Rainbowgazing from the Stratosphere

Hello Mr. Strawberry Pot!

2010-05-11T21:34:00.000+10:00

A little while ago I accompanied my mother and auntie to the nursery to buy some herbs and such for the garden. Whilst I was there, a happy little green-leafed strawberry plant caught my eye.

I bought a white strawberry pot to go with him, and potted him as soon as I got home.

Hey little guy!

I talked to him most days...

And lo - !

A couple of delicious little gems for me to eat right up!

Birthday Season

2010-04-11T20:43:00.004+10:00

It's Birthday Season at my place! My mother, brother and sister's birthdays all fall within a month of each other, and I spend the entire month being over-stuffed with excellent birthday cakes. Here are some highlights from Caketime!

Monday Night is Conundrum Night

2010-03-22T21:03:00.003+11:00

Hello dear friends,

I thought I'd actually test out how many people still read this rarely-updated sanctuary of mine by presenting you with a conundrum I have, and then requesting your opinion on the matter.

I had two plans for the beginning of 2011. The first was to spend the month of January in Europe with Roman, the second to (apply for, at least) to direct the Sydney University O-Week Festival.

Both are incredibly good things that I want to do more than anything. Problem being that O-Week director is an incredibly all-consuming commitment that commences half way through 2010 and continues until the last week of February 2011, pretty much precluding me from spending January outside the office.

If I chose to commit to applying for O-Week director, there is a high likelihood that I wouldn't get it (it's a very competitive position, and whilst I am good at that sort of thing there are definitely people in the world who are better at it) and by that stage I may not be able to commit to Europe in lieu of it. On the other hand, if I say "I probably wouldn't get it" and then do, I will have invested in Europe planning for nothing, and Roman will most likely be very upset with me.

So, I now present to you my pros and cons list for both eventualities, and ask you to decide on which course of action I should take:

FOR EUROPE:

It would be my first real holiday in two and a half years;
I would get to return to the UK, to spend at least a week in London as well as visiting throughout the country, meeting up with family (Roman's) and friends (mine);
I would get to go to Scotland for the first time, and to see my dear friends Minna and Hannah;
I would be able to spend a naughty weekend in Paris with Roman... and Minna!;
I would get to go to Berlin and see the Brandenburg Gate (something I really need to do for myself);
I would get to go vintage shopping in London;
It's much more certain/definite than O-Week;
I would be travelling with my love.

FOR O-WEEK:

It would be an incredible adventure;
I would be learning skills that will help me for the rest of my life;
I would be performing a duty to the system that has given me so much over the past few years;
I think I would be good at it;
I think it would help me to grow up and perhaps to even help me find a place in the event industry (which is perhaps where I'll end up);
It would make me freaking awesome;
I would get paid for it, rather than saving for a whole year for Europe.

I know that list makes Europe sound like a way better option, but I'm still very torn. Quick, lend me your opinions!

On Swimming

2010-01-29T16:02:00.006+11:00

I love swimming. I love swimming enough to wear dorky uncle goggles frequently.

I love that my wonderful aunt and uncle live right next to my favourite beach in the world and that I'm able to escape to this incredible other world almost whenever I like.

On Fruit and Happiness

2010-01-29T14:49:00.007+11:00

A big part of what I've been trying to do in bettering my existence is to do with food. As an eating disorder sufferer, I've always had a difficult relationship with food, especially since I've regained a healthy weight, and choosing and eating food can be incredibly stressful for me.

Part of this stress is striking a balance between eating healthy and eating at all. A diet that involves lots of fresh fruit and vegetables is great, but it can be a bit of a slippery slope. The great thing about this time of year (summer!) is that there is so much beautiful fruit and veg to eat, I eat enough to be healthy without feeling the kind of debilitating guilt that comes with the kinds of rich, starchy things we generally reach for in the winter.

This has turned out to be a bit of a negative post, and I'm sorry about that. I do genuinely love food, and cooking, and eating, and that's why it's quite difficult to talk about these things, because whilst my "episode" is more than five years in the past, it is impossible to get rid of the feelings and thoughts entirely. The best way of dealing with it is to really enjoy your food and lead as active a lifestyle as you can.

.. and you really can't be grumpy when there are fresh figs in the house, can you?

On Joanna Henderson

2010-01-29T14:31:00.007+11:00

I was directed to this amazing photography by Jennifer at Simply Photo. I love the interior shots particularly, especially that clock!

See Joanna Henson's website for more lovely pictures.

On Looking Into the Past

2010-01-29T14:27:00.006+11:00

Isn't this the most wonderful gallery?

My Darling Annie

2010-01-29T00:07:00.003+11:00

Hello!

It's been quite a while since I've written here, and there's really no good reason for it.

I've been feeling a vague but pervading sense of unease. I'm tired, anxious, and self-loathing all the time. I'm lethargic and devastatingly lacking in creative drive.

So here I am, back again, looking to this happy, safe place to pt my thoughts down in hopes of rehabilitating my soul. Right now it's late, and I've spent a little too much of this evening fiddling with photos on my computer, so I'll bid you goodnight, until tomorrow morning, when I will return to share some of the things I've been doing, thinking, and enjoying.

I'm also considering a new layout...

Anyway. Goodnight.

p.s. That's my new camera in that photo! It's a Nikon D3000 and I adore her. I've named her Annie for a large/embarrassing list of reasons. She cheers me up - you'll be seeing a lot of her work around here from now on.

The Travel Board

2010-01-06T00:09:00.002+11:00

I'm getting the itch to travel travel travel at the moment. It's probably going to be years before I jet off again, but I will spend the meantime dreaming up some travel dreams...

Top 5 People to get stuck in an elevator with

2010-01-03T19:27:00.004+11:00

I've talked about my fascination with people and the cults of personality that pervade the lives of many a young person. Here is the list of personalities that pervade mine.

5. Annie Lennox

Annie Lennox has been an idol of mine since I was very young. Aside from having an incredible, unique singing voice, she's a passionate activist who has spent much of her life travelling and experiencing different cultures and communities, often lending her voice to those who suffer in silence. It would be wonderful to talk to someone who has had a life like that.

4. David Bowie

Yeah, another rock star. But wouldn't he have had the most incredible experiences? David Bowie was part of a crowd of young musicians in the 60's and 70's that included Iggy Pop, Mick Jagger and Lou Reed. He played at Live Aid, collaborated with Queen, and constructed multiple identities that went perfectly with his incredible music. Oh, and he was in Labyrinth.

3.Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Hugh Fearnley-Eatsitall is my current personality obsession. In fact, as I sit writing this post, I am watching River Cottage Road Trip, in which Hugh is currently fishing in the Lakes District. He is a pretty admirable human being, a chef who has spent the last ten years becoming an exemplar of seasonal and ethical cooking and eating. His tv programs and books have inspired me to eat better, more interesting and more sustainable food in my own diet.

2. Stephen Sondheim

I think this is somewhat self-explanatory considering my last post. Sondheim, simply, creates music and poetry that affects me. He has had a long, rich life (he's eighty!), has been instructed by Oscar Hammerstein and Leonard Bernstein, and has written for Ethel Merman, Mandy Patinkin and countless other amazing performers. I would unashamedly pick his brains for hours and hours.

1. Stephen Fry

Well, he's not eighty, he's not a great musician and he's not known for being an activist, but I think having a conversation with the hyper-intelligent Stephen Fry would be just incredible. He's so smart, so funny, and probably full of conversation starters thanks to his role as Quizmaster on Qi.

Well, that's my 7x5 project finally over (very belatedly, please excuse me), thank you for reading, and I hope it's got you thinking about the art, writing, and personalities that intrigue and inspire you.

Top 5 Musicals

2010-01-03T15:31:00.003+11:00

If you're familiar with this blog or with me in general, you're probably very aware of my love for musical theatre. This list is not ranked from 5th favourite to 1st favourite as most of my other lists have been, but rather in the order they "happened" to me.

5. Les Misérables - Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg
Ah, my first love. I associate Les Mis with a lot of "firsts". It was the first stage musical I was introduced to, the first ticket I bought with my own money... I sung "On My Own" in my first singing lesson, "I Dreamed a Dream" in my first public performance, and later got to play Fantine in my first lead role. It might be a little populist, but I think every musical theatre fan still loves Les Mis deep down, often because they've enjoyed performing it so much!

4. Sweeney Todd - Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler
Sweeney kind of goes here, and kind of goes in the number 1 position. It was the first Sondheim show I got into, largely thanks to the Tim Burton film (my opinion of which as an adaptation I will keep to myself...) and got me interested in Sondheim's other works (see the rest of this list), but right now Sweeney is also at the top of my list: I'm producing a performance of it for March this year. It's such a wonderful, funny, dark, romantic show that it's perfect for a student production.

3. Into the Woods - Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine
One of the next Sondheim shows I discovered, and my all-time favourite book of a musical. In my opinion, Into the Woods is about the most perfect story, or collection of stories, ever set to stage. It all looks as though it's going to be horribly childish and moralistic, and then... act two happens. Into the Woods is right at the top of the list of musicals I need to perform in before I die.

2. West Side Story - Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim
I've never seen West Side performed live, I've only seen the film and heard a couple of cast recordings, but the reason this hits so high on the list is because it is completely badass. The incredible, complex score, the innovative use of movement and dance, and the beautiful, tragic story at it's core has made West Side Story a classic, a pivotal point in the history of musical theatre, and the platform on which the world was delivered a very young Stephen Sondheim.

1. Sunday in the Park With George - Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine

This is my favourite musical. This is my favourite work of art. The team from Into the Woods perfect the artform with Sunday. It's so perfectly romantic and sad, it makes me cry and cry and cry every time I listen or watch it. I've never seen it performed, but I am on my toes waiting for a production to hit Sydney or Melbourne so I can go see it. And oh my goodness, I would die to play Dot. Or direct it. Or just listen to the original Broadway recording every day until I die.

So... that's a snippet of my musical theatre journey. A journey which, thanks to Sweeney and all the things that I'm sure will come after it, is far from over.

Top 5 Books

2009-12-01T23:18:00.002+11:00

Oh lordy lordy, this is a very hard one. Also, it's kind of late, so I may have to do an Abridged Version Challenge for tonight's Top 5. Five words on each? Seems like a fair challenge to me!

5. If on a winter's night a traveler - Italo Calvino

Helped me understand postmodernism. Dense.

4. His Dark Materials Trilogy - Philip Pullman

Got me reading "grown-up" books.

3. Harry Potter Series - J.K. Rowling

I am an obsessive nerd.

2. Good Omens - Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
Best appropriation of Genesis EVER.

1. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Perfect portrayal of love and grace. (that one deserves six!)

Somehow that took me longer than writing full paragraphs... Oh well. I heartily recommend every single one of those books, each worth reading in their own way. I feel like a book can really change your life in a way that nothing else really does, and that's what Les Miserables did for me. What do you other bookworms think?

Top 5 Films

2009-12-01T22:36:00.002+11:00

It's very hard for me to do a Top 5 Films list without at least three of them being film-musicals, I hope everyone appreciates that difficulty.

I'm not generally a feature-length sort of girl, really, due mainly to the combination of factors a) that I'm too much of a penny-pincher to see films whilst they're at the cinema, and b) that I fall asleep during anything over half an hour long when watching it at home. I don't go in for "movies" a lot, so please excuse how pretentious this list looks - I assure you it represents the films that have really stayed with me.

5. Picnic at Hanging Rock

This film was the first film I ever studied, in year 7 English. There are three things that really stick in my mind with this film - the opening quote: "All we see, and all we seem, are but a dream... A dream within a dream..." - the beautiful-slash-completely creepy panflute-dominated score, and the strange, sometimes disturbing aura of pubescent feminine sexuality that pervades the film. The howling winds (genuinely recorded at Hanging Rock), the omnipresent ants, the white roses pinned to every breast, Sarah's straining, tragic affection for Miranda, and the unanswered question of the girls' disappearance make the film so perfectly disjointed, truly one of the great mysteries of our culture.

.. That being said, if you read the last chapter of the book on which it's based, it transpires that they've all turned into bush-dwelling creatures. Which not only destroys the mystery but is a very crap ending. Great thanks go to Peter Weir for avoiding that one.

4. Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog has got to be one of the best pieces of storytelling I've ever born witness to. The way that Jamal's story weaves so perfectly through the questions, the way his life is reflected back on to you as an audience is just so wonderful and engaging, not only did I sit through the whole thing, but I stayed awake watching it again at home. Jai Ho indeed!

3. Akira

If you haven't seen this film (1988, first example of a completely cel-animated feature) then I cannot explain it to you. Go watch it, it's a visual masterpiece and an unusually intricate and genuinely disturbing representation of a futuristic dystopia. No seriously, just go watch it. The reason that it's on my list (and it's the one film that hasn't left my top 5 since I was 13) is because I think it's so important to the way that film has developed as a medium, not to mention art and anime practice.

2. Y Tu Mama Tambien

This film hasn't left my Top 5 since I was 15, so that's also a pretty big deal. Y Tu Mama tells the story of two young men who pick up an older, married woman and whisk her away on a varyingly debaucherous and introspective road trip, learning many important lessons on the way. The reason it's imprinted itself so successfully on my soul is definitely due to the tragic ending it has - the two young men are estranged by their sexual experiences with each other, and the woman leaves their lives just as she entered them, suddenly and without warning or explanation. I cannot describe how hollow I felt after I watched it for the first time, its a beautiful sort of ache that I don't think I've ever experienced again.

1. Love Actually

And now for something completely different!

Well, we're coming up to Christmas and Love Actually is my favourite film. I'm not too proud to admit that four amazing, affecting and important films (and the rest) rank below this one for me. Because it's a British rom-com featuring all my favourite British boys (Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Andrew Lincoln, Colin Firth and Alan Rickman) that gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling and always puts me in the mood for that tea-and-biscuits, cuddly brand of romance.

Eclectic, no? That's definitely the case with me and films, they're not really my thing until one I love comes along. What are your favourites?

Top 5 Artworks

2009-11-29T23:47:00.004+11:00

Because it's almost midnight and I've got some serious spooning to get to, tonight's top five will be in pictures.

Enjoy the brevity, it's brought to you by a solid two hour work-email writing session.

5. Marc Chagall - The Dance

4. Leonardo da Vinci - Leda and the Swan

3. Davide - The Death of Marat

2. Hieronymous Bosch - The Garden of Earthly Delights

1. Salvador Dali - The Metamorphoses of Narcissus

Top 5 Songs

2009-11-28T21:35:00.002+11:00

As someone who has been indoctrinated into a sort of classical mindset about music (thank you, dear) I find the word "song" very difficult to negotiate these days.

"Songs" are not "pieces", and some of Saturday's Top 5 are definitely "pieces". I've had to set myself one rule in making this list (a rule that makes things much easier, I will add) in that sections of musicals or operas, no matter how distinct as "songs", do not count. They are part of a greater work and therefore do not belong in the category of stand-alone musical "pieces". It also means that when I come to do my Top 5 Musicals, I wont have already mentioned them all now.

I think music triggers emotion and certainly emotional memory in a way nothing else really does, and that's why I think every song or piece someone puts in a list like this has to be meaningful, has to have a story. I know mine all do.

5. Danse Macabre - Camille Saint-Saens

Danse Macabre is pure classical pop, I know, but it was one of the first pieces I listened to after deciding to make an effort with the "classical" genre, and it stuck with me. I remember hearing it and being so taken in by the furious rhythms and strange tonality... until I played it in orchestra. Let me tell you right now there is nothing interesting about the double bass part, kind of ruined the whole thing for me.

Still, the fantastic waltz-beat of it and the amazingly eerie and supernatural sound-world it creates pulled me in and reawakened my passion for music, so for that it most definitely deserves a place on this list.

4. Hounds of Love - Kate Bush

From classical pop to actual pop... I love this song. This one's "story" is pretty crap, but the song is an absolute masterpiece of chipmunkery and for that I laud it's name. Kate Bush is, of course, a complete maniac, but I love love love her music, and especially this song. Nothing in the world motivates me to get up and throw myself out into the world like Hounds of Love does, a statement proven by the fact that I listened to it every morning on my way to school in the last month before I graduated. Before exams, before studying, whilst procrastinating studying - Kate Bush's greatest hits kept playing, and Hounds of Love kept on getting put on repeat.

3. Prelude to Cello Suite No. 1 - J.S. Bach

This story has to be picked around, for there is something of a risk of over-share in relation to this piece. Of course, this is the first section of one of Bach's most beautiful works for solo cello, the sound of which is instantly recognisable because of how widely it is used in film and television, but for me it just speaks volumes of earnest, straining, youthful love.

The first time I heard Roman play this piece, we weren't together. I think I was thinking about it, but I'm pretty sure he wasn't... that's kind of how it happened - I suggested it to him and he said "you know, I'd never really thought about it like that" - like all great romances, hey?

So anyway, I downloaded this piece and played it over and over, lying on my bed, worrying about whether my Great Love would ever love me back. And it's just the music for it.

A summer later, the Prelude's story came full circle for me. On some awful hot day, I lay on my back in my Great Love's music room, listening to him play it - just for me.

2. Call Me Al - Paul Simon

This is the Family Song. There are so many stupid, funny memories associated with this song that I can't think of any specifically, it's all melted into some silly pot of full family air-instrument bands whilst Paul Simon blares out unacceptably loudly over long car trips. Paul Simon, especially the Graceland album, makes me think of my dad, and my family, and all the wonderful, wacky love that exists there.

(I bags the air-trumpet).

1. With or Without You - U2

This song is not number one because I love the song. In fact, I've quite gone off it in the last couple of years, something about Bono being a rather large tool or something, but the moment in my memory that explodes into my mind every time I hear it is so pure and so clear that I can't ignore it.

When I was in year 12, I arranged a girls' vocal version of With or Without You for a concert, and the absolute most perfect moment in the entire song was decidedly the moment when the bassline comes in. It's low, even, and throbbing, it helps the music build in such an intense, emotional way that it's just perfect.

On the actual night of the concert, the music started, and as that beautiful bassline came in, I looked across the stage and saw Roman with my old electric bass slung over his shoulders, tapping away at it, and I couldn't help but beam.

That was such a moment for me, a completely still crystallised moment in time, in which I realised, so instantly that my inner-voice actually spoke the words, that I was in love.

I don't think it matters whether it's a song or a piece, whether it's interesting and artistic or a three-chord band job, the music that stays with you is always the music that was playing at that moment in time. We all have them, musically-triggered recollections. I think that's what is important to me about this project, that I can take all these moments where art has touched me and record them, leaving a perfect record of what matters to me at this moment.

Mission Lifestyle Rearrangement: Day Two

2009-11-28T21:21:00.003+11:00

Last night I stayed up too late. Bad start to my Brand New Girl push, perhaps, but the point is that I woke up at eight thirty this morning and felt truly rested.

I hardly ever feel rested, so that was very exciting. I put it down to drinking lots of water.

I then hopped in the car with my family (including my brother, who was Not Happy about being woken... he's seventeen, which pretty much explains that) and drove to to beautiful Clovelly, where I had my first swim of the summer!

If there was ever something that deserved bold-ing, it is that. The water was perfect, the fish were swimming happily around my ankles, and although the blue groper eluded me, I saw a fish that I thought was a parrot fish and ended up being just a very clever regular fish carrying a stone in its mouth.

Getting physically active - tick!

I also enjoyed some pretty wonderful food, which I'd like to share in my slightly crazy, point-form way:

tabouli in pita bread pockets with baba ganouj
a big old strawberry milkshake
door-stop sized slices of a wonderful chewy sourdough bread we bought from a woman selling loaves over her garden gate in Clovelly, with olive butter
Fresh strawberries and grain crisps

Documenting food and exercise may be very boring for any readers I may still have, but is wonderfully helpful to me. I hope I can keep going like this for at least another little while...

Top 5 Television Programmes

2009-11-27T22:45:00.002+11:00

I probably watch too much tv. Not actually ON the television, mind you. Most of the programmes on this list come care of youtube, or dvds put on to play in bed with Roman, as is probably evident from the sheer Englishness of them.

The whole concept of the Top 5 asks some interesting questions. How do "works of art" effect the people who watch/listen/experience them? Even television programmes effect us, the multitudes of online forums devoted to shows, characters and particularly relationships prove that they do.

Cults of personality run rife in tv-watching, and I am totally guilty of that. You'll notice some names that repeat over the course of my Top 5 this evening, starting with...

5. Qi

Stephen Fry's stomach-achingly funny BBC panel show, featuring my idee fixe du jour, Alan Davies, who looks less like Roman and more like Roman's dad in the present day. Still wonderfully funny, he is joined by three guest panelists and rigorously quizzed on Quite Interesting facts by Stephen Fry, a.k.a. The Lord of All Things Wonderful. Its series' are lettered rather than numbered, and every episode has a theme based on the series' letter. Also, it makes for great conversation starters, for example "Here's a Quite Interesting fact - earth has two moons!" You can't help talking with implied capitals and exclamation marks.

4. A Bit of Fry and Laurie

Stephen Fry's second but not final appearance on this list. Simply put, the best sketch show ever. The vox pops are incredible, the amount of drag costuming is incredible, the way that Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie interact is incredible. Totally worth exhausting youtube's supply of clips.

3. Absolute Power

Here he is again! Stephen Fry and John Bird star in a sadly short-lived comedy about a Public Relations company and their dirty dealings. Featuring such plotlines as "sexing up" the House of Lords, accidentally killing a performance artist by draining all his blood, spinning a British neo-Nazi party and everyone sleeping with Jaime.

2. The West Wing

I don't think there are many people who haven't seen The West Wing. I don't think there's much I can say about it, either. My dad has all seven seasons on disc... we didn't see him for a while after that happened. It's a completely engrossing series with amazing attention to detail and beautifully fleshed-out characters. I don't mind admitting that I've seen every episode at least twice, and every episode featuring Danny Concannon at least five times.

1. Jonathan Creek

Ah yes, the ultimate cult of personality. Jonathan Creek is the most wonderful concoction of a character. The idea of super-analytical mystery solving with a socially awkward, accidentally charming genius with his brash red-haired sidekick (who I really identify with... she's slightly uncoordinated and can't keep her mouth shut) is just immensely appealing. The relationship between Jonathan and Maddy (aforementioned brash red-haired one) is fantastically interesting and endearing. A will-they-wont-they that doesn't grate the way some of the American sitcom relationships do, just a perfect imperfect love story that is always funny and eventually just a bit sad.

Television can be decidedly banal, but I think we can all admit that it's sometimes exactly what you need when you have to switch off and relax. Speaking of, I'm off to watch season D of Qi... night all.

7 x 5

2009-11-27T22:18:00.004+11:00

I'm starting a project. Sheer boredom really, but I feel it's moderately likely to help me streamline my ideas about art and life. Possibly.

The idea actually comes from a seriously bad/funny film called High Fidelity, in which the two main characters, who work in a record shop, are constantly quizzing each other on their Top 5 hit B-sides, Top 5 Drummer-turned-Lead Singers, etc, as you can imagine.

So - seven days of Top Fives.

FRIDAY - TV Shows

SATURDAY - Songs

SUNDAY - Artworks

MONDAY - Films

TUESDAY - Books

WEDNESDAY - Musicals

THURSDAY - People to get stuck in an elevator with

From easiest to write about to most difficult - and interesting - to write about, starting tonight.

Mission Lifestyle Rearrangement

2009-11-27T15:36:00.002+11:00

I think I probably could have managed a snappier title. Oh well!

Yes, I am, to put it mildly, COMPLETELY FED UP with my failing immune system and as such have decided that I need a serious shift in habits to stop my body from giving up on me.

So, I've made some goals:

1. No more alcohol.

I don't drink that much, really, but occasionally I drink too much too frequently and make myself very unhappy. I think it has something to do with not drinking at all until after I turned eighteen due to a mixture of respect for the law (ha) and the fact that my liver just couldn't take it after I was seriously ill when I was younger.

Normal nineteen year olds are far more bullet-proof than I am, and I must remember that.

What I will do now is swear off the demon drink altogether until the 20th of March (the closing night of the next show I'm producing) and then reassess whether I really can't live without it after that.

Besides, less drinks = more shoes. Or something.

