It's a Classical Life

As I write this, 170 vulnerable Australians are on flight from the UK to Darwin as part of a 'mercy flight' by the Australian government. These people are elderly, have health problems or are new mothers who were forced to have their babies overseas. They have been waiting for more than eight months to come home and many of them have bumped off other flights and forced to wait. I cannot imagine how they must be feeling, knowing that they are finally on their way home. To the safety and security of knowing that once there, everything will be alright. We feel so much safer on our 'own turf' so to speak, even if the sense of security is false. Being home gives us a feeling of security that cannot be shaken. I'm not saying that we must be in our own country of origin to feel 'at home'; that feeling can come from anywhere, no matter how many times we may have moved. I'm referring to that place that we consider in our hearts, to be home. As I finished reading

I'm a bit of a fussy reader sometimes. I don't do very well in Book Clubs because I don't really like to be told what to read, when. When the mood takes me for a story, or a place, or a character, I reach for those books - and often I'll binge on them until my desire is sated. This is particularly true for Agatha Christie books, Montalbano books, Sherlock Holmes and so on. Reading books like this with strong characters or place/time settings can lead me to look for other books along the same lines.  I read through these books quite quickly and then move on to the next one straight away. I would like to spend more time thoughtfully contemplating each book, and perhaps being mindful of what I have read. Did I like it? Why? Why not? What do I think the author was trying to say with this book? Was it purely entertainment or is there some deeper message? This is very much in-line with a classical education, read the facts first, analyse what has been read, offer an opinion/e

Some people were of the opinion that a sober and abstemious mode of living    considerably reduced the risk of infection. They therefore formed themselves into groups and lived in isolation from everyone else. Having withdrawn to a comfortable abode where there were no sick persons, they locked themselves in and settled down to a peaceable existence, consuming modest qualities of delicate foods and precious wines and avoiding all excesses. They refrained from speaking to outsiders, refused to receive news of the dead or the sick, and entertained themselves with music and whatever other amusements they were able to devise.                                                                                                    'The Decameron,' Boccaccio (p7) We are not the first ones to have to isolate due to a pandemic, yet I think we are the first ones to have choice and opportunities available to us as to how we would like to spend our time during such a lockdown. Many of us are wor

' The Language of Flowers ,' ' The Cottage Garden ', ' The Language of Flowers ' When you see roses, do you think of love? Did you know that in Australia we use rosemary on ANZAC day because it symbolises remembrance for those who fell in the war? Have you seen a display a cempasuchil , a bright orange marigold, during Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations, and known that they represent the way home for souls who have crossed over? Flowers and plants have long held significance in the daily lives of people all around the world. It is one of those ubiquitous traditions that all cultures seem to revere. In traditional western culture we use flowers to say 'I love you', 'I'm sorry', 'Happy Birthday' and 'I do.' In a city, and a country, that has been besieged by drought for so long, it is wonderful to have so much rain this winter and spring. With these rains bringing such lush and verdant flora to our home and our region I thoug

I love listening to Podcasts; whether they be dramatic readings of fictional texts, interviews with scholars and experts, discussion panels or other non-fiction conversations. I subscribe to a few, and thought I would share them with you here.  In Our Time  - BBC 4: This is absolutely one of my favourite podcasts to listen to for insightful conversations and panels on a wide range of topics. I subscribe to the history and culture podcasts, but there are also science, philosophy and religion. The BBC has a whole website dedicated to self-education and in addition to the podcasts it contains articles, clips and more. Definitely worth a look if you aren't sure where to begin with your self-education. Librivox : Here is where you can find all the classics that you love (or would love to read) in audio format. You can choose which one you like and download it chapter by chapter, or listen to the whole thing all at once. Some of my favourite readings have been Heart of Darkness by Josep

 One of the good things to come out of lockdown this year was the return to more traditional past-times, such as bread-making, gardening and letter writing. My sister and I picked up pen and paper (as did our children) to share letters, stickers, encouragement, LEGO people (that was the kids, not us!) anything really. But then lock down ended and so did our written correspondence. I wish it hadn't so I'm going to pick up the pen and paper and start writing again. And I encourage you to take up this delightful past-time as it connects us to so many of the great writers and thinkers of the past. We get so much of our information about life in the past from letters written. Some of my favourite classic letters are personal ones. For example,  Napoleon Bonaparte's love letters to Josephine de Beauharnais (be warned these can get pretty steamy!)  and ones from parents to their children, often containing advice (such as Lorenzo de Medici to his son Giovanni after he arrives in R

  'When words leave off, music begins.'     ~Heinrich Heine Reading the classics is one way that we try to better our lives, and better our understanding of where (and who) we are in the world. Reading the great books that came before us strengthens our ability to become life long learners, helps become more curious, more empathetic and more aware of our own humility in the grand scheme of things. It keeps us humble and modest I suppose and can teach us many things about patience, appreciation and motivation.  Listening to classical music can absolutely do the same for us. It can also give us a nice, calming break in our day or our week from the inane chatter of modern music, radio or the background noise of the television. It is perfect to play first thing in the morning for a quiet start to the day (my favourite way to listen to it) or at around 3pm when you sit down for a nice afternoon tea, another classic past-time. I also like to have it playing quietly in the background

As we read through the Classics there's nothing nicer than a pretty bookmark. I know they are a dime a dozen and often even come with your online book orders but these cute home-made ones are perfect for your Classical reading. They would also make great gifts for a book club, or a History Faculty. Print them off for free and then laminate them. You can even punch some holes in the top and add a pretty ribbon. There are two types, a pastel floral theme and a more bold colourful theme. Some of them contain quotes from classic books others are more plain.  Floral Bookmarks Classic Bookmarks I really hope you enjoy them and would love to see them in use on instagram! Use the hashtag #aclassicallife to share. 

  Photo by me, during this exhibition at the NGA Perhaps someone mentioned the tragedy of Ophelia or exclaimed that they were trapped between Scylla and Charybdis and you stopped to wonder, what on earth are they talking about?! It isn't hard to spot well-read people in our society these days, and I don't just mean the afore-mentioned name droppers! People who read and discuss with passion the texts and literature often described as 'classics' or 'the greats' are often spottable because they are able to make sound, logical connections with these classics and the world today. That's what a good classic does. It endures in its relevance and its appeal. A good reader is able to not only understand the information that they have read, but evaluate it and offer an opinion on it based on well-informed logic and reason. In our current, opinon-driven society this ability is refreshing and very easy to spot amongst those who are quick to often an opinion, yet in rea