Tiny joyful things

Because it's Wednesday, I wanted to share a few things I look forward to every single week. They're tiny joyful things that are part of my routine and help to punctuate the week. Let me know if you have any too! I'm always looking to add lovely things to my day-to-day.

On Monday mornings, I read Sophie's newsletter before breakfast, usually while stirring some porridge. It's a gentle way into the week and it's usually filled with recipe and podcast suggestions, bright pictures and reflections on the season. Monday is also the day a new Unstyled podcast episode drops, and I'll save the episode for a bus ride home later if the week (if I can manage it).

Midway through the week, a favourite blog column comes out. It's called The List and it's written by Leslie of Cupcakes and Cashmere. I have her author page bookmarked on my phone, and it can be the nicest way to unwind after getting home from work.

Round about the same time, a new episode of The High Low comes out too, just as I'm craving something funny/cheery to listen to before and after work.

Anywhere between Thursday and Saturday, I get excited about doing the market shop. It's when I gather ingredients for new recipes I want to try (for work or just for fun). Most weeks I stop at a farm shop in my lunch break or on my way home, and get to the markets every now and then. Or I convince Tony to make a date out of it, and we drive to a favourite produce stand in a nearby town and stock up on veggies after brunch or coffee out. There is something about the colours of the produce and maybe the possibility too that makes me feel so happy and creative.

On Saturday, kind of like how the weekend paper used to be a morning ritual for me, I read Cup of Jo's list of links from the week and always find something to read or enjoy. Erin posts a lovely end-of-week wrap too, and the stories she links to are always surprising and broad-ranging.

And something that happens throughout the week - coffee after my yoga class. The teacher normally brews the coffee, and it's always a lucky-dip to see who sticks around to hang out. Last week, after class coffee came with bonus homegrown lemons.

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New Year goodness

This time last year I made a list of fun things to try in 2017. They were small things I'd never done before, like order an affogato or go boogie boarding. Some things were ticked off right away, while others had to wait until the last few weeks of the year. It was really fun and I'm doing it again this year. I'm still building my list - so far making jam is the only thing on it!

The new year brings so much expectation and promise, and I'm trying to be extra kind to myself as I transition back to work. I've been leafing through Meredith Gaston's beautiful illustrated book The Art of Wellbeing for inspiration. It's full of recipes and meditations, and is about making our daily lives more joyful. I bought it as a New Year's gift to myself.

I didn't listen to many podcasts over the break but when I did, I picked an episode from this list of 2017 highlights. The hosts of Call Your Girlfriend recommended She's All Fat, "the podcast for body positivity, radical self-love and chill vibes only."
 

It's really good. I started with an episode about confidence, and immediately texted my sister about it. The theme song makes me smile and the show is super fun, inclusive and challenging. It also leaves you feeling good about yourself and your place in the world. My sister also recommends bodyposipanda on Instagram.

One other nice thing, Death, Sex and Money put out a mini-podcast in the first week of this month called Pull Quote. The episodes are super short, usually a couple of minutes max, and they're clips from memorable interviews. Each one offers something to ruminate on over the day and I hope the series continues in 2018!

✨✨✨⭐️⭐️⭐️✨✨✨ let's keep sparkling ✨✨✨⭐️⭐️⭐️✨✨✨

A post shared by rupi kaur (@rupikaur_) on Dec 31, 2017 at 8:23am PST

My cousin Melissa shared this poem by Rupi Kaur on New Year's Day. I've been craving mint choc chip ice cream ever since. I've also been scrolling through excerpts from her latest book on Instagram, while I wait for my copy to come in from the library.

Libraries are great btw! Mine has so many new release cookbooks, which is going to save me a lot of money this year (fingers crossed). I request books all the time, and it's kind of nice not knowing what's going to come in when.

Here's what I'm waiting on: The Tivoli Road Baker by Michael James, Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, The No Spend Year by Michelle McGagh, Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur, and Bread is Gold by Massimo Bottura.

