pickYesterday‘s op shop for the grand total of $4. We are supposed to wear enclosed shoes to school but my feet get so hot in the Australian summer so I cheat with ones like these with holes in them. Not gorgeous but useful and cheap. The mags were free and ones I hadn‘t read before. I can‘t knit but want to learn so bought the tagged book for when I retire and hopefully I‘ll still love gaudy, oversized knitwear in the style of Jenny Kee then too.
Last day of my long service leave calls for a spot of op shopping. All this for $14.50! The bib is new & for my new & probably last nephew Murphy. He is just over a week old ❤️. I love me some embroidered serviettes for dinner parties & at $2 if they get stained I can just throw them out. Not sure what I‘ll make out of the material on the bottom. I love magazines but usually only buy them from op shops or borrow from the library. Now for a wax!
The beach, swimming pool, paperbacks & overseas travel would be my four #thoughtfulthursday @MoonWitch94 bit late but thanks for the tag.
pickA weekday off means a sneaky op shop. If you don‘t own one of these red Tupperware onion choppers, I suggest you get yourself one quick smart. No more tears. They are worth about $30 but I got this one for $2. I always buy them when I find them this cheap as I don‘t want to live my life without one. Ha! I got very excited about the knock off Ken Done purse. I love him. I also love a nanny knitted sock. These are for my nephew for his birthday.
pickSadly this was my last haul of books from Charlie‘s book swap at a nearby mall before it shut down 😭 My step daughters are half Swedish so the Astrid Lindgren books are for them and the Nanny Piggins are for my niece, Lila. I‘m at my new place today trying to sort it out a bit and get building inspections done. There were so many men for such a small job and they actually arrived before the allotted time! This move has been a long slow process.
pickKids books were $1 at the op shop yesterday & given that I collect anything gumnut related, I had to have this. This hand painted tea cup was only $2. I collect tea cups too! God help me. I went to the mall to see Downton Abbey yesterday & today I saw Mothering Sunday. Loved both movies but I haven‘t seen a movie as good as Mothering Sun for yonks. Exquisitely filmed. Reminded me of Atonement. Lots of penis too which is nice to see for a change.
Op shop scores from back in May after an early Saturday morning ballet lesson.
On Saturday the sun was shining (unlike now with dangerous, cold wind!) and I headed to the Botanic Garden‘s book fair. I exercised restraint with the books but the cds were free so I couldn‘t help myself. Mainly classical music. Some of the book covers are gorgeous and all in great condition. A bargain as they were mostly $2 each. I enjoyed a Devonshire tea afterwards. I will definitely be back.
Nothing went to plan yesterday but at least I got these books at my local shopping centre‘s new book swap. The markets I walked to were canceled so I was too early for the shops I wanted to go to. I had a chai tea and a piece of pumpkin bread at a cafe until the supermarket opened but they didn‘t have what I‘d come for so I walked home. At least I got a good long walk in for exercise. The Ivy and Bean books are for my niece Lila who loves to read.
A busy week with not much time to myself calls for a Friday arvo op shop splurge. Love me some 80s earrings and a homemade blanket. The envelopes are for Litsy Love of course. The tea cup is to add to my eclectic collection. The necklace reminded me of love beads. Grand total $8!
pickBook club last night was the best yet. So much to discuss with this one plus delicious food at Ginger Megs restaurant. I had Peking jack fruit bao & a glass of Malbec plus an excellent chill watermelon margarita. We all agreed we were hooked at the beginning then had no idea where this book was going & are still non the wiser but liked it regardless. Personally I thought that was the point to prove that the narrator had mental health struggles.
so-soA wonderful last day at the Sydney Writer‘s festival. Today started off with Indira Naidoo & Delia Falconer where I shed a tear, then an interesting free lecture on architecture & cemeteries followed by Diana Reid & Allee Richards, the discovery of Maxine Beneba Clarke, then Liane Moriarty interviewed by Caroline Overington who got very nosy & last of all David Williamson (a playwright who I hated in high school) interviewed by Trent Dalton.
so-soAnother heavenly day at a writer‘s festival. 1st up this morning was Tony Birch (I ❤️ the sound of his voice), then a shop at the farmer‘s market (on the same site) where I got all the ingredients for a feast that we ate tonight. I love me some Buratta. Then the lecture in the pic where I caught up with a family friend before and after, then last but not least Clementine Ford and a new discovery for me, Brodie Jabour who I need to investigate.
pickFirst book purchase at #SFW. Never heard of the author before the the lecture I went to as it included Toni Jordan, who I bought the ticket to see. Paddy got me to buy her book with one sentence and let me take her picture. She said my name is spelt unusually like hers. Shame about the cold but I did just have a nice hot cheese pie and glass of Shiraz for lunch. I will borrow a jacket to wear tomorrow. Now off to fill in time at the book shop.
pickWagging school (as I do every year) and on my way to the Sydney Writer‘s Festival on the train. Hoping to get this book signed on Sunday. Catching up with a family friend and staying with my beautiful friend and godson who I haven‘t seen since last year when she told me she was pregnant and now she is about to pop. I‘m eating date loaf and drinking Red Rose tea courtesy of #LitsyTeaSwap and @Bookwormjillk It is waking me up too. Thankyou Jill xo
Monday night‘s full moon walk home from ballet yielded these goodies from the book swap.
pickStarting on this 1 on the 🚂 to work this morn. I already know it‘s going to be good because I heard the author read a passage at the Newcastle Writer‘s Festival so I suggested it for my 📕 club. I‘m reading it & drinking my thermos of fancy ☕️ courtesy of @sarahbellum & the #LitsyTeaSwap It‘s a better way to start off the day after the silly mistakes I‘ve made over the last 2 mornings. Today I forgot to leave the 🔑 in the 📬 for the cleaner!
