The Age of Adaline review

I saw the film "The Age of Adaline", (Krieger, 2015) the other night. My overwhelming response; pure lovely-ness. I walked away feeling quite warm and fuzzy, content and romantic.

The central character of the film is stuck at age 29 for coming on 100 years by the close of the film and as such has seen the world change around her whilst she has remained static. This is perhaps one of my favourite elements of the film, that Blake Lively's costuming remains trapped in the post-war era and her accent is clipped and formal despite current time being 2015 but more on this later.

The film is set around Adaline Bowman and her life, rather than her experiences in the world which could be said to be one of the film's flaws. It hints at issues such as equality between the sexes, which presumably Adaline had experienced first-hand emerging and changing, the US Government's Homeland Security controls and even spends a few scenes detailing major historic events that she has witnessed. However these are all just early fleeting moments in what truly becomes a polished and refined romantic drama. Other films of this ilk have been known to throw their protagonist into these historical moments for cache and strength, however "The Age of Adaline" shys away from this level of sensationalism.

Adaline has lived the majority of her life with King Charles Cavalier Spaniels for company, changing her identity every ten years or so. This, she felt, kept her safe and off the radar of US Homeland Security. It is in 2015 when we meet Adaline and we see why this solitary lifestyle becomes a problem; she meets a man. A man who will not leave her alone and relentlessley pursues her until eventually (surprise, surprise) she falls in love with him deciding to no longer run away! I do not want to be a total spoil sport so I will leave the plot spoilers there.

I was most excited to see this film for the costuming and acting prowress of Blake Lively. Even if the script and plot was terrible (which it wasn't for the record) I would have happily sat there for two hours watching Blake and her radiant beauty on the screen. Most other films and tv shows that I have seen Blake in, cast her as the obvious bombshell, the giggly schoolgirl and teen queen. In this however, she is cast as a refined and restrained lady stuck in an era to which she does not belong. Blake plays this beautifully. From her accent to her mannerisms she evokes a sense of ladylike grace to rival even the Crawfords (a Downton Abbey reference). It comes off as studied to a point of perfection, whilst not contrived. She is believable as 1920's Adaline in the 'noughties'.

The costuming by Angus Strathie, who was also responsible for Moulin Rouge and Strictly Ballroom, is en pointe yet again. Blake's outfits were suitably old-fashioned in nature, yet still conceivably available in today's world. The flashback scenes of her outfits through the ages were also a fabulous touchstone of their times. The hiking scenes in 60's head scarves and stovepipes are perfect indicators of the era without having to condescendingly educate the audience with words.

Then let's not even get onto her store of evening gowns which are positively beautiful and timeless.

Overall, a film that I would not only love to see again but one I will purchase and will watch for years to come on those nostalgic days when I need a good dose of romance (both emotionally and literature-ally speaking).

The serenity

As I've recently discovered first hand, effectively recharging your batteries is so important.

Not this weekend past but the one before we went down to my parent's new coastal estate. I like to call it a bushtal (bush and coastal) estate as it is nestled amidst the trees of a state forest but only a mere two kilometres from the beach.

 

We packed up the car with hubby and I, our furbabies and my brother for what we expected to be a standard coastal weekend. What we actually experienced was something close to therapy. The minute we stepped out of the car I felt as though a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and the burdens of our day-to-day life were so very far away.

 

I believe this is largely, in part, to do with the property feeling like a nature escape. As though we'd headed deep into the country, searching for a place with no civilisation around it. It was incredible! All within two kilometres of the local dog beach and some small shops with organic produce and food for you to stock up on. Perfection.

 

As well as the lovely surrounds, the house itself lended to a state of complete relaxation. Whilst the interior may be slightly dated, the open fireplace and generally open living plan felt cozy and enveloping (in a calming way). You could sit on either side of the house with a bush/forest view and just breathe.

 

On our first day there we had a quick spot of breakfast and then raced down to the dog beach for a bit of a play. At first I was a little nervous letting crazy Belle off her lead, but with encouragement and her focus toy we managed to have a couple of hours down there incident free! Perfect training time for her as well (Belle has some anxiety and fear issues around other dogs, we have to be careful when introducing her as she can get upset and angry if another dog rushes into her space without a proper introduction. She's a bit uppity like that).

