Highlighted by Highly Enthused is a newsletter, once a podcast, concerning all the best things to consume in life. It’s written twice per month by Sophie McComas-Williams and Sophie Roberts, and today’s dispatch is written by SoMo! The majority of each newsletter is free, but there are five extra recs in each for paid subscribers. Thanks for being here!
Last time I wrote to you, there were feet and elbows and a tiny penis inside me, and now, look! They’re all here on the outside! In the shape of a deliciously pudgy baby boy, Bruno, who arrived two days before his due date in true Capricorn Sun, Taurus Moon, Capricorn Rising style (as SoRo said - “this baby’s gonna get shit done!”). He has true Targaryen-style white blonde hair straight out of the womb - a rarity according to the midwives, who know how to make mums feel that little bit extra about their newborns :) - a cross little crease between his forehead and tiny nose, and the squishiest dumpling cheeks. After our first son had decidedly NO PUDGE, I am eating these rolls right up. As you can expect from someone in their first postpartum month, my recs right now are pretty couch-bound, but I think that just makes them cosy - and you’re probably in that return-to-work slump after a holiday so maybe want to wallow a little and just… do less. Well, look no further.
Eat / Drink
It’s been a while in between niche Harris Farm recs, hasn’t it. I bought a bag of Balocco Cocoa Wafer Cubes for, um… our toddler and his friend, but have been squirrelling my hand into the bag ever since, which I’ve hidden high up on the shelf so the kids can’t reach them. They’re incredible, a cross between a biscuit and a chocolate bar, little cubes of wafer sandwiching the softest, most luxurious hazelnut/cocoa creme. Honestly they melt in your mouth and are the perfectly sized treat for when you want to feel like a daggy little Italian Nonna donning out daggy little Italian sweets to yourself or others. They need not be toddlers. Yum.
Read / Watch / Listen
There are so many great movies out at the moment. I’m yet to scratch the Paul Mescal itch with All Of Us Strangers, #soon, but I did catch May December at The gorgeous Art Deco cinema, The Ritz. FYI tickets are $10 on Wednesdays if you BYO baby and don’t mind being interrupted by intermittent cries and burps. The Julianne Moore / Natalie Portman combo is so tensely electrifying, and the plot is so deeply, deeply uncomfortable. It’s also a really interesting way to spin a true-story storyline that a lot might remember from the media. In short, Natalie Portman is an actress, and in her research for her next role, she spends time with the woman she’ll soon be portraying - a woman who began an affair at 32, and subsequently bore children to and married, a 12 year old boy. Master of the transformation, watching Natalie slowly emulate this woman gives you the serious creeps. Such a more interesting angle than just rehashing the story of the affair would have been.
Do / Buy
After TOO LONG spent in Tevas and as they’ve slowly begun to come away at the seams, it was time for a new pair of flats that are slightly more profesh. Nelson Made is a NZ brand that make the most beautiful shoes, they’re so well made and so comfortable, seriously worth the investment (shoutout to the babes at Homeroom for the intel). I already own the Juliette Midi Heels (and am still mourning their cream leather being trashed by green lawn fertiliser at a garden wedding recently CRYYY) but have just slid my toes into the Layla Slides in black and choc. The chunky slide vibe can feel SO HEAVY on your feet, but these are comfy AF.
The Fast Five
A quick-fire rundown of the miscellaneous finds we’ve loved this month. In this edition, an ultimate snack/drink combo, a TikTok obsession, something creepy on TV and the most bougie cake stand.