Reading Thus Far

I feel I've been a bit hit and miss with reading in the most recent years. More than that, I feel I'm very miss when it comes to recording and remembering what I've read. It was really apparent to me at the end of last year when people were sharing their "Read in 2025" lists on social media. Admittedly, 2025 was a light on reading year for us, because we were in Japan for six months of it and access to English books was limited at that time. 

But, as I did a bit of clicking back through the blog, I realise that I'm better at keeping track of reading than I thought I was. Honestly, I thought I hadn't done a reading focused post since I'd talked about the two and a half months I spent reading the David Eddings books. Firstly didn't realise that was so long ago now (2014!), but also, I've done lots of reading posts in between as well. Whew. 

Speaking of reading in Japan, I did read I am a Cat by Soseki Natsume, which was fun to start, but got a little hard towards the end (I read a three books in one copy). Sophie had bought the Circle Opens Quartet by Tamora Peirce to read, so I reread those. I had kind of forgotten how dark they were. Lots of murder... The other thing we read was the Keeper of the Lost Cities books (henceforth called KOTLC). Rachel had been given the first one by a friend before we left and that along with a copy of Detective Beans came with us. 

Both Sophie and Rachel read, and reread the KOTLC book like it was going out of style, so Steve and I ordered books 1-5 for Rachel for her birthday. The girls were delighted, so we thought we had done well. Until they invited us to read them too so we could all discus theories together. The premise was sound: 12 year old Sophie Foster discovers she's actually not human but an Elf, with super powers. Sure. It's the kind of premise that has worked countless times before and we were willing to give it a go. 

What I couldn't handle was how badly written the books were. I made it through books one and two, trying my best to keep my distain for the awful writing, terrible character development and implausible plot from infecting everyone else. I didn't want to destroy it for the girls since they were enjoying reading it. But by the time I opened book three and couldn't bring myself to get past chapter one, there was no stopping it. Even though we were all starved of reading, these books were so terrible that I just couldn't do it. 

If you or anyone in your life is considering reading the KOTLC books, for the love of all things good in the world, stop them now. I don't think Steve made it past book two. The girls were obviously waiting to discuss our thoughts on it and it was hard to be positive for them, so we opted for honesty. I'm so thankful that they were able to think critically about what they were reading and understood our perspective. Last month, someone asked for a review and the girls said if it was the only book left on earth, it would be better to burn it and write a new one rather than reading it. Sorry KOTLC fans. Actually, not sorry, go read something (anything) better. Please. 

Anyway, the end of 2025 and the start of 2026 has been rather full of reading, so here is what's been on the shelf. 

Newt's Emerald by Garth Nix
Just Stab Me Now by Jill Bearup
The Zoo Keeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
The Martian by Andy Weir
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

The Martian and Project Hail Mary were both recommend to Steve by friends of ours and were Christmas gifts for him. He read them very quickly and I found them both fantastic too. If you had said I would read books about guys trapped in space, and not want to put either of them down, I would have said you were nuts. But here we are!

Riddles of the Runes by Janina Ramirez
The Wingfeather Saga (all 4 books) by Andrew Peterson
Nanny Piggins: The Origin Story by R. A. Spratt
A More Christlike God by Bradley Jersak
An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn

The Wingfeather Saga was on my list for the girls, and I happened to be talking to someone at church who said he had all four of them to give to us! These were really great Christian fantasy and I was impressed at the world building. Some flaws and a little slow to start, but from halfway through book two, it was another "Can't get enough of this" situation. 

Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens
Arsenic for Tea by Robin Stevens
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
Romancing Mr Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

I read some of the Bridgerton novels based on a friend's recommendation, but I honestly wouldn't bother with any more of them, or with revisiting them. Plot was average at best in the first one, not well written in the second and the third had characters who were just so unlikeable I couldn't believe it was made into TV. Maybe they fixed it there though, I dunno. Never watched it (and don't intend to). 

