I wasn't sure if I should have panicked

Choosing a play to see at the Fringe when you have a mind boggling choice of about 300 comedy acts to see, rather makes for some difficult decision making.  I almost feel as though I should do only comedy, but isn't the Fringe exactly that, shows that are edgy and on the fringe of society; arts for all, theatre, art, comedy, mime, burlesque, circus, music, but all just a bit quirky?! Would I be turning Adelaide's, no actually (fact)  Australia's largest "arts" festival into that of simply a comedy festival if I didn't attempt to attend shows that were in fact "arts"?! Well in my view yes.

On procuring my copy of the Fringe guide, which could easily be mistaken for a small countries phone book, I propped myself up on the couch, fresh pad of paper and pen handy to peruse the guide from cover to cover.  Several hours later, several pages of much hastily scribbled notes around times and dates, which also involved working out when I could fit in toilet and food breaks, oh and some sleep - possibly - between shows; I realised the list had to be whittled, from tree trunk to matchstick. Humm, dilemmas.

Comedy did feature heavily, both local and international, new and old. I love a good side tweaking giggle fest, and I don't mind to admit it, but I knew culture would have to be added.  A burlesque show - its tasteful, yes really - then some circus - Cantina, some music - Take me back to Paris (somebody please..... no really, its been too long) and of course some theatre. 

Theatre, now that was a hard choice.  I chose a play called Low Level Panic, the introductory lines were as follows;

"“Maybe if I was wearing trousers it wouldn’t have happened.” Mary, Jo and Celia are three women. Their gender defines them. In fact, it consumes them. Join them in their bathroom and try and find the answer to the question: "What does it really mean to be beautiful?""

Sounded interesting, am always fascinated, what does it mean to be beautiful? Seems not many people care, as me & my lovely friend Sap discovered, we were to be given a private tour in this theatrical journey. 
 
A story of two women, with a third annoying flat mate (or rather one who just wants to take a bath!), who you could say is a middle ground. She seems happy, gets a bloke and her issues, if she has any, are made redundant by those of Jo and Mary with their opposed ended views & issues.
 
Mary is at odds with being a woman, after we are taken back in her memory for a recounting of what could have only been a rape, she blames herself for wearing a skirt. She's also feeling like she is trying to look beyond the face to find out the true feelings & emotions of a woman - one on a billboard - to see if there should be some emotional response in being treated like an object. She is hollow inside, an empty shell, removed from herself. She loathes & struggles to simply wear a sexy revealing dress because of what it might mean to others and her quest to find comfort in being herself.
 
Whilst Jo is busy daydreaming and fantasising about the perfect man, car & body, envisioning what her life should look like, while gloomily staring at her scales declaring war on her "fat" body (something she berates further after an evening out, not eating and failing to lose an ounce).  Her issues are with what she is expected to want, without considering getting or giving love, as her fantasies go no where, and she feels she is going no-where too, and not for trying to be something for someone.
 
It wasn't an amazing play, but it wasn't boring or tiring, or badly done.  The acting was superb and it certainly was thought provoking, it made me realise that we've become a world of instant gratification, thus the over kill on comedy (we want it funny and we want it now - fast food).  Theatre is to be seen, mulled over, discussed in depth, and if there is a moral - which there usually is - it will be something you will be thinking of hours and weeks later. I think I might have to sort out my Festival of Arts tickets, more theatre, here I come.... its slow food for the mind.

Its like meeting the Queen... sort of

Well I was having a happy night, he Kevin Rudd (our Australia Former PM) could have been too, he looked a bit dazed and confused. But its was the Fringe opening night, its all a bit random.

See below for a few more from the night...

The Garden of Unearthly Delights

Emcee for the Strong Man Midgt & me...

Becs & I, happy after a bit of Bird in Hand sparkling bubbles

Quote Me...

"True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be..." Anonymous

Er to do about nothing!

And er nothing it would be is what I have to do around on here.  Alas I would love to blog more, but what about?

