"Εtautahi locals - This newsletter will RUIN your free time... in the best way" π₯
*NEW FREE LOCAL NEWSLETTER* β‘οΈ Fresh workshops & events, weird hobbies & advice, creative deals & career possibilities, and meeting local legends doing cool sh*t along the way. π‘ Plan your weekend, accidentally reinvent your life. π Inspiration drops every Wednesday at noon.
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A Deathwalker and a Horror-Obsessed Writer Walk into a Cafe... π«
Published 4 months agoΒ β’Β 4 min read
'Ello Dabblers!
*Refrains from asking if you can believe we're halfway through November already*
This week sees a few significant dates and anniversaries, and hopefully some rest, pottering (pottery-ing, if you want, too?) and sunshine (both internally and environmentally)- I'm eternally glad you're here (in all senses, too, but it might make more sense soon). Let's jump straight in. Go well π βC.x β¨
PERMISSION TO CHUCK THE CORPORATE LADDER ON THE BONFIRE
I saw you noticing that Death Cafe event, and I know you either curiously clicked through, or scrolled past real fast... Either way, I've got news for you...
Do the damn hobby (before you die) π βEspecially the one that you've been "wanting to do for yeeears"...
OK, that wasn't the point (but it also absolutely is).
Point is, if your peaceful curiosity around death and dying (the Greeks called this 'philothanasia') pulls you towards wanting to chat about near-death experiences, death doulas, and what your aging parents are up to, as easily as say, your fave sourdough recipe... perhaps you'd like to consider coming along to the cafe event at Civil & Naval on Sunday (10:30am). Think of it as a hobby that reminds you why hobbies matter in the first place. If we're all going to shuffle off this mortal coil eventually, why not get comfortable discussing it?
Additionally (or alternatively), the 5th annual Lifting the Lid - International Festival of Death and Dying is happening online this weekend - 50+ speakers, performance artists, workshops, short films, planning resources (honestly, check out the schedule, there's A LOT)... βSounds like an opportune time to gather knowledge and ideas from death workers and those who have created careers around death and dying support (hint hint π).
β¨Death Cafeβ¨ is part of a global social movement built on the idea that getting comfortable with mortality helps you squeeze more juice out of your finite time here (and you can have cake). Our Christchurch chapter was started by β¨Melanie Mayellβ¨ (who's also a photographer, author, and gratitude ambassador in addition to being a trained Deathwalker) in 2016, with the casual monthly meetups happening ever since!
More info on their FB pages here:
FROM ONE HOBBY GOBLIN TO ANOTHER
πΏ Stop pining for Winter and hook your ski boots into these (seriously cool) vintage grass skis
π₯ Perfect your vege kababs with this purpose-built, absolute unit of a BBQ tableβ
π· You might bag this Tenor sax for a few tenners, if you're lucky
βοΈ Become a low-key sky menace with this RC Plane kit
Although not general hobby-fodder, it would be remiss of us not to mention one of our city's darkest historical events (especially also while on the topic of talking about death) - the Ballantynes fire (18th November 1947). The silver linings here were the local and national changes to emergency systems and processes, as well as the 10,000 family, friends and public who attended the civic funeral procession (23rd November) to honour the 41 staff who perished.
Ballantynes's subsequent recovery and rebuild was described as "one of the most remarkable stories in New Zealandβs commercial history" by author, Gordon Ogilvie, who was tasked with marking their 150th Anniversary (sesquicentenary- what a great word) in 2005 (which means, even with earthquake disruptions as well, they've been around for 170 years, which is definitely remarkable!).
Funeral for Ballantynes fire victims (Alexander Turnbull Library, PAColl-7171-88)
Hopefully you make some time for yourself this Friday (Anniversary day, if you've just found yourself here and have no idea what's going on)- as always, feel free to tap the reply button and tell us what you're up to, we read every message π€π€
"Εtautahi locals - This newsletter will RUIN your free time... in the best way" π₯
*NEW FREE LOCAL NEWSLETTER* β‘οΈ Fresh workshops & events, weird hobbies & advice, creative deals & career possibilities, and meeting local legends doing cool sh*t along the way. π‘ Plan your weekend, accidentally reinvent your life. π Inspiration drops every Wednesday at noon.
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