Greens

The show I'm working on at the moment calls for a herb garden. Given our rather tight budget, Kat (the set/costume designer) and I decided to donate a small herb garden. The best part was planting all of our random plants into our make-shift container.



Here we have the main container (the no-weeding required garden) which has basil, tomatoes, cos lettuce, parsley and some random flowers.



This is the second container (weed-me!) which contains baby corn, more tomatoes, more parsley and more lettuce as well as some weeds from outside the cafeteria.



We love our garden and hope that it's still alive in three weeks time when the season closes...

Post-Festival Update

Tonight I had dinner with my family for the first time in a month. It's strange to think that we're all living under the same roof and our only interactions have been in passing as I waltz out the door (or stumble depending on what time I made it home from work the previous night).

The (Age 2007) Melbourne Fringe Festival was great fun as I expected. I had some fabulous shows which some of my fabulous friends came to see. It was great to see them at the festival as it was the first time I'd seen some of them in months. Plus it meant that there were people out and seeing theatre. The Festival Club was our place to unwind and you could generally find us tucked around the lighting & sound desks or jumping up to follow spot random patrons and staff as the night traveled on and we burnt up the dance floor.

As is always the case, I blinked and the festival was over and I was moving onto my next gig. It's funny being back at uni but not as a student. I'm still amused by the idea but am taking great pleasure at watching the cast working. We open in two weeks time and I think the show is going to be great. Besides, with the Spiegeltent in walking distance, I'm sure that opening night drinks will last into the wee hours.

Mum's doing well and if I'm not mistaken has one more chemo treatment for this course and then gets at least one week off (which she's looking forward to). The doctors seem pleased with her progress which is great!

I kept meaning to write during the Fringe but I could barely string a sentence together let alone a thought. You should have seen me ordering coffee...

Well, I should stop procrastinating and get back to sorting boxes of stuff. I'm gradually packing and weeding through things that I clearly don't need anymore as they've been sitting in boxes for over a year now. It's a painful boring process but I'm sure it'll feel great once I'm done.

I'm feeling a tad guilty about how little packing I've achieved as I spent most of the day browsing YouTube on the AppleTV and teaching myself Fur Elise on the piano. Yep it's been a productive day.

Fringe Family

Three tech rehearsals down, one to go and then we’re on! So far it’s looking like I’ll have an interesting mix of shows with music being a strong theme.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been two years since I’ve been in the Meeting Room at the North Melbourne Town Hall. There are so many familiar faces around the venue. People who I still remember coming over to our house in the wee hours of the morning having paid an exorbitant amount of cash for drinks from a 24 hour bottle shop after the bar closed early one night. As always there are new faces but Melbourne Fringe will always feel a little like a family reunion in that way.

Speaking of family, my Mum’s cousin is down from Singapore for a holiday. We went shopping last night at good ol’ Knox City and Dad’s taking her to have a look around the Vic Markets today. She’s been here for almost a week but I’ve barely seen her as by the time I’m home from work she’s in bed and I leave moments after dragging my sorry self out of bed in the morning. I must admit that I’m looking forward to sleeping in on Sunday morning before spending the afternoon reading the script before Monday’s rehearsal.

It’s good to be busy again! Now if I could start sleeping well again then life would be nigh on perfect.

A Silver Lining

I couldn't sleep last night. Couldn't and didn't. Seem to have lost the "off switch" for my mind. Still every cloud has a silver lining they say and mine looked a little like this...



Pardon the quality of the picture. My actual camera ran out of battery and it was taken through the bedroom window on my phone. It was a wonderful way to start the day and I wanted to share it. I have a strange suspicion I'll be seeing something similar in a few hours time.

Back in Melbourne

I've been back in Melbourne for a week and a half now. More than enough time to settle into my nocturnal habits once more. Luckily I'll be working nights for the Melbourne Fringe.

While I was in Darwin there were a few changes around my folks place. For one the old CRT tv transformed into a 42" plasma tv. What caught my attention though, once I managed to drag myself away from the new blue-ray DVDs was this...



It would seem that the dogs are enjoying the same fresh water that we are. It's only fair I suppose...

Nothing else to report really. My days have been spent looking for post-Fringe work, reinstating the blue streak in my hair and feeding my Facebook addiction.

It's been great spending time with my family though. Since Mum's cancer diagnosis Dad's been working from home a lot more so we've been lucky enough to have most meals as a family.

Mum's doing well at the moment. We received the latest results from her scans/tests and have been told that the cancer is now largely hard tissue and it's looking like she will only have to go through one more 6 week cycle of chemo before they can remove it. Right now she's having a short break from treatment as her white blood cell count is too low. Overall we're pretty happy with the latest news and I'll be sure to keep any interested parties posted. Many thanks for the well wishes.

Plans over the next week involve reading trashy magazines with Mum, heading to the city to see the Guggenheim exhibition as well as the Pixar showcase and of course the mundane catching up on paperwork and job hunting. I must admit I miss Darwin life, the warm walk-conducive weather and beach just moments away but it's good to be back in Melbourne. The skies may be grey but it's still t-shirt weather for most of the day and the owls nesting outside our house are much less shrill than the birds that shared my garden in Darwin.