2. Get physically active.

This is a hard one. Apart from the effort it takes to actually get out of the house after you've had the flu or similar (as I've experienced repeatedly in recent months), Australian summers are unkind to those who wish to walk/jog/do anything out of the water. Luckily enough, I'm a very strong and fairly fearless swimmer, so that makes my choice easy.

I'm on holidays. My boyfriend drives, my parents both drive, they all like going to the beach (even though Roman swims like an Englishman*) so that's what we will do. I will go swim laps of Clovelly Bay every day I can this summer, and on days I can't, I will either go for a nice long walk after dark, or put on Paul Simon and dance like a maniac.

*Not very well

3. Eat Well

I know I can do better than I'm doing right now. I plan to eat healthy amounts of healthy food and stop buying meals wherever possible. For example, today (day one) I have eaten:

An organic cheddar, bean and tomato toasted sandwich with orange juice for breakfast
A small but awesome serving of Dad's home made veggie fried-rice
A parsley omelette with rye toast, fresh tomatoes and baba ganouj.
About to eat apple slices and raisins in natural yoghurt. Yum yum yum.

The great thing is I know it makes me feel so much better than eating the crap I usually buy at uni or work. So yay, let's hope I can keep it up.

3.1 Eat Meat!

My vegetarian period has coincided with the highest rate of recurring illness in my life. After watching far too much of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on River Cottage, I've realised that as long as you eat good meat that has been treated organically and ethically in its previous life, it's not actually a sin to be an omnivore. Plus, my dad makes amazing lemon lamb.

4. Drink water

Seems dumb, right? Well I am dumb. Profoundly, apparently, because my doctor says that two days ago I was so dehydrated it was raising my heart rate. More fluids required. This is an important one for everyone, I think, especially anyone planning on dealing with Australian weather over the next few months.

5. Get on the self-respect wagon

This is the big one. When I'm staying up to all hours with no food and too much drink in me, I forget that I'm actually a bit of a goddess.

This sounds ridiculous, and in many ways it is, but I don't think it'd kill me to remember that I've got a beautiful, feminine body that needs a bit of care given and attention paid.

..Which is why I painted my nails! They're a deep, shimmery turquoise. Like the shadow of an iceberg under the southern waves.

It's the beginning of appreciating what my body does for me and thanking it just a little for that immense labour.

I know I'm going to get better.

Tales from the Sickbed

2009-11-26T14:12:00.002+11:00

Hello dear chickens and roosters (a special nod to my dear uncle Loz right there... pity your team sucks), I am most pleased to inform you that my rate of posting will be increasing due to (I am less pleased to inform you) another bout of Caitlin's Mystery Illness Adventures.

Seriously, if life were a lucky dip I would be picking up all the packages filled with pathogens, and not even the interesting ones.

I know it's not that bad, I mean it's just a case of letting myself get run down - flu followed by meningitis followed by whooping cough followed by whatever I have now (nausea, dehydration and crazy low blood pressure) is not terminal cancer, and for that I am very grateful, but HONESTLY. I am bored of being sick.

Do you remember when you were a kid and taking a day off school for being sick somehow made you a bit special or something? You got to watch tv and read and the next day when you came back everyone would ask after you and make sure you were okay. That seems so far removed from what I've been repeatedly experiencing over the last couple of months, which is being exhausted, missing out on all sorts of work, social, and most importantly musical commitments, watching awful mind-numbingly boring television and trying to find a good book to read.

But it's a learning experience, isn't it? That which does not kill us makes us stronger... or whatever.

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED FROM BEING SICK:

Orange Gatorade sucks. Full effing stop. I shall never drink it again as long as I live, I don't care how it replenishes my electrolytes.
Electrolytes have less to do with the Large Hadron Collider and more to do with fluid retention than I thought. Disappointing.
Trying to perform a week long run of a musical with Whooping Cough is pretty much the opposite of a good time.
Don't watch the news right before going to sleep when you're not sleeping well. You'll wake up at 4am and not be able to get back to sleep for thinking about escaped double murderers (Sydneysiders know what I mean...)
Having a boyfriend with the immune system of the Winged Victory is really very good. My Roman has never been immunised against anything, and has not got one of the diseases I've had despite being perfectly happy to sleep beside me whilst I'm coughing/feverish/vomiting. What a trooper.
My family are wonderful. That includes Roman, but also extends to my Mum and Dad, and Andrew and Lilly. Special mention goes to Lil for getting me a sick-bowl. Champion.

I've been very seriously contemplating how things got this way - how I've managed to make myself sick five weeks out of the last six - and I realise that I need a serious lifestyle re-arrangement. Details of said lifestyle rearrangement will no doubt follow, as soon as I've figured them out...

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

2009-10-30T18:37:00.008+11:00

I've just spent the last three months of my life rehearsing and performing a great little (big) show called The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

It won the Tony Award for Best Musical (the benchmark for achievement in musical theatre) in 1986, an award which in the next two years was awarded to Les Misérables, and Phantom of the Opera, although it has pretty much slipped from the canon of musical theatre repetoire since then.

This is, I believe, largely owing to how difficult it is to stage. The thing about Drood is that it has a different ending every night - there are over 600 endings!

The musical is based on the novel Charles Dickens never finished. When he died in 1870, he was twenty chapters in to a serialised murder mystery, leaving 20 chapters and the resolution of the mystery unwritten and, well, ... a mystery.

Many academics and writers have attempted to "solve" The Mystery of Edwin Drood, including a psychic who apparently just asked Dickens' ghost what happened, but I think Rupert Holmes was the cleverest about it.

Holmes' musical adaptation of Drood is a camp nod to amateur theatre and the vaudeville tradition of the late nineteenth century, a play-within-a-play in which every actor is playing an actor playing one of Dickens' characters. Half way through Act II, the Dickens plotline falls apart and the audience is called upon to vote for an ending.

Four "ballots" are held over the next half hour or so: Who is the Disguised Detective, Dick Datchery? (don't you love the aliteration?) Who Murdered Edwin Drood? and then, at the conclusion of the first two revelations, Which Two Characters Will Fall in Love?

There are five possible Datcherys, eight possible Murderers, and eleven possible lovers (three female, eight male) which add up to over six hundred combinations of endings. A pretty epic task for a young amateur cast.

I played Miss Janet Conover, an experienced Actress, who plays Helena Landless, a Ceylonese noblewoman who accompanies her twin brother Neville to England in order to escape a shady past.

During the run, I was Dick Datchery twice, and a lover once. In fact, the night I was a lover, my male lover was Alex, who played Neville. Mmm, incest. It was hilarious and disturbing.

Anyway, I just had the greatest experience doing Drood, and I wanted to share some of the AMAZING show shots taken by the very talented Victoria Nelson. Stalk her on Facebook, tell her she should start a blog/website to showcase the photography she and her twin sister, Felicity (also very talented) do.

Mr. Harry Milas (the magician of my previous post) as the Chairman. He was a legend.

Me, with Alex (Neville) and Lizzie (Edwin), explaining the death of Dickens to the audience.
The Voting for the female Lover. Naomi (Rosa Bud), Marina (Princess Puffer) and myself, with Andy as Mr. James Throttle, the mentally handicapped Stage Manager.
My very talented twin - twin in the show, soul twin in real life, Alex.
Alex, confessing that it was HE who murdered young Edwin Drood.
The climactic scene just before Drood vanishes in Act I - with the incredible song "No Good Can Come From Bad" aka the crunchy crunchy close harmony death song. Heh.
Me having a little angst in "No Good Can Come From Bad". Alex on the left, Naomi on the right.
Roman (with RIDICULOUS hair), playing the Reverend Crisparkle, blesses the meal in "No Good Can Come From Bad".
I yell at Harry for a while, then he calls me a bitch and I glare for a bit.
The gorgeous female "Moonfall" quartet. Felicity, Naomi, myself and Minna.
And here's Roman as the murderer. He was truly truly scary.
What musical is complete without an epic kick-line?
... or side-stepping, top-hat miming?
Harry and Roman have a moment.

I am so proud of everyone in the cast, and so happy that I got to perform again... it might be the last time I get to for a very long time.

King of Diamonds

2009-10-30T16:45:00.005+11:00

My dear friend Harry dropped over the most amazing book about magic tricks. I've been completely obsessed with magic and illusions since I started watching Jonathan Creek a few weeks ago.

I can't imagine why, can you? ...

Anyway, this book is awesome but I am SO TERRIBLE at the card-flipping thing...

I learned one trick, practiced it a couple of times, bamboozled my brother and then tried it on my dad. He was fairly unimpressed. And even the brother figured it out the second time.
Is this your card? No? Oh. (shit.) Hang on!
Is THIS your card? Still no?
I'm loving the book, but I might have to give up on the actual practice...

Cabin Fever

2009-10-30T16:23:00.002+11:00

I'm being held captive.

... not really.

I have whooping cough and therefore am being literally quarantined in my house with no visitors for a whole week. I'm officially half way through that period of isolation and today I ventured outside for the first time.

It's funny, all I did was hobble around the back garden and I feel completely reborn. Look how lovely and sunny it's been today!

I had a nice sit in the sun and it was so lovely... Just before I took a (very) short stroll around the garden...

Oh, do you like my pyjama pants? They're so old and comfy, perfect for a week like this!
This week will be a good one for re-connecting with El Bloggo. I'm very much looking forward to it.

This is Patt.

2009-10-05T23:44:00.003+11:00

Patt is my awesome friend. Look at his blog. It's funny and sweet and clever, just like him.

The B-Side of a Life Through-Composed

Consistency etc.

2009-10-05T18:32:00.003+11:00

I'm going to blog more regularly. Yes I am. Except that right now the only thing I'm going to do is a "stuff about meeeee" quiz. Sorry about that.

Ahem, anyhow...

What is your current obsession/s?Currently/for several years: Stephen Sondheim and all his works. Oh my goodness. I adore him.

What is the most interesting thing that you will do today?
Write 1500 words on the appropriation of A Midsummer Night's Dream from play to modern opera. You wondered why I was posting, and now you know.

What's for dinner?
Lasagne and greek salad. Om nom nom.

What would you eat for your last meal?I'd start with my dad's pumpkin soup with sour cream, follow it with a main of cheese and spinach tortellini with peas and pesto cream (with nice white wine) and a desert of Roman's lemon pudding with lots of cream and fruit, and a big glass of the lemon, lime, and gin drink that my dear friend Naomi has perfected. The fact that I was about to die would make the massive amounts of cream and cheese in that meal less worrying to me.

What's the last thing you bought?

A yellow iced smiley-face cookie for my darling lovelorn Patrick.

What are you listening to right now?Sweeney Todd, Broadway Revival recording. The Johanna Quartet. Oh my goodness. Love.

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
I'd have the Tardis, so I could go between elegant but homely terraces and apartments in Sydney (where I live... I'm very lucky), Melbourne, London, Vienna, Paris, and New York.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
New York, to catch a Broadway matinee of a new musical.

Which language would you like to learn?Welsh, I must learn Welsh before I die.

What's your favourite quote, for now?
Oh me oh my. Too many to think of. I'm a big libretto-quoter, rather than a person-quoter. This is my favourite piece of poetry, from Sondheim's (der) Sunday in the Park With George.

And when the woman that you wanted goes,You can say to yourself, "Well, I give what I give."
But the women who won't wait for you knowsThat, however you l

ive,
There's a part of you always standing by,
Mapping out the sky,Finishing a hat...
Starting on a hat..
Finishing a hat...
Look, I made a hat...Where there never was a hat...

What is you favourite colour?
It changes from hour to hour. Right now it's dark, burnished orange. Tomorrow it might be teal, or Sweeney-red, or forest green...

What is your favourite piece of clothing from your own wardrobe?I love my long, mint-green and white vintage dress I found at Rozelle markets right now. I do generally love long dresses. They hide my physical shortcomings and make me feel floaty and faerie-ish.

What is your dream job?

West-End producer.

What is your favourite fabric?
Naomi just gave me a beautiful grey silk scarf. So silk, today.

If you had $100 what would you spend it on?A nice dinner date with my darling boy.

Describe your personal style.
Heh. What a question. Anything that makes me look tall. Subtle vintage, lots of colour, but not a big mash of too many colours. I like to power-dress but rarely actually do it.

