#2201 The movie in Paris

While still in my ongoing ‘down time’ today, I actually put a movie on Netflix…

And I finished it! Ok, not in one sitting, I broke it up into two, but still!

The movie in question was Midnight in Paris.

I loved it! I was initially intrigued by the tag line of ‘a writer’ so that was enough for me. 🤣 But yes, Owen Wilson’s character is a writer who while visiting Paris with his fiance, finds himself suddenly going back in time to the 1920s… and if you’re thinking this sounds a bit too much like Back to the Future, rest assured it is very different. Not that BTTF is a bad movie, it’s one of my faves of all time, but Midnight has a lot of different nostalgia.

Also… if you are a fan of art, or writing, or writers, or reading (!) you really should watch this movie. Owen’s character actually meets lots of well-known artists of the time, and really, your mind will be just a little blown when you find out who they’ve written into the story… that’s all I’m saying!

The last clincher for me was knowing it was a Woody Allen film. He just has a certain style to his work, a bit like Quentin Tarantino… you watch it and you’re like yeah, I can see what he’s doing. Same with Allen.

I really enjoyed it. If you’ve watched it, let me know what you thought.

#2156 Angel bracelet

When I’m working from home I try to encourage baby girl to get outside, play with the cat, or do something creative… anything to get her away from the ipad (even though it still happens).

I worked today…

but Mister F was having an adventure and it was super hot out in the sun.

So she got creative and started making bracelets from one of the many kits she’s received recently. She sits quietly and loves putting different bead and letter combinations together, and I swear if we were to put all her home-made bracelets together (remember the looms?) she’d have over 100!

But I love it. It’s creative, I don’t care. Let there be 200!

She said she was making me one, and came and measured the string against my wrist. I cut it to size for her and then went back to work, and soon, she showed me her beautiful work.

Awww! And you know what I said to her?

“Isn’t that funny? You think I’m an angel, but you’re the real angel.” 💖😇

#2055 Something to write about

This is a really nerdy one, I know…

But this is all me.

I’ve had these blog posts and writing ideas swimming around in my head all week. I know what I want to write, what I want to do and where I want to go with it, and yet I’ve had the most classic and boring excuse of all:

NO TIME.

Newbie writers fall into this fearful trap, of being scared to write everything that’s in their heads because they fear, well when it’s all OUT THERE, there will be nothing left to write…

They will be all out of their well of creativity.

But that isn’t true. What I’ve learnt time and time again is that the more you write, the more ideas you get…

And get.

And get.

It’s a rushing water dam that you just can’t stop. Once you’re in the flow, you’re there.

So tonight is Friday night. It’s lockdown too, not that that really makes much of a difference let’s be honest, we go nowhere on Friday nights. 🤭

So I sit down. Dinner done, dishes done.

I sit and I write.

And then we talk, and then I write some more.

And when they go to bed, I will keep on writing, accompanied by my dependable pals CCs and pistachios, to the background tunes of my oldest friends, Bold and The Beautiful.

Yes, I love writing, and yes, I love Friday nights. 😁😁

#1940 Loom galore

An extension of yesterday’s post.

I think we might have to set up shop soon.

Baby girl is on a loom band bracelet making FRENZY.

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When I took those photos tonight she had made 27.

Then she went and made more!

She is finding such joy in it. I can see how happy it makes her, and I love how the thrill of making bracelets of different colour and length is keeping her busy while satisfying some deep creative urge in her.

She even meticulously organised her loom band box with all the different bands, all by herself, so that it is now colour-coded and everything looks perfect.

OCD-central.

That’s my girl. 😉🥇

Seriously, place your orders in! We have a colour for every occasion. 🔴🔵🟢🟡🟣🟠

#1939 Loom bracelets

Starting from last night, baby girl embarked on a loom band bracelet FRENZY.

She was given this container of bands when she was like, a baby… from a relative. Hand me downs, with all the connectors along with a tin of bright and interesting beads.

I kept them all this time, and finally I have cashed in.

