That Happy Feeling

Evening Performance Out of the Way, Matinee to Follow

So it's just before midnight and I've just arrived home about half an hour ago.   Spent most of the day at the Paddington/Woollahra Returned Soldiers League Club (the Paddo RSL) rehearsing and performing for tonight's Show Us Your Rings Concert.   17 songs, no music, skits, interview style (think Talk Show) hosted by Stevie Clayton, an extremely talented, compassionate and wonderful person who hosted ACON for many years.   

The RSL Club has a small auditorium and the format was the choir on seats on risers (as a TV audience) the floor of the auditorium was the TV station sound-stage and Stevie was the Rikki type.   Songs, skits, pathos, humour.   It was a truly amazing experience.   

The choir is an amazing bunch of people of all ages, from early 20's to early 70's.  All types, all persuasions, all political affiliations.   But all concerned with getting a better deal for one of Australia's neglected communities.   

Hope to see you at Sunday afternoon's matinee.   220-232 Oxford St Paddington.   2.00pm.  $25/$15.   

Mouse on a Treadmill

The past month of no blogging has been basically because I haven't done anything out of the ordinary to blog about.  Mind you, we have been moving inexorably, and inevitably towards this weekend, which will involve 2 concerts, I'll be singing in.   The program is great, its what the choir members wanted to do, it's topical, and it should be a lot of fun.   It's the chance for some special people to share special moments, and I wouldn't miss it for quids.    And there's, a wonderful arrangement of a wonderful song, by a wonderful young woman.   There's also something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue, so you get the idea of where we're coming from. 

Tomorrow's choir rehearsal will be great.   We'll have a run through, iron out the inevitable hiccups and be ever ready for a fabulous weekend.   Hope yours is fabulous. 

 
 

Quiet Times

Quiet times over the past couple of weeks.   The long weekend, early in the month was uneventful, and since then it's been day shifts at work, without too much drama.   Tomorrow, choir has a monthly rehearsal.   We are three weeks out from what looks like being a very interesting concert on 7 and 8 November, and have a couple of community gigs towards the end of October, then we ramp up the ho-ho-ho for the Christmas season.    Talk about a runaway train ride. 

I've been enjoying the wine that I brought back from Mudgee.   Have finished the whites and am into the reds.   Tonight's drop will be a 2006 Miramar Cab/Merlot, with some cheese, crackers and chocolate, and there's a couple of interesting shows about Paris on TV so I'm settling in for the night. 

The weather during the week has been great but its marginally cooler at the moment, say 65-70F, and will probably be cool most of the weekend. 

Unsure of a plan for Sunday, but I'm sure things will work out for the best. 

Have a great weekend all. 

A Long Weekend

You have to love the idea of a long weekend.   No work Monday, because it's the 8 Hour Day Public Holiday, commemorating the start of the 8 hour workday (8 hours works, 8 hours sleep, and 8 hours rest/recreation).   Sadly these days of more intense living/working conditions mean it's not always possible to have that balance, but the holiday that commemorates it is nice. 

Today was my genie volunteer day at SAG, helping people to find their family and long lost connections.   I enjoy doing this each month, but have missed out for the past couple of months due to winter colds/flu which didn't really go away, and just kept rotating like some crazy clock. 

At the moment it's raining, lightly, so I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring. 

Enjoy your weekend folks, and for those in NSW, and Victoria, remember, the clocks go forward one hour before you go to bed, so you'll lose an hour's sleep. 

Happy Birthday, Hannah-Rose, and Happy Birthday, Steve.   

The Holiday is almost Over

I've got Friday, and the weekend before I'm due back at work, after a two week break.   The break has been a great chance to recharge the batteries, catch up on some of the cleaning and paperwork at home and just to take things easier. 

Last week I drove up to Mudgee for about 3 nights.   Mudgee is about 3 and a half hours from Sydney and is situated in a valley, and its wine growing country.   There are about 40 wineries up there, from small to medium size.   Most of the wineries have cellar doors where you can drive in or go on a tour from town if there are enough of you, taste a few wines and then buy.   I visited 10 different wineries in the 3 days, and came back with about 2 dozen bottles.   I had a great time, and stayed in a country pub (hotel) for about $45 Australian per night, which is about a half to a third of the price you'd pay to stay in one of the motels in town.   

