Hi, Another month has passed by in lockdown. I’ve got my second jab so am looking forward to upcoming picnics. I went and saw Kylie, my breast surgeon, and she said the magic words: “there is nothing wrong with the boobs and you don’t have to come back next year” (OK I paraphrased). The splashbacks have made it into the kitchen they look awesome. The guinea pigs are doing well. Peek and Ah are girls and Boo is a boy. I’ve got two cages now. One for Rosie, Peek and Ah. The other with Houdini and Boo. They all seem pretty happy. Lots of zoomies and popcorning. Otherwise, life has just been walks, work, couch, eat and repeat.
Books
It’s been a bit of a reading month. I inhaled The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. I loved it.
Next on the list was Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brené Brown. An interesting investigation of paradoxes.
After that was something completely different. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. It reads like episodes which I really enjoyed. It got me hooked. The characters are interesting and the premise is interesting.
The last one was The Power of Ritual by Casper ter Kuile. I started this one earlier in the year. Then put it down for quite a while. I finished it and think I will read it again. It is very interesting and asks a lot of questions.
Motorsport
My favourite brothers the Hansens (no, not the band) have been dominating Extreme E, World RX and Nitro RX. My weekends have been busy following along. Along with watching Formula 1, 2 and 3 and the MotoGP, 2 and 3.
This weekend Rally Finland is on. It is the 70th anniversary. There was a brilliant promo put together. It is full of Finnish drivers and their cars from all the eras put together in a fun way. Check it out: Rally Finland: 70 Years of Passion.
Cricket
The cricket season in Australia has started with the Indian Ladies touring for a series that has one-dayers, a test and T20s. The test is on at the moment. It is an enthralling series with India giving the Aussies a run for their money.
Concerts
I’ve been trying to get my music concert fix online. With the big news that the rest of the Sydney Symphony concerts confirmed as cancelled. So I’ve been watching Sydney Symphony on demand. They recently released Dvořák and Bartók. It was DVOŘÁK Serenade for Winds in D Minor and BARTÓK Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta. I absolutely loved the Serenade for Winds. The instruments used for the Serenade for Winds is absolutely perfect. You can check out the score here on imslp. The Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta was an interesting setup as well with 2 small orchestras split by the percussion in the centre. You can get the score here.
I’ve watched an Offspring Ensemble concert, Rhythms of Change which is now available on demand. It was brilliant. It was a full program of Australian female composers. They were for solo marimba and vibraphone. I can’t wait to go and see them in concert when we can.
There have been some pieces that have been released by the Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra which I have really enjoyed as well. Check them out on YouTube. I love classical tango at least that’s what I call it. PIAZZOLLA – Oblivion one of my favourite pieces of all time. TRAD – La Partida showing that classical players can solo. Finally PIAZZOLLA – Five Tango Sensations – I: Asleep / V: Fear. They all feature the bandoneon and violin.
YouTube
Due to the amount of inside time I have been watching a fair bit of YouTube. I highly recommend watching ‘A whale saved my life it is epically amazing. Just mind-blowing.
Talking about mind-blowing in a very different way. This numberphile video, Get Off The Earth (a famous & bamboozling problem), does my head in even once you see the solution it still doesn’t sit right. (don’t be scared you only have to count to 13)
Retro Food
Other things are that I’ve been exploring the retro food in Mum’s cookbooks now that they are out on display. My favourite so far, devilled sausages which are basically a heart-attack on a plate but so so yummy. There has also been tuna bake, zucchini slice and rissoles.
Anyway, that’s enough for this month. Fingers crossed for picnics next month.
