Hello everyone
Well here we are again…Victoria in lockdown once again and we hope you are all feeling okay…all we can hope is that it doesn’t drag out too long this time. At least this time we kinda know how it all works. The kids have slipped back into the homeschooling routine. We are back to our walks within our 5km zones and we are doing our best to support local businesses.
What is it all for!
I admit, I was one of those people who got a bit too comfortable within the last long lockdown and I did feel quite anxious at the thought of being forced back into life on the outside again, but even I had become tired of living life in the same weekly cycle…each day seemingly blending into the next. My coping technique became getting absorbed in the busy…if I kept busy I would be okay. I was in my version of survival mode and found it very hard to break the habit of being constantly productive and if not working, feeling guilty for taking time out. It is true, I was getting lots done during lockdown, but if I wasn’t spending time with people that brought up the bigger question of ‘What was it all for?!!’ ARGH!
I was really missing connecting with people, spending time and having fun with family and friends. From what I hear a lack of connection is something we have all been struggling with. Apparently we have never been so connected by technology, but also so disconnected as people and many of us have never felt so lonely. We now know we need to be with other people…even us introverts haha. It is the time spent with people we love that we enjoy and remember the most. We will get through this again and get back to more connection and fun…in the meantime we know what to do, we will keep sharing our coping strategies and checking in on people…I just wish one of my coping strategies wasn’t cake! We are still here for each other x
Sharing with you
We’ve listened to a few great podcasts recently that talk around this subject. About how as we feel success only comes through hard work and how working hard is celebrated within our culture, often to our detriment and the importance of connection. Below we have also shared the TV we are enjoying and a recipe Sian has been baking.
Helping the Lonely – Connected AU
Sian came across this organisation, Connected AU, and has this week signed up. Having heard that 1 in 4 people experience loneliness in this country and thought that was just too sad to bear. Connected AU’s aim is to minimise the impact of isolation and loneliness with human-centred programs that create real connection. When restrictions relax, you could visit an elderly person in an aged care facility. If you love to write then why not get onboard, and get your kids onboard because all ages experience loneliness, it’s not just the elderly.
Pie I want to bake x
This week Sian made Narnie’s Apple Pie from Sophie Hansen’s cookbook In Good Company. This recipe was shared in the June edition of Country Life magazine. This cake looks amazing and Sian said it was SO amazing. I will share the ingredients with you below. If you go to Sophie’s instagram account @locallovely you can find an IGTV of Sophie herself giving instructions on how to make this gorgeous tart.
NARNIE’s APPLE TART
Serves 8-10
12 tart Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
3/4 cup (165g) caster (superfine) sugar
4 cloves
PASTRY
1 cup (250g) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (110g) caster (superfine) sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 large egg, plus 1 egg, extra for brushing
1tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (150g) plain (all-purpose) flour
1/2 cup (75g) self-raising flour
Loving on TV x
Mare of Easttown
All 7 episodes of Mare of Easttown are now available on Binge for you to truly binge this great crime drama.
Kate Winslet is Detective Mare Sheehan in the new crime drama series Mare of Easttown. Mare’s life crumbles around her, this small-town detective is fixed on investigating a murder that sends shockwaves through the town. At the heart, this ‘whodunnit’ is full of gripping twists and turns with a potential new suspect emerging every episode. Currently showing on Binge. Watch trailer here
The Woman in the Window
Sian recommended this Netflix original movie. I may give it a go from behind a cushion
Confined to her home by agoraphobia, a psychologist becomes obsessed with her new neighbors — and solving a brutal crime she witnesses from her window. Starring:Amy Adams,Gary Oldman,Anthony Mackie & Julianne Moore. Watch trailer here
Friends…The Reunion
If I’m honest, I was feeling a little reluctant to watch this after hearing that it wasn’t a true reunion episode of the show we love and remember, but I gave it a go and was pleasantly surprised. In a weird way it was kind reassuring to see that ageing is inescapable for us all.
Your favourite friends are back on the set that started it all. Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer return to the iconic comedy’s original soundstage for a real-life unscripted celebration of the beloved show. Watch trailer here
Podcast episodes we have enjoyed x
This week we have some great podcasts to share with you and all seem so relevant to the times we are living in. Take a look, I’m sure there is something here for everyone.
Feel Better Live More – How to Achieve Your Goals Effortlessly with Greg McKeown
We’ve been conditioned to believe that the path to success is paved with relentless work. The more important the goal, the harder we have to grind. That if we aren’t perpetually exhausted, we’re not doing enough. Now, working hard is more exhausting than ever and many of us are stuck in an endless loop of “Zoom, eat, sleep, repeat” and we’re often working twice as hard to achieve half as much. Listen here
The Unmistakeable Creative – The Man Who Walked Away from a Fortune with Daniel Levin
For this episode of the podcast, Daniel Levin, Connectivity Expert and Author, shares a captivating recount of the life-changing events that lead him to go on to write the book, The Mosaic, and become the person he is today. Throughout this discussion, Daniel talks about losing both his parents at a young age, choosing to walk away from H&R Block when he was 16, as well as discovering the true power of connection, and much, much more. Listen here
How to Fail – Dr Alex George
For Mental Health Awareness Week, we have a very special bonus episode with Dr Alex George. A former Love Island contestant who after exiting the villa, returned to his job as an A&E doctor. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, he’s been hard at work on the frontline. Behind the scenes, he has had to cope with devastating personal tragedy – his younger brother, Llyr, died by suicide in July 2020. Alex’s openness about his own mental health has been a comfort for many, and in February he was appointed the UK’s Youth Mental Health Ambassador. This week marks the publication of his first book, Live Well Every Day. Listen here
We hope you have a lovely week ahead..take care xx
