Final newsletter for the year

Designed not to be binged.....

Merry Christmas from the floral workshop at Chez Manson

As the everything draws to a close for the year, I’ll be closing the shutters too - as I hope you are. My aim is to be back in your inboxes in mid-Feb - I’d like to say early Feb but I always overcommit on the things and underestimate the full-on nature of the holidays. I seem to always get a mild version of PTSD and need recovery time - so I’m wary of my own best laid plans!

Don’t hurry to make your way through this week’s edition - hold onto it, save it for a moment in the holidays when you really need a rest and a bit of online indulgence. It’s mostly about books - because the chance to read is the cornerstone of a good holiday, isn’t it?

This is my book pile for the holidays but as books are one of my (many) weaknesses, if I set foot in a bookstore I will be adding Helen Garner’s The Season, Nigel Slater’s 100 Feasts and maybe Tim Winton’s The Juice (or maybe someone else can read that one fist and let me know about it!) - you’ll notice the Quarterly Essay ‘Highway to Hell’ in this pile - I’m scared to read it, it’s all about climate change and what things will look like in the next 10 years, but I want to feel informed and prepared so I need to conquer it - much like the way I feel about Winton’s Juice. Also Tim Minchin’s book was given to me by my husband - and for that reason alone it will always be super special to me. Thoughtfully gifted books are just the best.

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Podcast playlist

Some girls mentioned this podcast (from years ago) at coffee this week so I’ll be cueing it up to listen to in the weeks ahead. Tara is also on Oprah’s Super Soul Sundays.

This podcast is the reason why I have to buy Helen Garner’s the season. I’ll be watching out for their bonus episode coming out with her during January, too.

I mentioned this last week but as we are on about books for this edition; this episode with Lise and Sarah gives you some totally do-able hacks to make sure your read more.

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Lay your eyes on these Instagram accounts

@ianbarkergardens || @oscarsloane || @rhianne.elliott

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This pile of things to read

In

Anna Brones

newsletter, Creative Fuel she’s been detailing Christmas traditions. This post about books and the traditions of giving them is just beautiful.

Jólabókaflóð is the name given to Iceland’s Christmas “book flood’ where books are gifted on Christmas Eve with the idea of staying up late into the night to read them.

And here’s another lovely post from Cup of Jo on ‘book kits’ as a beautiful home-made pre-loved kind of gift. Cheap and thoughtful and full of love.

Here’s a musing on friendship taken from the observation’s of

Rebecca Hooper

of Monkeys on Rhesus macaque, a Caribbean island ruled by Monkey’s. She found that men fight, dominate, fight and disrupt while the females don’t have a lot going for them except friendship. I’ve been thinking about this piece since I read it - making myself determined to fully lean into friendships as a way to find full happiness in our sometimes turbulent relationships.

"Friendship in macaques does not look so very different to friendship in humans. In the hot, slow afternoons, the forest would be scattered with groups of girls, combing their fingers through one another’s fur, cuddling, reaching out to touch one another’s babies, nodding off in one another’s company."

faultlines

Australia’s relationship with the beach is complicated. T Australia.

If you love Fashion and Scotland - you best make some time for this.

How to build a playlist that will get people up and dancing: for all your summer parties!

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And that’s it for the 2024! Wishing you all a really happy Christmas, New Year, holiday break, beach or dam trip, time at home on the couch with the kids; whatever this time of year looks like for you, I hope it’s relaxing and rejuvenating with ample time to reflect. I really appreciate the beautifully engaged and loyal community that comes with this newsletter - please continue to love reading these weekly offerings, because I absolutely love curating them for you.

Take care, Sxxxx