Departing Darwin

It's 01:22 and my flight was due to depart in 18 minutes. However the plane servicing this flight has been delayed and as a result I now have an hour to pass before I start the long journey home.

Even though I'm at the airport I can barely believe I'm leaving Darwin. I had a fairly typical Friday today. Rushing about for work culminating in drinks at the Ski Club watching the sunset.

I've really enjoyed my time up here. I can see how Darwin slowly seduces you into staying. It's laid back nature, which is wondering and trying all at once, suits the climate. I've found it to be a friendly city which I'm looking forward to visiting again in the near future. Having spent 12 weeks here I've gotten to know the city and its suburbs and have started to get to know it's locals. I must admit I'm a little sad to be leaving!

There are many things that I've learned/observed/been amused by/generally noted during my stay. Here are a few of them, in no particular order;
- Left Turn Permitted On Red Light After Stopping - it makes sense but doesn't stop me getting nervous when a police car comes up next to you while you're doing it!
- no one drives at the speed limit, you're either well above or well below
- the sunsets are amazing most days of the week
- on a really clear night you can see the "dust" of the Milky Way
- rattling the pipe gently can help to clear the blockage in the block of temporary toilets
- birds sing at all hours of the day
- there are some amazing beaches in Darwin
- it's the only place that I've ever paid $6.60 for yesterday's newspaper
- no curfew time for planes means many crazy flight times
- insect repellent and sunscreen should form part of your daily ritual. Everything seems to bite and sting up here and people get sunburn just thinking about it
- there's always something happening in Darwin

I suppose that's what I love about Darwin. There's always something happening and yet it's still a great place just to chill out and do nothing.

Well my ability to construct meaningful sentences has diminished so I'll quit while I'm not too far behind.

Next stop, Sydney
(unless this delayed plane makes me miss my connection... which I've been told is a possibility)

A Toast

Five, possibly six years ago, in a small theatre in Melbourne I met Nick. As we trimmed trees during the church service next door, hauled dentist chairs and squeezed puppets that barely fit through the doors into the theatre, we didn't really talk much. That was must of the season until we had our final two shows, a matinee and an evening show. We had a couple of hours to kill so we headed to the pub and played a whole lot of pool and from that moment a friendship started to grow.

Over the years Nick's been an amazing friend. He seems to have a sixth sense about when I'm feeling under the weather no matter where I am. A text message will appear or my phone will ring just at the right moment. Just as I'm thinking I need to talk to someone. Most importantly he's honest with me. He's not afraid to tell me I'm being an idiot or that I'm doing okay.

Well, it's Nick's birthday today and I wish I could be there to give him a hug and a beer but there's a festival to close tonight so the beer will have to wait. Well, his beer anyway!

So happy birthday darlin'. To absent friends, lost loves, old gods, and the season of mists; and may each and every one of us always give the devil his due.

Four Things

A: FOUR JOBS I HAVE HAD IN MY LIFE:

1. Retail sales in a teddy bear making shop, counting eyes was always fun...

2. Teller at ANZ

3. Tutor - English, Maths, Biology, General Science

4. much theatre



B: FOUR DVD’S I WOULD WATCH OVER AND OVER:

1. Triplets of Belleville

2. Spirited Away

3. Groundhog Day

4. Amélie



C: FOUR PLACES I HAVE LIVED:

1. Singapore

2. Melbourne

3. Ballarat (well I had a house there that I was occasionally at...)

4. Doha



D: FOUR TV SHOWS I LOVE TO WATCH

1. Coupling

2. The Muppet Show

3. Green Wing

4. Deadwood



E: FOUR PLACES I HAVE BEEN ON HOLIDAY

1. New Zealand - Queenstown being a favourite

2. Aireys Inlet

3. Singapore

4. Europe



F: WEBSITES I VISIT DAILY (or regularly)

1. Neil Gaiman's Journal

2. Knitty

3. Wired News

4. The Age



G: FOUR OF MY FAVOURITE FOODS:

1. Roast anything

2. beef tataki

3. kueh lapis (indonesian layer cake)

4. mmmm cookie!



H: FOUR PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW:

1. Melbourne - so I could give my family a huge hug and let them know how much I love them

2. Aireys Inlet - with a small group of friends, some wine, cheese, biscuits and a good roast

3. London - for more theatre and museums

4. Tromsø - there's nothing quite like the arctic



I: FOUR FRIENDS I THINK WILL RESPOND:

1. Anyone who's bored and in an office

2. Anyone who's bored and not in an office

3. Anyone who's after something to do an is at a computer

4. I think that covers it



J: FOUR OF MY BEST MOMENTS

1. Sharing meals with my close friends

2. Finally making it to Europe after years of dreaming

3. Watching my first opening ceremony from the control room

4. Swing dancing with Gene in the carport when it was almost 40 degrees in Doha



K: FOUR OF MY WORST MOMENTS

1. Finding out my Mum has cancer

2. Putting down my 16 year old dog who had a stomach tumour on the same day that my grandpa died

3. Most mornings (unless I'm still up from the night before!)

4. Seeing my friends or family troubled



L: FOUR TEAMS/GROUPS I HAVE BELONGED TO

1. Tintern Taggers (school kayaking team)

2. Monash Players

3. Dorien le Gallienne orchestra

4. Swing Patrol (infrequently)