What are you going to do after this?
Aforementioned 1,500 words. And possibly go for a run.

What are your favourite films?Y Tu Mama Tambien, Akira, The Queen, Frost/Nixon, Up (so good, go see it), Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Favourite fruit?
Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and cherries. Anything red.

What inspires you?
Very good music, and very good theatre. People. Traffic stopping for ambulances.

Your favourite books?Good Omens - Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

The Harry Potter Series - J.K. Rowling

Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Do you collect anything?
Owl things. Clothes that don't fit. Dust, according to my mother.

What are you currently reading?
The libretto of Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream
Go to your book shelf, take down the first book with a red spine you see, turn to page 26 and type out the first line.
"... what I thought, I am sure it would move you. Forgive me, and believe that I cannot help telling you this, I live". - Love Letters, compiled by Antonia Fraser

What makes you follow a blog?
Shiny pictures or a good sense of humour.

What society would you most like to join?
Musical Theatre Society? I'm the president of one.
What is one thing you did as a child that you miss doing now?
Climbing trees!

If you could travel back in time and live in a certain period when would it be?
New York, 1957, to witness the birth of modern musical theatre with West Side Story.

Alexander and I in rehearsal.

My Dear Friend,

2009-09-30T21:21:00.004+10:00

Words can not possibly express how joyful and hopeful you made me today.

For you -

Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.

Because sometimes life is black and white... but sometimes it's bright bower-blue.

I Also Like Lists

2009-08-29T21:54:00.004+10:00

So I'm kind of busy and stressed. Doing production design for a really wonderful play called Eurydice (by Sarah Ruhl) for the Verge Arts Festival at Sydney Uni. Unfortunately I'm kind of rubbish at set/props/costume construction and thus, here I am, 9 days out from opening night, with pretty much everything still left to do.

"Fucking fuck" is the most appropriate phrase, I find.

So, inspired by that colourful phrase and by my dear Rebecca over at the charming if inconsistent blog Feff's Flights of Fancy (look for it in my side bar, something strange is happening with linking at the moment), here is a brief run-down of what needs doing tomorrow:

Buy fabric to make six cloaks, one skirt, six music-stand ornaments, 5m x 9m of "waterfall" set element.
Scrounge around op-shops for and alter some ten items of clothing, including finding a grey morning jacket and tie-dying it.
Learn to tie-dye.
Read a couple of 20-page articles and write a 400 word analysis of a particular school of performance theory and how it relates to modern ceremonies.
Cook dinner for five people.
Prepare myself to be yelled at by a many and varied collection of people for not getting enough done.

Want to see the set plan? It's pretty cool, despite the fact that Roman and I haven't quite mastered textures on SketchUp, the program we've been using to make dimensionally sound set plans.

So there you have it. If you want to help me dye fabric of a Sunday, let me know, you're very welcome.

Happy weekend, my lovely friends.

Twenty Eight!

2009-08-13T23:03:00.004+10:00

Oh my goodness, dolphins and porpoises, it's going to be twenty eight degrees on Sunday!

I know it's only August, but summer is really on its way, the breeze has been so wonderfully zephyric and balmy and I'm starting to turn into Summer Kenny (a fundamentally unsound oceanid with a desire to jump into water from dizzying heights) already.

So, just to get me more excited, twenty eight glorious things Sydney summer is bringing to me: -

1. Icy Poles

2. Clovelly

3. Twilight Picnics (mosquitos and all)

4. Strawberries

5. Raspberries

6. Blackberries

7. Eurydice

8. Making a Dent in My Reading List

9. Getting Oil Paints all over my Hands and Clothes

10. Sleeping with the Windows Open

11. The Clovelly Groper and his Lady Gropers

12. Late Nights at the Duck & Swan

13. White Sandals

14. Sun dresses

15. Home-Made Lemonade

16. Summer Projects

17. Sewing Bags and Dresses

18. Early Sunrises

19. Late Sunsets

20. Late Nights with Good Friends

21. The Mystery of Edwin Drood

22. Colourful Flowers Everywhere

23. Straw Hats

24. Sleeping Nude

25. Swimming in the Ocean Every Day

26. Wandering Through Markets

27. Living in Bare Feet

28. Spending a Third Summer Kissing That Man of Mine

Boleslawiec Ceramics

2009-07-18T21:07:00.005+10:00

Further to my previous post on sentimental muggery, I must express my undying love for Boleslawiec crockery, awesome blue hand-painted Polish ceramics.

I own none of it myself, but have an unhealthy obsession for the large collection of mugs, plates, bowls, jugs and spoon-resters belonging to Roman's family, collected feverishly by his dear mother.

What I really love about these pretty pieces is how obviously hand-crafted they are. They're almost perfectly even and symmetrical but never quite, and the layers of blue ink betray each individual brush stroke used to create them. It makes them all the more delicious to eat from, drink out of and rest upon because they are so obviouslymade with looooooooove.

That and I love the patterns, they're all beautiful. One day I hope to have a collection of my very own.

Things That Are Warm

2009-07-16T23:31:00.003+10:00

Clockwise from Top Left: "Day Off" T-Shirt at Threadless.com, Dadaya Mittens and Hat at Etsy.com, Katwise Arm Warmers at Etsy.com, Sparrownestknits Scarf at Etsy.com, DewberryVintage Boots at Etsy.com, and Sonia Rykiel Coat at ASOS.com.

Tea for Two

2009-07-16T20:28:00.006+10:00

Hello Strangers,

I was just recalling an anecdote my darling boy once told me.

In the 1920's, the conductor of the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Nikolai Malko, bet the composer Dmitri Shostakovich one hundred roubles that he couldn't completely arrange and re-orchestrate the Vincent Youmans standard Tea For Two in an hour.

Shostakovich, of course, did it. From memory. In forty five minutes.

If you're interested, the arrangement is called the Tahiti Trot, and after first being performed in Moscow in 1928, has been performed ever since.

Anyway, that's a fun little story that actually has nothing to do with what I want to talk about. Well, very little.

In the winter months (fuck you, Northern Hemisphere readers, your balmy weather reports are not welcome here) I am a tea fiend, especially when I'm staying up ridiculously late for no good reason.

So, today I bring you a post-hibernation reflection on tea. Mmm, deep.

Five Amazing Cups of Tea:

1. Russian Caravan, home-brewed by Dad, with a big splash of milk and a heaped teaspoon of sugar in a purple flower mug.

2. Chai tea with steamed soy milk from the Frisky Goat at Wynyard Station, drunk half-asleep on the bus to uni.

3. English Breakfast with a dash of milk in a Boleslawiec blue mug at Roman's house on a Sunday morning with a good British fry-up.

4. Jasmine tea in a latte glass at Toby's Estate, served with good conversation with a dear friend.

5. Hot lemon and manuka honey tea with a drop of liquid echinacea, the perfect healing potion when one is ailing.

Finally, I'd just like to share an image I have, an image of what I want my life to look like in the indeterminable future - it involves mugs!

Just to have a little house with some mis-matched furniture and a cat or two, a big bed with a nice quilt, and perhaps a blue-eyed man napping in it... and mugs. I can't wait to have a mug that's mine in my own cupboard in my own home.

It'll be special because of the hundreds of times I'll raise it to my lips. Whilst reading a good book. Whilst skritching a cat behind the ears. Over a fierce debate, over comfortable silence, over a murmured "I love you".

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

This little birdy is grateful to weheartit for the beautiful photos whilst I am devoid of camera.

Love and Art

2009-04-23T20:39:00.003+10:00

The transition between childhood and adulthood doesn't happen suddenly.

It happens over time - first there are hormones, then physical changes, then new relationships and broken hearts and lots of teenage "firsts", and suddenly you've graduated from high school and turned eighteen and you realise that within the next few years you've got to be a Grown Up with all the associated responsibilities.

Things like finding a place to live, furniture to go in it, toasters and kettles and whimsical teacups, paying bills and affording any sort of comfort in your lifestyle... not to mention getting/keeping a job or an education.

And I don't even think that's the most difficult part of becoming an adult. I think what's hard is breaking free of the protective shell that is your family home and going out into the "Real World" to be independent and in a lot of respects, alone for the first time.

Roman and I have a little dream about buying a theatre together and living in the back of it with a cat called Claude (as in Depussey) who can help with the rigging and keeping us warm together when we're in bed in a little room behind the stage.

It's that little projection that makes me realise that however hard being Grown Up is now, I will grow up and as long as I always hold my love and my art in the highest regard, my life will be full and rich.

Claude...

Grateful

2009-04-20T20:29:00.004+10:00

In a week that has so savagely filled me with vitriol towards some repulsive, disappointing and downright euthanasia-worthy excuses for human beings, I feel I should depart from my regular blogging pursuits (as infrequent as they are at the moment) to express my gratitude to people who are endeavouring to not be fucktards in my face.

Cecilia - I wish I could be as patient and kind as you. If someone slept with your husband and ran over your cat after stealing from your house on the way out, you would just feel sorry for them because they're obviously "not in a very good place right now". I love you dearly, thank you for your kind and patient friendship.

Tristan - You and I are kindred spirits, except that you are way more awesome. Thank you for making it okay for me to love nerdy things like lolcats and corsets, for being a lovely friend and not disowning me for the Week of Accidental Tristan-Beating.

Hugh - Your beard is extra luscious and I just adore you. let's start a band.

Emily - Your blog still inspires me to be creative and worship gently and lovingly throughout this time of trial for me. Thank you for being so inspiring.

Minna - You're an angel. We've been together since the beginning of uni and you're the only person who has been there so constantly in that time. You are beautiful and talented and well adjusted. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.

Captain Pants - I look up to you more than anyone else in our age group. You're super intelligent, inspiring, and yet so easy to get along with. What a gift that is - thank you.

Roman - You have the patience of Atlas. You are solid, dependable, but always entertaining and quite the bunk-buddy... And thank you for letting me post crude references to our relationship on my blog. I love you.

Thank you all for helping me deal with the mess of feelings I've been trying to battle in recent days. It seems like a weird thing to post so publicly (although I garuntee that you guys and my dad who inexplicably checks this blog will be the only ones who read it) but I just want you to know how grateful I am for the amazing people and strong friendships I have.

In other news, here's a picture of fat people in tie-dye.

(Source - pictureisunrelated.com. Another perfectly whimsical Tristan recommendation.)

Bummer.

2009-03-22T15:27:00.003+11:00

A spider bit me on the face.

My cheek and my lip are now all swollen.

I look like that munted guy from 300 who limps around Leonides until he gets rejected and then goes and helps the Persians breach Thermopolae...

Worst Sunday Ever.

Random Thought Friday!

2009-03-20T11:21:00.003+11:00

The concept of seasonal produce hurts my brain.

This, friends, is not because I am retarded or somehow incapable of associating fruit with weather, but because I live on that funny little island down the bottom of the world.

Raspberries and strawberries in summer, in England, makes sense. Because berries happen in summer, in England.

Berries are not from Australia.

So what are the poor little strawberry brains supposed to do - keep bearing fruit in June, or skip forward six months because it's too chilly out?

Think about it.

And then there's the whole issue of how strawberries got over here in the first place... Were there garden boxes on the First Fleet? I like that idea...

2009-03-14T23:27:00.003+11:00

Now you are pushed to your feet every day,
Kicked in the ankles to force each foot forward.
You have always been told to kick yourselves,
But you've always had each other for that.

Now you are the points of a compass,
Destined to point your separate ways,
Told that your paths must divide,
But fighting tooth and fucking nail to cling together.

Now you are broken shards,
Of something never quite whole,
You're not healing the way you used to,
But you don't know quite why the stitches don't hold.

Now you are stupid,
No - you always were stupid,
Foolishly idealistic, with foolish faith in each other,
But your hearts fit back together and your scraped knees healed.

Now it does not come so easily.
Now you point to different corners.
Now there is space.
Now there needs to be space.

Now you are Men and Women.

Above My Bed

2009-03-08T20:27:00.003+11:00

My beautiful goddess card collection spreads over my head. It's pretty cool and it brightens up my grey little room.

It's fitting on a Sunday...

2009-03-08T15:51:00.004+11:00

.. to talk about George and Dot.

George is my other love...

George is very special.

Dot is very special too... Have you ever seen a character and just thought...

