What’s top of my mind: I’m back from my blog break.
No one can say, if they have any truth in them, that I’ve been writing too much over 2026!
Things have been busy with Mum, with two stints in hospital. I’ve also been going to her old place a lot, with Evan29 and Georgia31 moving in this weekend.
As you can see from the photo, Hazel appears to suffer from resting bitch-face syndrome. She wasn’t grumpy in the slightest = she was happy that I threw some old cut flowers into the orchard, where she could recycle them as chew toys.
Where I’m going: To lunch with the girls from work.
Most school holidays there’s a catch-up. It’s lovely to sit and chat with women I’ve known for so many years. But it also shows that time marches on… there are new people appearing who started work after I retired!
Where I’ve been: Ugh. Hospitals.
Mum’s health isn’t great. She’s too frail for operations, so she’ll probably be wearing that brace on her arm for the rest of her life. I can’t see how the bone is going to knit in an 85-year-old woman with osteoporosis, no matter what the doctors say.
I think that it’ll be a life of ferrying her from hospital visits back to Bonbeach… rinse and repeat.
What I’m reading: ‘The Hidden’ by Bryan Brown.
Yes, THAT Bryan Brown. The actor. This is his third book, and it’s very good. But I have to say, whenever I read one of his books, I feel a little grubby. He writes about the seedier side of life, and some of his male characters are bloody awful.
What I’m watching: Stranger Things.
I watched the first 3 seasons and then stopped. I don’t know why. So of course, when it was all coming to a close, I realised that I’d forgotten most of what went on, so I went back to the start. I’m now midway through season 4, so I’ll knock it over soon.
What I’m listening to: Podcasts.
I’m starting to run out of them. I still have a heap of ‘Welcome to Nightvale’ to catch up on.
Any recommendations?
What I’m eating: Zucchini.
I’m drowning in the stuff.
What I’m planning: My new life.
When Georgia31 moves out, this will be the first time IN MY LIFE tht I will be living alone. Up until now, I’ve always had family, housemates or a husband with me.
I had a little taster when both Georgia31 and Evan29 were away for the first week in January.
It was excellent.
Who deserves a ‘thumbs-up’: Anyone who buys my car… and Dad’s model cars.
I’m feeling fatigue from dealing with all of Mum and Dad’s stuff. We’re nearing the end, but there are still a few things left to clear up.
I’ve never sold a car privately before. I’ve always traded them in, so if anyone knows the best way to sell a used car in Australia, I’m all ears. I took over Dad’s slightly newer Golf because it had a sat-nav system, so now my trusty little Golf will be going to a new home. The money I make from the sale will be going to Mum.
What has made me smile: A new quilt gift.
I taught Lesley back in 2009, so when I saw on FB that she is now a mum, I knew she was quilt-worthy. Some students are special.
She met me at the door with “Hello, Ms Jones.”
I said, “How old are you now, Lesley? I think you can call me Frogdancer!”
Dad joke of the day:
Hello! I’ve been following your blog for (more than!) a few years now (found via the FIRE community), but I’ve never commented. However, when you asked for podcasts….
50 Things That Made The Modern Economy by Tim Harford (BBC) – 10 minute episodes. Does what it says on the tin. Now 2 series, so you’ll get 100!
Cautionary Tales by Tim Harford – 30-60min I think. It’s almost a lessons learned for some disastrous events in history. He tells the story of something that happened, and looks at the series of events that led to that one things going wrong and making all the difference to the outcome (good or bad!). It feels very behind the scenes to events in history. It’s not all dry. One story was how it came about that the how the wrong winner was read out at the Oscars a few years ago, and another was what what led to an oil tanker crashing off the coast of the UK.
More or Less by Tim Harford (BBC) – the story behind numbers in the news, looking at whether the ‘outrageous claims” made by some newspaper headlines are actually true.
Witness History – BBC World Service – this is 10 min daily interviews (sometimes from a number of years ago) with people who literally witnessed a moment of history. This has a much more news/documentary feel than Cautionary Tales, but it’s still really interesting.
Lateral with Tom Scott – love this. It’s Tom Scott and 3 different guests each week. They each ask a very random questions and the the rest of them have to figure out the answer. It’s a really fun listen, and you learn some really random stuff. This is slightly more akin to a panel show on TV.
I have many more podcasts on my feed, so can definitely supply more, but these are the favourite ones at the moment!
These sound really interesting. Thanks so much. With Mum in the hospital and also getting her house ready to be lived in again, I’m spending a lot of time in the car, and that’s where I tend to do most of my podcast listening.
I have a podcast recommendation: Dead Eyes by Connor Ratliff. It ran for 3 seasons – he was cast for a very small role in Band of Brothers back in ~2000 but was fired before he got to do his bit. After stewing for about 18 years he launched a podcast to explore that experience, but also it’s an interesting dive into show business, rejection, all sorts of stuff. I think it started airing in 2019; fairly early on you see him wade into the pandemic, which was a huge flashback moment for sure.
Oh also another very quirky/weird one I liked: St Elwick’s Neighbourhood Association Newsletter Podcast.
Oh and: It’s Storytime with Wil Wheaton – he reads a new short story with every episode.
I’m sorry things are hard for your mum.
Gee, Wil Wheaton pops up everywhere!
Batting the Breeze by Steve Winduss – telling interesting stories from random people’s lives. It’s on hiatus now, but worthwhile listening to the back catalogue.
Enjoy your “me” time in your empty-of-other-humans nest – how do you think Scout and Hazel will feel?
They enjoy having visitors, but they were VERY HAPPY when Georgia came by yesterday. 🙂