Well its been a little while. I blame the school holidays and all that it brings...lazy mornings, lots of mess, lots more washing and a complete disregard for this newsletter during that time. Actually thats not true, I did think about it and I even took notes. Better late than never, I say. Amber has written her Bunch this issue in well, bunches of fives. Just so you can get more bang for your bunch! She is travelling to Brisbane, then Sydney for various things but will be back with the usual format next issue. Thanks for sticking around, thanks to our new subscribers ( yay!) , we hope you enjoy it!
From My Bookshelf:
Sarah
SEXTS, TEXTS AND SELFIES by Susan McLean
I continually find it unfair that I was born in this generation that has to deal with the unchartered waters of raising kids in the internet age. I mean, who thought a selfie could potentially ruin your future career? Without wanting to scare anyone, being a parent of any kid with a smartphone is dangerous territory. Nobody older or wiser has been through this! And that's where this book is a godsend. Susan Maclean is a former police officer who is now Australia's leading cyber safety expert. She travels around the country helping parents and kids get a grasp on how to live in the digital world and what your digital footprint means. It informs you of the dangers of online predators and how to avoid them, what not to take photos of and what not to share on social media as well as covering the good apps kids are using to communicate with one another as well as the not so good (some are bloody scary, so be informed!). My kids don't have phones yet but with one off to boarding school next year and a phone is a must, I am hoping I will now have some tools to help him use it responsibly.
Amber
Or from my bedside table to be exact.
- Swing Time - Zadie Smith
- The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
- Dying - Cory Taylor
- Where I'm Calling From - Raymond Carver
- Everything Is Illuminated - Jonathan Safran Foer
Old Timey:
Sarah
On my to do list is also places I want to visit. And top of the pile is Carcoar. I have driven past the turnoff to it a few times on my way to Bathurst but have never stopped by the town itself. An historic old village that now is home to one of my oldest and loveliest stockists, Tomolly. Belinda Satterthwaite is the owner of the much loved Tomolly gifts and homewares store in Millthorpe. She recently opened up in Carcoar seeing the potential of this untapped resource of a quaint little village. Surely it will be the next destination of choice for travellers, shoppers and coffee lovers, seeing as now the Royal Hotel has been renewed, and along with the Belinda’s shop there are more little shops popping up as part of the Carcoar Collective. It is housed in ‘The Terraces’, and row of old shops built in 1876. Belinda and her husband also extensively renovated the Old Flour Mill as their home and it will be featured in this months Country Style magazine. No wonder seeing as she is a dynamo stylist with an eye for detail and gorgeous vintage furniture and homewares (well she stocks my candles so she must be, right?) So next time I make the trip to Bathurst, I will be stopping in to drop off some more candles and to grab a coffee from the Village Grocer next door. Have you been to Carcoar?
Amber
Five classic movies to curl up and watch on a cold winter’s evening.
- Once Upon a Time in the West
- Harold and Maude
- The Last Picture Show
- The Sting
- It’s a Wonderful Life
Art/Creative Stuff/Instagram:
Sarah
This instagram feed has been a favourite of mine from a long way back, because her style and aesthetic is what appeals to me and my old timey collections. Melissa Trengrove shares her love of old and vintage wares on their central NSW property. She takes beautiful photos of her home and amazing garden, as well as the landscape surrounding her. Its a true representation of life on the farm, raising livestock and giving kids the best of the bush as they are shown swinging on old gates and enjoying sheep work. Melissa’s feed is one of those country inspired treasures that make city folk want to up stumps and make for the bush. I met Melissa in person recently after she recognised me from the brooch I was wearing that I had posted on my instagram stories the day before! Ah, the connective power of Instagram. You can find her too at @vintage_timberoo
Amber
Five feeds I’m enjoying
- @garyjanetti (Predominantly satirical responses to Royal Family news- in particular Meghan Markle- by a spiteful little Prince George…hilarious)
- @strongisthenewpretty (girl power inspo)
- @studio_303 (an old school friend who is making amazing sculptures/furniture and other creative stuff)
- @zotheysay (just because Zoe Foster Blake is friggin hilarious)
- @father_of_daughters (Self explanatory really: Dad’s outnumbered by the females in his household 5:1)
TV/Music/Podcast:
Sarah
Happy belated Naidoc Week, everyone! I was doing a days teaching at my kids’ school last term and was looking for something to show the kids in the lead up to Naidoc week. That’s how I found these guys, The Condo Crew. Get on to You Tube and play Wiradjuri Welcome. Its a really cool and catchy bit of hip hop put together by a group of Wiradjuri people from Condobolin. We live in the Wiradjuri nation so I thought it was fitting for the kids at our school to see it. I think I played the video 6 times that day and then my kids played it again and again when we got home, not to mention singing it over and over in the car. Desert Pea Media created this video for The Condo Crew and it has been shortlisted for finalists in the National Indigenous Music Awards for Community Clip. Well done to both groups on a fantastic song and clip, go check it out!
Amber
Five podcasts I have been bingeing on whilst painting the house:
- The High Low
- Unpopped
- WTF with Marc Maron
- The Teacher’s Pet
- Here’s The Thing with Alec Baldwin
Random:
Sarah
I have been looking closely at my health lately (wine intake will be addressed later. Much later) and I made the move about 5 months ago to try fasting intermittently. I have so far stuck with the 5:2 diet devised by Dr Michael Moseley and am feeling all the better for it. Much less tired and less foggy in the head, I am a few kilos lighter, and apparently fasting can help ward off cognitive decline or dementia...here’s hoping. Anyhoo, I am not here to preach, just to tell you that on my fast days I eat this DELICIOUS chick pea curry and I wanted to share it with you. Its ready in 10 minutes and you will most likely have all this stuff in your pantry or fridge already.
Chick Pea Curry for one
- Half an onion, sliced
- 1 garlic cloved, grated
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tbsp tomato paste or passata (I use Burtons Lane Tomato Kausundi...worth it for the richer flavour)
- Half a cup of boiling water
- Half a tin of chickpeas
- Small handful of cherry tomatoes
- Large handful of baby spinach leaves
- Fresh black pepper
- Large handful of chopped parsley
Fry onion and garlic until soft in a quick spray of olive oil. Add curry powder and stir until fragrant, add tomato paste and water, throw in chickpeas and tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Add spinach in last 2 minutes of cooking, stir through parsley and serve. Lovely with a dollop of Greek yoghurt on top.
Amber
High Five albums
- Trouble Will Find Me – The National
- Paul Kelly’s Greatest Hits
- Seeker Lover Keeper- Seeker Lover Keeper
- Dark Bird is Home – Tallest Man on Earth
- Transatlanticism – Death Cab for Cutie