"She is me."...?

I have.

Nothing seems to fit me right.

The less I wear, the more comfortable I feel.

More rouge...

George is very special.

Maybe I'm just not special enough for him.

If my legs were longer.

It my bust was smaller.

It my hands were graceful.

If my waist was thinner.

If my hips were flatter.

If my voice was warmer...

She sings with my voice... or do I sing with hers?

And George sings with a voice that's unlike anything else I've ever heard.

Mapping out a sky.

What you feel like,

planning a sky.

What you feel when voices that come

Through the window

Go...

Until they distance and die,

Until there's nothing but sky

And how you're always turning back too late

From the grass or the stick

Or the dog or the light,

How the kind of woman willing to wait's

Not the kind that you want to find waiting

To return you to the night,

Dizzy from the height,

Coming from the hat,

Studying the hat,

Entering the world of the hat,

Reaching through the world of the hat

Like a window...

George is an artist, Dot a work of art. They are my greatest inspiration.

I don't think you, reader, could possibly understand the power of this poetry until you hear it sung through George's lips.

If there is one new thing you listen to this week let it be Sondheim's aesthetic masterpiece Sunday in the Park With George.

This is what perfection sounds like.

Smoke in the Sky

2009-02-08T12:23:00.005+11:00

This weekend is a very sad one.

In Victoria and New South Wales, bushfires continue to claim property and lives, with 35 now confirmed dead and many more missing and assumed dead.

Bushfires are part of our national identity, and not a summer goes by where they don't cause destruction all over the country. I vividly remember a week summers and summers ago, I might have been twelve or thirteen at the time, when we were sitting outside our Sydney home, watching the sky turn sludge brown in the 40 degree heat.
By mid-afternoon the sun was almost completely blacked out by the smoke in the sky, and the light was like nothing I'd ever seen before. It was like looking at the world through red-tinted glasses, still daylight but strangely coloured.
Ash started to fall. Big white flakes all over our balcony railings, carried from the fires in the bush straight to us.
My next door neighbour kept the most beautiful roses, perfect, enormous blood red blossoms. That's the image I remember. White flakes of ash on blood red roses.

I remember exactly how I felt then, and still feel now. There's a very perverse beauty in a fire. It's an exquisitely beautiful assertion of nature's phenomenal power. It reminds us that we are mere mortals and that nature can still trump us on every account. It's hostile and violent but even in our fear and anger towards its seemingly pointless destruction we have to feel a certain reverence for it.

Even as I say that, there is still incredible sadness in our hearts today as we hear more and more reports of destruction and loss of life in Victoria and New South Wales.

Please, keep your thoughts and hearts with the 500 firefighters that have been working 16 hour shifts overnight, trying to combat the 50 or more blazes that speckle the East, as well as with those who have lost their homes and loved ones overnight.

Please, if you are in Australia (or in fact anywhere around the world) you can lend your support in the following ways:

- Donating to the Rural Fire Service (http://www.bushfire.nsw.gov.au/) or via the Victorian Fire Hotline (180 2211 180 2211)
-Sponsoring NSW Fire Brigades.
- Encouraging and supporting volunteer fire fighters and becoming a volunteer fire fighter yourself.
- Donating to State Disaster Relief in Victoria and NSW.
- Donating blood as soon as possible if you are a registered donor.
- Observing the TOTAL FIRE BAN, including not smoking or chucking your butts outside.

Volunteer fire fighters have gone out into fire zones after losing their own homes and loved ones. Would that we could all show such selflessness and bravery.

Please keep residents and fire fighters in Rural Australia in your thoughts and prayers.

Towers and Trees

2009-02-02T11:19:00.002+11:00

Once upon a time our cathedrals were the trees. We worshipped with our knees in the earth and our eyes on the sky.

Sunday in Pictures

2009-02-01T23:33:00.004+11:00

Good morning, beautiful flowers from a beautiful boy. Good morning fresh fruit! Good morning beautiful Sunday morning!

A feast of thick crunchy toast, antipasto and other delicious things I found in the fridge.

And of course my mum's fantastic (yumyumyumyumyum) Greek Salad.

And here comes the darling flower-bearer's requisite appearance in Sunday, doing his newspaper crossword... I must say I find there to be something so wonderfully intimate and endearing in that image.

I decided to go swimming at the beach... I can't go for a week without being with the ocean, it's so silly. So we packed our beach bags and waited impatiently to get there.

A sweet little fabric flower wrapped around my belt-loop made my day (and my outfit... heh).

Finally we got to the beach. I look like I've been swimming in this picture but it is in fact because my sister poured a bottle of water over my head. Still, it was so wonderful to be on the sand again. I was so so very excited to go swimming with my goggles and look at all the amazing fish that live in Clovelly (there are a family of Blue Groper that are like big beautiful puppy dogs under the sea).

Alas, it was not to be... as I first stepped out into the water I noticed something bobbing on top of the water. It was a bluebottle.

FUCK. That is so annoying.

For anyone who is unfamiliar, bluebottles are fucking horrible little stinging (for lack of a better word) jellyfish that sit on the surface of the water waiting to sting the shit out of people who are dumb or unlucky enough to swim through their path. My mum tells horror stories about big dirty long ones that wrapped themselves around her leg when she was young. They're not life-threatening but they are incredibly painful. And there's never just one - if you see one you can bet your life there are a thousand more blobbing towards you.

Basically, when you see one, you get out of the water. So there goes that great beach adventure. Poo.

The funny thing about bluebottles is that they have no choice in who they sting - they have no muscles or motor skills, they are just a pouch of air that floats on the water's surface and a tangle of blue tentacles that stretch out below. They don't attack, they just float where the sea takes them. Tomorrow morning the beach will be covered with them - they'll wash up on the beach and die, turning dark as they dry up in the sun. Wouldn't it be horrible to have that little control? One thing's for sure, when you're at the very bottom of the Buddhist cycle of reincarnation, you're a fucking bluebottle. Poor bastards. Still, get the hell away from me.

After our failed swimming expedition we returned home where I cooked my weekly meal. This week it was Emily's delicious Cherry Pilaf, with lovely firm grape tomatoes and beans.

Followed by DESERT PIZZA. Banana/Apple with caramel sauce. Oh my goodness. Death and heaven all in one.

Have happy weeks ahead, my loves!

Deliciousness

2009-02-01T23:15:00.003+11:00

I succumb ridiculously easily to illness.

It's a pain in the... yeah. So anyway. It has been Cold City here in sunny Sydney for the last couple of days (hence the lack of posting... I have light-sensitive eyes when I get sick and the computer screen, she kills me...) so my usually robust diet has been limited.

Let me share with you my Cold & Flu Diet. It's very very simple.

1. Sweet Elixir Of Life (Lemon Honey Drink)

Half boiling water half tap water, the juice of half a lemon and a big teaspoon of delicious and nutritious manuka honey.

2. Solids.
Good toast dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It's about all I can handle and it's just perfect on a weak stomach and stuffy head.

I hope this little diet soothes you my dears when you are feeling sick in the future.

Sunday in Pictures

2009-01-26T23:29:00.006+11:00

Sunday began with tea, ricotta and jam toast, and a plum.

... sitting across from lovely Roman as he reads his paper (such a ritual ever since he got a free student subscription!)

Then we went to Manly, which I must say is not my favourite part of the east coast, but the light was just perfect on the almost-stormy summer day.

There's something very theraputic about the rocking of the waves as they come in, something so lovely and complimentary in the steely blue ocean against the frothy white foam...

I followed my lover over the rocks...
(feeling like some sort of amphibious fairy girl as I hopped over the wet stones)
I reminded my darling how silly and sweet he makes me feel by writing our names into the sand... it really was a very perfect little adventure for young lovers.

There is a certain aesthetic poetry in the lines and contours one finds at the cusp of earth and sea, I think.

Whether they're man-made...
..natural...
... or a crystalline mixture of both.

One finds all sorts of treasures at the seaside.
And some fascinating little creatures in its rock pools.

For me, there is nowhere like the coastline. It's the perfect place to sit and contemplate your next move...

.. or simply to gaze out at the supreme majesty of God's creation.

Emotional Support for Marine Invertibrates

2009-01-26T22:49:00.003+11:00

Oh, Mr. Octopus, why are you so gloomy?

Cheer up - at least you're not a weedy seadragon!

PK.

2009-01-26T21:26:00.002+11:00

This is my dad. Lucky me.

Moonlight Cinema

2009-01-26T18:23:00.004+11:00

Five reasons to offer the Moonlight Cinema your patronage:

1. Beautiful sunsets behind the screen...
2. The wonderful company of friendly pirates (with matching shoes).

3. Colourful characters sitting near you (in fairness we did go for Rocky Horror...)

4. Glasses of Rosé out of plastic glasses...

5. Did I mention the sunsets...?

Trend Alert

2009-01-26T01:25:00.002+11:00

Rolled-down bobby socks are back. Mark my words.

... okay maybe it's just me but this primary school trend is enjoying a wonderful comeback in my wardrobe at the moment. Hop on the bandwagon, people.

2009-01-22T11:36:00.002+11:00

I went etsy searching mad last night.
Shoes. So many shoes. Zombie noises.

My favourites are either the first or the second one down, those red boots are really something special, but I was actually considering buying those brown victorian booties last night. Until someone else bought them. Glare.

Mmm. Shoes.

Around the World in Eighty Years...

2009-01-21T19:39:00.004+11:00

A list of places I want to visit - it's quite comprehensive. Bold means it's on the cards for the next couple of years (yay!)

Adelaide (Australia)
Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Ankara (Turkey)
Athens (Greece)
Auckland (New Zealand)
Barcelona (Spain)
Bangalore (India)
~~Bath (England)~~
Belfast (Northern Ireland)
Berlin (Germany)
Bombay (India)
Brandenburg (Germany)
Brighton (England)
Bruges (Belgium)
Brussels (Belgium)
Buenos Aires (Argentina)
~~Caernarfon (Wales)~~
Cairo (Egypt)
~~Cambridge (England)~~
~~Cardiff (Wales)~~
Catalonia (Spain)
Capetown (South Africa)
Chicago (U.S.A.)
Christchurch (New Zealand)
Copenhagen (Denmark)
Corfu (Greece)
Crete (Greece)
Cyprus (Greek/Turkish Republic of Cyprus)
Dublin (Ireland)
Edinburgh (Scotland)
Freetown (Sierra Leone)
Geneva (Switzerland)
Gibraltar (U.K. Territory)
Glasgow (Scotland)
The Hague (Netherlands)
Hanoi (Vietnam)
Helsinki (Finland)
Istanbul (Turkey)
Jerusalem (Israel)
John O' Groats (Scotland)
Kathmandu (Nepal)
Kodiak Island (U.S.A.)
Lhasa (China)
Limerick (Ireland)
Lisbon (Portugal)
~~London (England)~~
Luxembourg (Luxembourg)
Madrid (Spain)
The Maldives (Republic of the Maldives)
Mandalay (Myanmar)
Marseilles (France)
Melbourne (Australia)
Mexico (Mexico)
Monte Carlo (Monaco)
Montego Bay (Jamaica)
Montreal (Canada)
Moscow (Russia)
Munich (Germany)
Muqdisho (Somalia)
Nagasaki (Japan)
Nairobi (Kenya)
New York City (U.S.A.)
Noumea (New Caladonia)
Osaka (Japan)
Oslo (Norway)
Oxford (England)
Paris (France)
Perth (Australia)
Philadelphia (U.S.A.)
Phnom Penh (Cambodia)
Porto (Portugal)
Port Louis (Mauritius)
Prague (Czech Republic)
Quebec (Canada)
Rabat (Morocco)
Reykjavik (Iceland)
Rome (Italy)
Saigon (Vietnam)
Saint Petersburg (Russia)
San Francisco (U.S.A.)
Sao Paulo (Brazil)
Sarajevo (Bosnia & Herzegovina)
Saskatchewan (Canada)
Shanghai (China)
Stockholm (Sweden)
~~Sussex (England)~~
Taongi (Marshall Islands)
Tokyo (Japan)
Tunis (Tunisia)
Vancouver (Canada)
Vatican City (Italy... sort of)
Venice (Italy)
Warsaw (Poland)
Washington D.C. (U.S.A.)
Wellington (New Zealand)
Yerevan (Armenia)
Zagreb (Croatia)
Zurich (Switzerland)

Sunday in Potter

2009-01-19T15:35:00.004+11:00

In the aftermath of the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows depression overcame a lot of Harry Potter fans.

