Thursday, April 27, 2006
Penultimate laughs
Kat: On Adam Hill's recommendation we went to see Michael Chamberlin's Ten Commandments on Tuesday. His act about attending a Roman Catholic school was very funny, though unsurprisingly he wasn't as accomplished as Adam Hills. Natasha, whose first language is Afrikaans, found it a bit difficult to follow and there were several Australian references that we all missed. I particularly liked his updated version of the ninth commandment: "witnessing false bears". After all, koalas aren't really bears are they? The festival continues till 7th May so we might fit in one more show.Tuesday also happened to be Anzac Day, the last public holiday until the Queen's birthday on 12th June. We missed the dawn parades (even if we'd considered going, Mat's adventures with alcohol the night would have ruled it out) but saw the bi-planes flying above the city.
The weather is definitely cooling down and we've started using the heater (there's only one, in the main room). The first time we turned it on the burning dust set off the smoke alarm. Yesterday was gorgeous and sunny though, perfect for cycling, so we rode down to the beach huts at Brighton beach.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Isobel Close, 1916 - 2006
I have fond memories of staying at her house in the summer as a child, where she was always enthusiastic and lively, making tasty bread and trying to persuade me to help with the gardening. Her house in Twyford, Bucks, had a very distinctive smell, and even now I can recall it quite clearly.
She was the only person in our family with any religious convictions and she often tried to talk to me about Christianity. One time I exclaimed "Oh my god!" when a wasp flew out of a Coke can as I held it up to my mouth. She patiently explained that I shouldn't blaspheme, and I think she always wished that I'd been a Christian. The last time I had a conversation with her she was already quite ill, and when she asked "Are you a good Christian?" I lied and smiled sweetly as I answered "Yes", which I hope made her happy.
I haven't seen her much since she became ill (terrible grandson, I know) so my enduring mental image of her is from when she was fit and active. I hope she's enjoying Heaven and is pleased that she was right and we're all wrong.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Other people's exciting lives
Kate's exploits can be found in her diary with more details on Claire's RedDread.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Cheesetastic II
Monday, April 17, 2006
Easter weekend
Kat: After Joe left our sight-seeing pretty much dried up; Fi and Kevin helped us make up for that by cramming nearly all that Melbourne has to offer into one long weekend.I forgot to mention in my last entry that on Friday night we went to see Adam Hills as part of the Melbourne Comedy Festival with Marcus and Natasha. We loved his act in the 2003 Brighton Comedy Festival and this show was just as good; you couldn't hope to meet a more pleasant yet hilarious chap. High Wycombe got a mention as home to a grammatically correct heckler!
Saturday evening was another slice of Aussie life which I hadn't been initiated into: AFL, this time Sydney Swans vs Carlton. It was Mat's second match and Kevin used to watch it on C4, but the rules were still something of a mystery. Luckily the chap sat next to us was friendly and informative, and after explaining the mark and "Ball!" it began to make sense.
No lie-in on Sunday as we were booked on a coach trip along the Great Ocean Road. We travelled via Bells Beach, where the Australia Pro surf comp is currently being held, and arrived at the Twelve Apostles for sunset. It was a beautiful drive but at 300 miles it was a lot of distance to cover in one day; hopefully Mat and I will take a more leisurely trip before we leave.
This morning we waved Fi and Kevin off in the taxi at 6.45am then went back to bed for a snooze. In the afternoon we cycled to Melbourne zoo and spent a sunny afternoon looking at such exotic animals as the Eurasian Badger.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Secret shame
Kat: Fi and Kevin, last seen in this blog in Napier on 5th Nov 2005, flew in from Perth on Wednesday. They've spent the last 3 months living and working in Sydney and are making a mad dash round Australia before they head to South America on the final leg of their world tour.One of Melbourne's biggest draws is dining, so we went to Afghan Gallery in Fitzroy on Wednesday night, Groove Cafe in Williamstown yesterday and Yum Cha at Post Mao Cafe in Chinatown today. Thursday was a Designated Shopping day, yesterday we took the ferry from Federation square to Williamstown and this morning (to my and Mat's deep embarrassment) we did the Neighbours tour.
The bus was plastered with "Neighbours Tour" and people on the freeway kept pointing at us. Between heavy showers we visited Erinsborough High School (a working language school by day), drove past the studio (no filming today and very little to see anyway; few outdoor scenes are shot there nowadays because the Neighbours tour bus kept getting in frame). The pinnacle of the tour was, of course, Pin Oak Court a.k.a. Ramsay Street. It's a private road and residents of the six houses have to put up with filming twice a week when they have to close their curtains and move their cars, not to mention busloads of tourists every day of the week. In return they get paid and their gardens are maintained by the studio. After years of snooping (apparently the final straw was a pair English backpackers having a romantic tryst on Harold Bishop's lawn) there is also an overnight security guard. It would drive me mental, but they don't seem to mind because in 20 years there have only been three house sales.
Luckily we've been spared the Neighbours Trivia Night on Mondays when stars of the show often show up, because Fi and Kevin are flying out that morning.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Down under again
Kat: I'm back in the southern hemisphere! Just like the outward flight, my return journey was 23 hours with an hour stop over, this time at the new Hong Kong airport where it was so foggy that I could hardly see a thing when we took off. I sat next to a girl from Berlin who had been travelling for 10 hours more than me and was only going to Australia for 2 weeks - madness! What with chatting to her, reading Oryx and Crake and watching The Weatherman and Narnia (no links for those two because the websites play sound), the time didn't feel like it was dragging.Mat, Marcus and Natasha were waiting for me with balloons and a painted sign when I got through immigration and customs at 9.30pm; the house is covered in balloons too. The weather is quite cool though they say this is an unseasonal spell and it *will* warm up again. I managed a full night's sleep so hopefully I've avoided the worst of the jet-lag.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Light: a retrospective
Kat: I've been totally had! I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I completely fell for Mat's April Fool joke. In my defence, my suspicions were immediately distracted because as I was reading the blog I got a call from Joe to tell me that he'd just locked himself out of his flat (he was answering the door for a pizza delivery so at least he had a phone and a pizza). I'm borrowing the spare keys but was staying at Soph's place in London. Rather than waiting two hours till I got back on the train, Joe went to stay with Dan and Tracey in Lewes until I came back today.I'm just coming back down to earth after a whirlwind of activity. On Tuesday we celebrated Mark's 32nd birthday at the Metropole in Brighton. It was a silly but fun afternoon of party games, finger food and a choccywoccydoodah cake. He seemed to enjoy it immensely, especially the squirty cream and bubble blower, and by the end of the evening our portion of the very grand lounge was thoroughly trashed.
The next day, Bella and I struggled up to London with luggage and exhibition paraphernalia to prepare Proud Central for Mark's show. We had underestimated the work that was involved - Wednesday night and Thursday were spent taking down the Michael Jackson photo exhibition, repainting walls, scrubbing floors, measuring up, arranging and finally hanging Mark's prints. It looked fantastic and he couldn't stop grinning when he saw it. On Friday it was open to the public so Michael, Lesley, Di and Joel stopped by, in addition to several Michael Jackson fans who were bitterly disappointed to hear that his photos had been taken down early. One girl burst into tears; apparently some fans tried to set up shrines and commune with MJ through the pictures.
Friday night was the private viewing for friends and family which was phenomenally successfully; canapés were served, the wine and beer flowed and the gallery was heaving with people. The night passed in a blur for me: one moment I was checking names off the guest list for the first arrivals at 7pm and before I knew it the gallery staff were ushering us out at 10pm. Mark was quite overwhelmed but luckily he was staying at the Savoy just a round the corner. Not only was it fantastic for his photos to get the recognition they deserve, I was also able to catch up with loads of friends, some of whom I haven't seen since uni.
Saturday was the second and final day of the exhibition, with a steady stream of public as well as Matty, Howard, Jon, Simon, Joe, Dan and Tracey. Mark stopped by the gallery after a trip on the Eye, we took down the exhibition then tramped off for supper at the Savoy with him and his family.
I left Soph's place in Forest Hill after breakfast this morning and met Joe to let him into his flat :) Mel and Joel came down for a big Sunday lunch at the Sidewinder, then this evening Joe cooked a huge three-course dinner for me, Dan and Tracey (including a gorgeous nut roast and pud from Cook). I'm absolutely stuffed now.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
April fool
Mat: In the end Kathryn was the only person who was taken in by my prank! We really did go to a football game, but there was no fight and I wasn't arrested :)Aussie rules is a strange game (to me). The pitch is a very large oval with four goalposts at each end, 18 players per team, five referees on the pitch and four quarters of half an hour each. Probably the best way to describe it is as a bit like a cross between rugby and netball. Essenden, a local team, thrashed Sydney, who won the league last year - but I don't think they'll be winning again this year if they carry on playing like that. I really enjoyed watching it but I didn't understand most of what was going on, so I have much to learn. This is just the start of the season, so I've got time to appreciate the finer points of the game...