April Round Up

Instead of making New Years resolutions I would undoubtedly break, I made a list of 42 things to do while I am 42.

You can read about it here:

http://www.reviews-vyv.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/happy-new-year.html

At the end of each month I have been blogging about how I am going with the 42 Things and adding any other fun things I've been doing.

A diary for me, and maybe of interest to you.

So, what 42 Things did I manage in April?

3. Have one night a week where I turn off all electronics and read

Finally got to this one, mostly out of necessity as I was reading Anna Karenina for Book Club (more on that next month). I do want to set the same night each week aside for this, but have been too busy thus far. However, it is relaxing to have complete silence with no other distractions, just me and a book and more often than not a glass of something something!

4. Walk more and explore my own surroundings

Continuing to do this and making the most of the still warm early evenings. Mostly at Warners Bay, Belmont and Swansea, but as you can see there is much to see. It also got cool enough to reinstate lunch time walks to the lake at Swansea.

5. Read more of my own books

I've only really been reading Anna Karenina this month and it is my own, albeit a second hand copy. Very much enjoying it, but it's long (800 pages) and very detailed. But oh so beautifully written. I have bought a LOT of books this month, went a little crazy in fact! So will need to work on this thing in months to come

20. Get through my list of local restaurants and cafes

I finally had lunch at La Petit Deux and it was magnificent. My friend L and I had Le Plat du Jour, which was steak frites and a glass of wine. Then we had to have dessert, I had Creme Brulee, L had a French style Eton Mess. All of it was wonderful and along with the wonderful cafe setting, transported us both back to Paris.

I've also been to two of my faves during the month, Caves Beach Hotel for lunch and The Royal Inn at Waratah. Not sure if I've mentioned The Royal Inn before, growing up in Waratah, it was not a place to go, pretty feral to be honest. I still remember how mortified I was that my school reunion was held there. And the pub pretty much is as it was, but you don't need to go into it, just bypass and go out the back to the bistro and it has an impressive menu including the best Pork Belly I've ever had. They serve it with scallops in honey and a rocket and parmesan salad. Bliss!

26. Go to the Farmers Markets more regularly

Yes, went to both at Speers Point this month. Scored all sorts of amazing food and wares. Highly recommend going and I always love my Gozleme for breakfast!

 

31. Have fun and laugh more at work

Well we've been having a lot of fun at work as we have a 3D printer. Bought for the entire Library system and will be shared around all the branches. Swansea got it first and we have been making lots of cool things to add to a Star Wars display.

32. Live up to my Librarian of Leisure handle

I was lucky to have a few extra days off over the Anzac Day long weekend, and really got back into being a Librarian of Leisure. Lots of long walks, sitting around watching the world go by, reading, daydreaming, eating out, going to the movies and a family dinner. Good for the soul people!

33. Go to lots of fun, social events

Pretty packed month with The Writers Festival weekend, the first of my Film Society's French Fridays (complete with a French market) and the Silent Film Festival. Plus lunches and dinners out with fabulous family and friends.

 

You can read about the Writers Festival here:

http://www.reviews-vyv.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Newcastle%20Writers%20Festival

34. Make sure those that mean the most to me know they do

April wasn't all joy and excitement unfortunately. We mourned the unexpected loss of the father of my close friend J. Such things are always sad and gives you pause to reflect on life and those around you. My friend is doing ok, all things considered, but I cannot even imagine her grief. My bil had the first round of serious operations to prepare him for a new, improved prosthetic leg. He is doing marvelously, but it's a long, tiring road. My sister's magnificence in supporting him and her family is shining through, and we of course are supporting them all. A few other friends are having 'moments' in their lives...we all do, don't we? So, all we can do - those of us lucky enough to be traveling trouble free at the moment - is to support them, love them, lend a shoulder, and let them know we are here and how much they mean to us.

36. Take time to do nothing and daydream more often

I have been walking to lovely destinations, finding a nice sunny spot, and plonking myself down to watch the passing parade! Love doing that, do not do it often enough, even if it is only 10-15mins I find it is the perfect recharge. I spent a few hours on the Sunday afternoon of the Anzac Day weekend at King Edward Park. I used to do this all the time when I lived on The Hill in Newcastle. I didn't realise how much I missed it and will endeavour to get back again more regularly. I had my blanket, some supplies and Anna Karenina, but there was so much going on around me, I only read about 10 pages. Weddings, interesting cars, birds, music, it was fabulous. My grandparents always took us there as kids, the place is one of my touchstones, I highly recommend a leisurely outing there, it is the perfect spot to daydream.

 

So what else have I crammed into April?

Books

I was reading Anna Karenina for my Book Club and am about halfway through. Thoroughly enjoying the writing, it is beautiful prose and slow paced like most Russian writing from that era. But in this fast paced world, it is difficult to read, you do need to have a few hours at a time to set aside to thoroughly synch with the pace. And at 800 pages with teeny, tiny writing, and a bazillion long yet very similar Russian named characters concentration is key. When I only had a few moments and was busy I struggled, but when I put aside longer periods of time (very difficult to do!) and was more relaxed I found it meditative and moving.

One a completely other angle, I have read Andrew McCarthy's first book. Yes, Andrew McCarthy, Pretty in Pink, Weekend at Bernie's and all those 80s classics. So in love with him back then...sigh. So, whilst he still acts occasionally (and directs too, he directed a lot of Gossip Girl...how appropriate!) he is now a travel writer, mostly for National Geographic! How surprising, and you know what, he is really very good. The book, The Longest Way Home, is mostly travel writing with a bit of memoir within. It is a great insight into his complex character, never comfortable with acting (which I believe comes across a little in his chosen roles), and mostly a loner who prefers his own company, he has always traveled and started writing articles a while back, he has won awards for his travel writing and is quite revered in the industry!

