Hello August
And the things I enjoyed consuming in July
Hi Lovely. I hope July treated you well?
I must admit that the persistent heat and my early morning attempts to beat it have begun to affect my creative energy levels. Getting up early has never been something I’ve struggled with. But when combined with nights interrupted by the noise of the neighbourhood coming in through the open bedroom windows, followed by a normal working routine which doesn’t allow for a cheeky lunchtime siesta, the weariness has started to set in.
Ollie, on the other hand, is coping much better as he is an expert at daytime snoozing.
While I may not have a holiday planned for August, I shall be taking it easier this month and giving myself permission to indulge in other people’s creativity rather than beat myself up for being unproductive. I know I’ll feel the buzz of September when it arrives and I’ll be ready and inspired with all the good stuff that I’ll have consumed over the coming four weeks.
My own art sessions will be kept short and sweet and mostly focused on play. The rest of the time I plan to listen to Audiobooks, read in my egg chair in the shade at the bottom of the garden, and binge the occasional TV series when it’s too hot to go outside.
On that note, I have been practicing already. Here are some things I have greatly enjoyed over the past few weeks and can heartily recommend:
‘Ride or Die’ on Amazon Prime starring Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer as two fifty something best friends who end up on the run from and entangled up with some rather nasty criminals. Oh, and one of the besties hasn’t been completely honest with the other about what she does for a living. The chemistry between the two leads is fabulous and two midlife actors playing midlife female characters who are not ready to become invisible is wonderfully refreshing.
‘Starlings’ a fantastic first book by the actor Russell Tovey, dramatised by Audible and starring some fab actors including Andrew Scott and George Mackay. It’s hard to explain how captivating and moving this story is. The lead character, Donald, is an aspiring drag queen, thrown out by his father when he was caught as a teenager wearing his mother’s clothes. He is annoying, selfish and unlikeable. Then one day his younger brother turns up at his door. I listened obsessively to this book over a weekend and can’t recommend it highly enough.
‘We are all guilty here’ by Karin Slaughter is my current audiobook. As is usual from this author, the subject matter is hard hitting. But also no surprise, the storytelling is compelling. I’m sneaking every opportunity to listen in my need to find out who really did it. (And also to clear the decks for the latest JD Kirk book which I have waiting in the wings).
‘The Weekend’ is an addictive read from TM Logan. I’d not experienced anything by this author before and even though I kinda guessed the major twist early on, I still enjoyed it. The premise is something I can’t wait to discuss around a dinner table with friends.
We also saw Adam Holmes, a talented Scottish singer songwriter, who played a local church. I hadn’t heard anything by him before the evening and went on the recommendation of a friend. Despite the lack of bar and the rather hard pews, we had a great evening. If storytelling in song accompanied by masterful guitar playing is your thing, check him out.
Also, Peggy Dean’s annual free Summer Creative Retreat is currently running. It’s full of bitesize art classes from a host of teachers. I’ve dipped in and out of the recordings and found some fun play prompts and inspiration. There’s nothing like filling up a sketchbook in a week with doodles, patterns, colour palettes and the like.
