I am always looking for recommendations of what to watch; just like when friends share a good book they have enjoyed reading.

At our house, like most likely everyone in Victoria, our time at home has dramatically increased … along with our TV viewing. So I am going to share with you what I have been watching - hoping that you might enjoy it too.

The Letdown - Netflix

If you are new to parenting, or even just remember those days, then you will enjoy a great laugh at the main character Audrey’s struggle to adjust. It is filled with humour for all those moments you don’t know to expect. Alison Bell has written from her experience and is so genuinely funny. She is also the main character and is perfect.

Reprisal - SBS on Demand

A violent but oh so stylish story of revenge. This one had me hooked!

Little Fires Everywhere - Prime

A screen adaptation of the novel by Celeste Ng into a mini series starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington. Like many people I read this book and found it engaging. The cast do the characters justice as the story addresses class and racial divides in America. Also what defines a family.

Parasite - Stan

This Oscar Award winning film is such a great one to watch. We talked about it together for days afterwards. The disparity of wealth, how characters reacted and why, the humour and the great direction by the film maker.

War Of The Worlds - SBS on Demand

An Anglo-French reworking of the classic H.G. Wells story. It is a great TV series. It follows several groups of survivors after the alien attack. Like the “Walking Dead” series it is filled with suspense.

I Am Not Your Negro - SBS on Demand and Stan

Raoul Peck’s amazing documentary exploring the thoughts of James Baldwin as he shares his unfinished novel about the murders of three important figures in the Black rights movement - Malcom X, Martin Luther King and Medgar Evers. It is a powerful film that is beautifully narrated. Relevant viewing for everyone. I was moved by the eloquence of James Baldwin. He was a playright, novelist, poet and activist. I will read his work and learn more about his fight to educate us after seeing this film.

Happy viewing!

Progress today. Books for week one are wrapped … and labelled!

We were recently the recipient of a placemaking grant from Darebin Council and I am personally pretty excited about this because it brings together my first professional job (urban planning) with my current role (community development).

Placemaking is both a process and a philosophy of urban design that capitalises on a local community's assets and potential. Placemaking involves deliberate interventions that enhance the urban experience at the pedestrian scale - to create public spaces that promote health, happiness, and well-being.

Exactly the sorts of lofty things we’re all seeking in these unsettling times right?

To understand what placemaking means in reality you could think about some of the physical changes we’ve made around ACC in the last few years … and how those changes impact on your perception of the space, your sense of belonging to it, and by extension to the organisation itself.

This new Council funded placemaking project that we’re embarking upon is a small scale portable venture - but not a solo undertaking. It is a collaboration with Darebin Libraries and also with Fairfield Bookshop.

And this week we (read Lee) got stuck into turning our idea into reality. By the end of next week phase one should be complete, and we hope to be ready to launch ‘it’ on the street … that street being Station Street in the first instance.

So keep your eyes peeled! We’ll keep you updated on the progress and we’ll provide more details soon.

Plywood, books and sticky notes … what will it all become?

Walking each day during lockdown I am discovering new podcasts to listen to.

• The Rewatchables - a good friend put me on to this - a group of American movie buffs (Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan) sharing their favourite films and the things they love watching again and again. They cover many great films (Inception, The Godfather, The Shining …..) and have categories they work through to analyse and share great movie trivia and movie making secrets. The banter is fun, but what is best is that it makes you want to sit down and watch those films again armed with the new insights they have left you with. Stories of the directors, actors and reasons why some scenes are as great as they are; and why you remember them long after you see the movie!

• Bookclub (BBC Radio 4) - is a podcast where the author chats with readers about the book they have written. I am listening to the one with Gail Honeyman - author of “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine”. A book I am yet to read myself but know that many book clubs have on their reading list! There are many great authors to listen to and you would be sure to find one you admire and would like to hear discuss their work.

• Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness - Jonathan is one of the fab five from “Queer Eye”. The lovable hair stylist tackles many issues relevant to America but I am listening to the episodes dealing with self love and personal growth. It is Jonathan just chatting away unfiltered with interesting people that he admires or he is interested in knowing more about their field of expertise. It is like listening to close friends catch up. If you adore Jonathan you will laugh along. He is a character so be warned his honesty is unchecked!

Our book library was back … and then it disappeared again … and now it is permanently back. Hooray.

And it has been restocked with lots of books for kids and adults.

Pop past and check it out!

And, while on the subject of books, have you read anything you’d recommend lately? It would be great to get some suggestions together for a community post about good books. So, please comment with your recommendations if you are reading on Facebook or Instagram … or send us an email by clicking here.