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#5joysfriday @DebinHawaii
5 things that bought me joy today:
1. This photo of my little reading room, which gets the best light.
2. We are in Autumn or Djeran, as the first people of this area, Boorloo/Perth call it. Djeran is 1 of 6 Noongar seasons & it‘s my favourite.
3. These plants, a cyclamen & bromeliad 😍😍😍.
4. Had another nice visit with my mum, who has dementia, today. 🥰
5. Takeaway Japanese teriyaki chicken for dinner tonight 🤤🙏

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On the cover: rose gold hot stamp to mimic the warm light of autumn, and embossing on the wooden frames of a Japanese window...

Some days you need that quick read. That fast paced, heart-racing, blood-pumping kind of book. This is not that. Autumn Light is the gentle kind of read that takes days, weeks to wander through and ponder, and to appreciate Iyer‘s gentle musings and observations about life in Japan, issues about aging, and the fragility of life. A beautiful and thoughtful read. Highly recommended!

I didn‘t mean to match my current read to my book but sometimes these things happen. This is Autumn Light: Season of Fire and Farewells by Pico Iyer, enjoyed with some leftover Japanese-style chicken curry with potatoes, carrots, celery, and red pepper. Which is quite a good fit with this read as Iyer writes about his life in Japan (his wife is Japanese) where he lives in the Deer‘s Slope neighbourhood in Nara.

The most quiet of quiet, contemplative books. Pico Iyer is an immigrant in Japan with his Japanese wife. He is part of his local community but still marvels at the differences in the culture, religion and history. In this book he is pondering mortality, how we cope with our ageing and impermanence. He accomplishes this primarily through observing rather than theorising. It is lush with atmosphere and a clarity threaded through with sadness.