Home Alone 4

So you can see that life around here is pretty hard. It gets worse too - just out of the shot is an almost new box of chocolates and a humungous pile of delicious books.

I finished The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino this morning in exactly this position, and followed it up with another JLit classic, Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto. As I say, somebody's gotta do it.

The former novel is a crime thriller with a twist - you know whodunit and why by the end of the first chapter. It takes the rest of the book to discover whether they get away with it. On the way you're confronted by the fact that the heroes are the bad guys. Do you want them to get away...well...with murder...or do you want the detectives to solve the mystery and put them where they belong? Highly recommended. This book, a huge success, selling more than 2 million copies in its native Japan, has been made into a film. You can see the trailer on YouTube if you want to google.

Kitchen is also highly popular in Japan. It's the coming-of-age story of a young woman left all alone by the death of her grandmother. It's filled with Japanese culture and wonderful, wonderful food. This book also has a twist, but I'll leave you to discover this one yourself. It is easy to see why Banana Yoshimoto is Japan's most popular female author though.

I'm now reading Aussie author Markus Zusak's The Book Thief. I'll let you know my opinion of this one once I'm further into it.

Not much to report on the Second-hand Book Trail today - most of them seem to be closed on a Monday. I did pick up a copy of Edith Nesbit's Grammar-Land though, which is a bit of fun. I have it as an e-book, but a real life paper copy is so much nicer. I'm thinking I might use this book - or Nuri Mass' Aussie equivalent, The Little Grammar People, this coming term as a break from more formalised grammar. I'll decide when I get home and compare both books, I think.

I also grabbed a copy of Michael Morpungo's Kensuke's Kingdom for Jemimah to read. Have any of you read it? It looks a lovely story.

That's about it for Day 4. Any more burning questions on life, the universe and anything that you want be to expostulate on this week while I have time? If not, it's back to the chocolates.

Home alone 1

Hello Loveys!

Welcome to Day One of my holiday home alone. I'm so full of plans and anticipation!

The skiers managed to get away at 10.00 this morning. Right on time. (You can tell which of us is the more OCD.) The smaller person was beside herself with excitement. The bigger one was pretending to be controlled and sensible and grown-up, but you didn't have to be very clever at body language to realise that he was pretty happy as well.

After they left I had to make the first big decision of my holiday alone: Should I stay or should I go (in the immortal words of The Clash)? I decided to go.

So now I'm in Melbourne in front of the telly. I'm watching Poh cooking whole fried snapper with preserved lemon salsa with Neil Perry whilst munching on the absolutely delicious dinner you see in the pic (taken with my phone, sorry) above. To me, a meal like that is as good as it gets - deliciously ripe French Brie, a pear paste, olives and crackers with a glass of champagne. Sublime! My Beloved would need a steak. Personally, I think that would mean that I couldn't fit in enough cheese. Hachez Cocoa d'Arriba chocolate and a short black for afters. Surely that covers all essential food groups?!

Day one included, of course, a visit to my first second hand book store for the holiday, Woodend Bookshop, where my haul included nice copies of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin and its sequel, More about Rebecca, along with an absolutely delightful book, Spare Time by Herbert McKay. I'll tell you about the latter, later, but let me tell you, it is a wonderful book. Woodend is also home to the lovely indie bookstore, New Leaves, where I grabbed a copy of Markus Zusak's The Book Thief to read this week. This book seems to be found on the Young Adult shelves, but it doesn't look very young to me. I'll let you know my thoughts later in the week.

Also on the bedside table this week is a book I've been planning on reading for quite some time - The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino. It's a crime novel set in Tokyo, and I was basically sucked into purchasing it when the publisher released the first chapter online. Since the death happens right in the last line of that chapter and you know 'who done it', I couldn't leave the mystery of how they get away with it (or not) unknown now, could I? I wonder if you're stronger than I am?

My very vaguely nebulous plans for this delicious week include lots of sleep, lots of reading, lots of yummy food, some wonderful videos including Departures, Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, Van Diemen's Land and the controversial Walkabout. I plan to visit as many second hand bookshops as I can fit in, and a few new book stores as well...that is shops of new books, not new shops.

