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SPICYWATCH

How Wonderful Life Is.

11/2/2024

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Beautiful little Freja Rose Jones was born at 9.09pm on the 6th of February, weighing in at 3.12 kg (6 pound 8 ounces) and measuring 50.5cms in length, her tiny presence immediately changing all of our lives forever. To say that we are smitten would be a drastic understatement, we all fell into raptures at the sight of her little body and beautiful bonny face, she is such a precious angel and a huge source of amazement.
And honestly, our Freja is nothing short of perfect and she has been thriving along for the last 5 days, demonstrating a healthy if not ravenous appetite and an ability to melt everyone's heart without even trying. Zoe and Ben also appear to have taken to parenthood like ducks to water, tag teaming like pros and ensuring that everyone gets enough rest and tap out time. They are certainly giving it their best efforts, but I didn't think that they wouldn't at any stage anyway, they've been dying for Freja to arrive and couldn't wait to get their hands on her to shower her with love and attention. 
And how quickly you remember all of the highs and lows, the joys and the challenges of parenthood when you look into the eyes of your grandchild. It's a strangely emotional time, with lots of big feelings and concerns as the memories of your own experiences flood back into your mind.  It's almost like you strap in right besides the new parents for a brand new ride. And you don't want to do too much or too little, and you don't want to crowd or be too impassive but you do want to know what's going on and how things are progressing every step of the way. And that's because there is someone new to love in the world now, someone that represents a new branch on your family tree and now there will be a million new experiences and opportunities for you to share your life with them. Words can't explain it really, it's just really joyful in the most intensely emotional way.
Unfortunately, I landed a bloody head cold this weekend which meant that I couldn't enjoy another Freja visit this weekend, which nearly broke my heart really, but you can't go and see a new born baby when you are under the weather, so I have to wait until I am 100% before I can some get more of those delightful baby snuggles.
What a weekend of illness did afford me was a chance to binge watch some TV and unwind, which probably wasn't a bad thing to be honest.  The return to work has stretched me greatly over the last fortnight, and I have been feeling like I have transitioned from the hammock to the frying pan in one fell swoop. And that on top of all of the new 'Bibi' feels, worry for my daughter and new grand-daughter and my ever plummeting menopausal hormones, I have been left me feeling kind of emotional and a bit vulnerable. I mean I cried for pretty much n reason at all the other day and struggled to stop myself once I got going, it was ridiculous and I felt like such a ding-a-ling. I hate it when my emotions run away from me, but I suppose that its bound to happen at this stage of my life.
Anyway, onward and upward this week as I settle down and refocus my sights to brighter, healthier and happier days ahead. And there is no denying that Elton John knew what he was doing when he wrote the beautiful song - Your Song, because dear Freja, it's true: how wonderful life is, while you're in the world. 
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LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
Release Date: 1997
Rating: M
Running Time: 116 mins 
A period tragicomic drama directed by and starring Roberto Benigni, who shot to fame after he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, Best Original Dramatic Score and Best Foreign Language Film at the 71st Academy Awards.
Set in the 1930's, Life is Beautiful tells the story of a playful Jewish Italian book shop owner named Guido that has his life turned upside down when he and his son become victims of the Holocaust. With his own blend of humour and imagination, Guido attempts to protect his son from the real horrors of the Nazi Concentration Camp. 
Part of the idea for the movie came from Benigni's own family history, as his own father survived a three year term at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, so this was a very personal body of work. Benigni himself is just fabulous as Guido, bringing charisma and ingenuity to his character that translates beautifully. I adored this film, it made it me laugh and it also made me cry. I didn't think that it was an insensitive holocaust movie, as some people believed it to be, but rather a hopeful and endearing piece that speaks volumes about endurance and creativity. 
FINAL SAY: Buon Giorno, Principessa! 
4 Chilli Peppers

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Feathering the Nest

4/2/2024

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The world feels filled with jittery anticipation as we all eagerly await the arrival of Zoe's baby. Due on the 31st of January, the baby is proving to be very unwilling to join us in the world just yet and has kept Zoe and Ben sitting around feathering their nest now for weeks in a mixture of excitement and anticipation. Talk about tenterhooks! I'm not sure if the baby is delayed in getting here because it is stubborn, or if Zoe is just too comfy or perhaps the dates weren't quite accurate,  but what I do know for sure is that if it doesn't arrive soon I think that Zoe is going to have a full blown meltdown!
She is hot and very tired of waiting, and I can't say I blame her. Zoe came into the world four days early and Seth came one day late, so I can only imagine how poor Zoe must be feeling. I know that I was well and truly sick of being pregnant by the end of it all and could not wait for it to be over. The waiting and not knowing is just the worst kind of torture, and it is also peppered with a lot of fear and anxiety when it is your first baby because you just don't know what the hell is going to happen to you in labour and it is quite terrifying really.
Not that knowing makes it any easier the second time around mind you, I literally locked myself in the toilet and flat out refused to come out because I - quote - "am not doing this bullshit again, no way!" But Seth did eventually get here, so yeah, I did have to do that bullshit again turns out!
It is amazing how you forget just how challenging pregnancy and the waiting for a baby to arrive can be, but you do go through it all again with your own children and the memories are flooding back for me thick and fast. The hot, stretchy-skinned tiredness, the 'nothing fits me' and 'I'm a horrible monster' phase, the 'oh good god, how will I ever get this out of me?' worries and the 'can someone just make this all end?' pleas, it is a really trying period of time and when the baby is overdue, it can feel like an endless stretch of irrelevant moments that can only be relieved by the arrival of the baby. Everything hangs on the baby and the loss of control is so challenging. I have felt it so strongly through Zoe and she is so ready for her child to be in the world. 
And then suddenly the baby finally arrives and you feel exhilarated and achieved and wonderful and....then... well then the baby stage begins, and that, as all parents well know is it's own type of fresh hell. Plummeting hormones, sleepless nights (and days), resounding cries, sore nipples, endless nappies...but I won't go on about that just yet. We have a few hurdles to leap over before we start to traverse that river of experiences. So strap in everybody, a baby is on the way, and not just any baby - my grandchild!  Oh lord, I cannot believe my good fortune! Come on my darling baby! We are ready with open arms to receive you!
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BABYTEETH
Release Date: 2019
Rating: M 
Running Time: 118 mins 

An Australian coming of age, romance-drama directed by Shannon Murphy from a screenplay by Rita Kalnejais. After premiering at the Venice Film Festival, Babyteeth deservingly went on to win nine AACTA film awards including Best Film. With a mixture of romance and love complications, Babyteeth hits all of the right notes and delivers a thoughtful portrayal of a family dealing with youthful energy and illness. 
Milla Finlay is just like any other 16 year old, only she has cancer. On a station platform she meets Moses, a drug addled despot who steals her heart and challenges her already stretched family. 
With powerhouse performances from the always great Essie Davis and Ben Mendelsohn, who play Milla's parents, the young love birds (Eliza Scanlon and Toby Wallace) are well positioned for an engaging, touching and completely believable tale of love, self discovery and of course, loss. 
FINAL SAY: This is the worst possible parenting I can imagine. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers
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