Baby girl has been unfortunately stuck to her ipad during lockdown, and I can’t do anything about it.

1. Because I’ve been working, and I can’t really be stopping every two seconds to supervise her, and
2. Even when she isn’t finding new apps, she is doing homework on a device of some kind.

🤦‍♀️

Somehow, she decided she wanted to learn how to make these bracelets. I found a youtube video, we ran through them…

And she has spent almost ALL of today making bracelets!

It’s actually quite soothing and rewarding when you pull the band out and see the pattern you’ve created…

Coo-el.

If you get one of these for your next birthday… well just be grateful.

🤣🥰

#1919 More fiction under my belt

I’ve now got my trifecta of footpath fiction, done, dusted, and PUBLISHED.

🤩

I headed on down to Rosebud today to find the other two pieces that have since been chalked on the footpath, as part of the Mornington Peninsula’s initiative for local writers to pen a 6-word micro-fiction containing the theme ‘community.’

(Note – I knew I had written two back when I submitted late last year, but in fact I had done three, and completely forgot about it!)

The first was:

“We hid. We waited. Now shine.”

The second which I discovered today:

“We walk these streets better together.”

And the third recent one? Check it out:

“Nature shines brighter after the storm.”

I actually love that one soooo much. Read the metaphor within.

There have been some major storms of late. I’m looking forward to skies clearing up, and everything looking better than new.

Everything looking sparkling, abundant, and BRIGHT.

(Check out @smikgwriter on insta for all the pics…)

#1918 Art will live forever

I was going through old family photos this evening as I searched for photos of my Dad over the years, for his official birthday today.

I don’t know about you, but I get sucked into a time warp when I start doing this. I go through one year, then another, and another… suddenly I’ll look up from what I’m doing and be like “woah. Where am I?”

Like I’ve just woken up or something.

Photos transport you. I love going through them, and I’m trying my damndest to keep all my photo albums documented and in chronological order, though I’m very behind… but still trying.

And in thinking about photos, I realised that their ability to transport you to different times, and with different people, make them invincible.

They defy time and space.

They live forever.

It immediately made me think of words. Words live forever too. Think of the words you read by a poet 200 years ago… they breathe new life when you quietly repeat them in your mind, the meaning travelling through centuries to make its way to you.

And music. I LOVE music. Think of all the songs you love, from singers and bands that have long now gone, the words and the melodies that you continue to belt out in your car, when you’re doing the dishes, or in the shower… their lyrics and the music continue to live on through you, when you press play on your device, or decide to go acapella, wherever.

Art. Art is what it is. I love art, creativity, in all its forms.

Part of the reason is, IT CAN NEVER DIE. People, words, songs, they will always be revived when they are recalled, read, played.

Of course, they are passionate expressions of creativity, and that is simply the most beautiful thing. Even photography, it captures a moment in time, something that nothing else can quite do, and helps you to recall sudden scents, sights, a dress you used to wear when you were young, or a place you used to visit, and no longer do…

Photos can do all of this, and it was this I was reminded of when passing through the many years of my Dad’s life tonight.

They remind us of all the times of our life, when our own memories fail us.

How many other wonderful things will be captured by photo, that we are yet to live?

How many beautiful words are we yet to read?

And what magical music are we yet to hear?

Beautiful food for thought. 💖💖

Photo by Lisa on Pexels.com

#1841 Mummy-daughter dinner date

It was Monday evening, therefore Hubbie was off to his basketball game.

It left baby girl and me alone. I had made her fave… who am I kidding, OUR fave, spaghetti bolognaise.

We sat across from each other and ate, slurped, and talked.

The dynamic was completely different. And by no means do I mean it’s because Hubbie was gone. Rather, because it was 2.

Us two.

I have no doubt the same would have occurred had I been out, and Hubbie had been home with her.

But we really talked. I asked her about school.

“What’s your favourite part of school?”

“Snack time and lunch.”