His style is laid back, detached and peaceful. He is very observant of character and details, and paints a picture of places and people so much so you feel you are right there with him. In the book, he is engaged but a bit afraid of commitment, so while his poor fiancé is trying to organise a wedding, he keeps taking assignments to crazy places like The Amazon, Patagonia and so forth. He details his inner thoughts and does a lot of soul searching on these trips. The travel detail is stunning, these fast paced places are full of adventure and wildness, yet he describes them in this calming, peaceful way that hypnotises the reader. He really is excellent, I highly recommend the book, and yes, I still have a huge crush on him!

I have also been listening to David Sedaris reading his own books in the car. He is one of my very favourite writers, having first discovered him on Letterman years ago, he is so funny and yet also so moving at the same time. His observation and wit is second to none, if you haven't read him, you must! He writes short essays/memoirs, that are about his life, family and other observations, though wildly exaggerated. He is a sort of hybrid Fiction/Non Fiction writer. Reading the books is one thing, listening to him read his books is another thing all together, lovely to revisit these favourites as read by the master himself. Start with the Santaland Diaries, his hilarious depiction of being an elf at Macys when he was younger. It's funniest thing I have ever read! His new book has just been released, and is the next Book Club title, more on it next month!

DVDs

Finally watched the latest Curb Your Enthusiasm series. Fans of Seinfeld know Larry David is superb, and this long running series is testament to that. Always highly inappropriate, and often unPC, yet you can't help but love the bastardised version he plays of himself. Newly divorced, Larry is dating again in this series...oh my! And from a long, crazy mix of Larryisms, he finds himself moving from LA to New York and living in the same apartment complex as Michael J. Fox. Hilarious!

Parks and Recreations, Series 3 and 4. What can I say? This is my favourite new comedy. Series 1 was ok, but it found it's step towards the end of series 2. Amy Poehler is superb; funny and sweet at the same time. The supporting cast is perfection with stand outs being Rob Lowe's (beautifully stupid) Chris Treager and my personal favourite Nick Offerman's Ron Swanson. I love the cast interaction, the silliness, and the often spot-on take of local government.

I had missed most of the last season of Doctor Who due to being O/S, so caught up on it before the latest season aired, wow, stunning and perfect, but so incredibly sad. So now The Doctor is back with a new companion, I am liking this series, but really missing Amy, Rory and River Song. Unsure where the story is going, something is not quite right...I guess in typical Doctor Who style we will find out soon enough.

I also watched an amazing doco on Anton Corbijn. Such a talent, including interviews with Musicians and actors who have starred in his music videos and Films.

Saw The Dark Knight Rises, which was excellent, should have seen it on the big screen though.

Movies

As part of my Film Society subscription this year, the Society has partnered with Alliance Française de Newcastle to provide additional films scattered throughout the year known as French Fridays.

I took along D and met L with her parents for the first one. There was a French 'market' set up in the foyer of The Towers, with food, wine and wares. The film itself, Tout ce qui brille (All that glitters) was about two young girls living in the gritty parts of outer Paris. Besties, they want to move closer into town, but find that doing so does not bring them closer together. A modern film, shot in Paris, I found it frustrating and annoying at times. The girls were not pleasant and did some silly things to supposedly get a better 'break' in life. The music was English rather than French, distracting and disjointed. I didn't dislike it, just didn't love it. But the evening was a lovely experience, so I look forward to the next one.

S & I went along to the Silent Film Festival held at The Towers. How fabulous are The Towers to be playing all these varied and wonderful films? I love silent films and have come to know Ronnie and Sharon who organise and promote the traveling festival which hits town 2-3 times a year. This time it was The Battle of the Somme and The Circus.

 

The Battle of the Somme is a silent documentary from 1916 and extremely powerful. It was very popular, selling over 20 million tickets in it's day. It was beautifully cleaned and given live accompaniment by the impeccable Greg Smith. The footage in it was remarkable and surreal. At first, so used to seeing fictional accounts of war on the big screen, you just take it in, but then it hits home that it is real, awful, and simply sad. These poor young men giving their lives willingly and the horror they... had to endure...it's heartbreaking.

 

The Circus is one of Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp films and from 1928. He had begun to compose for his films and the score for this is stunning, including him singing a song at the very beginning...what a treat! The Circus is the usual tramp meets girl, but girl in love with someone else story. A circus is the perfect backdrop for the romance, adding hilarity and incredible stunts. I loved the high-wire sequences complete with monkeys, and a fabulous scene with a lion...all without too many special effects! What a privilege to see these wonderful old films, in my element I tell you!!

Finally, I saw a lovely doco on Manet during the Anzac day long weekend. A series of Art docos for the big screen, Manet was the first. A behind the scenes look at an exhibition of his portraits being put together for a London showing. Fascinating stories, history and stunning art. The next one will be Munch, can't wait.

Music

Been listening to the new David Bowie...finally. I really love it, I feel he sounds really good, though not as good as I have heard him. I love the selection of songs, the show his range and sensibilities. I often think when older artists release albums these days they fit into the middle of the road style of songs. But this is not the case here, Bowie shows a modern range that holds up against the music of now, possibly even shows them up!

So, that's it from April. A third of the year gone, I had hoped this year would be loads of fun and so far, so good!!