01. Yay! MTC’s 2026 season launch. I was thrilled to hear Joanna Murray-Smith speak about her new play, an adaption of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya. And cannot wait for the stage production of Forster’s A Room With a View.

02. And on the topic of theatre – saw MTC’s incredible adaption of Rebecca this week. It was mesmerising – if you’re in Melbourne, see it.

03. MIFF membership has its perks, including previews. Saw After the Hunt – it’s had some fairly ordinary reviews but it wasn’t too bad and raised some interesting issues around #MeToo.

04. Watched: The Perfect Neighbor. The gun culture in the US frightens the hell out of me.

05. Listening: The Belair Lip Bombs.

06. Summer frock.

07. I love these kinds of lists (but of course disagree with their Top 10). My top TayTay tracks: Cruel Summer; Lover; You Belong With Me; Fearless; We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together; Blank Space; Opalite; ‘Tis the Damn Season; All Too Well.

08. Dinner at Suze – yes, we had a giggle at the flourishes on the menu (I mean, I call ‘farmer’s leaves’ a salad….) but the food, wine and service was outstanding. Highlights: the ricotta with slivers of beetroot; a pasta dish of ravioli stuffed with smoked potato in a brown butter and hay sauce (you know how fresh hay smells? They somehow got that into the sauce – extraordinary); and perfectly roasted duck.

09. How did everyone go with the ABC’s Top 100 Books countdown? Of my picks, six made it to the list – Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood (no.84); Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (no.77); Limberlost by Robbie Arnott (no.44); Normal People by Sally Rooney (no.32); A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (no.9); and Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (no.6). And I did love the number one when I read it.

10. And last but not least – my daughter finished school this week, and a proud mum moment when she received dux for her subject, Art Creative Practice.