A great time. 

The rest of this week has been pretty quiet.   The weather has been fluctuating from cool to hot.   Today it's about 30degrees Centigrade which is high 80's, low 90's Fahrenheit, and its still only the 1st month of spring.   They're burning back around the city, which means they are lighting small fires to burn off the bush which would be susceptible to burning out of control in a bigger fire, so there has been some smoke last weekend, and they're doing a bit more this weekend.   

It is almost time to get ready for choir tonight, so I'll catch up with you all later.   Have a great weekend. 

No Time for Maudlin

I was just berating myself for not remembering the significance of yesterday in my own family history, and the particularly since the last twenty two years.   I don't submit In Memorium entries into the classifieds of the local paper, but read them and the BDM's regularly just to check on people who I may have known.   

Fortunately, I was able to get out of my brief funk by remembering the good times, the great times, and in the last instance the very short time that I got to share with these people physically and spirtually.   

I can be thankful that one put me on the right track in life (along with others).   His favourite saying was "It's Nice to Be Nice".   He used to sing at parties, people actually asked him to sing, much to the mock embarrasment of his family.   He was strong, brave, good with his hands, and good with people.   I'm not strong, or brave or good with my hands, but I like to think I'm good with people. 

I'm also thankful that someone else is still around, although scarred, and brusied after a horrific sporting accident.   He too is an inspiration for his persistence, and his taking each day as it comes, willing to take whatever is offered and to overcome whatever hurdles come his way.   

Finally, I'm thankful to be related to someone I never met, who never really had a chance on this earth, who didn't get a chance to breathe or grow.   His parents, uncles and aunts, grandparents, relatives and friends will never forget him or the brief joy and enduring sadness and anguish he brought into our lives. 

I worry at times that I'm the same age now, as the bloke in para 3 above was when he breathed his last.   Sure there are hurdles in life, there's stress, and pain, and suffering, but there is also untold boundless joy, making and keeping friends, watching nephews and nieces grow into young adults, even over-exericising the litle grey cells in the salt mine, not to mention travelling to and from the salt mine, butfor me principally, there is the joy of singing in a community choir, the joy of volunteering in a genealogical society,  the joy of occasional travel, of good (and bad) red, white and ale.   

Who wants to be maudlin.   Not me Chief, I'm happy.   Happy to help, happy to be of service, and happy to be a friend to those with whom I am friends. 

Dripping Like a Broken Tap

Somehow or other, I've picked up a cold, again in the last 24 hours and can't stop dripping.   Earlier on it was sneezing all day at work and I was getting killer looks in the train and bus on the way home. 

The cough/cold medicine is probably past its use-by date so I'll duck out to the chemist tomorrow and get some Cough/Cold tablets.   Trouble is they'll probably make me drowsy so driving this weekend may not be a good idea. 

Oh well, enough about me, hope you are all ok.   

Lots to do this weekend.   So I might have to leave the medicine until after I've done the driving related chores. 

Have a great weekend folks. 

Wild and Woolly

A wild and wooly morning today.   I was able to get an extra hours sleep this morning thanks to the offer of a lift to work.   Just having a cuppa before the knock on the door that says we are out of here. 

The weekend was great weather until Sunday afternoon.   A very warm end to winter, until the wind came up and the rain came down. 

Yesterday was similar.   Started out warm, so warm that no jumper (sweater) was needed while waiting for the bus, and then you could see the clouds getting blacker and blacker. 

Things are fairly stable at the moment (hope they stay that way).   Holidays in two weeks, for three weeks.   Nothing major planned, but I hope to get away in the car for a couple of days, maybe up to Mudgee again to revisit some of the wineries. 

I don't want to get to deep and meaningful in this post because it will be interrupted shortly.

The dawn chorus of birds are saying "OK, the rest of you, despite the wind and rain, its time to get up and get a wiggle on". 

Apart from that, all is well. 

Hope you are too. 

Some Days are Diamonds

Hesta Fiesta, the lean, green, Ford Machine,  got her first real workout today (under her new owner - moi).   From Warriewood to Newtown, via all points North, just so I didn't get pinged going over the Harbour Bridge without an eTag.   An eTag is a New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority rip-off piece of equipment which is stuck on car windows and which is used to gauge a long suffering public into thinking that its quicker and cheaper having an electronic tag which clicks everyime a checkpoint is passed, rather than paying attendants to collect tolls at bridges and tollways, which has been occuring for the past two hundred years (tollways anyway).      The silly thing is the eTag is in my local Post Office Box, waiting for collection, which was the plan for Friday afternoon, after work.   Sadly I fell asleep on the train (again) on the way home, and ended up about 5 stations further on than where I should have got off to catch the connecting bus from Wynyard.   Ah well, makes for good copy.     Choir had a monthly rehearsal in Newtown this morning, and then. after a leisurely lunch (noodles, and a quick beer (Lite), or two - only two)  it was back to 2010 for the choir's annual Soul Food concert, which gives choir members a chance to show talent that may be hidden in a choir environment that relies on being able to "blend" to make great choral music.   This afternoon, the performers were given the opportunity to shine, and they all did.   From contemporary solo music, to self compositions, to ensemble pieces, to flute duets, to ensembles it was a fantastic afternoon of talent.   

Kudo's to all the performers, to Goth Girl for keeping it all together, and to G-Man for his usual masterful musical  accompaniement, as well as his ability to partake in some of the ensembles.  

This was one of those rare opportunities someone gets the chance to spend with friends, with like minded people, to laugh, cry, listen, cheer and clap people who have some amazing talent. 

Thanks folks, 'twas a great afternoon.   And the morning rehearsal was the sponge under the icing.   Yum!

Stand Up

An interesting week.   Work hasn't been too bad.  A couple of meetings, the usual day to day Call Centre stuff, but nothing over the top.   the winter weather has been on and off, mild and cool, wet and dry.   At the moment, noon saturday its a mid winter 14 degrees centigrade, or 57 Fahrenheit, which isn't bad for the middle of winter.  Its sunny and there's not much of a breeze.  It'll probably be cooler after dusk. 

It was certainly icy on Tuesday evening.   Work caused no issues and then it was into the city for a choir committee meeting.  The bus ride hom started fairly uneventfully.   The bus was full so it was a case of standing up and strap hanging for about half an hour.   Then I managed to snag a seat.   Just after sitting down the bus stopped and a dishevelled and somewhat emotional lass got on the still fairly full bus.   She paid, got a "be careful lass" look from the bus driver and his colleague, and then started shouting "I want a cigarette", which is illegal on public transport and in many public places in New South Wales.   A well intentioned, but misguided male gave her a fag but told her not to light it so she put it in her pocket, and then for about ten or fifteen minutes was loudly saying "what are you all looking at, you're all evil, leave me alone, I want some ice".   I think she may have been under the influence of something either prescribed or unsubscribed, because she kept swearing at everyone from the bus driver, to the passengers around her, and to everyone and everything in general.   

Finally, I'd had enough so I stood up, turned around behind me, looked her in the eye, towards the back of the elevated section of the bus, and loudly proclaimed "Shut your mouth, you rude stupid woman!".   "If you can't say anything without swearing like a trooper, don't say anything at all!".  

Her response was "You can't talk to me like that.   I can't believe you spoke to me like that.   And besides, I'm getting off at the next stop".   

My response was "Yes I can.   Yes I have, and good for you".  She got off and as the doors were closing she let out another unintelligible tirade so I wished her a pleasant evening and a happy landing.    No one else on the bus said a word, during any of this, or after it.   At the end of my trip I wished the bus driver and his mate a good evening, and they just smiled and said "same to you".   

Thursday's choir was enjoyable, work was ok yesrterday, and last night I got to sleep for 12 hour solid.   Bliss, pur bliss.   And now its the weekend.