Summer fun

Things are definitely feeling summery and relaxed around our way. We're home for the holidays, and are starting to settle into days with no alarm clocks or set agendas. If you're about to finish work or are already on holidays, here are some things you might enjoy for the slower days ahead:

One movie I highly recommend is the Japanese animated film Your Name. I watched the trailer a few months ago but found it a bit bizarre. Then it showed up in my brother's e-newsletter as a must-watch, and in the iTunes store that same week. I watched it on a rainy Sunday afternoon, it was surprisingly moving and very beautiful too. We had to go out for ramen afterwards :)

This is a bit of a guilty pleasure - lately I've been tracking down my favourite restaurants and local businesses on Spotify and listening to their playlists. Here are some fun ones - Lazy Su made a Yes! playlist to celebrate the same-sex marriage postal vote result, and shared the playlist for their hip hop ramen nights. I keep an eye on the new softserve flavour at XO, a fusion Asian restaurant near our place, and their music is always eclectic.

And if things are really busy, I love tuning into my yoga studio's playlists. The Joey Pecoraro tracks remind of me the days when I used to take a beginner's ballet class in Sydney. It was the best way to wind down after work and shake out my computer posture.

I bought a pair of Springcourts sneakers when I was in Sydney earlier this month to replace my white Vans. They are ten times more comfortable ... and the same style that Yoko Ono wore on her wedding day :) I'm excited to wear them with summer dresses and on weekend bike rides.

And ahead of my desk warming party, I bought a copy of Charlotte Ree's baking e-book Bakeree, after Catherine gave it a great wrap. I made the chocolate and macadamia cookies with white choc chips and they were super yum! We have a small stash in our biscuit tin and home, and I am still sneaking one every day.

A desk warming and a cookie lucky dip

Every now and then a silly idea takes hold. Years ago, it was an Easter egg hunt for my apartment block in Sydney. I set my alarm for 5.30am on Easter Sunday, roused Tony, and the two of us quietly hid eggs and put up posters in the common areas.

This week it was a desk warming party, because I've moved from one end of the newsroom to the other and closer to a window :) There was a cookie lucky dip (featuring gingerbread, my favourite choc chip cookies, and double choc macadamia cookies), filter coffee from my new machine - there was even an e-invite.

There hasn't been too much time for baking or silly projects for the last while (unlike 2016 when I made cakes in the shape of rubber ducks, owls and horses!), so this felt extra silly and festive.

If you want to host your own desk party - it's easy! Put up a bunting, brew some coffee, and bake or buy some sweets. Don't forget to invite your buds. To make a cookie lucky dip, wrap different combos of cookies in a layer of baking paper and then pretty wrapping paper, find a vessel to put them in and you're good to go.

Spring things

How are you feeling now that we've (finally) hit spring? I've just gotten over a lingering cold and it's been sunny enough to ride my bike again. Yay! September is looking good - Tony and my third wedding anniversary is next week, I'm heading to a conference about podcasts, and there's a Blue Mountains holiday on the horizon.

Other good things - my friend Beth shared the story of a water ballet on Facebook. The ballet was staged by friends in a wading pool to honour a dying artist's final vision. The dance was choreographed, the swimming costumes handmade, and the resulting performance so, so joyful. Here's a great quote from the article: "Be involved. Be engaged - appreciate your beautiful, awesome body that isn't failing you."

I recently discovered Thalia Ho's baking blog, Butter and Brioche, and I've been trying out some recipes. I started with her spelt choc chip cookies, next on my list is this chocolate sheet cake with thick frosting and a sprinkle of fleur de sal. Thalia's Instagram is beautiful too!

A post shared by By Madeleine Dore (@extraordinary_routines) on Aug 28, 2017 at 3:00am PDT

Was August busy for you too? I feel like time is going to keep flying, so I was especially thankful to see Madeleine Dore's series on being creative and burning out on her Extraordinary Routines blog. It includes interviews with many Australian women I admire, like Nirrimi Firebrace and Kate Berry.

I am reading Jessica Friedmann's debut book of essays Things That Helped that chronicles her experience with postpartum depression. I saw Jessica speak at the Canberra Writers Festival and was moved by her honesty and articulate account of early motherhood. I am only part way through this book but wholeheartedly recommend it.

A post shared by Grace Bonney (@designsponge) on Aug 24, 2017 at 4:22pm PDT

And I loved this tour of a houseboat in the Netherlands, which is home to an impressive cookbook collection and a cat named Smurf. The house is compact, colourful and afloat!

Photos: Top image by Erika Schultz for The Seattle Times, chocolate cake photo by Thalia Ho.

Fun stuff

What are you reading at the moment? While I was travelling for work, I raced through Kevin Kwan's latest book Rich People Problems. It was so much fun. If you're interested, it's worth reading the first two books, Crazy Rich Asians and China Rich Girlfriend, before you get stuck into this one. And if you've read all three, a movie is coming soon!