🤣🤣

Well OF COURSE. It was always going to be play time. But I prodded some more. Learnt some things about their class. Their teachers. Her friends. And when I asked her to pick her favourite classes, she replied ‘art’ and ‘French.’

Awww. She’s already a young creative. I love it. 😍😍

I told Hubbie about it when he got home. I hope you too, can take something away from this.

Because it’s all well and good when you’re a family unit, together… but something changes when it’s just you and them. Maybe they feel more heard? Maybe they feel they can open up more? Whatever it is, I strongly encourage you to have a little dinner date, whenever it may be… with your littlie. 💖💖

#1823 Better family time

Today I realised with amusement when we put Cobra Kai on, that baby girl is pretty much watching it too.

Hubbie and I pop it on, get excited by whatever 80s track they put on at the start, and then proceed to escape into the world of KA-RA-TAY for the next 30 minutes or so.

And lately, baby girl is joining us.

Why? On Sunday she got grounded… from playing on her ipad.

It was all Hubbie’s doing, and I’m not saying that like I disagree with his decision. Yes, she definitely had it coming after acting up majorly on the weekend. But when it comes to removing things from her, I am on the softer side.

If we’re at the shops and she asks for a toy – “No!”

She wants another chocolate? – “No!”

Wants to repeatedly bounce the basketball in the house? – “NO!”

But when it comes to removing things, I balk. I withdraw. Because if I remove something, most likely I’ll be the one paying for her upset state, since I AM home with her the majority of the time.

But this happened when I was out of the house, you see. Almost like a blessing in disguise.

Amazingly, it’s been a bit of a novelty for her. She talks about how she is grounded, and I think it makes her feel grown up, like a teenager. She hasn’t even asked for it back earlier… I would have caved in, without her even asking. Hubbie has been so tough, so strong… like the way I am usually! But this time, I’m like “aww, I feel sorry for her” (not in front of her of course, you can’t let your kids see your weakness, or else they’ll know they OWN YOU mwa ha ha).

She is meant to go without ’til Sunday… but I think she may get an early reprieve come the start of the weekend. 😁

But it’s seriously been good. She keeps herself busy with other activities, and I think it’s given her an appreciation and understanding of all the other creative things she can do with her spare time, and helped her to realise she actually CAN go without the bloody device.

And it means she spends more time with us, watching Cobra Kai.

Another device. 🤦‍♀️🤣

You get my drift. 😉

(Can someone confirm for me that Cobra Kai remains mildly kid-friendly for the rest of Seasons 2 and 3?)

#1713 Day 215 of getting there: back to baking

I found a bit of my old self today.

Amazingly, I was happy to spend the day in the kitchen.

I enjoy cooking. I enjoy baking. I like finding new recipes, experimenting, and watching it all come together, the product of my hands putting it all to work.

I’ve been devoid of passion as of late, but I’ve been working through it, and getting by, bit by bit. This makes me proud, as having significant setbacks, it is then no mean feat to get up and keep trying. It has been freaking hard, but like my whole covid series, I am ‘getting there.’

Today, I made a yummy lentil soup that I got from my bestie’s nutritionist facebook page. I’ve made it before, and I’ve been wanting to make it again, but like I said, the whole lacking passion thing was a bit of a killjoy for getting anything done, much less making a soup I enjoy.

But I didn’t stop there. I made this apple cake recipe that I found months ago, and back then I even bought the granny smith apples I needed…. only to have Hubbie eat them when I never made the recipe, because you know…

LACK OF ALL PASSION.

But I bought those 4 granny smith apples again this week. I was feeling better, my mental clarity was improving, my emotional stability was settling, and it was all coming together, very slowly, once again…

So I made this today:

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I actually wasn’t sure if it was baked properly, and kept it in the oven perhaps longer than I should have, until I read the facebook comments on the video and realised it was kinda like an apple crumble, and therefore was allowed to have that gooey kind of soft texture running through it.

Anyway…. YUM.

I am absolutely pooped from baking and cooking and washing dishes most of the day, but I feel really good too.

Because some of my passions are coming back.

Baking is coming back. 🥧💖