Resilience, the cottage and wanderlust: Notes from my desk this month
I’m always on the hunt and looking for perfect gifts to buy, great places to eat, and under-the-radar brands to shop. So when it comes to what’s new or the cool and obscure, I often turn to my friends and colleagues for their advice and brilliant recommendations. Moving forward, each month, I am going to share the top three things I am currently loving, including the books I’m reading, clothes I’m buying, the films I’m watching, and the voices I’m listening to.
Notes From Laura Deane’s Desk
#1: Photography wanderlust
One of my favourite gifts to give is photography books. Enter, photographer Gray Malin’s dreamy Slim Aarons–inspired travel photography book. Now that we can (kind of) travel again, Malin’s new book, Gray Malin: The Essential Collection, is the perfect resource to plan that grand finale to eighteen months of pandemic living. The photos cover all seven continents, from long, lingering beach days in Positano to the jaw-dropping natural beauty of Antarctica. It’s wanderlust at its finest.
GRAY MALIN: THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION BY GRAY MALIN, available on Booktopia $68.90
#2: Raising resilient kids on A Bit of Optimism
If you follow me on Instagram you no doubt are aware that I’m a bit fan of Simon Sinek. But this week I listened to one of his podcasts titled Raising Resilient Kids with Angela Duckworth and I can’t recommend it enough. With unprecedented levels of stress and depression amongst young people Simon and his guest Angela dive into what our generation and older can do to help. As a result, my eldest son is going to start making his own lunch once a week and I will restrain myself from finishing his lego creations for him.
Find the episode on Spotify or hit play on the youtube video below.
#3: The Cottage at Kangaroo Valley
Luxe, raw and simply beautiful – Lisa Madigan’s Kangaroo Valley cottage is the weekender we all need in our lives. Built in the 1880s, inside, the original floorboards and fireplace are a standout. Recent extensions, including a studio and front dining room, add to the property’s charm. And with plenty of natural light flooding the rooms, the cottage is seemingly made for easy-going days. My husband and I have just booked a mini getaway there and we are literally counting down the days.