Speaking of movies, Tony and I watched The Trip to Spain a few weeks ago and loved it! It's laugh-out-loud funny, so much so that our row of seats was shaking from laughter throughout the film. I've seen all three films and this one might be my favourite of the series.

I picked up these tassel earrings while I was in Darwin and feel extra cheery when I wear them. I get lots of compliments too! The remind me of these Muppets and dress up my usual jeans and stripey top combo  :)

Finally, I've been catching up on Death, Sex & Money episodes and really enjoyed this interview with comedian Jeff Garlin, who plays Larry David's agent in Curb Your Enthusiasm. Right at the end of the interview, he gives host Anne Sale some thoughtful advice on her post-baby body.

This quote also made me laugh: "Every morning when I get up, I look in the mirror and I smile to myself because I look ridiculous first thing in the morning ... that smile makes me laugh and then I set the tone for the day."

The lovely list

I turned 33 on Sunday and had such a relaxing day. There was brunch somewhere new, lots of sunshine, and cold coconuts too :) I find it hard to make solid plans for my birthday, so this year I made a list of fun things to do either on my birthday weekend or anytime in August. Here's what I managed to tick off the list...

First up: Take advantage of birthday perks. On Saturday, I went to see The Big Sick at favourite cinema for free with complimentary snacks too!

Also on my list: Make an elaborate birthday cake to share. Inspired by Molly Yeh (and my own indecisiveness), I made a cake with three different flavours - chocolate, sprinkles, and coconut and rose. I baked and froze the cakes during the week, and iced it on Saturday night, while listening to podcasts. Because it didn't have to resemble a bus shelter, I was done in time for a pizza dinner with Tony. We're obsessed with this pizzeria at the moment. They make a pizza with gorgonzola and mascarpone.

On my birthday, Tony and I walked to the NGV Sculpture Garden to see the fog sculpture, which is only on for a few hours a day. The best thing about having no real plans was that we just went from one thing to the next, depending on how we felt. There was some time at home for tea and present opening, and when we got hungry, a trip to the city for a big plate of noodles and coconuts.

From there it was time for a bit of window shopping and then my first-ever affogato. We went to Monster Kitchen and ate ice cream by the fire while we plotted our next move.

I really wanted to make my own birthday dinner this year, so we cancelled our dinner plans and headed home. I made a Mexican dinner, while listening to a playlist my brother Derrick made specially for my birthday. The photo he chose to go with it cracks me up! I'm the one clutching the Magna Doodle.



I received lots of lovely things this year. Tony gave me an overnight bag for upcoming adventures, and a copy Ivan Ramen. My sister included a favourite red lipstick in my birthday card, and my friend Sarah  gave me a copy of the The Desserts of New York. I've already found my cake for next year in it!

Keen to stick to my plan to make a fancy cake and share it, I bundled up three hefty chunks of cake at the end of the night to give to friends the next day. And here's what's left on the list... drinks somewhere with a fireplace, climb a new mountain (and pack lots of snacks), and make dinner for friends. 

P.S My birthday last year and ... turning 30.

A little video

I'm excited to share a video I made of my travels in the last fortnight. I arrived home on Thursday night, having visited Sydney three times (!), as well as Adelaide and Darwin, with a few nights in Canberra in between.

Most of the time I was travelling for work, training other newsrooms who are about to start work on the project I've been piloting for a year. But there was plenty of fun things in between. I saw friends for dinners and coffee, and had just enough time to explore each city.

When we were in Sydney, we met our new niece Maeve, saw the Archibald Prize ... and had to get our car towed when it broke down on the highway at night! It was an eventful few weeks.

Here are a few highlights:

SYDNEY

One of my favourite discoveries was Blackwattle Bay Park, which was a few blocks away from our Airbnb in Annandale. It's a beautiful city walk that's right by the water, with plenty of spots to picnic and rest. There's also an impressive kid's playground that I texted my friend about!

We swung by Black Star Pastry in Newtown to pick up pastries for a breakfast with friends. We ordered a few coffees too, and it was hands down the most satisfying coffee I've ever had.

A few quick city recommendations - the Jenny Watson exhibition at the MCA is fantastic, it's fun and feminist. It's also a free show. We grabbed lunch at the Burger Project nearby, they reminded me of Shake Shack burgers from New York. A very good thing.

