It's a Classical Life

  I wanted to start a new series this year called My Favourite Books...in which I will share with you a collection of my favourite books with the same theme, setting, or genre. First up, I wanted to begin with My Favourite Books....Set in Italy because I recently reread Diana Athill's A Florence Diary (which absolutely makes my list) and was to remember some of my other favourite books with Italy as the setting. I am a trained Italian language teacher and spent time in my early twenties living and travelling in Italy. It is a place that holds a very dear place in my heart and has inspired many writers, artists, musicians and creatives over the centuries, from the composer Giuseppe Verdi to artist Michelangelo to writer Italo Calvino. Overseas travel isn't in our plans at the moment but when I feel that longing for Italy, these are the books that I turn to. Of my list, the first three are non-fiction, and the following seven are fiction. I hope you enjoy my top 10 favourite boo...

  When I read this quote by Eric Carle I knew I wanted to include it in my Bitesize Inspiration showcasing the wonderful author and artist, Carle. Doesn't it just convey all the best things about home, whether you are a child or an adult? A sense of security is just exuded from this brief sentence.  How do you feel when you get in the door? Is there a sense of overwhelm because the laundry hasn't been folded, the breakfast dishes are still sitting on the sink and no one seems to remember to put their shoes back where they belong? Even if that may be the case (though I truly hope it isn't), there is still room for warmth, holding hands, toys and a sense of love and security throughout the house itself.  In our world of visual stimulation, picture-based learning and constant representations of what home "should" look like, we have to remind ourselves that even the most perfectly curated picture of "home" cannot possibly have a feeling. That is something we...

  Do you remember the article I wrote earlier this year about cultivating discernment? (you can read it  here  if you're interested). I think that Eric Carle has summed up that idea perfectly in this week's Bitesize Inspiration. As long as our eye sight is good, then we have to look at things each and everyday - that is what our eyes are for. If we are placing disaster, tragedy and trauma in front of ourselves everyday then that is going to have an impact on our brain and consequently our psyche. Not only can Carle's words refer to the beauty of art but also to other content that we choose to give our time and attention to.  Some of my favourite Instagram accounts to follow are museums, in particular Rijks Museum (Amsterdam) and architectural accounts with beautiful designs and interiors. I unfollowed the news accounts that I had been following because I found it too depressing to come onto the Instagram. Now, I only follow things that uplift and inspire me. Beautif...

  Playing Beatie Bow was my January pick for the 2025 Aussie Reading Challenge that I joined with Paula at Vince Review . It came under the category "Time Travel." This was a reread for me and I'm so glad that I picked it up again. Park is one of my favourite writers (in fact you'll see her later in the challenge with another one of her books) and really captures the essence of a place in her writing. Playing Beatie Bow is set in The Rocks , a famous area of Sydney almost directly under the Harbour Bridge. Home to the traditional Gadigal First Nations People, it was also the site of the landing of the first settlers, and thus home to Sydney's first gaol, hospital and dockyard, all made from the sandstone that was the geological foundation of the landscape.  Written in 1980, it is considered a modern Australian classic children's novel. I think it can be a bit confronting for children these days so I'd definitely recommend reading it before giving it you...

  Happy Monday! Are you in need of a little tip today that will help you take a moment, remind you to see the beauty around you, and let you celebrate the small things in life? I am always in need of a tip like that so Eric Carle's beautiful simple quote really spoke to me. There are two things that I love about this quote: Firstly,  his inclusions of sunsets in the world of art. Lately we have been having the most glorious summer sunsets. We've been having a mild heat wave here the last week or two, so evenings are very still and clear. The colours that have decorated the sky have been magical and mesmerising. We often have our front curtains closed to block that strong afternoon/evening sun (our house faces west), but when I remember to open them I am never disappointed. Here are a couple of shots that I've taken with my iPhone, look at those colours! The second thing that I really like about this quote is the very first line: simplify, slow down and be kind.  It's...