JANUARY ROUND UP

The year started beautifully, waking up at my friend J's place and a fab New Years Breakfast at Darby Street, Zinc. We'd had a great night out with L at the pop-up Hendricks bar at The Landing. So I am hopeful the year will continue as well as it started.

The Library was also closed an extended period over Christmas and New Year which meant a lovely break.

L & I hit The Regal on a hot Friday night to see The Big Lebowski, complete with bowling alley, Creedance, Hotdogs and beer, this was an excellent night out. The Dude Abides.

C & I had a day of art in Newcastle, which began with a delicious brunch at Cazador, the movie Mr Turner (with Timothy Spall as the great but tortured artist, beautifully directed by Mike Leigh with each frame a painting within the movie and outstanding acting). After a splurge at Coco Mondo for afternoon tea we spent time at Newcastle Art Gallery fascinated by the wonderful Patricia Piccinini exhibition.

The family got together for a New Years BBQ prior to me heading back to work fresh and relaxed. Which was a good thing as that first day (and indeed that week) was absolutely insane.

A, L & I caught up with S at Five Sawyers. Was a lovely evening of food, beer, and chatter. A relaxed atmosphere at the bar but no air conditioning on a hot night made for a very hot and icky feeling throughout the evening.

I took myself to see The Imitation Game on a Friday afternoon off work. You can read about it here in one of my many Oscar Watch blogs.

I also saw St Vincent with Bill Murray in the title role. I headed in one Sunday when I was feeling a bit low, Bill will cheer me up I thought to myself. It was a rainy day, but I couldn't find a park anywhere near the cinema, ran in the rain all the way there, and due to the time wasted finding a park, only had a short period of time to shove back something quickly at Soul Food Cafe. Always a delight there, pity I had to rush the meal. The film itself was brilliant and well worth seeing, however it was more a drama than a comedy and a very intense one at that. The cast was sensational, the story amazing, but boy, don't go and see it if you need cheering up, I bawled the whole way through.

J & I saw the mighty Steve Smyth at The Stag and Hunter. This was our second viewing and he was even better than the first time. I was also impressed with The Stag, turning itself into a great little live music venue!! Hurrah!!!

We held our first Movie Night at work mid Jan on a hot Friday night, well attended, it was lovely to hear everyone enjoying The Castle.

I had a volunteer gig at The Regal during the month and even learned some of the tricks behind their famous choc tops! After the session I watched the intense Whiplash.

C & I had an amazing art adventure in Sydney, seeing the brilliant Chuck Close exhibit at the MCA and the Pop to Popism at the NSW Art Gallery. We had brunch at Circular Quay, lunch at the most lovely cafe in Myers of all places and dinner at The Sydney Festival. Add in a bit of shopping, and a visit to Kinokuniya Books, a very excellent day was had. You can read about the art here.

Another family BBQ the following day, and then C & I headed in to see Birdman, followed by an early dinner at The Hood. Yummy hamburgers, chips and shakes enjoyed with a cool jukebox blasting in the background. We cooled off with a swim at The Ocean Baths.

The following weekend J & I went to my local for Chinese, Peacock Palace - always a great meal, and then saw Wild.

The busy and amazing month ended seeing my hero, Neil Gaiman at City Recital Hall in Sydney, and you can read about the experience here.

What an amazing month, January is always full on fun things to do and you feel - despite working very hard - a bit like you are still on holidays.

I feel this was a great start to my year, so hopefully more of the same as the months go on.

Here is a link to my book, music, television, and film reviews for the month.

As always here are some random photos.

JANUARY ROUND UP

Hello 2014, one month down (and a bit) already and what a splendiferous month it has been!!!

 

I spent more time in Sydney this month than I have spent in years. When I was much younger I was in and out of Sydney all the time, enjoyed it, had fun, shopped even...but then I discovered Melbourne and it kinda paled in comparison. I still went and there is nothing like driving over the bridge and seeing the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, and hanging out around those areas, but it's all a bit splashy with no soul, money but no sense if you will!

But Melbourne, ahhh, there is something that makes me feel at home immediately, the art, the ease of moving about, the later starts, the trams, I even shop in Melbourne (not normally a fan of shopping) mostly as you feel like you are exploring and not shopping at all, the food, the laneways, the architecture and the people...it's very European and cosmopolitan in a way Sydney just never will or can be.

 

Nonetheless I went to Sydney three weekends in a row.

 

First up was to see Sgt Peppers and Abbey Road played Back2Back by a range of Australian musicians at Sydney Opera House. We travelled down via Bobbin Head, had a wander and a meal at Circular Quay and loved the show.

 

The following weekend, we stayed overnight for Amanda Palmer's Sydney Festival Show, taking up the atmosphere at Hyde Park, before and after.

 

And then back the next Saturday for the Yoko Ono Exhibition and to see David Sedaris at Sydney Opera House, with a bit of chillaxing in between at the Garden Party just outside the Opera House.

 

The Australia Day weekend was relatively quieter, but the month was rounded out by a visit to Melbourne. I went with my good friend C and we had a blast. We saw shows and exhibitions, ate very well, and explored the streets and took photos.