As many people know, the best way to overcome bouts of depression is through thereputic baking... ta da!

Harry Potter Peanut Butter Cookies!

And what better way to spend a day than to curl up with a good book and cookies between rounds of Harry Potter Cluedo...

Any comments on my crazed fangirlishness will be responded to only with scorn.

Happy-Colours!

2009-01-12T21:07:00.001+11:00

I've been feeling a little grey lately...

I've been getting a lot of dizzy spells and feeling a bit pale generally...
So imagine my delight when I was given these beautiful happy-coloured gerbras this evening...

Pretty yellow flowers.

What a lovely boy.

I love the sea.

2009-01-08T18:47:00.004+11:00

There is nothing quite as wonderful as the ocean on a burning hot summer day.
I spent the other day beach-hopping with my beautiful pink hibiscus sister...

... and ferny orange hibiscus cousin.

Balmoral baths are a favourite. Lilly and Roman and I took turns jumping off the jetty.

And I was very happy with Roman, who likes beaches about as much as a cat would, for his swimming and sand sitting. Roman good boy.

There's something about sticky wet swimmers, sandy feet and burned shoulders that just feels right. Do you like my ocean coloured nailpolish?

Lucky

2009-01-08T17:49:00.004+11:00

I'm a very lucky girl who has just got to spend a month staying with my darling boy, relaxing, organising and getting my mind back into order.

I've been attached to my laptop for the most part, making lots of lovely lists and tables and charts and sending emails and getting well acquainted with the image editing program GIMP.

I've enjoyed far too much delicious food, including ice cream with butterscotch sauce... mmm.

Perhaps most of all, I've enjoyed the funny sweet company of my darling Roman and his beautiful kitties, especially when they find adorably unorthidox sleeping places.

Meow.

I hope everyone is having a lovely week.

Girls on a Roof

2009-01-06T00:39:00.005+11:00

On the roof of an apartment block on Stanley St, we found a little grotto for fairy girls...

I do love my city. And cactuses. And dear friends.

Musings of an Evening

2009-01-05T20:04:00.003+11:00

I had a very domestic day by myself today, cleaning and cooking and not doing very much at all. It gave me a lot of time to think about things and I have got a list of goals and resolutions for the new year...

Things I Will Do in 2009

Costume a musical and a play and a lot of other things besides

Learn silk painting

Make a dress out of my painted silk

Make a corset

Make several corsets, actually

Get an etsy shop up and running for prints, silk, clothes, and gruntles

Keep my soon-to-begin routine of two hours of dance and two hours of yoga each week

Get a credit average without having to go part time

Direct my first show

Cook good healthy food often

Do lots of kissing and loving and be happy with my beautiful lover.

... It looks like rain!

Sunset

2009-01-04T23:51:00.003+11:00

The light of a fiery Australian sunset against the wall... I just had to capture the beautiful movement of the light and the trees.

Sunday in Pictures

2009-01-04T22:56:00.004+11:00

Sunday

By the blue purple yellow red water

On the green purple yellow red grass

Let us pass through our perfect park

Pausing on a Sunday

By the cool blue triangular water

On the soft green elliptical grass

As we pass through arrangements of shadow

Toward the verticals of trees

Forever

By the blue purple yellow red water

On the green orange violet mass of the grass

In our perfect park

Made of flecks of light

And dark

And parasols

People strolling through the trees

Of a small suburban park

On an island in the river

On and ordinary Sunday...

All Things Renewed

2009-01-01T22:45:00.005+11:00

All things quiver with excitement...
All things romantic unfold...

All things become chaotic...

... and all things are renewed.

In 2009, please creative, explore, question, fight, and love.

Happy New Year.

Christmas Highlights

2008-12-29T22:39:00.003+11:00

Ten Highlights of Christmas...

1. Lemon Barley Water to keep us cool.

2. Bouncy cousins and sisters getting pink cheeks from the trampoline.3. Juicy purple cherries.

4. My grandmother's amazing tuna dip with mini-breads!

5. Fruity pink champagne and drunk relatives (he he he).

6. Sourdough, salad, and beautiful blue blossoms.

7. Hilarious puppies with whole sausages in their mouths.

8. Silly sisters.

9. Siblings and gangly Christmas trees.

10. Charlie the Cactus, Roman's Christmas present.

Merry Christmas, bunnies!

Some Beautiful Things...

2008-12-29T17:12:00.002+11:00

My birthday has just recently celebrated it's 19th year of being held on Christmas Eve.
I had a lovely couple of days for my birthday and then Christmas, and got some really lovely thoughtful gifts.
I was really very spoiled, as you can see...
My mother and father, who have proved that they know me better than anyone, gave me the MOST AMAZING THING - Harry Potter Cluedo. Oh my GOODNESS. What a game. I forced my siblings and poor Roman into about five games of it on my birthday and another one on Christmas Day. My brother gave me the DVD of The Golden Compass, and my sister a Discworld novel and a beautiful silver bookmark crowned with a beautiful silver rose.
My good friend Cecilia gave me the two funny little critters you see in the top right hand corner, one of which is a malleable little Ernie-bag, the other of which is a purple bee candle which I cannot bring myself to light - it's too cute!

I got three awesome books, one about the history of Greenpeace, an organisation that I'm an active part of, the discworld novel I mentioned earlier, and most excitingly my Christmas present from Roman, a in interesting book called Handmade Nation, about the rise of the Handmade movement in the U.S., which is absolutely fascinating.

I got the looongest necklace I've ever seen from my dear mum.

A pretty treble-clef pendant, for my muso cred. Hehe.

And most excitingly, this beautiful beautiful little creature from the lovely Plume's Etsy shop. It is the most beautiful thing I have ever owned, the craftsmanship is amazing, and I haven't taken it off except to shower since I put it on that morning. It was very sneakily purchased by my darling Roman after I had expressed an almost obsessive longing for the shiny shiny thing. Thank you Roman, and thank you Jillian! I have never seen its equal.

I hope you all had merry merry Christmases or other holidays, and I hope you have exciting plans for the new year.

Puppy!

2008-12-25T18:26:00.004+11:00

Goodness gracious. I wish my cousin's sweet little puppy was all mine!

Her name is Tilly and she is adorable.

How Mary-Sue Got Her Groove Back or Caitlin's Twilight Film Review

2008-12-21T21:33:00.006+11:00

Once upon a time there was a bored young woman called Stephanie. One day, Stephanie decided to turn her mind (an arguably blunt instrument) to writing teen fiction. And what better thing to write about than her own richly romanticised and deeply sexual fantasy life.

It's quite a common phenomenon for authors to insert sort of avatar or idealised form of themselves into their writing, and this is particularly common in magic-realist, fantasy, and teen drama tales, especially when written by young women (sorry ladies, you know it's true). Stephanie Meyer's Twilight slips neatly into this category and the result is one of the most blatant Mary-Sues (self inserted character) in the history of literature.

Similarly to my Beedle the Bard review, I must say that my love for Harry Potter, which many not-quite-academics say has had its throne usurped by Twilight and its three sequels, has coloured the way I read the book.

A friend of mine was quick to exclaim "it's syntax is identical in every sentence!" which is not as much of an exaggeration as one would think. The narrative flow variously drags and races in places, it misses the mark when it comes to philosophical dialogue about the nature of the vampires' cursed immortality, and the romance between ~~Mary~~Bella and Edward (cue fangirlish shrieks here) is so implausible even before we consider the fact that he's 108 and drinks blood.

However - it is undeniably addictive. Another friend of mine told me that he found its page-turning quality second only to Da Vinci Code, but not as clever...

... which is definitely saying something.

Anyway, the point is that the book is just a little bit rubbish. It's a trashy good read at best, a mind-numbing waste of paper at worst. My own opinion on the novel is somewhere in the mid-range of these extremes, which is why I approached the recently released film adaptation with a healthy amount of skepticism.

My expectations were that basically the film would be sexy, glamourous, big-budget slick, have a seat-wetting effect on teenage girls, and be pretty much soulless (excuse the pun), but it turned out that I was not completely right - there were things I expected and things that (pleasantly) surprised me.

The production values came as no surprise - everything was very smooth, everyone was very young and beautiful, and some of the aerial shots screamed "look at our big budget!" I was really impressed by the special effects for the exact opposite reason to the one you'd expect: there was something really wonderfully understated by the way the vampires' supernatural powers, especially their fast movement and diamond-like skin glittering, were rendered.

I appreciated this because of the way the rest of the film was presented visually.

Let me eat my hat for a moment and admit that the film was beautiful. It was slightly over-exposed and grainy, and the colours were filtered in high-contrast to emphasise pale skin tones and dark hair, making it perfectly moody and gothic. I cannot emphasise enough how aesthetically pleased I was by the film, even before you add the cast of superhumanly beautiful young people.

And my, how beautiful they were. Honourable mentions go to Bella, played by Kristen Stewart, Alice, played by Ashley Greene, and the two fathers of the story, Charlie and Carlisle, played by Billy Burke and Peter Facinelli. Both of them were just a bit gorgeous for old men.

But anyway, past the supermodel casting, there was some value to the film. It definitely caters to the tween audience for whom the book, with its simplistic, prosaic style, is written, however it is clear to me that Meyer's story is only improved by the shift in medium. The change from reading to seeing suits the narrative perfectly, as it allows us to appreciate the romance and action without having to deal with Bella's endlessly simpering eternal monologue that narrates the novel.

Let me before I conclude sing the praises of lead actress Kristen Stewart - she is simply, naturally beautiful, writes and performs her own music, and most of all gives Bella a voice and presence that turned the Twilight adaptation from fucking ridiculous to decent in my mind. I really enjoyed her performance and I'm very much looking forward to seeing what she does in the future, within and without the Twilight saga. But mainly without, if I'm honest...

Twilight is a very entertaining film, and its art direction is worth commenting on. It plays, expectantly, to its intended teenage girl demographic, and as such is no tower of artistic integrity, but I'm sure that will come as no great surprise.

Much of the praise I have for the film is only in comparison to the novel, but I do truly think that the story works better as a film, and if you're into very beautiful people and very beautiful cinematography, it is very worth seeing.

6x3

2008-12-09T01:10:00.003+11:00

I have been tagged, and by gosh what a fun new experience... I shall endeavour to pass on this delightful little meme but I don't know quite who to tag... any suggestions?

Six things that I value, love, and am thankful for:
1. The warm wind beckoning me to come down to the beach one day soon. Very soon.
2. The prospect of a craft and baking day with a dear friend.
3. Thick, colourful balls of wool that make me feel like a kitten.
4. The opportunity to sing two amazing songs by my favourite composer Mr. Stephen Sondheim in a great little show from the 16th to the 20th.
5. A new blue dress trimmed with crocheted lace.
6. A wonderfully patient partner who acts as lover, best friend, treasurer (hehe), and bomb diffuser in my hectic life.

Six things that I do not stand for, support or simply do not like:
1. Denying anyone the chance to make their own decisions on their own lifestyle.
2. The assumption that my faith makes me like extreme Christian fringe groups, hateful, narrow-minded 'Christians', and very much along those lines the diocese of my own denomination in my own city.
3. Going to bed before midnight.
4. Being run-off-my-feet busy all the time.
5. Refusing to let go of ridiculous grudges that are currently celebrating their 2nd anniversary of immature silent treatment.
6. Cowardice in all its forms.

I taaag... Roman ... aaand... nope, that's all I've got for now.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

2008-12-08T22:36:00.004+11:00

What a fantastic little offering from the very talented woman behind Harry Potter.
I am probably not the right person to be taking a critical look at anything by J.K. Rowling, seeing as I am an insane fangirl and wholeheartedly believe that the woman can do no wrong.
So, in that spirit, here is my gushingly positive review of The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

This book is a collection of original folktales set in the Harry Potter universe, touching on the same themes of the corrupting nature of power, the foolishness of pride, the importance of tolerance and acceptance, and the finality of death, as the seven Potter books do.
In addition to the five folktales, there are five small chapters of academic notes on each story, written from the perspective of Albus Dumbledore, with additional explanatory footnotes by J.K. Rowling herself.

