Volume 07

Welcome back to the Isolation Diaries, our weekly round-up of the things that bring us joy and keep us motivated in lockdown. This week, we’re working hard, learning punk history and supporting our locals. What have you been up to?

Victoria’s relaxing its rules a little, but we’re not quite there yet. For now, we’re enjoying the lighthearted Indoors Zine, a free zine about the great indoors (made entirely from home). Looking for something you could get lost in? The Robber Bride is a slightly different type of Atwood novel. It’s a strange work of fiction inspired by a Brothers Grimm tale. If you’re not ready to commit to another novel, the Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories is a beautiful curation introduced by Haruki Murakami.

Wes Anderson’s animated release of The Grand Budapest Hotel is a captivating glimpse behind the scenes with hand-drawn animatics of key scenes narrated by the Director. Looking for something with grit? SBS is airing a multi-part docu-series on the history and journey of punk, from The Stooges and The Ramones all the way to Bikini Kill, L7 and Green Day. Michael Jordan fan? Netflix is now airing The Last Dance, a definitive account of his exciting career.

Making bread is all the rage right now. We know because Instagram has been flooded with sourdough. No skills? No knead. This recipe is one of the most popular recipes ever published by The Times and it’s super easy. Save your kneading for this DIY pottery kit from Crockd. Your clay creations can be kept for years before they need to be kiln-fired, so you can safely pop them aside for a bit. Need a daily mini-project to get the ideas flowing? The Sketchbook Project is doing a 28-day challenge by donation.

Continuing on from last week, we’re still listening to all things Jon Hopkins, including this amazing live performance at the Opera House. Nine Inch Nails gave us hope and shadow at once with a surprise double-release album. And it’s really something! Ghosts V: Together and Ghosts VI: Locusts has been the soundtrack at this home office for some days. It’s important to take note that things will keep getting Better. So we made another playlist of positivity. Which, naturally, means plenty of new wave and 80s electro.