I am just about to head into what will be the busiest month of the year. At the end of August is the Queensland Poetry Festival, of which I am director, which means that most every spare minute of the month leading up will be thinking, planning, emailing, and doing all manner of last minute things. When I wake up in the middle of the night, my first though is usually shit, I need to email Freddy first thing tomorrow! Of course I do love the festival, so am excited as well as anxious. Also a little bittersweet, as it is the final one that I will direct after four years. When I do find spare minutes, I am often to be found planning holidays. We’re heading down to Melbourne in September visiting family and friends, which will be lovely but busy. So we’re planning another getaway in November. Undecided as to where – maybe Japan. Or Vietnam again. Or Thailand, perhaps. Any suggestions? In the meantime, here is some of what I’ve been reading/listening to/eating/wanting in July.
Enjoy!
Sarah x
July Favourites
– Isabel Allende is one of my favourite authors for her haunting surreal stories of women and love; her TED talk is fantastic
– Trigger warning: Patricia Lockwood’s Rape Joke is devastating and brilliant
– “After trying out the piano, Midorikawa took a small cloth bag from his shoulder bag and gingerly placed it on top of the piano. The bag was made of expensive cloth, the opening tied up with string. Somebody’s funeral ashes, maybe?” An excerpt from Haruki Murakami’s new novel, Colorless Tsukuru Taaki and His Years of Pilgrimage
– ALL the ladies should own one of these
– Raw Chocolate Fudge with Cacao Nibs & Sea Salt from My Darling Lemon Thyme: WANT
– I believe I will be having these for brunch one Sunday soon, in the sun, with a good book, while W is napping
– We don’t really eat tacos much (read: ever) but I think that will have to change, and I’ll be starting with these Lentil Tacos
– Lemongrass, miso, coriander, soba; what’s not to love!
– Why is hazelnut & cocoa such a great match? It just is.
– I used to make this Oven-Baked Mushroom Risotto regularly when we lived in cold cold Melbourne – I made it for the first time in years a couple of weeks ago, and it was delicious
– Raspberry & Pomegranate Smoothie with Green Tea Ice Cubes sounds like all kinds of stuff I want
– Christopher Walken reading Where The Wild Things Are is great and hilarious – I wonder if he’d come around to our place every evening and read it to W?!
– My soundtrack this month has consisted of a lot of The War On Drugs‘ latest album, and the lovely Warpaint
– My talented friend Nic Low just released his first collection of short stories, Arms Race – you should totally read it!
– Is there anything cuter than a sloth crossing a road?!
– The picture up top is an Almond, Orange & Olive Oil Cake I baked last weekend – recipe coming soon!
highgate hill kitchen 
Thanks for the taco love! Definitely change that habit of not enjoying tacos, and enjoy!