Sophie wants me to read more of the Murder Most Unladylike books, but she and Rachel managed to pool their savings over the holidays and they now have all the Friday Barns Books on the shelf too, so I'd like to give them a go. I'm particularly fond of R. A. Spratt, Australian author that she is, and her Nanny Piggins books are delightfully hilarious. Sophie also went through her bookshelf and cleared out her Wings of Fire books to make space (mostly for the Murder Most Unladylike ones). Funny to see her be so decisive about her preference change. 

I really enjoyed Tress of the Emerald Sea which was vastly different to Brandon Sanderson's usual writing style. Every chapter was a delightful surprise and I didn't see the ending coming. Might read his other stand alone novel that we have on the shelf, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter next, if Steve's done with it. Happy days!

Making Shorts: Arduous Journey Part 2

It took a good week to sew these shorts. The night I cut them out, it was still early-ish, so I thought I'd get the interfacing cut and ironed on too while I was at it. Then I started doing some of the "prep" sewing; getting the pocket linings in place and finishing edges off things that would be sewn in later. On a bit of a roll, I ended up getting more than I thought I would done. 

The next day I was back at it. Feeling good. But after getting all the pockets in, the main shorts pieces together and successfully installing the zip, I stalled. I had a niggling feeling that the waistband would be too short. I had already had that feeling when I was looking at the pattern and I had taken the time to measure all the pieces and check that the maths worked out. 

The maths did work out on paper, but when it came time to actually sew the waistband on - short by three centimetres on one side, and at least two centimetres on the other. 

Don't know how, given that I had checked the maths, but alas, this is what we were working with. At this point, I didn't touch the shorts for a week. When I got back to it - cut out a couple of extra bits from the main fabric and lining and added them in, the waist band worked fine (and actually, I didn't even need the extra length because the back seam on me sewed up narrow (thanks to my sway back situation)). 

If I'm being honest, the shorts then sat another whole week before I got the courage to put them on. I had tried them on when sewing (after getting the zip in, and to check the where to sew the final seam at the back), but now that they were done, putting them on to finally see how they actually fit seemed like another huge effort. 

Put them on I did though, and they look pretty good on. There are a few slight tweaks to the side seams I'd make (I've already added the extra length to the waist band pattern pieces), but otherwise fine. 

What's not fine is actually moving in them. I don't know if it's the fabric, but something is off at the front. There isn't enough fabric somehow on the front of each leg. I am obviously not explaining it well, probably because the actual problem is still unclear to me. Something is not right. 

I don't know what I'll do now honestly. Scrap these pants and start again? Maybe it's the design that's just not working for me. Shame, because they are cool shorts. 

Missed Opportunity

One year ago today, we were getting on a plane to Japan. Not for a short trip, but to live there for a six month stint. What a time. We were a huge bundle of emotions all rolled into one. You could not have prepared me for the hard parts, how much we would love it, or just how much we would miss it when we got home again. 

I'm thinking on it now and a few things come up, not as regrets, but just reflections. I know it's unlikely we will ever have the chance to do this again, but these are certainly things we might have done differently. 

My first one would have been to enrol into a kimono classes. I am fairly good at wearing kimono, but it would be nice to have a bit more in the way of "official training" to give me a bit more confidence. I did think about it before we left, but we were so busy organising everything else that it really got put on the back burner. By the time I thought about it in Japan, we only had two and a half months left in Tokyo, and seven weeks of that I was doing the teacher language course in Saitama. The shortest class was three months and would have been a stretch. Alas, missed opportunity. I'll have to look for some online classes I can do instead. 

When we were in Nagoya, strategically at the same time as the World Cosplay Summit, we got to see the final parade of Cosplayers down the main shopping street. That was really cool. We do wish we had also been organised enough to actually attend some of the other cosplay events that happened that weekend, and been able to participate in the cosplay parade itself. Logistically, packing a cosplay costume with everything else we were lugging around at that point, did not make sense, but in a perfect world, it would have been great to do. 

We knew we wouldn't be using a car much in Japan, but the travel around Shikoku really needed one. Steve had organised to have his International Driver's Licence before we left, but I opted not to. At the time, I figured I'd rather not drive and Steve would be able to do it all anyway. However when we were there, Steve ended up having to do all the driving with a broken hand. Not fun, especially through the mountain roads! On top of that, Japan has a zero alcohol limit, so if we drove out for dinner and Steve wanted to get a beer, he couldn't. I felt really silly that I hadn't sorted my licence too. Lesson learnt, better for me to have the licence even to be a support driver than to leave it all up to Steve. 

