01.Saw MTC’s delightful production of Much Ado About Nothing. The set was extraordinary.
02. This week’s British Film Festival pick: The Golden Spurtle – yes, a documentary about porridge. Such fun, but such serious business!
03. So country music isn’t my usual thing… but I had such a lovely night at the Kasey Musgraves concert with my daughter.
04. The launch of the 2026 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival program – there’s always so many events that sound great but there’s only so many meals you can have in nine days… on my list: Martini & Bikini, James Lowe, and The Lost Recipes of the Belle Époque. Cue the elastic-waist-pants!
05. We had a farewell lunch for my friend at work, who is about to go on maternity leave. And we met her pregnancy cravings by having a ‘chip party’ – she sat at a table in the centre of the shopping centre food court, and we all went to different outlets and bought #ALLTHECHIPS. We all did a lot of sampling, but the ones that came out on top were from Salsas and Schnitz.
06. I’ve mentioned that my youngest child has now finished school. It means that my time at school is also coming to an end (I have been on the school council for ten years). At one of my last official functions I was presented with the most beautiful (enormous) bouquet as a thank you. Might have got a little teary…
Lovely flowers!
My tears were of joy when I finished with school committees.
Haha! Mine weren’t quite tears of joy but I will be glad for a big chunk of time back. That said, I pretty much always volunteer for something so as school council ends… my next thing will start (just not sure what it is yet).
!0 years on School Council, that is heroic.
I was so lucky at my last school, there were actually teachers who competed to be on it so I only had one stint of twelve months. (I think they thought it would be good for their careers, as if.)
At previous schools, I nearly always had to do my share. The worst one ever was at my first school and the meeting went on until after 11pm, discussing the purchase of a lawnmower. By the time I got home it was midnight, and I had to be up at six the next day.
Thankfully we have teachers who put their hand up to be on Council – makes a difference not having people there under duress!
Long meetings are a sure way to have no committee 😆 I run a tight ship – 1.5hrs at the most, and to make sure our Standing Orders cap it at two hours. But it’s always finance stuff that bogs us down.
Did they buy the lawnmower?!
Yep a short meeting is a good meeting! I am now secretary of an organisation – since 2008 – and I do my best to keep our meetings to 1 hour, and 1.5 max. The President is chatty but he used to be my boss so I am used to managing up!!
Once I was in a position to do it, I abolished committees at school. We only had working parties, which were there to do a particular task, and dissolved when it was done. My working parties finished after an hour whether there was anything left to talk about or not, and I always signalled it five minutes beforehand, getting up with my notes on the dot. I never had any trouble getting volunteers for my working parties!!
The lawnmower? I can’t remember!
What a gorgeous bouquet!
They are beautiful flowers, but I found that end of school time really odd!
Love nos. 2, 5 and 6. For different reasons. I was chair of our Primary School Board for years but didn’t do high school … it’s a big commitment so good for you. Enjoy this next phase of your life. And good luck to your kids as they lead you through it!
How lovely of them! I had kids in school for 23 years all up, it was very strange when the youngest graduated in 2023.
I want #ALLTHECHIPS too
That setup for Much Ado .. looks like the one of A Midsummer Night’s Dream I saw recently. Just fantastic.