- Shampoo and conditioner. The first I've had to buy since before my hair fell out. I guess J and Mr M don't use a great deal of either. In fact, Mr M is completely averse to shampoo at the moment so we do the best we can in the bathtub.
- Mr M's winter wardrobe. Last week, Mr M put his knee through his 'best' jeans. And then I discovered he'd worn through the soles of his lace-up shoes. Time to go shopping. In one morning we managed to buy two long-sleeved Wiggles t-shirts, a pair of black jeans, a pair of navy cargo pants, and a new pair of lace-up shoes (in size 10). And all of these items were on special. If only shopping for my winter wardrobe was as easy.
- Hermione Lee's biography of Edith Wharton. It has been selling for $75.00 in hardback. Today, I found it in Clouston & Hall's for $24.95 - in hardback. I'm buying it mostly for the biographer - her biography of Virginia Woolf was simply stunning.
Three Things I've Done This Week
- Been to a wedding. I can't remember the last wedding I went to! On Friday afternoon, at 5pm, one of the girls from work married her partner at the National Botanical Gardens. The wedding was to take place on the Brittle Gum Lawns but ... it rained. Drizzle began at at 4.45pm, became a light shower as the bride arrived at 5pm, gave way to heavy rain during the vows. We huddled under the verandahs and permanent umbrellas of the cafe, trying to stay dry and enjoy the ceremony. And then the skies cleared and the party began. Those of us who worked with the bride enjoyed champagne and blew bubbles and departed as the bridal party and family members entered the cafe for the evening's reception.
- Been to a party. My brother is turning 60 this week so the family gathered last night to celebrate. Four generations of us. Three of his four sisters were there. All five of his children and all four and a bit grandchildren. We spent the evening eating (of course), playing cricket and lego with four small boys, and having the kind of shorthand conversations that only families or friends of longstanding can have with each other. Ones where all the back story is already known.
- Took my nephews to school and picked them up at the end of the day. A hint of the future, Mr M and I had fun doing the school run and taking the boys to afternoon tea at the 'blue shops', as Mr M calls them.
Three Things I've Read This Week
- Addition by Toni Jordan. A debut novel that has received tremendous press, it's about Grace who counts obsessively. I wanted to enjoy it, I really did. But I'm not entirely comfortable with the way a serious condition was portrayed in a novel being sold as intelligent 'chick lit'. I can imagine the film, though, starring Toni Collette.
- The Pocoyo books. We have four Pocoyo books, based on the television series and all with 'flaps' to lift. Mr M loves them and can almost 'read' them himself now. I love them because they don't have a lot of words and, at the end of a long day, you can read them quickly and easily.
- Heat magazine. The current issue is called 'Luminous Gerberas'. Gorgeous. It took me a while to track it down but I was keen to as one of the creators of a blog I read regularly, Stephanie Trigg from Humanities Researcher, had an essay published in it. The essay was terrific - and so is the journal. It's full of interesting reading.