Our last reflection was that it would have been good to go to some Japanese conversation classes to help us all with our Japanese speaking. Steve especially felt that he could take in the language easily enough, but producing it was another matter. Of course, in the grand scheme of things it's fine, but it's another "would have been nice" moments when we look back. 

The girls ask us quite frequently now, when we will be going back to Japan. I'm so glad it has made such a positive impact on their lives and that they want to return! Hopefully next year we can squeeze in a visit. 

Making Shorts: Arduous Journey Part 1

Shorts. 

If there is one gap in my wardrobe, this is it. It's hard to find a pair RTW (Ready to Wear) that is all you ever imagined. As far as sewing goes, I feel I can pretty comfortably make a dress without much thought, but stuff that fits the lower half is considerably much tricker. Maybe that's why a pair of RTW shorts is also like finding a unicorn.

I ended up needing a new pair of boxer shorts at the start of the year because my pjs needed replacing, so I whipped up a pair one night. Unfortunately, I made the wrong size, so Sophie got a new pair of shorts and I made a second pair the next night that were much more successful. I don't know if it was these quick boxer shorts that gave me the confidence, or having made Sophie some beautiful pants last year, but I had sudden renewed motivation to finally tackle actual shorts again. 

Turns out the journey of making shorts is long. I rolled out my pattern pieces that have been meticulously adjusted and checked so many times, and made the final tweaks to them (I had hand written what needed changing (mostly length adding or hem leveling) on the pieces last time, but actually needed to make those changes visible before using the pattern). That took less time than I thought (maybe an hr or so?) so I dug out the fabric and looked at it for a while. 

Even after I puzzled the pattern pieces onto the fabric I honestly just sat looking at it some more. I knew the whole cutting of the pattern pieces would easily take an hour. I still had to find lining fabric and cut those pieces as well as the interfacing. And as I looked at the pattern there on the fabric I knew it already represented hours and hours of trial and error, fitting and checking, sewing and unpicking and starting all over again. Literally hours of my life, and still no perfect pair of shorts existed yet. 

More than that, since the pattern had again been tweaked before this time round, there was every chance it might still need some small adjustments. Last time I tried it was over two years ago too, so also every chance that my body has changed since then too. Even if it all sewed up perfectly, just that time alone will take hours as well. It took a lot to get myself cutting I can tell you. 

For reference, I'm not over exaggerating when I say shorts are the work of hours. I started the shorts journey way back in August of 2021, with three pairs of shorts which I mostly blogged about here. I then tried again in January of 2024, with a white bedsheet pair for fitting and then a maroon pair that were wearable but a little tight, pictured below. 

I don't know why I never blogged these, but looking back, January 2024 was busy, as was February, and then we went to Japan at the end of March that year, so I guess time got away from me. I was feeling good about these shorts though, five pairs in, even if they were not perfect yet. 

Alas though, size fluctuates for all of us, so I knew I would need to try again. That's where we are now. Trying again. With what remains of the maroon fabric from the fifth pair. Is it sixth time lucky for shorts? I sincerely hope so. Anyway, you'll have to come back another time to find out how it all turns out, because this post is long enough, and the shorts aren't finished yet. See you next time!

Fabric Notes for Future Paula Who Likes to Remember Things. (Sorry there are no photos of my quick boxer shorts)

Boxers shorts round 1 were made with some of the fabric I had made Sophie's wearable toil Zero Waste halter last year. I was hoping I could make a matching top with the rest of the fabric, but since the shorts don't fit and Sophie prefers a T-shirt....

Boxer shorts round 2 were made with the leftovers of Luke's Christmas present shirt. Good to use up the scraps! 

Falinks Bag

Falinks is a Pokémon that is a bit like a caterpillar. They walk in a line but rearrange to battle. Their little side shields also move independently to cover their eyes and what not too. It also happens to be Rachel's favourite Pokémon. 