On the days that I was visiting for work, I woke up early to check out The Grounds of the City, which was old-worldly. It's worth booking - I wandered in on a weekday and almost missed out on breakfast. I'd love to return to try the cakes. And I finally made it to Aqua S, which had an English Breakfast Tea soft serve special running. If you visit the Town Hall shop, you'll find it in an arcade that I'd love to visit at night. It's full of Asian eateries and shops, where I bought these fun phone stickers.

We spent a bit of time in Manly too, because Tony is part of a group exhibition at the gallery (the show's still on if you're keen!). One night, we had dinner at Papi Chulo and shared a delicious barbecue chicken platter. For coffee, we went to the Barefoot Coffee Traders, which happened to specialise in waffles :)

ADELAIDE

My time in Adelaide was shorter, I had a cosy Sunday lunch at Hey Jupiter!, a French-inspired cafe. There was also time to visit the JamFactory, a design space that my friend Sabine recommended. I was secretly hoping I'd be in Adelaide later in the week, so I could try Africola. Instead, I had breakfast at Crack Kitchen and dinner at a cute Hong Kong inspired diner. There are more Adelaide recommendations from our recent visit, and from a local too :)

DARWIN

My friend Georgia lives in Darwin, and every night after work she'd pick me up to see the sunset. We went to the Nightcliff Jetty on my first night, and I loved seeing how many people were there. Some were picnicking (there were some cute food trucks nearby), others were just taking it in with their dogs. I hear there's a lovely pool nearby too.

On my last night in town, we watched the sun go down from Fannie Bay. Next time I'd love to visit the Fannie Bay Cool Spot, which is an iconic ice cream shop! I had the most free time in Darwin, so I visited the museum and gallery, looked tentatively at the beach (it was so hot but no one was on it!), and swam at the hotel pool instead :)

This was my favourite dinner. We went to PM (worth booking ahead), and shared fries, calamari and the most delicious saganaki, which was covered in honey. On my lunch break, I loved poking around the Star Village. I bought tassel earrings from Lulu and Daw (they had stacks of them!) and joined the line for a salad and juice at Simply Foods.

I had such a good time but am very happy to be spending a Sunday at home. I managed to finish four books while I was travelling, which I'll share soon.

Girl power

How great is this poster? It's free to download from The House That Lars Built and it's by illustrator Libby VanderPloeg. I'm going to print a copy and save it for the little studio space that I'm slowly pulling together at home.

The poster was inspired by In the Company of Women, a thick book of thoughtful interviews by Design*Sponge founder Grace Bonney. I treated myself to a copy when it came out last year and have scribbled down so many great quotes.

Over the weekend, I started listening to Violet Sessions, a podcast that comes out of Violet Bakery in East London. It's hosted by Claire Ptak, who owns Violet Bakery, and journalist Danielle Radojcin.

I especially enjoyed their conversation with Penny Martin, editor of The Gentlewoman magazine and this funny chat with broadcaster and supper club host Alice Levine.  (Side note: check out Alice's pretty apartment!)

And finally, here's something I stumbled across in a comments feed on Instagram from Nirrimi, whose blog I admire. She was responding to a comment about her friendship with another talented photographer Georgia, - "I have a saying, don't be jealous be inspired."

Hope you're having a good week!

Fun stuff

Even though I was sick for part of last week, there were a few things that made my days comfortable and happy. At the top of my list - Sleepover, a Canadian podcast hosted by Sook-Yin Lee. The premise of the show is zany - three strangers meet up with the host and spend the night together at a hotel. Each guest brings a problem they'd like some help with and three episodes are born.

The very first sleepover features an eight-year-old who can't read, a grumpy old man (think Carl from Up) who has control issues, and a 25-year-old Buzzfeed writer who isn't speaking to her dad. It's surprising and hilarious, and it would be a good podcast to listen to on a road trip with friends. It also made me miss Mystery Show.

Phoenix have a new album, Ti Amo, and it's an instant mood booster. J-Boy and Goodbye Soleil are my favourite tracks, I've also been revisiting this album from 1998!

I stumbled across a beautiful new cookbook the other week while I was shopping for a birthday present. Round to Ours is by Laura Jackson and Alice Levine, who run a supper club together in London. I have lots of cookbooks but this one is especially inviting. It's organised into events, from winter feasts to movie nights with friends (and pasta). It's worth it for the salted caramel brownie recipe alone.

Fun fact: Alice is from the My Dad Wrote A Porno podcast. The girls also have a funny online show called My Pop-Up Restaurant.