I no longer while away my hours in pubs drinking cider, in London theatre venues and out at restaurants or hoofing it around to exotic locations on the Continent. Humph. Then I might have more to write about, though lordy knows how I actually had the time to write!!

Though for the bigger trips they missed out on blogs as there just was no time to remember and relay the exiting times that were had.  I even think I only got about half our our Egypt trip on here, and that was about 11 months ago now. My time flies.

No you'd think here I'd have more time, which I do, but what to write about, am caught up in the world of work, family visitation and the mundane dullness of things like food shopping and housework.  Though its not Adelaide that's dull its me, my dull activities have nummed my brain into being dull even when I am not or shouldn't be. 

I joyously await the weekends for all the things that I am going to get done, all the events that are on, then for some reason I find myself 5 loads of washing down and cheering that I will get to watch 4 episodes of season 3 of Houswifes of NY - WTF!!!!!. Sleep? Getting plenty. Feeling rested? Ur nope not me. 

However, I have planned much to do about something for the Adelaide Fringe festival and have booked myself out solid for the 2 weeks it is on (that and WomAdelaide & the Adelaide Film Festival). 

So within the next couple of weeks, I may not have slept, the washing will not have been done and I will have most of season 4 of Housewives of NY to watch, BUT I will have been out there having a fantastic time, feel totally refreshed, AND that my friends is how it goes ... piles of unwashed washing is a sign of the living!!

Quote Me...

"Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it won't get you anywhere"

Thanking Michael Luyten for that one, though not sure where he got it from, but kudos to the person who said it because I rather like it 

This is how we do it! NY's Australian Style

NY's spent 24 hours freezing in Times Square? NO, are you kidding. NY's at a posh London hotel? Nope, been there done that. NY's on a boat in Sydney's harbour watching the bridge burst into a light spectacular? Nope, but maybe that's next year. 

This year was done in true laid back Australian style, chilled out camping down on South Australia's fine coastal shores in the gorgeous town of Robe, complete with posh shopping, gormand restaurants, ancient pub "The Cally" (1800's, which is OLD for Australia), home made icecream, craggy coastline, succulent crayfish, Coonawarra wines alongside the immaculate sands and splashy waves of Long Beach.

Awesome. You bet your booty it was.

Lone Seagull on Long Beach

Mark batting for Australia... and probably ugh... winning

DiGiorgio Wines near Penola in the Coonawarra Region

The Obelisk off the rocky shores of Robe

 

The Pink Salt lakes near Meningie on the Coorong

 

Cute as a button cottage in Robe



Robe seafront



The Caledonian Pub "The Cally" where we ate & partied pre 2011

Long Beach... beach bums & goonies

Icecreams in Robe

What is left of my Mussels from dinner at the Cally

Goonie scene re-creation note the painting above (at the Cally)

The BIG Lobster at Kingston, near Robe

"The Remains of the Crayfish" a tasty dish served up by the fishermen of the SA coast

Mark awaiting our coffee from The Providore cafe - delicious

Christmas Jolly

The Luyten/Foster Family

Champagne Christmas Breakfast

Bella bubby guarding the Xmas pressies & looking spiffy too

My nephew Oliver

My other Nephew Eli

My Nana & Aunt Anne

Hubby with Oliver

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Mark, Bella and I would like to wish you all and your families a happy and safe festive season, where ever you are on this beautiful planet

Much love and hugs xx

The Post Office - SUCKS!

Big time. Urgh.  I do the right thing and make beautiful Christmas card greetings, admittedly out of paper and not out out cardboard. So much better for the environment, but alas not for the pocket. 

Lady at the PO (Yes I am going to diss the Messenger...she wasn't a very nice messenger) - "Its not a card, its a letter", while flopping card envelope around and looking up at it under the light.

Me - "Well actually it is, its home made, from paper"

Lady at PO - "Nope its paper, it will be classed as a letter and that is $2.20 each, you cannot use the card only rate of $1.30"

Me - "Urgh I have 45 to send, seriously its a card, its just home made from paper - not card, surely it will cost less to send, save Australia Post money, it weighs less too, environmentally friendly and all that"

Lady at PO - "You can try send them as a card - but they might bill you later for the difference if they think its not a card"

Me - "Ok I will then"... and I did!

