Updated on August 25th, 2024 from my townhouse in the burbs, middle of winter
📍 SE Australia
Life in general
- Gym work has been cut down while I await wrist surgery later in the year. After that, recovery will be slow, and gym workouts will be non-existent. Walking will hold me over!
- Our two Siberian forest cats continue to do high-speed passes over the bed at odd hours of the morning. Krasnyy is super sticky and cuddly while the weather is cold, and Kiska is slowly allowing more pats. Francis, the bearded dragon, has come out of this year’s brumation period and is busily enjoying several baths a day, consuming all the food I can throw at him.
- We are continuing to enjoy our empty nest as my sons establish their own lives. We make sure they know the door is always open, and shared meals are cherished.
Writing
- I have completed the first draft of my book about what it’s like to be married to a Royal Marine and how to stay married to a soldier in general. Now onto nailing down the structure and then on to the editing.
- Lamenting my lack of blogging lately. Too much else going on!
Art
- I mostly create for my own amusement and capture my life one sketch at a time. I take the occasional commission if time allows and the subject interests me.
Reading
- For this year’s deep work, I am reading Randy Elrod’s The Quest and Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi’s From Ageing to Sageing and continuing to heal old wounds as I go.
- Lots and lots of romance novels as my escape and purely for enjoyment — I particularly loved Jilly Cooper’s classic Riders recently.
Music
- I listen to a lot of ambient electronic music or cello-based classical music while I work or create.
- I am getting particular enjoyment from mining childhood music, which encompasses 70s country (including those weird old trucking songs) and classic rock. These songs make me dance around the lounge and kitchen!
- For kicking back and chillaxing, I love St Germaine and modern European jazz. Sometimes, I listen to some Stevie Ray Vaughn. He’s smooth, but that man died way too young.
What I’m thinking about
- A change of scenery.
Hat tip to Derek Sivers for the /now idea. Now pages are for sharing real life.