The five stories are all very original whilst retaining a folksy feel full of archetypal characters and features, making the collection seem very familiar and very intimate. For me, it was The Fountain of Fair Fortune that struck a chord, in which three witches are accompanied by a knight on a journey towards the fountain in the tale's title, which gives fair fortune to the one who bathes in it. Throughout the story, the witches overcome the journey's obstacles despite the knight's valiant efforts to protect the lady, and in the end each of the four travellers find that the journey, rather than the destination, has given them fair fortune.
All five aim to teach a certain moral point, whether it be the virtue of charity, as in The Wizard and the Hopping Pot, the perils of being coldhearted, as in The Warlock's Hairy Heart, or the self-destructive nature of hubris, as both Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump and the Tale of Three Brothers teach (though there is obviously a deeper folkloric dimension behind the magical objects in the final tale).

These moral ideals are given a whole new dimension through the way in which they are contextualised in the magical world of the Potterverse, where "we meet heroes and heroines who can perform magic themselves, and yet find is just as hard to solve their problems as we do". Subsequently, we meet resourceful witches, cunning old crones, and the humble but cunning Ignotus, the youngest brother in the final tale, but on the flip side witness the failure of Babbity's failed charlatan, and the horrible fate of the (literally) heartless warlock in the Hairy Heart.
Magic adds dimension to the fantastic fairytale plotlines but Rowling refrains from using magic as a solution to the hero/ines' problems and plot complications.

Dumbledore's notes were a fantastically sweet addition to this book that I was not expecting until I opened the cover this afternoon - and what a treat. Such a loved character who got a rather raw deal as far as page-time in the end of the series deserves his time to shine, and Rowling writes brilliantly for him in this volume.
Amongst my favourite moments in Dumbledore's commentary were a recount of Hogwarts' Only Attempt at a Christmas Pantomime in which an engorged salamander set fire to the great hall, Dumbledore's correspondence with Lucius Malfoy over the propriety of wizard-muggle relationships depicted in Hogwarts Library literature, including this fabulous quote: "this exchange marked the beginning of Mr Malfoy's long campaign to have me removed from my post as Headmaster of Hogwarts, and mine to have him removed from his position as Lord Voldemort's Favourite Death Eater"; and of course the good professor's musings on the inalienability of death in the notes on the Tale of Three Brothers.

Finally, the artwork must be commented on, for all the illustrations on the cover and within the pages of the book are by J.K. Rowling herself. They are very organic, natural and well-detailed drawings that look like they were rendered exclusively in biro (I thought you might enjoy that, dear Emily) and you can even see some of the remaining pencil marks underneath the ink lines on the title page. Though they are not quite professional standard illustrations, they are commendably in the spirit of the text and there can be nothing more relevant than that.

This book is printed on Forest Stewardship accredited paper, and 100% of the profits from sales go towards the Children's High Level Group, a non-profit organisation that endeavours to change the lives of institutionalised and marginalised children in Europe, improving literacy and quality of life. Everything about this book is worth picking up a copy, which are readily available across the globe from today, I believe, and I cannot emphasise enough how well spent my $10 was.

oh, the colour

2008-12-03T00:24:00.003+11:00

Woah! Bright colours!
Aren't these button-y looking beads fantastic? They brightened up my day.

Breakfast

2008-12-02T21:54:00.004+11:00

My father's just pointed out to me (rather rudely, ahem) that food is a recurring theme in my blog. So, just to spite him, here's my breakfast!

It was very satisfying.

Summer!

2008-12-01T11:03:00.004+11:00

It's the first day of summer! This means summer dresses! Yay!

... if anyone's noticed how severely I've been abusing exclamation marks recently, I'd like to explain that it has something to do with taking more vitamins.

Sidebar: If you're a woman who gets bad crampies or semi-homicidal mood swings or itchy/blotchy/spotty skin, I highly recommend Evening Primrose Oil, which I take as 2 or 3 capsules every day. I cannot tell you how much it makes my life easier.

Anyway, back to summer.

SUMMER!

Sunday in Pictures

2008-11-30T20:48:00.004+11:00

How nice was today? I don't think I've ever experienced a more blissfully calm Sunday. I cannot remember the last time I had a whole day with nothing on my schedule.
It's been a while, hasn't it? I hope you're enjoying a little pocket of stillness in your own lives.

Breakfast was scrumptious. There's nothing like getting up late and eating a lot of sweet delicious breakfasty things in a big pile. In addition to the croissant and pancakes I had strawberries and bananas with yoghurt, cheese and pickles, loads of toast, four glasses of orange juice and a cup of tea.
Roman and I went for a walk through the glorious streets of Northbridge. We played hide-and-seek. I won.

We visited my pet Woolworth's trolley, Stevie. He got lost one day and now lives outside our house. He's friendly. Say hi, Stevie!
I climbed a tree. It had nice hard, smooth wood and accomodating branches.

... Roman may have had to help me out of it.

We found real treasure!

and I rediscovered a treasure of my own from when I was young. It has sequins!

When the shadows grew long in the garden, I started to make dinner for my family and my brother's lady-friend.

Starting with an entree of garlic pizza...
And greek salad, the dressing of which is made from mixing sliced red onion with white vinegar and caster sugar.
I always thing it looks a little bit like a bowl of jewels. Rubies, emeralds, long shards of amethyst crystal and pearls...

Beef, beans, peas, garlic mash, and the aforementioned greek salad.

Followed by fried bananas and ice cream. Looks foul, tastes mind-blowingly delicious.

Now I'm just sitting on the couch, curled up in blogland, enjoying my 11th episode of the West Wing in twenty four hours.
Have a lovely week, all.

Sunday in Pictures

2008-11-17T00:12:00.003+11:00

I had a very nice Sunday. A very nice Sunday, thank you my darling Roman.
The sun was shining...
We ate jaffles and pickles and tea on kitchy melamine plates that have brought me great joy throughout my life.
I made caramelised apples for desert and ate them with gluttonous amounts of cream.
And started getting my exciting Alphabet Swap package prepared for sending off!

Have a lovely week, all!

A Field of Poppies

2008-11-12T21:46:00.006+11:00

This is a beautiful piece of speechwriting that is an absolute inspiration to me as a writer and as an Australian.

We do not know this Australian's name and we never will.
We do not know his rank or his battalion. We do not know where he was born, nor precisely how and when he died. We do not know where in Australia he had made his home or when he left it for the battlefields of Europe. We do not know his age or his circumstances – whether he was from the city or the bush; what occupation he left to become a soldier; what religion, if he had a religion; if he was married or single. We do not know who loved him or whom he loved. If he had children we do not know who they are. His family is lost to us as he was lost to them. We will never know who this Australian was.
Yet he has always been among those whom we have honoured. We know that he was one of the 45,000 Australians who died on the Western Front. One of the 416,000 Australians who volunteered for service in the First World War. One of the 324,000 Australians who served overseas in that war and one of the 60,000 Australians who died on foreign soil. One of the 100,000 Australians who have died in wars this century.
He is all of them. And he is one of us.
This Australia and the Australia he knew are like foreign countries. The tide of events since he died has been so dramatic, so vast and all – consuming, a world has been created beyond the reach of his imagination.
He may have been one of those who believed that the Great War would be an adventure too grand to miss. He may have felt that he would never live down the shame of not going. But the chances are he went for no other reason than that he believed it was the duty he owed his country and his King.
Because the Great War was a mad, brutal, awful struggle, distinguished more often than not by military and political incompetence; because the waste of human life was so terrible that some said victory was scarcely discernible from defeat; and because the war which was supposed to end all wars in fact sowed the seeds of a second even more terrible war – we might think this Unknown Soldier died in vain.
But, in honouring our war dead, as we always have and as we do today, we declare that this is not true. For out of the war came a lesson which transcended the horror and tragedy and the inexcusable folly. It was a lesson about ordinary people – and the lesson was that they were not ordinary. On all sides they were the heroes of that war; not the generals and the politicians but the soldiers and sailors and nurses – those who taught us to endure hardship, to show courage, to be bold as well as resilient, to believe in ourselves, to stick together.
The Unknown Australian Soldier whom we are interring today was one of those who, by his deeds, proved that real nobility and grandeur belongs, not to empires and nations, but to the people on whom they, in the last resort, always depend.
That is surely at the heart of the ANZAC story, the Australian legend which emerged from the war. It is a legend not of sweeping military victories so much as triumphs against the odds, of courage and ingenuity in adversity. It is a legend of free and independent spirits whose discipline derived less from military formalities and customs than from the bonds of mateship and the demands of necessity. It is a democratic tradition, the tradition in which Australians have gone to war ever since.
This Unknown Australian is not interred here to glorify war over peace; or to assert a soldier's character above a civilian's; or one race or one nation or one religion above another; or men above women; or the war in which he fought and died above any other war; or one generation above any that has been or will come later.
The Unknown Soldier honours the memory of all those men and women who laid down their lives for Australia. His tomb is a reminder of what we have lost in war and what we have gained.
We have lost more than 100,000 lives, and with them all their love of this country and all their hope and energy.
We have gained a legend: a story of bravery and sacrifice and, with it, a deeper faith in ourselves and our democracy, and a deeper understanding of what it means to be Australian.
It is not too much to hope, therefore, that this Unknown Australian Soldier might continue to serve his country - he might enshrine a nation's love of peace and remind us that, in the sacrifice of the men and women whose names are recorded here, there is faith enough for all of us.

The Hon. P. J. Keating MP

Prime Minister of Australia

For Remembrance Day.

Lemons Are Falling from the Sky

2008-11-09T20:24:00.003+11:00

Tonight I made a three course lemon themed feast.

I am a great fan of the lemon. What an underappreciated fruit.

We began with a Lebanese style spinach and cheese pide.

I made it using no recipe but a lot of creativity.

Ingredients:

Baby Spinach

Mozzarella Cheese

2 tsps of Olive oil

A handful of sesame seeds

3 cups of flour

1/2 a sachet of dried yeast

1 cup of water

1 tsp of salt

Method:

Mix together the flour, yeast, salt, and water.

Need for 10 - 15 minutes, then leave to rise for up to 2 hours.

Roll out dough into a canoe shape and scatter shredded baby spinach and grated mozzarella in the cavity.

Pinch together the sides of the dough to seal up the cavity and sprinkle olive oil and sesame seeds over the surface.

Cook for 15-20 minutes at 180 degrees in a conventional oven.

Squeeze fresh lemon juice from wedges on the slices before consuming ravenously.

For the main course I made a light but nevertheless delicious lemon lamb salad.

The lamb was my dad's special secret marinade so I have no idea how it was made, but I just sliced it super thin and put it over a salad comprised of rocket, mixed darkleaf and iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced cucumber and cherry tomatoes, with balsamic vinegar dressing.

Dessert was lemon delicious, the most aptly named pudding in the world.

Ingredients:

3 tsps butter
3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup of caster sugar
1/2 cup of self-raising flour
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1/2 cup of lemon juice
1 1/2 cups of milk

Method:

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick, then add the flour, lemon juice, lemon rind, milk, and butter, and stir through.
Beat the egg whites until they create soft peaks.
Fold the egg whites into the rest of the mixture and pour the whole thing into a 1.5 litre dish.
Submerge the dish in 2 or 3 cm of warm water in a baking pan, and pop the whole thing in the oven for around 40 minutes, until the top has a golden crust.
Serve hot with pouring cream and observe a very content family.

A very content family.

Sunday in Pictures

2008-11-09T19:46:00.004+11:00

Today was a restful, peaceful, creative day. I woke up in my lovely blue wendybird nightie, feeling a slight bit under the weather...

I enjoyed a fruity breakfast at lovely Alexandra's house.

Strawberries, bananas, pineapple, passionfruit yoghurt, and delicious sourdough toast. Nom nom nom.
I spent a couple of happy hours at the Newtown Festival...

...where I bought this beautiful white dress for an absolute steal.
(I'm smiling because it cost me ten dollars).
I spent the afternoon in the company of my charming sister...
...who was my sous chef this evening as I prepared for my feast of a dinner.

Stay tuned for a recount of the feast!