I bought these heat-tech socks from Uniqlo last year because they looked cosy. They're super warm and not too expensive. I've been wearing them on freezing morning rides and to bed at night :) And while we're kind of on the topic - these briefs are the best.

Sweet things for $20 or less

I picked up a few souvenirs while I was in Sydney last week, including this funny make-up pouch that I'm planning to use as a clutch. I considered buying its furry mate too. They remind me of Anya Hindmarch bags, which I love but admire from afar.

I went to the MCA zine fair on Sunday and I cleaned out my wallet in 15 minutes flat. I made a beeline for Lee Tran Lam's table because she always puts together a dense and well-written zine based on a theme. This year it's work, and it's a steal for $10. I've been reading bits before bed and in my lunch break - the interviews are funny and energising too.

I also picked up an Indonesian recipe zine (my Dad grew up in Surabaya) and thought about buying these Seinfeld badges for a friend. I bought an emoji zine instead :)

Two good things landed in my letterbox while I was away. I can't wait to get stuck into Molly Wizenberg's first book, A Homemade Life. I only started reading her blog a few years ago, and I feel like her memoir is going to fill in a lot of blanks. It's also a recipe book in disguise.

There was also this little pin (with eyes!), which  is going to take up residence on my trusty stripey t-shirts and add a bit of cheer to my work blazers too.

Lucky dip dates

I've borrowed a sweet idea from Sydney stylist Megan Morton. A year ago I read that her family jots down fun activities on pieces of paper and pops them into a vase. It becomes a lucky dip when they have a pocket of free time to spend together.

Inspired by the idea, Tony and I have started a date book, which is filled with different kinds of activities we'd like to do together. We spent a lot of last year exploring places to eat in our new hometown so we're trying think of things other than eating :)

So far we've checked out a cute speakeasy's jazz night where we sipped gin fizzes and ate a huge bowl of olives. We happened to go on a stinking hot night, which was especially great because the bar was underground and air-conditioned - something we don't have at home.

And last Sunday we hiked up Mount Ainslie before breakfast, which we've been meaning to do for almost a year. Mount Majura has gone into the book for another time :) I'm yet to convince Tony to go for the lucky dip idea but for now it's been really fun - and we feel like we're getting heaps more out of the city.

P.S We've also started doing chore dates, which is mainly an excuse to eat ice cream after Sunday errands :)

Lunch break escapes + other good things

This morning I made a simple plan. I would leave my desk at one and walk up to the local shops to buy the latest issue of Lunch Lady. And I stuck to it. I listened to music, saw the sky and breathed in the fresh winter air. I found my magazine, bought myself a yummy (pay day) lunch and called my friend Marina on my way back to the office.

For the last little while, I've been paying close attention to the small things that help make any day nicer. Here's the list so far:

Clean hair

Leftovers for lunch (or dinner)

A lunch break spent outside

A made up bed (so I can flop on it after work)

Chocolate macadamia moon balls

A nighttime bath

Listening to podcasts (while I get ready for work, on lunch breaks, while cooking and taking the aforementioned bath)

Coffee out

Baking for no reason

Favourite songs

Checking in with my sister

Present planning

Are there tiny things you look forward to, or do to make sure every week is a good one?

Greta Gerwig's new movie

This week I finally got around to watching Frances Ha, which was co-written by Greta Gerwig who also stars in the film. I loved it - it was fun, a tiny bit awkward and surprisingly sincere, and I can't wait for her new movie to come out.

I'm hoping Mistress America is as real and as Woody Allen-esque as her first film, which had the best soundtrack. Here's the trailer:



Her first movie made me think about what Girls could be, where the leading lady is endearing and earnest while she's still trying to work things out, and I was surprised to learn that Gerwig once auditioned for Gossip Girl.

P.S You can watch Frances Ha for free on SBS On Demand at the moment. And here's a cute illustrated interview she did recently with The New York Times.

A week of saying yes

Last week was really fun because I ditched my routine and said yes to everything I was invited to. So instead of working my way through my to-do list (which I secretly love doing), I saw three art exhibitions, ate meals at odd hours and found myself making caramel sauce for a dinner party in another town.

After a few busy task-focussed weeks, it was the best reminder to leave room for spontaneity. And napping :) I'd love to know if you have anything that is guaranteed to snap you out of your routine, I'll drop almost anything if there's a chance to Skype my niece.