Surely, it will cost them more to bill me for each letter - should they pick them out of the billion that are going through at this time of year - then send me the bills seperately for the difference in postage.  Me thinks they are going to not notice, and nor should they who ruled a card MUST be made of a card. Pft.

Headspace or headcase?

Probably both to be fair.  I appear to be only able to concentrate properly on one major hobby or interest at a time, and oddly I am at my most relaxed and at peace when doing this despite the frustrations that rear up suddenly every now and again with me thinking that I actually have twenty odd things that I should be doing.  Then I just go "phah!" - and continue to plod on doing singular item of interest and be blessedly happy and relaxed.

So at the moment, I am not doing terribly much photography wise - though I purchased a shiny glossy photography mag over the weekend for which I have had no time to yet devour - nor am I doing house stuff, or much reading, or much keeping in touch with people.  I am however doing rather well at work and am slowly but surely removing stodgy, stubborn layers of lardons off my body with my excessive walking and exercise routine.  If you haven't guessed it my current, hmmm, lets just call it obsession rather than interest, is that of exercising.

I am reading a book, nothing unusual there, except that since arriving back in Australia I have read a total of 5 books - which is rather rubbish given I used to read one a week, which makes me about 40 books down of my usual tally. Oh and I read 3 of said books in one week on the houseboat!  Though am not reading War and Peace, or anything remotely taxing, but something called Last Night at Chateau Marmont by the chicky who did Devil Wears Prada.

I feel that I am making some progress on doing more than one thing at a time as I have begun arranging Christmas cards, the Christmas tree is up and several presents have been purchased. Humm appears my taking some time out to tend to this rather under nourished blog has made me see that all is not as bad as I first thought and I am getting stuff done. Wow - go me. Phah.

Oh I have just remembered that I finally got around to visiting a long lost friend on the weekend (its only been um 2 years - love you Mel) and I cooked on the weekend too.  I make a very delicious, and very requested, chocolate Tiramisu.  Oh dear, its seems I am now a headcase because I thought I had no headspace... off to write some lists........

Row, Row, Row.... your houseboat!

The boat at the first base camp!

What a gorgeous day!

Sunset and Fishing - girls and boys happy!

River view

Sunsets.... perfect one day

Even better the next

Me in the gorgeousness of it all

Pretty desert succulent

Bonfire - all the better for marshmallows

Yabbie...such a poser

Red cliff reflection

And the cliffs

Post cooked Yabbie

Not so photogenic now are you Mr Yabbie

Quote Me...

Just in a book I read recently, so its not a direct quote as I cannot remember it all - but along these lines, as requoted by me;

"Beauty is truth, truth is beauty, but that is not really true as the truth is can be ugly and hurtful. Beauty is just that, beautiful.  As for the truth its the reality"

Oliver's Royal Adelaide Show Day

The Royal Adelaide Show is an Adelaide icon, that rain hail or shine, Adelaidians get themselves and usually their entire families to at least once every couple of years during its 8 day long Spring showing.  For those non-Aussies, non-South Australians, the Royal Adelaide show is a massive family event that encompasses a huge variety of fun for all families, young and old. 

Entrance to the show

On arriving off Rose terrace, the massive iconic Ferris Wheel awaits you beyond the gates, with which you'll need a $20 ticket to pass through.  First there is the childrens fair ground the the left and the adults to the right, with rides and carnival features galore, including a sling shot and other gut spining/slinging contraptions.

Towards the centre its fun fair food, complete with dagwood dogs (a hot dog bread battered on a stick dipped in tomato sauce), fairy floss (candy floss), curly fries, hot dogs, chips, toffee apples, donuts, ribs, corn cobs, pizza, pies, icecream and pancakes..mmmm.  Mouth watering just to think about. 

There is the poultry shed where prized chickens and pigeons hang out, the car pavillion containing the latest and greatest, the cow shed, the dairy (lots of yummy food to try out in there), theres pigs, a childrens farm with mini tractor rides for the kiddies and where they can pet piglets, chickens, lambs and baby cows.  There is the reptile display, tractor display, a cat pavilion, dog pavillion (with dog showing/competions daily), bunny rabbits, a flying pig display, wood chopping competitions, pie eating competitions, minature trains, wine and cheese tastings.

Meeting and greeting Mr Scarecrow

Towards the back is a large oval with seating for the grand parade, car dare devil displays (Ford and Holden utes battle it out), motor bike stunts, dog agility displays and the evenings grand finale of a massive fireworks display which is scheduled every night. 

Whew...but there is more, the other side of the show grounds, contains yet more food stalls, Italian, Thai, Chinese you name it and two large pavilions with everything from fashion parades, Banana's in Pajama's , a fire truck, ambulance, orchid displays, wood carvings, photography, home wares (like a massive home show too), and many more stalls selling everything from rain water tanks, to jewellery, to cards, candles, bubbles, make up, garden features, even canoes were on offer. 

Delighted with his showbag

The other massive hall contains show bags. Show bags, contain any manner of good things - bags and bags of sweets (candy) and chocolate and bad things, rubbish toys that break after one use.  But they range from $2 for one with just a few chocs and sweets up to $60 with branded Coopers beer paraphernalia.  Its mostly aimed at children with Hot Wheels, Toy Story, Dora and Wiggles all having a branded bag at the show with toys and sweets.  This was always my favourite part of the show and had much delight in saving up as much of my pocket money as I could to ensure that I could get as many showbags as I could hold to take home.

Well that is the show, but what about our day at the show.  Firstly it was possibly a the most hideous Spring day that I've seen in while, with lots of rain, torrential rain at that, gale force winds and even power outages.  Rides were stopped, show attendance was down, but it didn't stop us. 
On arrival after easily getting a park at my work, which fortunately is just nearby, Oliver kept asking "are we there yet...", every 20 metres only to be completely delighted on seeing the Ferris wheel and proclaiming that he simply must go on it.  Too cute. 

We waited for the other family members to arrive then headed on in, to stuff our faces with dag wood dogs before heading round to check out the cars and chickens first.  We didn't want to get too far away as Oliver was keen to get to see Banana's in Pyjamas in the main pavillion, after then we wandered around, chatted with Scobby Do, checked out the Ambulance ( the card board cut out of which Oliver would not let anyone touch) and started the Yellow Brick road (its a show bag that takes you all over the show to collect goodies and food along the way). 

Tractor rides

On heading outside we noted the weather had turned, it was just grey when we arrived and we were fighting heavy rains and whip you down winds to get around the show.  We rugged Oliver up in Mark's rain coat and plodded on.  We picked up chocolates and honey, yogurt and bread, we watch snakes in the reptile hut, we patted the lambs, drove on tractors (Oliver did), patted bunnies and saw the dogs.  We ate some more - toasted cheese sandwiches, before deciding that it was nearly time to call it a day. 

View from Ferris Wheel

The most important bit then was the show bags. Super exciting for Oliver who wanted to go a bit nuts in there, but on getting his Hot Wheels show bag, and several toys was suddenly much more delighted to stay longer, so while the others went home we wandered some more. We watched an amazing show of clothes made to look like flowers, ate donuts and went on the Ferris wheel finally.

The weather had cleared a little, but unfortuately when it was our turn on the ride the heavens opened and we went spinning around in rain, all in good fun. One final go on sideshow alley for Oliver and we headed towards the exit loaded with our goodies. Who says you cannot have fun in the rain!!?

Awaiting B1 and B2

and there they are...

Flower costume...humph, interesting

The sandcastle dinosaur

"Ohhh can we go on that!" The Ferris Wheel

Oops and down came the rain on the Ferris wheel

Sideshow Alley...

Checking out the Ambulance

Yo Scooby!

"Does this celery make my head look big?"

British bulldog in the Dog halls

"Look how big I am.... not"