Sunday in Pictures Sculptures

2008-11-03T22:51:00.002+11:00

This weekend I went to Sculptures by the Sea with my adoptive (Roman's) family. It was a really lovely day and I thought I might show you all my favourite sculptures - both man- and naturally-made.

Happy November my loves.

2008-11-03T22:30:00.002+11:00

My beautiful vintage leotard top. It is both exquisitely beautiful and practical.

Saturday In Pictures

2008-10-25T22:49:00.003+11:00

I know I'll be too flat-out busy freaking out about university tomorrow, so for this week your Sunday in Pictures will in fact depict Saturday.

So...

We keep our eyes shut well into the morning...

... until the rest of the world opens its petals for the midday sun.

We sit outside in the sunlight, starting the day with lunch...

... and I feel as lazy as the fat pussycat sprawled out over the cobblestones as though he were a lion.
I catch the afternoon light on the window seat with a fair but drowsy lioness...
...content in my exquisitely relaxed Saturday with the sweet animals and wonderful boy that I love.

Go away, busy Sunday!

God is in the Rain

2008-10-25T22:29:00.003+11:00

God is in every ripple.

God is in every sunshower.

God is in every lightened path.

God is shelter from the storm.

God is friendship.
God probably isn't in a hot cup of tea, but it's still pretty wonderful.
God is in every rainbow.

Sunday in Pictures

2008-10-19T22:15:00.008+11:00

Firstly, let it be said that the weekend and the sunlight calls for Watermelon.
Succulent.
As can probably be gleaned from my many pictures, I am a great fan of sitting in Victoria Park with friends. And such beautiful friends I have. They really brighten up and chill out an otherwise hectic existence.

I live for the love of dappled light and sticky humid grass and golden green trees and summer freedoms, but mostly thanks for daylight savings and the exquisite sunsets I can watch every day...

Tuesday in the Park with Friends

2008-10-10T19:24:00.003+11:00

Songs I'm Singing

2008-10-06T20:04:00.002+11:00

Lover, You Should've Come Over - Jeff Buckley
Look Back In Anger - David Bowie
Come Together - The Beatles
Oh! Darling - The Beatles
Night and Day - Cole Porter
Kingdom Come - Coldplay
First Episode at Hienton - Elton John
The Man With the Child in His Eyes - Kate Bush
Miles Away - Marc Cohn
They Weren't There - Missy Higgins
Under African Skies - Paul Simon
On the Radio - Regina Spektor
Wild Horses - The Rolling Stones
Being Alive - Sondheim, from Company
Unchained Melody - Righteous Bros.

Eggs...

2008-10-03T22:56:00.004+10:00

... are delicious and nutritious.

Good for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and you can put anything in them. Good with fruit and toast. Yummy.

My City by Night

2008-10-03T22:49:00.001+10:00

Lazy Delicacies

2008-09-30T23:21:00.007+10:00

I love good food but I never seem to have any time to make anything truly exquisite. At some point in my life (probably when I've retired and my hands are too arthritic for knitting) I will reach Emily's dizzyingly Nigella-esque culinary heights, but for now I am content to share with you my favourite quick (i.e. lazy) delicacies.

1. Eton Mess

Ingredients:
Fresh strawberries
Merangue
Pouring cream

Method:
Slice up the strawberries and line the bottom of a bowl
Crush up the merangue and scatter it over the strawberries
Pour the cream liberally over the whole lot and dig in with a spoon, not a fork.

2. Ploughman's Lunch

Ingredients:
Lovely thick sourdough bread
Olive butter
Vintage cheddar
Pickled onions
Pickled gherkins
Cherry tomatoes
A pink lady apple
Fresh strawberries

Method:
Toast the bread, spread the olive butter on it, cut up all the rest of the ingredients and whack them on a plate. Serve with a big class of orange juice and enjoy.

Pictures from a Walk

2008-09-30T22:46:00.005+10:00

Peace

2008-09-30T00:24:00.001+10:00

A Change

2008-09-30T00:12:00.002+10:00

Hair dyed and cut by beautiful Sophia.

What do you think?

(Saturday) and Sunday in Pictures

2008-09-21T22:56:00.006+10:00

A collection of wonderfully relaxing moments from a weekend that probably should have been used to write essays...

A two year old took this picture... she's pretty good for someone who just realised she has opposable thumbs.
This is her, my cute little cousin Clare.

Go away, Monday!

Victoria Park

2008-09-19T22:07:00.009+10:00

Fire

2008-09-19T22:07:00.006+10:00

Images of Pip, the amazing fire-twirler, dancing with the flames in the sunset.

Perfect Strangers

2008-09-19T22:07:00.003+10:00

Hello poppets, it has been a long while, hasn't it? Here are some snapshots from my life in the last... whew, it must have been more than ten days.

I have eaten bacon and eggs on pretty blue crockery.
I have walked through the southern woods in the evening.
I have captured some serendipitously beautiful images.

I saw a possum. It was cute.

I have drunk a lot of tea with my best friend.
I have posed in an effort to continue with the 30 Days of Self experiment.
I have done a lot of waiting in my very comfy shoes.
I have realised that my best friend is an Adonis in flannelette. (I love you, Roman.)
I have done so much yet I feel run off my feet. I never stop loving life but I often desire to put some elements of it on pause. Oh for a life of painting, baking, kissing and picnics - and nothing else.

I thank God for my beautiful friends and of course my best friend Roman for stopping me jumping off a bridge in the last very very stressful week. Hopefully my blogging will become more regular from now on.

Fingers crossed!

Sunday in Pictures and Days 6 & 7

2008-09-07T21:12:00.006+10:00

I spent my Father's Day morning cooking up some yummy strawberry pancakes for Dad and myself. This is the result.

And the rest of the morning eating my own concoction.
I spent the majority of the day writing a very long essay.
But then got to spend the sunny afternoon rereading my favourite book for the fortieth time.
And ended my weekend with a barefoot wander through the grass.

Saturday is Baking Day

2008-09-07T11:26:00.003+10:00

Delicious hazelnut/chocolate chip cookies.

Pretty roses.

Sweet, aren't they? I know that Rupert has been featured here before but I believe this might be your first glimpse of pretty Martha...
... still, Rupert does continue to hog the limelight. Thinks the sun shines out of his arse, that one.

Summertime...

2008-09-06T21:52:00.003+10:00

...and the living is easy.

Summer is, for me, synonymous with absolute freedom. And what better or more ironic way to express the love I have for that freedom than through a few little lists (I like lists, if you haven't noticed yet).

Five Things I Love About Summer:
1. Summer fruit - strawberries, raspberries, gorgeously succulent valencia oranges;
2. Walking home (barefoot, of course) in the sunlight at 7 pm;
3. Warm salty ocean water;
4. Beach hair;
5. Doing everything on the veranda.

Five Things I Did Last Summer:
1. Worked my butt off waitressing for England money;
2. Came Of Age and took good advantage of that;
3. Went to Clovelly Beach so often I'm on first name terms with the blue groper;
4. Came to love my best friend so fiercely that I thought I'd accidentally burn down his house;
5. Swam in the ocean so much that I actually was a mermaid for a moment.

Five Things I Will Do This Summer:
1. Rehearse for the best musical in the history of the world;
2. Become a bohemian market goddess with my own stall;
3. Become a seamstress to rival Arachne;
4. Simply keep loving my best friend, and not let him forget it;
5. Swim away my days in the arms of my first love, the ocean.

It is those last five thoughts that are really sustaining me through a particularly horrid bout of university coursework.

Well, that and Bogoroditse Devo, the most heavenly piece of choral music ever written.

It's from Rachmaninoff's Vespers, please find it and listen to it because I guarantee you will see the face of God in its every note.

Let it sustain you all until you too can be caressed by the ocean, and by the many other pleasures of the summer months.

Days 3, 4 & 5

2008-09-05T10:37:00.004+10:00

On Wednesday, I was tired and grumpy.
I slept on my beanbag. It made me feel a little bit better.
On Thursday, I was happy.
This is probably my favourite self-portrait so far, even if it's not really just a 'self '. My life is dedicated to maintaining that beautiful smile on his face.
Today I'm sitting next to a piano, discovering different camera functions.

All I can say is, bring on the weekend.

Day Two, and Spring has Sprung

2008-09-02T19:56:00.004+10:00

Spring means...

Cherry-blossoms in sumptuous full bloom,

Sandals and canvas pants treading over clover patches,

The big blue sky staying blue,

Baby duckies!

And picnics with beautiful friends.

In other news, today's self portrait comes courtesy of Venetian blinds. Couldn't decide between these two so I'm just going to put them both up.

Thirty Days of Self: Day One

2008-09-01T22:05:00.002+10:00

I decided to join in on Umberdove's Thirty Days of Self experiment a couple of days ago, and now it's the first of September and I am ready to go.

The idea really appealed to me because I thought it would challenge me to let go of my vanity and try be objective and artistic about my own face and body.

I'm starting on day one with a very simple image that I don't think it particularly flattering but is the truest profile of myself I can give. In the next thirty days my pictures will most likely become more and more obscure, bizarre and elaborate, but for now I am offering a tabula rasa of sorts to begin.

Sunday in Pictures

2008-08-31T21:04:00.005+10:00

Breakfast.
Eaten.Crayons.
Kitteh!
Streeeeetch.
Apples.

Apple pie!

Pie!

2008-08-30T23:15:00.007+10:00

This was the greatest pie ever made. You are very lucky to have it shared with you, even in mouth-watering picture form. Our lazy Saturday afternoon was filled with honey, cinnamon and over-ripe apples... can you imagine anything better?

When I asked if there was anything better than Saturday afternoon pie, I obviously didn't take into account Rupert's preferences... There really isn't anything quite as good as milk left in the bottom of a glass, is there, Rupert?

Sunday in Pictures: 5 Reasons I Love My Sundays

2008-08-24T21:59:00.005+10:00

1. Sleeping in with good company

2. Brunch in the sunlight (and most importantly, tiger toast!)

4. Tea with good company

5. Taking time to appreciate the foliage

5. Home-made pizza for dinner.

I hope everyone has had a lovely and rejuvinating weekend!

An Evening's Work

2008-08-23T21:58:00.003+10:00

These are the drawings I did tonight, all of the ones in the collection above are done with a japanese brush and ink stone, and the last one with a rather horrible bleeding biro.

For every good one there's about six kind of wonky ones, but that's the way it goes I guess. What do you think?

Boom

2008-08-22T12:28:00.004+10:00

My introduction to classical music can be credited almost entirely to my darling Roman. Of course I'd been learning about classical music in class since year 7 but it was rammed down our throats in a very unappealing way, especially when it came to attending Meet the Music concerts at the Opera House.
These concerts were treated as a good opportunity for mucking up as much as possible (one recalls vividly a fellow student crying out 'You're not meant to clap between movements! FUCK!' just as the applause subsided...) and not for listening to the mixed quality selection of classical and modern Australian art music.
And then... (please insert your own swelling string section here) I fell in love. I had just turned 17 and suddenly there was this incredibly sophisticated smart boy who knew everything about everything. I was instantly dedicated to bettering myself and my musical knowledge enough to impress him. Not only did I seem to impress the boy, I found that the music I was introduced to quickly became intoxicating.
So here, more than a year and a half later, is my personal classical music canon (boom!) by composer:

Allegri - Miserere Mei, Deus
Bach - Prelude from Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major & Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Bach/Gounod - Ave Maria
Dvorak - Symphony No. 9: "From the New World"
Elgar - Nimrod from the Enigma Variations
Faure - Requiem, especially Pie Jesu and Libera Me
Handel - Selections from the Messiah - 'The Trumpet Shall Sound', 'All We Like Sheep', 'Death, Where is thy Sting?', 'Glory to God'.
Holst - St. Paul's Suite & Mars from The Planets
Mozart - Requiem, especially Confutatis & Lacrimosa
Rachmaninoff - Vespers, especially Bogoroditse Devo (please excuse my incredibly poor Russian spelling)
Rimsky-Korsakov - Flight of the Bumblebee
Saint-Saens - Danse Macabre & Symphony No. 3 (Organ)

I've had to control my desire to add about 50 arias from various operas because they will make their own canon at some point in the future.

I hope you enjoy my selections...