Last Mon night‘s book swap scores on my way home from ballet. What will I find tonight? My orange penguin collection is growing. Stayed home from school today as I had a rather large Mother‘s Day. My step daughters spent the morning with me and the arvo with their mother so Stew and I took the opportunity to go to the pub where we came across neighbours so it went from a simple pub lunch to listening to a guy signing covers & 3 bottles of wine!
pickI accidentally woke up a half hour before my alarm this morning so I thought why not start the day off well with this lovely package I opened last night. Thankyou @CrowCAH Earl Grey is my favourite. #LitsyTeaSwap
Best book scores from my building‘s book exchange for yonks!
pickI was very surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this book for Stockton Book Club these holidays. Bernadette made me laugh. It was a quick read for me. Now to watch the movie…
My last walk up the hill to the LFL before I realised I had covid. Out of quarantine, - and back to work today. Very lucky to only have had a mild case. Poor people who got the original stains must have really suffered. It did mean I missed out on seeing family yet again these school holidays! I studied the film Once Were Warriors when I was at university and listened to the audiobook a little while ago so was very excited to find the sequel.
On my way to a Little Free Library this week, I came across bags of books on a stoop labelled free. Heaven!
Had the book but never got around to reading it. Scored these at the local book swap a while back.
Sunday morning involved a walk up the hill to the little free library before sitting on my butt all day at the Writer‘s Festival. I didn‘t realise there was a race on so I couldn‘t take my normal track. Oh well!
Scores from the little free library a while back. It is how I reward myself for walking up the hill.
Just walked home from the last evening of the Newcastle Writer‘s Festival. Oh how I ❤️ a writer‘s festival. My brain is full of new ideas. I didn‘t buy any books! Hard to pick a favourite but Helen Garner was very entertaining. Clementine Ford is nothing like the media portrays her. If I do buy a book as a result of this festival it will be Inga Simpson‘s The Last Woman in the World. She read a passage from it and I need to know what happens next.
Friday‘s op shop scores for $10. I went down the street to buy something at a normal shop but I couldn‘t resist visiting the op shop while there. #noselfcontrol #ozzieauthors
Tuesday night‘s scores from the book swap on the way home from ballet.
My afternoon walk up the hill to the little free library was fruitful yesterday. It‘s getting easier so I may keep going to the next one along the coast this afternoon and check it out for the first time.
pickAnother writer‘s festival picture from yesterday. This one is of my Satan‘s Little Book Coven‘s current book pick. It is fiction loosely based on the history of my friend‘s farm and its conservation importance. It is the second book I‘ve read of hers and it is much better than the last one. I will keep reading her books not for the writing but for the local history in them. This is the second time I have been to watch her speak at a local library.
pickJust bought a book off this clever lady to give to my nephew. She got me with the snail that crawls over birds poo & gets a parasite that takes over his brain & makes him climb to the highest point he can so he gets eaten by a bird & the cycle continues. Zombie It‘s a true story! I‘m at the Write Here Festival. 3 talks to go today then 1 tomorrow. I even got some op shopping in this morning! I am now enjoying gnocchi and a glass of rosé for lunch.
2nd 1 this hols! My girlfriend, Kate found this 1 on a run yesterday & walked me there after our trip to the bakery this morn. Afterwards we walked the Broken Head 3 sisters walk, had a swim in the flood effected water & I listened to my racehorse lose while everyone played frisbee. The kids won again! My dinner of everything from the fridge on the last night of holidays was delicious if I do say so myself. Bbq & Mediterranean salad was the main.
Currently on hols in a very wet Byron Bay. My Stew took 2 laps around the roundabout so I could check out this LFL. Never mind there was nothing in it for me this time. Today was a rainy morning sleep in (The temp is perfect here at the moment for peri menopause sleeping), pancakes & bacon for breaky followed by adults v children frisbee game on Suffolk Park Beach (I‘d like to say that we won but that would be a lie) & I made a lasagna for dinner.
A tea cup to match each dress by accident. Op shop scores from a few weeks back. Plenty of books & scrapbooking supplies, beauty products from my fav brands eg L‘Occitane & Frank body, a soap that smells like honey, my fav mag (It always comes with beautiful paper that I use to wrap Litsy Swap parcels), a new version of Flowers in the Attic to watch with the kids & a Bolshoi ballet DVD! This op shop gives away free kids books. Great for school.
On Thurs night I had a surprise night off ballet. The weather in my city has been pretty bad so my teacher cancelled & when I‘m happy or sad I go op shopping! The dress cost more than I usually pay at the op shop but it still had the tag on it. Worth $120 & I got it for $55! My nickname is Lil so I had to have the shirt signed by an artist to another Lil. Ha! The shark tooth earrings are to make my fishing obsessed nephew think I‘m cool. ❤️ hats.
From a Little Free Library a little while back.
Op shop was about to shut this arvo but in I went anyway. When they kicked me out I had these in my arms. Go me! All for the bargain price of $8.
Tuesday night‘s scores at the book swap on my way home from Ballet.
pickGoing to love this one I can tell. I originally bought it for the cover. Already trying to guess the ending which I rarely do. It‘s for my Stockton mum‘s book club April? pick. The flowers were bought especially for my Valentine and are still looking great. He has been looking after them though.