Since we've been playing Pokémon Legends Z-A, thanks to Steve's Birthday Switch 2 purchase, there has been a swing back to enjoying Pokémon from our girls. One of the characters uses Falinks as his Pokémon, and has a very cool Falinks bag as part of his costume. 

There are no good photos of it online (the one above is from I don't know where!), but Rachel drew a reference image for me and I decided I'd be able to make one for her. (I mean, Sophie has a Majikarp Bag after all.) Rachel's instructions were that it would be big enough for her "stuff" - mostly a notebook, pencils and pens. 

I just used whatever I could find in my fabric stash. Yellow fabric from a friends wedding (which I talk about in the Majikarp Bag post) made up most of it. Black and red, I don't know where that was from TBH. The shiny blue was scraps from my Princess Bride costume, and the white was a bedsheet. I also used a zip that I salvaged from one of the girls old lunch bags, and hardware from free conference lanyards. 

The whole thing is stabilized with the sturdiest interfacing ever, though I do feel like I could have added an extra fabric or batting layer to give the thin yellow cotton a bit more weight to it. 

It is, of course, fully lined and has pockets, as per Rachel's design. This blue fabric... was from somewhere too I guess! 

The back of the pouch has two loops so Rachel can slide it onto a belt and wear it around her waist. 

The sides both have lanyard clips, so there is an option of putting a strap on, or just clipping other stuff on. I was going to make a strap with the yellow fabric, but Rachel was too impatient and just wanted to get going, so she used her strap from Japan. Works the same. 

It's the cutest little Falinks bag ever. 

Cooking with Parvin

What seems like a lifetime ago now (maybe December 2024?), Steve and I went for a date night at A Taste of Saffron at Stones Corner. It was a Persian restaurant that we had never been to and the food was delicious. The highlight of the night was an amazing eggplant dish with some kind of yoghurt toping. Couldn't tell you the name of the dish, but I took a photo of it. We had recently had some people from Iran join our church and I thought maybe they would recognise it. 

Parvin did recognise the dish and was happy to tell me about it, so I asked her if she could teach me to make it. She was so excited, but of course, by the time I had shown her the photo, it was late January, and then we left for Japan six weeks later. Fast forward to February of this year and, I finally had the pleasure of learning how to make this Persian eggplant dish with Parvin. 

It was so special to be cooking with this lovely lady. What I thought was going to be an hour or so, was actually more like four hours. We soaked the eggplant, cooked the yoghurt, chatted and sewed. Then finally got to the main cooking. It was delightful to be learning from her. The kind of thing I wish I could have done with my own grandparents. 

I was a little emotional about it, thinking of so many things. The wisdom that comes from the older generations, the traditions they can pass on and stories they can tell. The perspectives that come from people who had to flee their countries, how they continue to cook food that reminds them of home, and keep their culture alive in a new place. How our generation is missing these slow moments of connection in our busy consumer driven lives. Even thinking about God's kingdom and desire for every nation to be one people. 

When we finished cooking, Parvin insisted we go and buy Turkish bread from "the only place in Brisbane with the best Turkish bread" together. The shop was in Moorooka and had lots of Persian products that Parvin told me about as we walked the to the bread section. The whole afternoon/evening was good for my soul and I'm super thankful for it. 

 

Sashiko Complete

In a world where I feel I accumulate project after project too quickly, it's always nice to finish one off. 

This sashiko work started when I decided to make a class set of cloths for my classes to use as whiteboard cleaners. I prepped nearly 30 small squares of fabric and got tracing designs. 

The first few were off to a quick start, but there was a slow down while we were in Japan and I was predominately working on other stuff. Since being back, I was able to make great headway, and then finally, the first week of school being so full of meetings meant that I could finish it off. 

I'm honestly a little surprised that I am finished, since it seemed like a lot at the start and my progress was pretty slow, but I'm happy it's done. I really enjoy sashiko, but don't really know how to work it into my more every-day sewing. 

More than my surprise at being actually finished, is my shock that the kids at school actually seem to appreciate having these. They are also left speechless when I tell them I made them. It’s been rather nice.