And just like that were half way through. Happy July friend !!.

These parts we’re deep into the coldest of the winter weather which makes getting out of bed even less of a thrill. Today though I’m awake sipping coffee in the early hours, the house still and quiet except for Loki, (my alarm clock), chewing on a plastic bottle at the end of the bed. There’s light rain falling and a foggy grey sky instead of the usual vivid pink and orange sunrise that I never can capture the beauty of on my phone. That sort of pretty can drag you bleary eyed out on to a cold verandah early in the morning just to feel part of it for a minute. Today though just a blanket of grey but that has its comforts and beauties too. And what’s that saying “good without the bad ain’t no good at all”.

Hope this weekend there’s plenty of good.

Hope this keeps you company as well – – – –

A Good Word

Image courtesy of Laura A Hicks

A Good Look

An afternoon in the garden,  what would you prefer? a good book, a good friend, a spot of gardening or all three. My fourth would be a fire pit.

See more if this simple but lovely back yard here

A Good Idea

from Emily P Freeman

Are you afraid to listen to your own intuition?

Does it make you nervous to pay attention to your own thoughts, feelings, and ideas?

Have you been taught to gather the facts but to discredit any information that come from you and your own experience?

What if you know more than you know you know?

What if God is inviting you to pay attention to your whole self: not just your thoughts but also your feelings, your body, and your deepest desire?

What if you could trust yourself, body, mind, heart, and spirit?

“Listen to the intuition. Because we might know more than we know we know.” –Padraig O’Tuama

Listening and honoring your own voice, experience, and heart may not come naturally for you.

But it’s a good and important practice, one that I’ve had to learn over time.

It could be helpful to practice remembering that you are beloved and your experience matters.

A question to consider in solitude: In the past week, when did you feel most like yourself?

A Few Good Reads

An unplanned books and movies theme this week.

from The Millions

How Being a Ghostwriter Has Shaped My Fiction

From The Millions Like most writers, I’m surrounded by characters. But unlike most writers, my characters are real. My characters have won Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, Tonys. They’ve won Super Bowls, World Series, and Olympic gold medals—a Presidential primary, even. They’ve explored the depths of the oceans, the bowels of our criminal justice system, and the halls of Congress.

I make my principal living as a ghostwriter. I write books for actors, athletes, politicians, entrepreneurs, game-changers—people you’ve heard of, and people you’ve never met until their books start to make noise. I help them to give voice to their experiences, and to speak into their lives in a meaningful way.

That’s the idea, anyway, and somewhere in there I suppose I also find a way to shed a shaft of fractured light on the human condition. Some of that light makes its way into my own books, which I guess is inevitable, because what you discover in one aspect of your work is bound to follow you into another

from Nikki Hardy

Summer Books For Every Mood + Moment

(Not summer where you are ? Nope me either but a good book is a welcome thing anytime).

If I gave you $110 to spend in your local book store, what would you buy?

The catch?

You have to spend it on yourself and you alone.

No early Christmas presents for Great Aunt Sally or snagging a couple of school books for the kids. This $110 is all for you. So what do you do?

If you’re anything like me, you’d stand there for an hour, torn between snagging your I’ve got to read this books; the ones you’ve had on your to-read list since Christmas, and buying those should-reads; the ones you’ve been feeling guilty about not reading since you saw everyone else reading them on social media and your BFF raved about – – – – keep reading

from Dappled Things

Mothers Day

Mom announced she would be in Palm Springs for the month of May. I hadn’t spent Mother’s Day with her in many years. Since I lived on the West Coast, she in the Midwest, a telephone call and card usually sufficed.

Full disclosure: she welcomed a phone call from me at any time.

But now I’d need to get a gift. I realized I’d also be on hand to witness her reaction, too. Quite frankly, I didn’t know her likes all that well. Nor her dislikes.

Her marriage to my father ended his widower status just before I started kindergarten – – – keep reading

And to finish from Bon Appetit (I have an itsy bit of a feeling I may have shared this one before so if I did here she is again)

19 Delicious Food Movies That All Deserve an Oscar

Here at BA, we obviously love food. We also love movies. Which means that, most of all, we love food movies—or, at the very least, movies with tantalizing food scenes in ’em. From Tampopo all the way to Birds of Prey, these films offer us wondrous escapism, allowing us to consume all kinds of food without actually leaving the couch. Though BYO snacks are, of course, recommended. (Just try and watch Eat Pray Love without ordering pizza, I dare you.) Whether they give us opportunities to live vicariously through our favorite characters or simply inspiration for tonight’s dinner, these food movies hold a special place in our hearts and stomachs.

Bao

I watched Bao, Pixar’s short film about a mom and her anthropomorphic bao son, on an airplane, and I cried so loudly and effusively that I’m sure my seatmate is still trotting out the story at dinner parties. This movie is for parents, children, and anyone who wants to be emotionally manipulated. Pair with Brandon Jew’s Mantou Knots.

Big Night

Watching Big Night is like observing my dream dinner party play out before my eyes. People dance, they drink, they lay on a table in a food coma (relatable), and—of course—they eat! Most of the movie focuses on one big night when a pair of brothers from Italy throw a blowout party to attract a famous Italian American singer in the hopes that it boosts their struggling Italian restaurant in New Jersey. My stomach always grumbles nonstop when I see the brothers serve course after course of a decadent meal that ends with an incredible baked pasta known as a timpano. That might be too intense to make for a movie night, so I recommend pairing the film with spaghetti and meatballs, risotto, or an omelet to match an incredibly emotional closing scene  – – – – keep reading

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That’s all for now friends. Have a beautiful weekend. Rest up. Do something you love xx