower and dress and pack for beach chair lounging

+ ensconce self in beach chair – lounge and read and stitch

fin

Today, having finished the Rickman (and have some feelings which we can discuss at another time), I read samples from these books in my quest for my next beach/pool-side companion:

In retrospect, perhaps should have put a little more research into the holiday reads before I left.

Note that links almost certainly contain spoilers.

+ The Candy House -> A Visit from the Goon Squad: Jennifer Egan

+ A Separation: Katie Kitamura

+ Oh William! -> My Name is Lucy Barton: Elizabeth Strout

+ Sea of Tranquility: Emily St John Mandel

I would very much benefit from not reading the reviews of randoms who undoubtedly have wildly different tastes to me, stop overthinking/over-researching and just make a selection.

Of course your recommendations are most welcome!

(day four and already pillaging the whatsapp chats for content)

Back in May I was at Dresden grabbing a couple of additional pairs of glasses. I have an annual optical allowance with my health insurance and it was use it or lose it.

The sweet blue-haired rockabilly salesperson and I were chit chatting and she asked if I got [real name diminutive] a lot.

Me, laughing: “People don’t generally call me that more than once. Same with [other diminutive], though I’m not too fond of [real name] if it comes to that”.

“You should change your name!” says blue-haired cool girl

Me: “I’ve wanted to do that forever, but I haven’t ever found anything compelling”

BHCG: “I really think something earthy … [ponders for some while] … I think maybe Penelope”.

And this is how Penelope** became a cypher for all I aspire to be.

penelope in basel

Penelope is an old lady; she has excellent wild old-lady hair; she is supremely cool; she is confident and comfortable in her skin; she is kind, generous and wise; she is extremely chill and relaxed; and mostly she gives few-to-no fucks. She has perspective.

Penelope mostly comes out when I am on holiday – she’s a work in progress.

The place we’re staying is like a Penelope convention – full of stylish, fabulously excellent older European women who think nothing of getting about in bikinis – utterly comfortable with themselves. I watch and hopefully I learn!

** Even though I don’t consider the name Penelope in any way earthy.

Before we left on holiday I consulted SuperHappyFunGP about a few recently niggling issues, almost as if I was a sensible grown-up person.

+ Horrid, not infrequent heartburn from not heartburny food – which, given Don was recently treated for h.pylori – would it be beyond the realms of possibility that I also have it?

+ Strange seemingly allergic reaction to something – waking up with an incredibly itchy insect-bite-like-lumps (but not insect bites) on torso, puffy face, swollen mouth, rashy face.

He sent me off for blood tests for both and a bunch of other things (no results yet); and put me on a short course of steroids for the unspecified allergy.

And gosh wow.

The waking up at 3am drenched in sweat and being unable to return to sleep!

The extreme speediness!

The crazy! So very much crazy. Fairly high levels of anxiety and a smidge of paranoia.

It was a tapering course – so 2 pills for the first four days, 1 for the next four and 1/2 for the next four. Those first days were quite a wild ride.

I finished the last half this morning.

What I found interesting about the mood altering affects (well in addition to wondering how people function on steroids long-term) was that I could see, understand and accept that it was the medication causing the mood.

Would that I be so generous with myself in times when there is no immediately obvious cause!

This morning I woke very early and as soon is it was light outside, swam slow, languid** laps of the airport hotel pool for almost an hour.

mad for the dragon fish

I watched tiny birds the size of insects darting about, nomming nectar from orchids and constructing a nest.

I admired the beautiful garden, orchids grow like weeds here and are all over the place. Apart from the orchids, I have many of these same plants, so maybe I should start to vibe more tropical at home?

I happened to look up at a perfect moment and saw dozens of cranes? geese? ibis? flying in formation overhead. Majestic AF as the kids say.

Yes, it’s a fairly modest pool in an airport hotel that has seen better days, but this pool is absolutely one of my favourite places in the world.

♥

When Qantas deigned to make more frequent flyer flights points flights available as a goodwill exercise after a fair bit of customer backlash. Don, through extreme cleverness, scored us business class flights.

I never ever thought I’d call a flight excellent, but here I am. The flight was excellent. Though of course I realise my assessment is entirely based on my attitude.

Because sure, I could have focussed on the maskless, snoring, coughing dude who has surely given us all covid; or other small, niggling issues. But the space! The comfort! The food! The excellent team! Wonderful.

I’ve had very good economy class flights, and very average business class flights – so excellence isn’t entirely determined by which end of the plane I’m at.

There is definitely a lesson for me here on perspective.

But how glorious and fortunate that I am able to experience this!

15 years ago I had never left the country and barely had left the state. I don’t want to get all hashtag blessed^^ – but who ever would have thought I’d be where I am in my life?

♥

** uncoordinated old-lady breast-stroke lest I give you a misleading impression of me gliding my effortlessly along, elegantly flip-turning.

^^ 🤮

After the wild success of my Morning Pages experiment (where wild success = actually writing the morning pages), I’m inclined to have a crack at more small experiments.

So I’m kicking off a month of perfectionless and under-thinking daily blogging.

I’m writing this on my phone, from the airport lounge (see aforementioned perfectionlessness). We’re off to exotic locales for a little bit. I love the lounge, though it has become pretty shabby and down at heel. But the people watching is superb. I adore watching the interactions, speculating relationships and professions, judging the breakfast wines, appreciating flight-wear choices, assessing people’s net worth, eavesdropping – everything!

When I read the extracts of Alan Rickman’s diaries in The Guardian there was absolutely no way I was not going to buy the book. I’d not intended to save it for the trip, but stars aligned.

Will report back.