Finally, I plan to blog. I'm feeling really out of touch with you all. Did you know that it is a year since my dear Dad died? I don't seem to have had much time to talk to you in all that time. Add to that the flood and its aftermath and then the last 14 weeks of full time admin work, and my poor peaceful blog has been really neglected. So has my blog visiting. Sorry.

I am so appreciative of those of you who continue to drop by. I even have some lovely new followers, which is very gratifying, and I thank you for your support. What I am sad about though is that I no longer have the wonderful chat in the comments that used to characterise A Peaceful Day as something special. I so miss my community of gorgeous girlfriends - where are you all?

Anyhow, this week I plan to go some way towards rectifying this. I hope to chat to you about my schedule for this coming term, as well discuss the things that went well and those that went not so well in the last one. I want to talk to you about parlour games and vicarious sin. Only not in the same post. I would like to update you on the floods as well, only I don't quite know what to say there - nothing is happening really. I want to show you my new knitting project. Mostly I want to reconnect with you all.

Perhaps you could help me with this. If you are new here or if you just lurk, I'd love to know who you are and a little about you and your family. If you blog, send me your link so that I can come visit, will you? If you're one of my dear old pals, do write and say 'hi'. I miss your chatter so much!! Finally, perhaps you can let me know what you would like me to write about this week. Do you have any burning questions about flood recovery or Ambleside Online or MEP or Australia that you think I could answer? Is there anything you'd like to correct me on, or something you think I should know by now?

Sadly, I don't look like being able to stop work for a while yet. I am training a new girl though, so we'll wait patiently and see what transpires.

In the mean time I'm going to enjoy every single minute of this holiday. Day one home alone has gone swimmingly. I'll let you know how tomorrow turns out when it's done.

Are you jealous? What would you be doing if you were me? Do tell.

Naughty me

The skiers are on their way, and already I've started spending money.

On books, of course. Internet shopping is so good, and I am so bad. I have ordered this and this. So frivolous. So delicious.

Perhaps I had better get going to Geelong and get away from the computer. On the way I am visiting the factory shop here. I can be bad there as well.

While I am away being naughty and spending money you could have a listen to Ken.



He is very interesting and quite witty too. I found him on Jamie's blog. Jamie is good. Not naughty like me.

While I am gone I will be spending time with my family, reading, eating chocolate, knitting, crocheting, shopping, visiting Ezard - my favourite restaurant in the whole wide world, soaking in the tub, watching some films, drinking champagne, having a massage with my niece at endota, and sleeping. In no particular order and not all at the same time. Even I am not that clever.

Naughty and clever, but not that clever.

Nice though.

See you when I get back.

Mother Culture 5

I'm having lunch with unbecominglily.

Jeana and Jeanne.

Cute.

I'm sick of writing about me this week, and you're probably sick of reading about me. Jeana is much more interesting than me, so hop on over and read about her instead.

You can see how clever she is too, in her shop. Go on, take a look there too.

You know you want to.

Maybe some of her cleverness will rub off on me. Do you think?

Image from Unbecominglily.

Mother Culture 4

If you're looking for me today I'll be busy. Really busy. I'll be here.

Hey, it's dark and lonely work, but someone's got to do it...as the saying goes.

Images courtesy Aurora Spa Retreat, St Kilda

Mother Culture 3

Grandma Poss and Hush

The Bunyip from Berkley's Creek

I suppose you know that I'm fond of Australian Children's literature. Well okay then, perhaps a little more than fond. Obsessively fanatical perhaps? Anyway, I like it...a lot, and I try to encourage others to like it too.

Today I made my first visit to what is regarded as the Holy Grail of Children's Literature in Australia - the beautiful Dromkeen Museum in Riddells Creek. The museum is home to the Dromkeen Children's Literature Collection, a unique collection of original illustrations, artwork and manuscripts from the best of Australian children's literature, particularly picture books. The Collection includes not only finished illustrations and artwork, but also preliminary artworks such as sketches, storyboards and dummy books revealing the creative processes behind book production.