 

Being the lead up to The Academy Awards, I have been also soaking up as many nominated films as I can.

 

I also saw The Secret life of Walter Mitty, which was lovely and sweet, I much prefer Ben Stiller in what I call his melancholy roles, it suits him better. Also two French Films as part of the Summer of Film Festival at The Towers, A Lady in Paris (starring Jean Moreau as a formidable older Estonian lady living in Paris but needing live in help, a black comedy with the usual French flair) and Looking For Hortense (another comedy with melancholy longing, affairs and double crossing was Tres Francais!).

 

As usual I've been out and about eating and being with my fabulous friends. We said hello to S with a group at Bar Petite, lunched at Beaumont Street with C, ate fish and chips in the mall, entertained B at Club Cathy, and had the most god awful meal and service at Pippis with M - thank goodness the company and alcohol was good - but won't be going back there in a hurry!

 

I also spent some time with my family, hanging with my niece and nephew, dinner with my parents.

 

The start to the working year has also been good, hectic in the right kind of way with many exciting projects that I am working on plus the usual stuff and all rather enjoyable.

Also managed a few walks and started a little photography project...more on that in weeks to come.

 

Amanda Palmer

Last Saturday I saw Amanda Palmer...live...for the first time...and it was brilliant.

 

I can't remember when I first came across Amanda Palmer. I certainly knew and loved The Dresden Dolls, and was aware of her in your face attitude. As a huge fan of Neil Gaiman I guess I started to come across her more when she became his wife. Initially I was a little gobsmacked, but following both of them on social media, you can see they are the golden standard for modern romance. I know Amanda has toured before, Newcastle even (how I missed that I still have no idea!), so was keen to see her in the flesh.

 

And with Amanda, that can be quite literally. She is an all encompassing performer, embraces nudity, and (in my thoughts) is a real feminist. She loves men but doesn't need them, incredibly independent, tells it like it is, isn't precious about feminity, yet always looks amazing, and is kick arse! We all should be that cool!

 

I mean, she IS Amanda Fucking Palmer...or AFP as she is known!

 

So I set off on The Shitkansen with my friends, L, J and A for our AFP Adventure. (Every outing needs a hashtag) After some roving round the city we met up with our fifth accomplice, S and changed our hashtag to Five Go Wild at AFP (homage to our beloved Enid Blyton).

 

Amanda was doing a ten night residency at The Spiegeltent in Hyde Park, as part of The Sydney Festival, and Saturday was Performance 3. It was GA seating but we scored some great seats about 7 rows back.

 

The lights dimmed and we waited with anticipation and behind us a voice and ukulele started up, Radiohead's Creep. It the shadows near the bar she sang, cracking herself up from time to time and finally seductively making her way to the stage. She ended on a long operatic note, which was dazzling. I believe she is classically trained, or at least it certainly sounds as if she is. Her vocal range is stunning and her piano playing amazing.

 

 

I always enjoy her music, but I guess it is more for listening to live, and finally seeing her cemented that thought. She gives so much of herself for the entire time you feel like you might be in her bedroom looking in. Yet she makes you feel special and loved. There is much chatting and frivolity in between most songs, with stories of how they came to be or little comments about Australia. Amanda loves Australia and gets our humour and lifestyle.

 

Now, as wonderful as it was, I feel my descriptions do it no justice at all. It is such a visceral and powerful thing to hear such raw emotion and honesty delivered through songs (humourous or not) that I just can't find the right words...but I shall try.

 

The first song after Creep, was Coin Operated Boy, a Dresden Dolls song I have always loved because of it's theatrical tone and whimsical AND melancholy feel. By the end of that, if she hadn't already, the audience were in the palmer of her hand and behaving accordingly. My god, the first concert I have been to in forever that no one is annoying, in fact I cannot recall even noticing the audience. This is something!

 

 

The set was only an hour (as it is each night) and it went fast, too fast, but by god it was amazing.

 

Standouts for me were Vegemite (mostly because it is one of my favourites of hers, she does not like Vegemite, and neither do I...I know from experience we are in a minority, so when I first heard it, I whooped with glee!), her duet with Brendan Maclean on Bats For Lashes' Laura, Drover's Boy, and Bigger on the Inside.

 

 

Ted Egan's Drover's Boy, a song I knew but not well, was simply stunning. It was haunting and brought a tear to my eye. It's moments like that, you really think there is nothing this woman can't do!

 

Also the haunting Bigger on the Inside, dealing with a lot of traumatic and sad material and about being pushed to your limits had the audience hushed and you could hear a pin drop.

 

And then when we thought we could take no more, she ended with the delightfully upbeat Ukulele Anthem. About the joys and simplicities of playing the ukulele.

 

 

We left feeling great, Amanda came out to sign items and hug people after, we watched from afar, eating our gelatos and feeling fabulous.

 

 

P.S. My photos are not that great. I was using my phone, which is usually pretty good, in a very dark environment without a flash and then had to contend with the staging lights. But you get the gist!