October was quite action-packed – including, among other things, the unexpected redundancy of half of the Senior Leadership team at SML. The departures included Bobs-my-boss! This probably needs its own post because there is A Lot to unpack! Yes, yes, dear Imaginary Internet friend, I realise I frequently promise things in their own post and rarely deliver. This time for sure!

Onward!

♥

01. Use the things!
✅ Another month of divesting myself of things that no longer serve me. This time my small collection of much adored Patricks sneakers bought in Japan. After not wearing them for a couple of years (after over 2 years at home, what even are shoes?) I wore a pair and my leg pain pretty quickly returned. Ah ha! But also “nooooooooo!”.

farewell lovely shoes!

02. Put my feet in the sea
✅ Completed April.
November will see more feet-in-sea action.

03. Buy more indoor plants
✅ Completed: March | April | May | August | September | October
A small palm. Embracing the indoor jungle vibes.

04. 30 days of Yoga With Adrienne in January
✅ Completed January
Currently on a week streak of daily yoga. Going gently and kindly to self.

05. Achieve Big Financial Goal
✅ Completed August!
Next big financial milestone: December 2023

06. Use my dremel.
✅ Completed May!

07. Choose the loving action.
✅ I divested myself of all clothing that does not fit current me. Most is gone forever (to the charity shop), but I have retained and packed away some precious treasures. I’ve also acquired some replacement items.
I like this acceptance of where I am at. If by some miracle I return to my tiny self (unlikely with current levels of doughnut consumption), I will buy new smaller things.

08. Try/learn one new skill each month
✅ Random weaving class! It was hugely enjoyable – but I don’t think it has sparked the desire to randomly weave on the regular.

09. More music through speakers in ThePalace(OLove) on working days.
NOPE! Should I abandon this? I think I should abandon this.
❌ ABANDONED!

10. Show support financially to creators I believe in
✅ continued support for Fran Meneses, A Small Wardrobe, The Last Homely House and DAS bookbinding on patreon. Renewed my annual Friends of DD subscription. Bought an adorable risograph print on etsy of one of my favourite (now demolished) buildings.

11. Take myself on an adventure in the goget (car share).
❌ ABANDONED!

12. Attend another sound bath
✅ Completed March | June | August
Skipping November because we will be away.
There’s something quite wonderful about laying on the floor in the dark for 2 hours listening to gongs and crystal bowls and tinkly things. You should totally try it.

13. Take a photo of the sky every day.
NOPE – 1/31 this month!

27 october: 7:20pm

14. Stay in the country for a weekend
NOPE! Though I did have my first domestic trip for many years and went to Hobart for a long weekend. While it’s a country-town-ish state capital, it would be a stretch to call it the country.
Let’s call this one abandoned
❌ ABANDONED!

15. Update supportive footwear.
✅ Completed January | August
Also divested myself of several pairs of beloved shoes that I realised were contributing to my ankle-calf-knee issues.

16. Have a serious crack at meditation.
NOPE!

17. Go for a morning swim in the local pool
✅ Completed February
Pool has opened for the season. Perhaps another visit in December?

18. Have a Reiki session.
NOPE! Not abandoning yet, but rapidly running out of days.

19. Disrupt the daily routine at least once a week.
✅ quite successful this month
+ hike
+ random weaving class
+ bonkers movie on a sunday evening
+ 2x weeknight classical concerts
+ weekend away to Hobart

pretty music

20. Cultivate a healthier relationship with work
Is giving little-to-no fucks healthier? Possibly not.
Still adoring the 9 day fortnight.

21. Get a haircut/trim
✅ Completed February | June
Almost time for another I think!

22. Experiment! Tiny experiments with all sorts of things!
January carolbaby was quite enthusiastic and ambitious, wasn’t she?
+ Morning pages – my Imaginary-Internet-Now-IRL-Friend-Carmen persuaded me to try it. I was – well, massively skeptical is probably the word. 21 days in and I might be converted.
+ back on experimenting with daily yoga
+ dragged out the silk screen and experimented with a couple of old t-shirts. Bonus points for printing and cutting a stencil, and silk-screening immediately without a month of overthinking perfectionisting!

On Sunday morning we jumped in the car and headed over the bridge to Manly Dam to gain familiarity with our shiny new hiking sticks and ultra lightweight water-proof hiking boots – both of which are an absolute marvel!

The plan is to practice twice a month (other commitments permitting) and build up hiking stamina ahead of our planned hiking week in Switzerland mid-2023.

We’d not been to this area before and it is really quite gorgeous, though with recent rains is very muddy indeed. There are a couple of different hiking loops, but we chose a shorter out and back route because we’d parked in time-limited parking area.

obligatory hiking pose photo

We’ll definitely be back to try the 7km route.

Hiking sticks! I cannot recommend them highly enough – they’ve made such a difference, particularly for stepping up and down. I’m invariably hurting a knee or my lower back when hiking – this time, not a thing! I felt wonderfully stable and supported. Get yourself some – you’ll thank me later.

I was totally knackered afterward, so there is quite some work to do before the hiking holiday!

The last three years have been really appalling for exercise and any residual fitness from Action Carolbaby has long gone. Jelly – I am it.

Items stolen by my paternal ancestors which resulted in their imprisonment and transportation to Australia.

+ 2 law books – great great great great grandfather (1788 – first fleet)

+ sheet and blanket – great great great great grandmother (1789 – second fleet)

+ 5lbs bacon – great great great grandfather (1837 – many fleets later)

♥

I’m absolutely not in the least interested family history, but my maiden aunt is. She sent me a usb stick with a ton of info to me a few years ago – which I uncovered during recent de-cluttering and read for the first time.

I remain disinterested. Indeed, I could have done without reading her editorialising on the death of my father 30ish years ago. This left me in a fairly bleak mood for a time afterward.