As lockdown 5.0 extends for more days than any of us would have liked or could have predicted, I continue to search for happy distraction in my life. So far  I have cooked, exercised, cleaned, sketched, meditated and baked away some of my free time in an endeavour to not be glued to the screen for hours on end.
God knows that there are literally thousands of movies on my 'to see' list not to mention the numerous TV series that I could dive head first into right now but as I said, that does mean a lot of screen time, and when you are already average around 5 films a week, you need to have other outlets.
​Thankfully, I also like nothing better on a cold winter's day than curling up with a good book. I like to listen to audio books and I also like to sit and relax with a good old fashioned print novel as well, I will take my books in any form and I try to get through at least a couple of books a month, regardless of the weather.
During this particularly frigid spat of weather that we are experiencing in Western Victoria right now and the lockdown restrictions keeping everyone at home for most of the time, it's good to have something lovely to do. Reading for me, is one of those lovely things. A great book, a big cuppa and a comfy couch...hmmm, simply heaven and a terrific way to pass a few lockdown hours away on the weekend. 
So what would I recommend for a good, cosy Winter read? Well, I have made a list of the 10 best books to read yourself and the 10 best audio books that I have listened to on Audible in the last 2 years for you to consider. All of the ones to read to yourself are also probably available in audio format if you like to read on the go, the choice of how to digest the material is of course completely up to you. 
All of these books are excellent and will provide you with a fabulous distraction from any lockdown annoyances, happy reading/listening!
​READ TO YOURSELF:

• Where the Crawdads Sing by Delta Owens
• Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty
• Honeybee by Craig Silvey
• Circe by Madeline Miller 
• Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline 
• Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe 
• Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones 
• Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton 
• Educated by Tara Westover 
• Modern Love by Aziz Ansari 

LISTEN TO IN AUDIOBOOK FORM:

• Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Narrated by Frankie Corzo) 
• Working Class Boy by Jimmy Barnes (Narrated by Jimmy Barnes on Audible) 
• Bunny by Mona Awad (Narrated by Sophie Amos) 
• Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (Narrated by Neil Gaiman on Audible) 
• So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson (Narrated by Jon Ronson on Audible) 
• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath  (Narrated by Maggie Gyllenhaal on Audible) 
• Slaughter House Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jnr. (Narrated by James Franco on Audible) 
• The Rules of Backyard Cricket by Jock Serong (Narrated by Rupert Degas on Audible) 
• Teresa Raquin  by Emilie Zola (Narrated by Kate Winslet on Audible) 
• Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid  (Various Narrators on Audible) 

We didn't even manage to get a full week in to the new school term before old Dan Andrews slapped another round of lockdown on us poor Victorians. Lockdown 5.0 is what everyone is calling this one and with numbers escalating around the country at a rapid and scary rate, lord only know how long this one will last for?
To be honest, I am not really an anxious person and after this many lockdowns I'm kind of like, yep bring it on. Or as Vicky Pollard from Little Britain would be saying at this stage 'I'm not bothered' about it at all.  If locking down is what we need to do then let's just do it and get it done. 
This latest lockdown was the result of two furniture removal guys travelling from Sydney to South Australia and having a lovely little stop off in Victoria and smearing their COVID19 hands across the state on the way. And there was also a family who broke border restrictions and came down to us from Sydney and brought with them...yep you guessed it - COVID19, the Delta Strain. Bless their hearts right? And that's all it takes, a couple of people not complying and boom - we are back to where we started all over again.
​However, for the first time ever it's not Victoria being blamed for another outbreak, it's poor NSW who is copping it royally this time, with numbers in the hundreds every day and rising. We as Victorians know exactly how this feels and it is just awful and tremendously scary. And naming and shaming the culprits who delivered a fresh batch of hell back to our doorsteps doesn't really change the fact that COVID19 is back in our lives and lockdown again we must. 
​Last year Victoria saw 820 deaths from COVID19 and we were in lockdown for almost four months and in that time we saw over 7,000 people become infected, it was not fun and Victorians remember that horror show and are more than happy to lockdown and do whatever it takes to stop that happening again.  We are bloody lockdown experts now!
Since the first confirmed case of the virus was detected in Australia in January of 2020 we have had 31,771 cases and 914 deaths to date. Which may not seem like many when compared to other parts of world but we certainly don't want any more deaths. Across the globe there have now been 190 million cases and 4.08 million deaths with the worst effected countries being the United State, India, Brazil, Russia and France. The United States alone has had 34 million cases and 608 thousand deaths, which is just mind boggling but there is the true power of Trump leadership for you, a total shit stain on the history of America forever. That country will take generations to recover from the impact of COVID19 and his bullshit leadership.
So, when we compare ourselves to the rest of the world we aren't doing so bad but we don't want to gain credit for having less infections, we just want to look after our fellow citizens and our own wellbeing. Locking down costs money, I get it but the cost of lives is far greater than any amount of money. Every economy across the world is being hit hard by COVID19 but it is only by putting people first that we can defeat this relentless and highly adaptable virus. 
So we forge forward into the great unknown lockdown predicament of 'Lockdown 5.0', not knowing how long it will last or how far it will spread but knowing that we have nothing to fear if we just do the right thing and stay home for as long as it takes. Thank god for streaming services right now that's all I'm going to say. 

FEAR STREET TRILOGY:
Part One - 1994
Part Two - 1978
Part Three - 1666
Release Date: 2021
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 330 mins total 
Based on the Fear Street books written by R.L. Stine, this horror trilogy  directed by Leigh Janiak hits some high notes with its ode to old school horror slasher films. There are Easter eggs galore for fans of retro horror and the storyline that ties the trilogy together is pretty intriguing and generally well executed. 
Welcome to Shadyside, a town that has been plagued with a string of grisly murders for centuries. A group of teenagers accidently unearth and awaken an ancient evil, something powerful that has been buried deep but can no longer remain hidden. The teens unwittingly become involved in uncovering a truth that will change the town forever. 
Is this a perfect formula? Of course not, it's a slasher trilogy, but on that front it does deliver. With a mixture of A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Halloween and The Witch all rolled into one, Fear Street brings something known but also missing from our screens since the early 90's and I had a lot of fun watching these with my teenage son.
​The cast is a likeable mix of fresh faced 'not so teenage' teens (would we expect anything else from a slasher trilogy?) and the soundtracks for all three films are honestly, completely awesome!
Released by Netflix over the course of three weeks, the Fear Street trilogy is a fun horror romp that doesn't fail to satisfy. 
FINAL SAY: Before the witch's final breath, she found a way to cheat her death. By cutting off her cursed hand, she kept her grip upon our land. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

I have come to the end of another school holiday break and I am feeling exceptionally satisfied with the amount of things that I have squeezed into my time. It's quite amazing just how many things you can get done when you have some extra day time hours away from work to get things in order and also tackle a lengthy and much neglected 'to do' list. 
This winter break I have successfully :

• Hosted three guests for overnight stays at Enfield 
• Visited my mother and helped her to get some of her affairs in order
• Been to the hairdresser
• Had brunch with a friend
• Read a book
• Got my first Pfizer immunisation
• Had dinner at a restaurant with friends 
• Got my car serviced
• Listened to an audio book
• Went to the dentist for a check up
• Had my eyebrows done
• Had morning tea with a friend
• Watched a movie everyday 
• Hosted a dinner party
• Had lunch with a friend
• Went to see a specialist with Seth 
• Made an appointment to get my tax done
• Went clothes shopping 
• Chatted on the phone to family and friends

And I don't want to brag too much but while I'm on a roll I will just say that I still managed to meditate, do yoga, write in my journal, brain train, practise French and get in 10,000 steps every day as well. Not a bad effort at all and now you know why I feel so satisfied about how I've used my time. It was a productive and lovely break and I have genuinely appreciated every moment that I have had to share with my friends and family and all of the lovely things that I have had extra time to indulge myself in. 
I have managed to get six months worth of 'to do' list items sorted in two short weeks and I feel so ready to face the second half of the year now.  All of my happiness chemicals are also firing on full reboot because of the activities that I have engaged in these holidays. I got my dopamine (the reward chemical) kicking over by completing tasks and doing self care activities.  I got my oxytocin (the love hormone) stimulated through my friend and family time. My serotonin (the mood stabiliser) got a recharge from all of the meditation. yoga and nature walking. And my endorphins (pain relief) were ignited from all of the laughter, good food and wine and the extremely pleasant time that I spent  curled up in my favourite chair with a delicious coffee, excellent smelling incense burning and a bit of good quality dark chocolate whilst watching movies or reading. Talk about the perfect way to re-energise your senses and spend the darkest days of winter - so utterly delightful!

​THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU
Release Date: 2004
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 119 mins 
Another Wes Anderson tale of the weird, the wonderful and the awkward; The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is a parody-homage to the great French diving pioneer Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Filled with all manner of unusual characters and occurrences, this film flies in the face of conventional comedy by being eccentrically funny and whimsically ironic. 
After his best friend Esteban du Plantier is brutally killed by a supposedly mythical 'Jaguar Shark', renown oceanographer and documentarian Steve Zissou vows revenge. A motley crew join Zissou on his research vessel Belfonte to assist with the tracking and documenting of this dangerous mission -  to find and destroy the Jaguar Shark. 
In true Anderson style, this is really wacky stuff, there are plenty of things happening on and off the camera that are so random and odd that you can't help laughing. I especially adored Pele dos Santos, the safety expert that also happens to be a Brazilian musician who sings David Bowie songs in Portuguese, acoustically throughout the film, gold! 
FINAL SAY: It's a documentary! It's all really happening! 
3 Chilli Peppers

Said you say
You wanna be alone
But someone loves you more than you know
Breath slow
'Cause you don't know
You don't know
'Cause you don't know
All the things that could set you free
Like embracing me....

No, unfortunately I didn't write those beautiful words, they are from the song Embracing Me by Safia which happens to be one of my favourite songs. I often think of those lyrics when I need a bit of healing or comfort. I recall all of the really great embraces that I have had in my lifetime and how great they all made me feel. Some of those hugs came from my husband and children, some from my parents, some from my friends and some days I have even embraced myself. 
Embracing yourself looks a little different than just stretching out your arms and wrapping them around yourself, although this too can offer a great deal of comfort when the need arises. But the comfort that I am talking about is when you embrace yourself with kindness and pleasure. Still not sure what I mean? 
Well, if you want to embrace yourself physically try these things:

• Go for a morning walk
• Hug someone for a longer than usual length of time
• Drink a glass of lemon water or some good quality herbal tea
• Stretch for 10 minutes or do yoga
• Eat a colourful plant based meal
• Take a hot bath or a cool shower
• Immerse yourself in the sun
• Apply a face mask
• Get a massage 

To embrace yourself mentally try these options:

• Read a book
• Clean out your wardrobe
• Listen to a podcast
• Write in your journal
• Do brain training or brain gym
• Plan a gathering or dinner party
• Watch a TED talk or a documentary
• Play a video game
• Try something new
• Do a puzzle
• Rearrange a room on your house

And to embrace yourself spiritually give these a try:

• Meditate
• Watch a sunrise, sunset or starry sky. 
• Sit quietly in nature
• Connect to someone you miss
• Read or write poetry
• Pray, visualise or contemplate
• Have a laugh with friends

I think you may be getting the idea at this point. And time and time again I have proven myself to be a hedonist aka pleasure seeker in this life.  And lets be honest, life is challenging and demanding and mostly unpredictable so why wouldn't you take some time to embrace the really good stuff that makes you feel more alive? And remember, if there is no-one else around for you to embrace, just embrace yourself- mind, body and soul. 

​​CHASING AMY 
Release Date: 1997
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 113 mins 
The movie that 'Silent Bob' broke his silence for. It could be seen as a bit dated these days, but when it was released, Chasing Amy had a fresh voice about the jealousies and insecurities that ruin good relationships. Written and directed by Kevin Smith (Silent Bob), Chasing Amy won two Independent Spirit Awards in 1998 and was generally received with favourable critic reviews. 
Comic book authors Banky (Jason Lee) and Holden (Ben Affleck) have been best buddies for over 20 years, but the arrival of a high spirited lesbian named Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams) threatens their friendship when Holden falls for her. Holden finds that his feelings are put to the test, not only by Banky who desperately wants Alyssa gone, but also by Alyssa's checkered and promiscuous past. 
This a great story about young people attempting to find themselves whilst trying to deal with their baggage and hang ups. I really enjoyed this movie because love does come in all kinds of packages, and some of them aren't very neat or pretty. 
FINAL SAY: So, I've spent every day since then chasing Amy. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers