Riot Women

and other things I like atm

Do you ever feel when you come back from holiday that you’ve forgotten how to do your job? I’ve been feeling that this week. Tasks that are a regular feature of my working life have somehow slipped my mind… knuckling down to write or create feels really hard. I’m trying to remember to give myself a little grace, and that right now – when my schedule is quiet – is a good time to reflect and contemplate the year ahead.

me after a nudie swim! Also recommend this…

In that spirit, I thought I’d share a few things I’m enjoying right now, and that you might, too. None of these are paid mentions, so you know. Just things I genuinely like.

WATCH: Riot Women

I’ve really enjoyed watching the BBC series Riot Women, which I see is coming to TVNZ soon. Don’t be fooled by any trailers or social media clips you might see about this. Yes, it’s a show about midlife women forming a punk band. No, it’s not a show about menopause. As in life, menopause happens to the five women who are the central characters here, but that’s just one element in their full, rich, messy and sometimes chaotic lives. No one has menopause as their whole personality, after all, and I was really pleased to see the writers on this one have not resorted to this lazy trope of the midlife woman. Instead, we get to see the nuance; the joy; the complicated layers of life as lived by women who’ve been around a while. It gets dark (again, as life sometimes does) so be warned. But there’s also humour and a satisfying level of rage. The performances (including from the awesome Tamsin Greig) are extremely good. Plus, it features the only song about menopause I’ve ever heard that doesn’t make me want to hurl. AND it does look like they’ve set it up nicely for a season 2, which is satisfying. This is the energy I want to take into 2026. Recommend.

EAT: Mini Jelly Tip

It’s a classic Kiwi ice cream treat, and I bet even if you haven’t had one in years, you can conjur up a taste memory of Tip Top’s Jelly Tip. Go on: think of it now. It brings me a lot of joy to know the Jelly Tip is available in a box of ten mini versions; these are the perfect size for a wee treat on a steamy afternoon. On special they work out at less than $1 each. Nutritional value: marginal. Joy value: high.

ADD: Calcium-enriched milk

I’m working on boosting my calcium intake right now; it’s all part of a plan to boost my bone health (which I’ll talk more about in a future post). I never paid much attention to calcium-enriched milk before, but it’s one of those small changes that looks to me worth making. Compared to regular milk, the calcium-enriched milks (of which there are several brands) offer meaningfully more calcium per serve – for eg looking at Anchor brand, it’s 475mg versus 294mg in lite or blue milk. And it looks like we get a bit more protein, too. I’m trying to keep the habit going of adding a glass of milk to my day, on top of milk in my coffee and with breakfast some days. It’s quite hard to get all the calcium we need (ranging from 800mg to 1500mg a day depending on who you listen to) from diet, which according to the experts is the best way to do it. So every bit we can add helps as part of the bone health jigsaw.

LISTEN: Ladies, we need to talk

This is a podcast I almost always listen to when a new ep comes out. It’s a podcast I wish I was making. Out of the ABC in Oz, it covers fascinating aspects of women’s lives that I want to talk about, too! Host Yumi Stynes has a really lovely way of getting her guests to open up about sometimes really intimate topics, often focusing on relationships and sexuality (but not always). The latest ep is titled ‘Going gay in middle age’ and explores why so many women are coming out in their second act. I found it fascinating. There was also a great one recently on ‘what we wish men knew about sex’ and a faaaascinating one about a woman who decided to book a sex worker for herself for her 70^th birthday. Look for it on your podcast app and recommend subscribing.

See you soon!

NB