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 🤍
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 😄
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.
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
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.
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.
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 🤍
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 😄
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
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
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.
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.
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.
Wishing you a truly peaceful Christmas. Xx