I strolled around the homestead and the current exhibitions of pictures from recent books: Newts, Lutes & Bandicoots illustrated by Mike Spoor; The Eleventh Sheep illustrated by Claire Richards; and Click go the Shears, illustrated by Charlotte Lance. The highlight for me was seeing the huge collection of Ivan Southall's books all housed around a beautiful Victorian fireplace. I could have sat and browsed for hours - swoon.

The gardens, filled with lovely bronzes of my favourite characters and an interesting Heritage Trail were worth a visit too, full of the colour of early daffodils and complete with elegantly strutting peacocks.

It struck me that this would be the perfect place for our Victorian get together when the weather warms up a little. Let me know if you'd be interested!

I've got lots of photos to show you when I can upload them to the server. These two are from Noveltea's Flicker stream. You can see more of her pics here.

Oh, in case you're wondering, I'm not bored yet. Nope, not even a little. Missing my wonderful hubby and the beautiful Jemimah, but not bored. Not a bit.

Mother Culture 2

Some things I'm doing tonight that I don't usually do:

• Eating dinner on my knee in front of the telly.
• Eating Triple Brie from here with Spiced Pear Paste from here.
• Drinking a piccolo of Moët et Chandon Brut Imperial champagne. (Yes, I am alone. I don't usually drink alone, and I don't usually drink real French champagne - promise!)
• Wearing my tracksuit with my Ugg knitted slippers (see above).
• Allowing Audrey the poodle onto the sofa as I eat.
• Watching twaddle - Meet the Robinsons in this case.
• Planning to finish up with not one but two 'elephant chocolates' from here.
• Blogging on a laptop.
• Texting my dh as he eats dinner with someone else!

That's our new Bhutanese yatra that you can see under my feet in the photo . You like?

Enjoy the Lord's Day everyone.

Mother Culture 1

Jemimah gave up her afternoon nap when she was 4 ½ years old, and with it went my daily 2 hour block of quiet time with the Lord.

I used to love this time alone with Him. Sometimes I used it to read the Christian classics - I read Ryle's Practical Religion; Grace and its fruits - Selections from John Calvin on the Pastoral Epistles; Truth's Victory over Error by David Dickson and Ryle's Holiness during this time, I remember, amongst others.

Mostly, though, I spent this time immersed in his Word. I used my favourite commentaries, the Welwyn Commentary Series by Evangelical Press. This 49 volume series is huge, amounting to more than 12,000 pages, but I know of no better aid to the practical exposition and exhortation of Scripture than this wonderful Reformed commentary.

When the nap disappeared, so did the Commentary - sadly. It was not planned, in fact I was half way through the volume on Luke at the time, but suddenly I realised that I hadn't spent personal time with my Heavenly Father for weeks, and as my walk with Him had slipped so had my reliance on Him for my daily needs. I needed to do something achievable - and quickly!

It was at that time that I began reading Daily Readings From All Four Gospels by J C Ryle compiled by Robert Sheehan. Taking only about 10 minutes morning and night this, combined with Family Devotions and our Church Homegroup, was enough to get me back on track, and now on its third time through, I continue to find Ryle's wisdom a continual blessing in my life.

I now spend 10-15 minutes reading this wonderful book and the accompanying portions of Scripture and praying morning and night. This personal time is what keeps me going through my busy day, and I rarely miss it.

It is a far cry from 2 hours a day though, and this is what I'm getting at...

With my family away skiing for ten days I realised last night that I get my Welwyn time back again - I'm so excited!


Last night I chose an unread commentary from my bookshelves, Gordon Keddie's Even in Darkness - Judges and Ruth simply explained. I picked it for two reasons - Gordon Keddie, pastor of Southside Reformed Presbyterian Church spoke at the Geelong Bible Conference last year, and I enjoyed hearing him very much. (He even signed my book!) Secondly, and more practically, this volume is short and is divided into fourteen chapters. If I read one or two each day with its accompanying Scripture passages I should be done when it is time to welcome my family back home! Yay!

So, my plan for this, my first real day of holiday:

1. A long hot bubble bath followed by breakfast outside in the winter sunshine (yes, I know it is already 10:32 am - who cares?)
2. A chapter of Even in Darkness, however long it takes and whatever rabbit trails it takes me along.
3. A browse in a new for me secondhand bookstore.
4. Don't know what 4 will be!!