Chances are you may know Beth Allen as her onscreen persona, Shortland Street’s resident bitch Dr Brooke Freeman, but as you’ll find out when you read about some of her favourite things, there’s a lot more to her than that and a lot about her to like. This nzgirl’s got taste…
There’s another reason we heart Beth – she’s not afraid to talk about ‘down there’ and spread the message about the importance of looking after ourselves, particularly in relation to our gynaecological health. Over on the Street her character Brooke’s dealing with an ovarian cyst scare, while Beth is still fresh from a turn on the stage in the iconic play, The Vagina Monologues and she’s also recently signed on as an ambassador for the New Zealand Gynaecological Cancer Foundation. Phew!
Beth Allen’s Favourite Things
EAT:
- I love Annabel Langbein‘s cookbooks. Her meals are simple and classy, plus I love a woman in a great outfit with gumboots.
- Macarons from J’aime les macrons. This shop is in Christchurch, where two ladies handmake these delicious little treats. Buy ten online for a girlfriend as a special present, then make sure you’re there with the pot of tea and a helpful look on your face when she opens them and says “Oh wow! But how will I eat them all?”
- Pyrenees French Deli in Mt Albert – see above. Cheese. Beetroot and feta slice. Awesome coffee. Pastries. French cookware. Heaven.
BUY:
- I bought this beautiful bag (left) from local label Zabbana for summer; you can take off the strap and use it as a clutch. Yay, I like me some multitasking.
- Naveya & Sloane jewellery (right). Timeless, lovely, feminine.
ENTERTAIN:
- Australian film Animal Kingdom (left); one of the best I have seen in a long time.
- American series The Wire.
- I just read Affluenza by Oliver James, which reminded me to worry less about getting, buying and having stuff.
- Mojo by Jez Butterworth (right), a play that I’m producing with my fiancee, and he’s in it. Clever boy. On from October 28th at The Basement.
- textsfromlastnite.com
- lamebook.com
- ugliesttattoos.failblog.org
KNOW:
- You can’t control the actions of others, but you can control your reaction to them.
- Pay off your credit card every month.
- This too shall pass.
- Get a pap smear every year and look after your gynaecological health, check out http://www.nzgcf.org.nz
- Just talk about it.
- Use a combination of cottage cheese and grated tasty cheese instead of cheese sauce in lasagne so it doesn’t get gluggy.
PEOPLE (and other beings I like)
- My fiancee
- My cats Omar and Billie-Jean
- Cate Blanchett, Frances McDormand, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Meryl Streep: actresses who aren’t afraid to be open, vulnerable, true, or to age gracefully.
PLACES
- New Chums in the Coromandel
- My backyard with the sun above, putting the washing out: I love how fresh the sun makes washing feel. And putting it out makes me feel useful, and grounded. Plus the cat likes chatting to me as I do it.
- On set, first thing in the morning, coffee in hand.
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