I've started to think of the COVID "pathway forward" as something of a Yellow Brick Road. Let's follow it to the promised land but watch out along the way, who knows what's around every corner. Luckily, now, Dorothy would be allowed to skip down the road with all her trusty companions - Tin Man, Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion - as it sits well with the five-person picnic rule which extends to October 15. Even Toto is allowed to tag along.
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While I've tried to remain positive during lockdown, for let's face it, there's not much we can do about any of the restrictions the government has put in place, apart from ignore them if you're the kind of person who is inclined to do so, this final stretch is getting hard.
So I've treated myself to a few things to help make these last few weeks more bearable.
Billy Summers
I should have been reading the Stephen King back catalogue during lockdown. Every time I read one of his books I am reminded of what a brilliant writer he is. Salem's Lot was where I started. A moody teenager who thought it was cool to walk around with such a book rather than all the Nancy Drew my friends were reading. It completely freaked me out, and not in a good way. I remember making a little crucifix out of pencils and I would place it on the book every night before I went to bed. We were blessed by a series of King films in our teenage years, Carrie, Cujo, Christine, and my reading fell away before reacquainting myself with It and Misery. In recent years I've caught up with 11/22/63, The Outsider and Sleeping Beauties he co-wrote with his son Owen.
Now I've picked up Billy Summers (Hodder & Stoughton, $32.99) which many reviewers are saying is his best book in years. There's nothing supernatural about this one. Billy Summers is an ex-marine turned assassin and when the job gets done midway through the book, you're wondering where he's going to take you.
Where he does take you is on a magical narrative ride, full of observations about people and what makes us tick. The man's a genius.
Squeak robe
I kind of have this fantasy that my retirement will be spent being a lady of leisure. A woman who swans about in her home dressed in nothing but a silk robe. There's something sexy about it, yet practical too. I can answer the door, stroll down to the mailbox, take a cocktail on the deck and still be covered up. So I lashed out and bought a beautiful silk robe from Pippa Oostergetel, a Melbourne designer who runs Squeak design. I love it. I am that woman now, even though my retirement is (not too many I hope) years away. 100 per cent silk, 100 per cent original, with a handwritten note from Pip. Sometimes you have to spoil yourself because you are worth it.
Pialligo produce box
Buy local, support local, challenge yourself. That's my thinking behind a semi-regular produce box from Pialligo Estate. They've been full of produce so fresh the carrots still have Pialligo dirt on them. I've eaten plenty of greens, learned to love brussel sprouts (I found a Donna Hay recipe where they were caramelised with miso and maple syrup), and marvelled at the fractal structure of a Romanesco broccoli before roasting it. It was fun finding ways to cook things, once I figured out what a few things were. It was even more fun eating them.
Submerged
Don't you love it when you find a show you never want to end. Vigil's been that for me this lockdown. Sure it's just a typical British police procedural, but this one is set in a submarine and submarines are the flavour of the month. With two strong women leading the way, Vigil's action takes place at sea and on land. DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) is aboard the boat, DS Kirsten Longacre (GOT's Rose Leslie) back at headquarters and, while The Hunt for Red October will always be my favourite sub story, Vigil ticks all the boxes.
It's twisty enough to keep you wondering who the murderer is and the politics playing out all over the place are a little close to home.