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Thanks Brooke, for your inspiration this year. I really appreciate all you have given to this us here in the Substack community. Wishing you Ben and family a restful and nourishing Holiday Season 🤍

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Thanks so much Dawn. I can't tell you how much I appreciate having you here as part of not only The Tortoise community, but also the wider Substack community too. I hope you and your loved ones have a lovely break and a peaceful new year 💚💚

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I do love these top 10's. I had to pause the plodcast to listen to Ben's album of the year when I heard how he described it as I am partial to screamy and indie music 🤣

My top 10 are:

Tv show - Alone Australia

Small detail - Every time I see a Ulysses butterfly I lose my tiny mind

Movie - does the 2nd Avatar movie count if I first saw it in 2023?

New destination - Fortitude Valley. So many great craft breweries, live music venues and dive bars, and so easy to get to from the airport.

Book - Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts

Discovery - Cairns Botanic Gardens

Album - Suicide and Sunshine - Trophy Eyes

Meal - Guerrilla in Cairns, they are a great modern Mexican restaurant

Experience - Seeing Luca Brasi play Theme Song From HQ with Ben from Slowly Slowly at Good Things Festival. The whole festival was excellent, but that was the highlight, followed closely by seeing Taking Back Sunday again 😄

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Ok, so here we go - My favourites from 2023 - with a bullet!

TV show(s):

1. 'Under the Vines' on Iview (for the amazing NZ scenery and the very uncomplicated story lines.)

2. 'Sex Education' on Netflix (run, don't walk!!)

Small detail: Actually a big detail - a daily Yoga Nidra practice.

Movie: I have seen very few so I will have to go with 'Barbie' that I saw twice!

New destination: I re-claimed the office and called it 'The Loving Room' and I spend a lot of time in there by myself.

Album: Sadly I rarely listen to the whole of anything.

Song: 'Julianna Calm Down' by The Chicks

Concert: 'The Chicks'

Experiences: Rekindling an old friendship with friends from where I used to teach in Mudgee. We saw each other three times this year! At 'The Waifs' concert, watching 'The Matlida's' game at their place and here in my home town as well. Old friendships can be so easy.

Best meal: Anything cooked by a friend. I don't get out much!

Best book(s):

'The Covenant of Water' by Abraham Verghese

'Your Name is not Anxious' by Stephanie Dowrick

'Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens' by Shankari Chandran

Podcast: 'Everyday Ayurveda & Yoga' by Myra Lewin

Life changing: (I'm making this one up!) Doing a deep dive and studying Ayurveda for most of the year.

Ok I think that's it!

Thanks Ben and Brooke - that was really fun.

Happy 'restive' season everyone,

Love Cherie

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Thank you for your best books list. I’ve read all of Verghese and didn’t know he had a new one out.

I am committing to reading a “real” book a month in 2024 rather than all audiobooks. I’ve just put this one on hold at my local library 😃

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Your podcast was a moment of calm in a very chaotic and traumatic year so thank you so much.

Tv show

Wednesday (may have been 2022...)

3rd season of Only murders in the building (probably my favourite season so far)

New doctor who specials

Movie

Didn’t really watch any, but the wiggles doco was really interesting and I have a whole new respect for them

Album

Bluey soundtrack

Listening

Bluey podcast

Pop cast with Knox and Jamie

The tortoise

I have discovered my favourite podcasts are those with the same hosts discussing a topic instead of those with a new guest each week. It feels like I have a bunch of friends that don’t know me 😂

Experience

I had a baby this year so lots of moments, first crawl, getting breastfeeding photos, seeing how much my baby loves music and dance, his first laugh, so many things

Also a one day yoga retreat where I had 10 hours without Bub and it was a gloriously long day to recharge myself with yoga, meditation, chanting, swimming, reading while lying in the shade

Small moment

Breastfeeding in the middle of the night (when I’m not ridiculously overtired). It’s such a lovely little bubble of just the two of us when the rest of the world is asleep

Concert

The wiggles

(I liked the wiggles and bluey before having a baby 😂)

Discovery

Learning how strong I really am

Everything I’ve learnt to look after my baby, especially with cloth nappies and infant pottying

Meal

Getting to eat sushi, soft serve, soft cheese etc again after giving birth

Book

Too bad to stay too good to leave, very thought provoking reading

Homecoming by Kate Morton

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A very enjoyable listen, almost therapeutic. Hearing about all of your varied interests has reminded me of some of my own which I’m keen to spend more time doing in 2024.

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BROOKE! Picture me blissfully listening as I tackled my chores, and then suddenly coming across my own book! What an absolute delight of a note to end the year on, and doubly so to know it helped bust a slump. I'm so glad you enjoyed, and I consider it a small repayment for all the deep thinking you've provoked on my end.

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Here is my top 10 (I am making myself pick one or this would be too long)

TV show - Billions

Small detail - the way the hair finally grew back on my dog’s head after a spinal tap

Movie - A Man Called Otto - because it was the first movie my sister and I went to see together in a million years -

New destination - Alaska

Book - I have finished 107 this year. My recommendation is We we’re dreamers by Simu Lui

Discovery - this amazing Indian restaurant

Album - no new music really this year. I lived in the 90s

Meal - the Hanukkah dinner we just shared with friends

Experience - starting therapy

Podcast - I listened to few this year so no new ones.

Wishing you and your family a peaceful holiday season.

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Wishing you a truly peaceful Christmas. Xx

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