The below sanity-savers have been part of my fight-back toolkit to the omnipresent doom + gloom that's been surrounding us Melburnians recently.
As the 'famous' expression goes,
"when all else fails, eat copious amounts of cookie dough".
(Source: ME!)
What we're digging this month........
1. DOING: Knitting
Who else watched 'The Social Dilemma' on Netflix and swiftly deleted all their social media apps immediately after?
Whilst I didn't quite go that far (the addiction is, I am not too proud to admit, very real), I did use the opportunity to reflect on what else I could do instead of incessantly reaching for the phone. Enter knitting.
I’ve bought kits from Wool and The Gang and We Are Knitters and once I got past the frustrations of a few beginners mistakes, I’m really enjoying the process and find it rather cathartic.
If knitting ain’t for you, then head to our favourite local handmade knitwear maker for a ready-to-wear solution - Stay Hungry Studio.
I started with the Brera Cardigan in Marshmallow from We Are Knitters (don't look too closely at my work, please....?!)
2. READING: Sorrow and Bliss, by Meg Mason
Dang, I loved this. The the most unconventional story of hope, read during such an unconventional time.
What could be a dark tale of mental illness is handled with, surprisingly, quick-witted humour - I caught myself laughing out loud quite often, whilst simultaneously feeling guilty for doing so!
I received this book as part of my 'Well Read' monthly book subscription. I love this service, it takes the decision making out of what book to read next. One less thing to think about in life is a win-win for my overflowing mental load!
3. WATCHING: Chef’s Table (Netflix); Cathy Freeman Doco (ABC iView); The Octopus Teacher (Netflix)
Love food, hate cooking. Those who can't cook, watch and y'know what, I'm a-ok with that!
This series is so beautifully shot and has certainly got me living my global foodie travel dreams vicariously, just as we’re just starting to come out of lockdown here in Melbourne.
Not just about the food, the series introduces you to the culinary masters of their trade - so creative, so unrelenting in their quest for perfection, so determined.
[Freeman: Cathy Freeman]
20 years on from Freeman's historic Olympic gold medal win, this feel-good documentary took me right back to my childhood.
I don't think I could fully appreciate at the time just how poignant this moment was for our country. A moving story.
[The Octopus Teacher]
Hearing rave reviews from others, we tucked in for a family movie night and watched this out-of-the-box documentary.
I was so struck by the cinematography in this film and the unbelievable story-telling. Also, blown away by the vulnerability and courage the filmmaker had in sharing his connection and friendship he shared with an octopus. I could watch this over and over!
4. COVETING: Maison Balzac glasses
Perhaps it's wishful thinking ahead of the summer months, as we’re not exactly entertaining here in Melbourne, but these glasses definitely fill up our colour-loving cups.
Now just to decide what to fill them with and wait to have some people over to drink with…
5. EATING: Bennett St Cookie Dough
With borders between Victoria and NSW firmly closed for the time being, there has been (until now) little hope of getting to the famous Bondi bakery, Bennett St Dairy to try one of their cult-worthy cookies. 
A (small) silver lining during COVID: Bennett St had 100kg of excess dough to offload, so they put a post up on social media offering it for sale, 2 hours later - GONE!
Subsequently, cookie dough has now become a staple of their business model and they are now delivering cookie dough to Melbourne + Sydney metro addresses so you can bake it yourself at home. DOUGH-WHAT!?
I don't know about you, but I've always loved the raw dough more than the baked cookie itself. Get (more) in ma' belly!
You can buy it here and here , or straight from Bennett St here
6. BUYING: Modern Times Art Series
After lusting after Elizabeth Barnett's vibrant floral work for a long time, I'm now the proud-as-punch owner of this stunning print. Aggghhhhh my colour-lovin' eyeballs are oh-so-grateful to me right now.
The MT Art Series features a large range of affordable and exclusive archival quality limited edition art, all of which are hand-signed and numbered by the Australian artists.
Simple framing options are available so you can put it straight up on your wall to enjoy (after all, who *actually* gets around to having a piece framed within a two-year time period?!).
7. LISTENING: An aptly named playlist for the times, ‘Calm Down’ on Spotify
Be like water, be like water....say that enough times and listen to these calming tunes and it might just become your reality.
Other Journals you might like: