October 19th, 2018
Things of note this week:
1) Above is a series called Dogs I Walked With This Week. Actually I walked with their owners. And I walked with others who don't own dogs. I try to walk every day with a family member or a friend and, without fail, the best conversations and the best connections happen on these walks. Brainstorming and problem solving happen far more easily than in coffee shops or in studios or kitchens. Add in a dog who wanders and amuses us and reminds us that life is about curiosity, exploration and silliness. The sky is the only one listening, the neurotransmitters are popping and the ideas multiply. We know that walking is good for helping with depression, we know it's good for our physical bodies, and I am finding that walking is so very good for my friendships and my creative collaborations. Around about the 30 minute mark there is always a sudden surge, and wow, out springs THE BEST IDEA WE EVER HAD! It makes me very happy.
- Stanford research says walking is excellent for creativity (it's proven!).
- Synchronising steps, walking shoulder to shoulder, moving forward together... it makes sense!
- A great podcast all about walking - go slow and get deeply connected with your city and your community.
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2) Parenting teens? Here's an article I said "uh huh!" to over and over. I could barely read it for all the head nodding I was doing. And then I cried. Gotta love them... And for a broader perspective, This is 18 in The New York Times: "We gave young women photographers around the world an assignment: Show us 18 in your community. This is 18 — through girls’ eyes."
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3) We eat a lot of muesli. I ate two bowls of it while I was writing this newsletter. I quite often splurge and buy Dorset Cereals muesli and it's totally delicious, but having flown in from the UK (seemingly in business class, with ritzy hotel layovers, and fancy limo pick-up services), it's a little on the pricey side. Ok, a lot on the pricey side. So this week I decided to do what any sensible person might do, and contemplated making my own. Here's a "very important primer" on ganola vs. muesli. It's apple season around here - the perfect time to try bircher muesli.
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4) I dived into A Discovery of Witches this week, by UK fantasy author and scholar (and once a wine blogger!), Deborah Harkness. I'm loving it. I see that there's a TV series (already screening in the UK) coming out in January on Shudder and Sundance Now, with Matthew Goode being all vampirey. It looks ridiculously over-the-top, and I suspect I'll be enjoying it. (H/T Christie!)
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5) I've been listening to Magic Ship by Mountain Man. Amelia from Sylvan Esso's minimalist folk band is sweet and perfect. Here is the first official video from the album, and it looks like every potluck bonfire party I've ever been to here on Salt Spring -- if you threw in a bunch of dudes talking about disc-golf and a pack of wild-haired kids playing with fire and machetes. (H/T Claire H et al)
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Truly Tan, Baffled! is out this week in Australia. Written by the fabulous Jen Storer and illustrated by me, it's one of my favourites of the series. To celebrate release week, I have one copy to give away. Simply send me an email with a suggestion for something to put in the Small Batch List (or even just something you love about the newsletter) and I will pop this, plus some other goodies, in the mail for one lucky winner, picked at random.
Entries close Wednesday 24th October 2018 at 9am PST.
See you next week!
Claire Robertson,
The Small Batch List
xo
p.s. 100 points for guessing the quote in the subject line! Last week was Bart from The Simpsons with his homage to Saturday Night Fever.
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