05 August 2014

While I am away...

Source: Instagram @kalygolo

I am flying to Ireland in a few hours for my cousin's wedding. Summers are weddings. Lates twenties and early thirties are weddings. Family reunions, feasts, meeting long lost cousins and fidgeting over what to wear as a guest. I'm counting on Irish beer too, for this one. Here are a few random bits and thoughts to leave you with while I am away for the rest of the week...

  • Speaking of family reunions, Mark Haddon is very good at writing about these - the psychology of his characters is deep and realistic, and the relationships are explored in such an interesting way. I recently read, and recommend, The Red House.

  • I am very fond of mystery novels, films and series. Especially when it takes place in a very gentlemanly universe, in the 1930's. Just discovered the Australian series Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, a delightful series full of humour and elegance.

  • I've been drinking herbal water all summer. A jug, some herbal tea and cold water, fresh out of the fridge. It tastes so good, and it is much healthier than ice creams and other sodas.

  • Also recently discovered, Archana's blog To Universe With Love.  Her travel posts revived my wanderlust, and she shares very thoughtful ideas around simplicity and well-written essays on her favourite food. A delightful read. I found myself nodding along most of her post "Set a New Intention: Simplify".

Source

A few quotes to finish up this musing, from my handbag notebook, finally full after following me for two years, and replaced just today:

 Education is what people do to you, learning is what you do to yourself.
-- Joi Ito

The present alone is our happiness.
-- Goethe


I hope you are enjoying your summer/winter and making the best of the season! I intend to make the best of my wedding in Ireland, to bring back nice photos for you and good whiskey for myself... See you next week.

10 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing. Oh, and if you enjoy Poirot, Phryne and the like, you really should try Death in Paradise!

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    1. Thanks for the recommendation! I only have a few episodes left of Miss Fisher's murder mysteries, so I might jump to this one next :)

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  2. Thanks for the recommendations, Kali! I'm also a fan of murder and mystery things so I'll have to check out Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. Though I do enjoy seeing mysteries being played out on television (Elementary is a favorite and I've recently started Sherlock), I wonder whether it's more fun reading about it than having everything laid out before your eyes. To me, it almost seems like novels invite more reader participation since it's easier for readers to flip through pages and slowly re-trace the steps that led to solving the mystery. Then again, I suppose you could also do the same with a television show if you were so inclined.

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    1. I really like both book and TV series/film when it comes to mystery/crime fiction. I think both media bring different perks - I love books for the power of imagination, the much more detailed description of the murderer's minds and overall atmosphere, the capacity to imagine a scene, and trying to find clues along with the detective. I love series for the scenography - the choice of scenes, colours, atmospheres, the choice of actors and what they bring to the character (when you see all the Sherlocks, so similar yet so different from each other). One of the crime series I liked most this year was Broadchurch, the southern England cliffs and sea, the incredibly immersive music, the slow and captivating scenes, and wonderful actors. I loved UK's Sherlock (Cumberbatch is a great Sherlock Holmes), but I haven't watched Elementary yet, it's on my summer list!

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  3. I've been drinking home-made iced-tea all summer, sooo refreshing and a welcome change from pure water. I don't like it with herbal teas though - fruit infusions combined with green tea on the other hand ...
    Enjoy Ireland!

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    1. Thanks, Ireland was great! I already want to go back for a longer time to be able to visit more, hike and bike around. The herbal water I've been making these days doesn't contain tea actually, I find most herbal teas too heavy for iced drinks. I have a few maté/rooibos preparations for herbal waters, or, like you, I prefer the lighter green tea for that :)

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  4. For wonderful mysteries written in the 1930's, try Dorothy Sayers' "Lord Peter Whimsey" series.

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    1. Thanks for the recommendation, I'm definitely checking this out :)

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  5. Kali,

    I have been backpacking in Europe and been away from the internet for a while. When i log in today, realized how much attention my little blog had received thanks to your recommendation. Thank you for reading !

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    1. No problem, I really enjoy reading about your adventures and discoveries :) I hope you enjoyed your trip in Europe!

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