 

So happy with their ball and the beach.

 

 We then went home for a quiet afternoon for a movie watching session and then the football. Swans won!

 

I also spent some time in front of the fire with a new magazine that I have discovered, "Wellbeing", which had an article in it about the theory of eco-therapy and how important nature is for the wellbeing and mental stability of humans. After the immediate difference in emotions I felt after getting out of the car I could not agree more. Getting in touch with nature and immersing ourselves in it can be a really easy way to enhance our emotional stability. Something I am quite keen to investigate more.
 

Wellbeing, if you are interested in natural health and living - definitely check it out

 

 



I wasn't the only one to enjoy the fire..

Sharing is caring; making a double decker bean bag.

 

On our second morning, I remembered to take my camera whilst going on a perimeter walk of the property. The property also has no fences, so the three dogs were free to run and roam to their heart's content.

 

Enjoy your freedom..

 

 

On our second day we stopped off and had breakfast at a lovely cafe called "Rivermouth Cafe and General Store", it had beautiful homecooked food and delish coffee (a neccessity) as well as a quirky store inside selling wooden surfboards and other knick knacks. It is a renovated beach house, a block back from the beach, so had that homely feel that many places are trying to foster. They are also dog friendly. Not only do they have a resident, or nearby resident, black lab mooching around saying a sedate hello to all, they provide water bowls and kind smiles to all pups that decide to stop in. On this visit we had four dogs with us, who for the most part behaved beautifully as cafe dogs.

 

If you are down in the Tomakin/South Coast area I would definitely stop off at this place for good food and local charm.

 

 

play hard, rest hard.

 After the weekend hubby and I decided that we'd like to go and live on my parent's property and give up the rat race.. but alas, true life calls. We have a whole lifetime to work up to where our parents have gotten too, so we can't give in early.

 

We returned to Canberra on Sunday afternoon feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. A calm had washed over me that still hasn't quite worn off. You can bet that we'll be going back the minute it does. It's a feeling I'd like to keep chasing, a clarity I generally don't feel during the daily grind.

 

 

Aaaah, the serenity. 

The worst morning...

It's funny how the worst morning for some can be the best morning for others.

 

This morning I woke up knowing it was my turn to walk the dogs. Firstly I woke up late and was already behind the 8-ball... then as it turns out it was raining! Now this isn't a huge deal, the rain just takes extra time to deal with (toweling the dogs off etc).

 

So we (dogs and I) head off in the car to a location that I knew was largely undercover so we could limit our exposure to the rain. Within two minutes of getting there we'd lost the ball (aka the Holy Grail of Occa and Belle) in a fenced area with no way of getting it back. Thinking quickly I decided to bail on our dry location, head home and use our backyard and the reserve as our play area.

 

We arrive home and I can't find any of the dogs favourite balls so make do with a different one. Head up to the back fence, quickly check for other dogs, all looks good, open it and bang! The dogs are off and running. I then notice two kangaroos jumping on the horizon with our two fur-babies traveling at lightning speed after them. Damn.

 

I decide there is nothing I can do except wait. So I waited and waited.. One dog comes back over the horizon, then slowly the second comes back. No visible injuries thank god.. but now they have used even more of my getting ready time to chase kangaroos. Definitely not ideal.

 

Then I attempt to continue playing ball with them but after the kangaroo excitement all they want to do is sniff out another one.. so back into our yard we go and we finish our game there. .

Whilst this was a horribly time consuming and frustrating morning for me, it was the BEST morning for the dogs.

 

They got to go on a car adventure (one of their favourites), play with the ball in a new area so plenty of extra scents so sniff, chase some kangaroos (hands down their favourite naughty activity), play some more ball and then be cuddled by their Mum whilst being dried off.

 

So what conclusion does this bring me too? Well, it is all perspective. I could concentrate on all the negative aspects for me, or I could sit back at look at the awesome adventure I provided for my dogs on a Friday morning.

 

Life is what you make it.

 

 

not from this morning.. but how can you begrudge that face...

Setting a new status quo

We've just recently moved house into what we hope will be our long-term home.



It is a pretty exciting move for us. We now have an obscene amount of space for each of us, but we're ready for any sort of expansion within the family size in the future... 

