A few of my favourite things…podcasts
A great podcast has to be the best way to ensure a long commute is an enjoyable enterprise. My regular commute often totals around three hours (there and back again*) so it’s in my own interest to fill those hours with interesting company. If I were involved in longer drives I might consider an audio…
Exquisite Threads: English Embroidery 1600s-1900s at the National Gallery of Victoria
Popped into the NGV at lunchtime to see a small – but perfectly formed – display of embroidered pieces. Absolutely beautiful, of course, but also thought-provoking. What better way to prevent aristocratic women from doing anything useful than to encourage them to spend thousands of hours embroidering? Or was the embroidery a vital means of…
Eragon, or The terrifying burden of reading books recommended by loved ones…
I didn’t love reading Eragon. But I struggled right through because my son implored me to read it, his favourite book. With talking dragons, magic, sword fights and an ordinary-boy-destined-for-greatness plot what’s not to like? Absolutely nothing – if you are eleven years old, that is. Cough, cough, formulaic, cough. However my son also recommended…
Lost Trades Fair – a huge success, even for people without beards…
Given the huge crowds attending the Lost Trades Fair over the Labour Day weekend, perhaps some of the wonderful trades on display aren’t really lost at all. More hiding their lights under a bushel – or a bushy beard. While I presume having a beard was not a necessary pre-requisite (and…