Hubby has a man cave and I have finally have my library. It is the first time all my books have been out on shelves together in the same room ever! They now have the ability to breathe and socialise with each other, no longer kept in plastic crates. Plus I can now keep adding to the collection because I have the space! Hurrah!

 

Occa & Belle enjoying my reading chair in my new library!

 

The unpacking is going well but slowly, as to be expected I guess. After a hugely productive weekend last week, I've now run out of steam to unpack the garage. . Life has just gotten in the way.

 

Which brings me to my central point. Now that we've moved, I have to re-establish my routines. We're in a different area and new neighborhood. We have new walking paths to route and most importantly a new exercise regime to determine.

 

If you can't already tell, I love routine. It makes the daily grind so much easier to navigate and survive. As life gets busier and more crazy my routine keeps me grounded and most of all able to fit everything in that is neccessary to my wellbeing. Without planning and forward thinking there would be no way that I could fit in exercise and clean eating because there is always something else to be done in each moment. I usually set aside time every Sunday to plan out my week and do a big cook-up so I know what to expect and what to be doing when so I don't even have to think about it. Just follow my diary. It is my way of controlling a few elements of the unpredictability of life and ensuring my stress levels remain as low as possible.

 

Our previous routine was alternating dog walking mornings with the gym. I had gym time Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I had my sessions mapped out so I hit every muscle group twice to capitalise on my time in the gym and got my 'cardio' (I hate cardio so walking/jogging is it for me) through the dogs. It was easy to follow and keep up with. It was almost perfect. I loved it.

 

In the new place we are not yet settled enough, or knowledgeable about our surroundings to have our time so streamlined. I understand it will take a few weeks and be a learning process, but can't help but yearn for a settled routine already! I am already constantly running late because I underestimate our mornings and haven't yet had a workout morning!

 

This week we've decided to go back to alternating dog walking and the other person can try to fit in a workout.. as our gym is not yet unpacked I am going to try and focus on yoga.. try to get centred and relax!

 

Also this week I am determined to do one more big push of unpacking and then we'll be done. When I am determined nothing can stop me. I refuse to have boxes left packed in three years time!! I'll let you know how we go after next weekend and are a little more settled.

 

Until then...

Easter celebrations. . And a creme egg or two..

I've been caught out. 

 

At work I am known as the healthy one. The one who never uses the chocolate box and doesn't often indulge at morning teas. 

 

Easter has revealed my weakness though. The Cadbury Creme Egg. 

 

A decadently delicious sugar and chocolate concoction with colored nougat to impersonate a real egg (but really Cadbury you're not fooling anyone).

 

The Cadbury Creme Egg is my kryptonite,  so I am very glad that it is only available around Easter. 

 

the list love.com

I do attempt to keep my love of the Cadbury Creme Egg on the downlow, but this year my dear friend bought me eleven (yes eleven full size) as an Easter present. I've been bringing them to work all week as a little treat after lunch.. and next thing. Bam - cover blown. 

Aaah well, we all have our vices and I am still quite fond of mine... five to go and I'm done for the year.

Until next time...

Who and what is peaches?

Hello all, this blog is my personal journey through life and I'll be sharing with you my thoughts, experiences and anything else that comes to mind.

Why you may ask?
Well, I love to write. Simple as that and writing just for myself seemed too easy. No accountability for grammar or skill and I also love to communicate with like-minded folk.

So this Peaches thing, what's with that?  I hear you say.
It stems, like all typical formative experiences, from my childhood. For as long as I remember my Nanna has called me peaches. Not as in I resemble or am obsessed with the fruit, but as if someone was calling you honey. Nobody else calls me Peaches, so it is suitably personal but also mysterious.

I am a 24 year old woman living in Canberra, Australia with my husband and two blue heelers (aka fur-babies)  Occa and Belle. I feel I can almost say I am Canberra born and bred, although I spent some early years in Goulburn. I am a ANU alumni and now work in the APS. I am the Canberra caricature. But in reality, I am not. I passionately believe that everyone is an individual and cannot be forced to fit a mold - I am hoping you will see this too. So let's celebrate our individuality each and every day. Don't bother pretending to be someone else, life's too short for that.

Anyway, I don't want to give too much away too soon. So stay posted!

Until then, live positively.

xx