Movie Review: The Critic

 Movie Number 30 of 2024

The Movie: The Critic

The Cinema: Village Cinemas, The Rivoli

Stars: 4

After falling asleep at the cinema the night before, I wanted to redeem myself, and it being Grand Final day and Melbourne feels about as sleepy as a small country town (everybody seems to have gone away for the long weekend) it was a great day to go catch up on some movies. Also, as I'm only in town for two weeks before heading back to Darwin, I'm trying to get some culture in before going back in two weeks. 

And maybe I was feeling a bit nostalgic for an English film, with the announcement of the passing of Dame Maggie Smith (bless her acerbic wit). 

So, The Critic, it was, especially as it was on a pre-release showing. 

Sir Ian McKellen plays Jimmy Erskine, a powerful theatre critic in 1930s London. Flamboyant (read gay), somewhat acerbic (read cruel) and intelligent (read manipulative) his life is turned upside down when the media mogul who has been protecting him for most of his life up and dies, and his son David (Mark Strong) takes over. Jimmy is a bit of a bon vivant, having the services of his faithful 'secretary' Tom (Alfred Enoch)

After giving the actress Nina Land (Gemma Arterton) a bad review, the actress, fearing a failing career, approaches the critic for assistance. 

Also, in the background, the embattled Nina has been in an affair with Stephen (Ben Barnes) who is married to David's daughter. 

It's all a bit incestuous. 

This has been pitched as a mystery and a thriller. I'd say it was more a melodrama. This lacked the tension of a good thriller, Yet, in saying that this is a very enjoyable movie. There's enough funny stuff to keep you amused, plenty of twists and turns to keep you on your toes and a brilliant showing of London in the 1930s. 

Sir Ian looks like he's having a great time. He even gets his 85-year-old nipples out in the bath. And the cast is a mix of some of England's finest actors. Romola Garai and Lesley Manville are also in the mix. 

The film is based on Anthony Quinn's book of the same name and the screenplay was penned by Patrick Marber, who was responsible for Notes on a Scandal and Closer. Anand Tucker's direction is assured - he does well with the historical genres as his direction of The Girl with the Pearl Earring  proves. 

My last thought is though this is publicised as a mystery and thriller, I think it sits better in the drama category. It's an enjoyable film with some of the best of British cinema out there touting their wares. Is it the best British film out there - no. But it is very enjoyable.

Today's song: 

Compromised

 Today, I spent too much time on the phone and the internet trying to sort out some joyful banking issues. 

My credit card has been compromised. 

Arseholes. 

There was an incident last week where I had a smaller amount taken from my account. Somebody had bought some Telstra Prepaid credit on my card. I called both Telstra and the bank immediately, told them both that there was no way I could do a point-of-sale transaction on my card in Melbourne at 1.20 a.m. when I was asleep in Darwin. 

Bastards. 

Anyway, the charge has been disputed, Telstra gave me a case number, the bank has put a dispute on it and I should eventually get my funds back. 

However, because I was in Darwin at the time, I couldn't cancel the card. Travelling, no matter that it's for work, travelling without an operational credit card wasn't something I was willing to risk. I'd just have to be hypervigilant with the credit card activity. 

Today, I found another errant charge. 

This time, it was for more. $345 at a store called Honey Birdette - basically an up market sex shop.

As I explained to the bot, I don't think they do my size. Regardless, it meant another hour on the phone to the bank.

This time, the card has been stopped and a new card ordered, I'll be transferring funds onto a debit card for the interim so I can at least pay for a few things. 

But it's the bloody inconvenient. 

At to the scammers - may the fleas of a thousand camels nestled in their arm pits. 

Today's song:

Sunday Stealing: Bits and pieces from 200 Questions

 It is a lovely day out there. The sun is shining, There's a breeze, which means my clothes are drying on the line, and for a change, or what feels like a change, I'm at home, and not in another city. When you travel a lot, you start to wonder exactly where home is. I know that when I'm in Darwin, my apartment up there becomes a home. But this is home. Here in Melbourne, with my darling cat, who is very glad to see me. 

It's also Grand Final Day, but with two interstate teams playing, there isn't that much interest in the game, so I'm enjoying the peace and quiet. 

Questions today come from Bev at Sunday Stealing. 

1. What do you want to be remembered for?

Being kind. And maybe my writing. But being kind is more important. 

2. If you were put in solitary confinement for a year, what would you do to stay sane?

The three things I would do would be read, write and exercise. It's imperative that I write, and I write every day. Reading is good for you, and it's amazing what you can do in a confined space when it comes to exercise. Yes, it would be boring, but at least the endorphins would keep things on an even keel. 

3. If you could have video of any one event in your life, what event would you choose?

I hate seeing myself on film and in photos and I can't think of any real time, as those 'big' things haven't really happened to me. But I keep being told by friends that when I was our room in Sommieres when we were on holiday last year was the nearest thing to pure joy anybody had ever seen. I'd like to see that. I just remember being bowled over. 

4. What are the top 3 things you want to accomplish before you die?  Have you accomplished them?

I'd like to get a book published. 

And walk the Camino de Santiago di Compostella in Spain. 

And I'd like to live in Paris for a year. 

I'm working on all three of them in the background. 

5. If you were forced to live one 10-minute block of your life again and again, what 10 minutes of your life would you choose.

I can't thing of anything. One of the joys of life is that everything is different from moment to moment. 

6. Have you ever saved someone’s life?

In a way, yes. I used to do a lot of healing work. I was at a party one night and was doing some work with an acquaintance, who hadn't been feeling well. I got to a spot, and the inner voice took over. Something didn't seem right. As a good holistic healer, I recommended that they see their doctor about this issue I sensed (but did not diagnose - something else a good holistic healer will not do - know they boundaries). I told them it may be nothing, but best to get it checked out.

Turns out they did have something that could have killed them. They went straight from the doctors to the hospital, where the problem was rectified. 

Every time I see them, they thank me for saving their life. I don't think I did anything more than anybody else would do in recommending they see a professional and quickly. 

7. What are you addicted to?

As I'm on this regime at the moment - no gluten, no dairy, no sugar, no caffeine and no alcohol, fun foods are next to non-existent. But, I have discovered vegan prawn crackers - which I love. They fit the bill. And are yummy.

8. What keeps you up at night?

Not much. My busy brain can be thinking about anything and that will keep me up, but I try hard to stop scrolling an hour before bed - that slows my mind down a bit. 

9. What do you regret not doing?

Travelling more when I was younger.

10. What gives your life meaning?

My friends and family. My cat. The Arts. 

11. What are you most insecure about?

My looks. Which is silly and vain, and I know I'm no oil painting, but I really hate having my photo taken and being on camera. 

12. What’s the most illegal thing you’ve done?

Other than living without a visa in England for six years? (What can I say, it was the nineties). An occasionally I might go over the speed limit or have a puff of the whacky backy if it's going around. I live a calm and law-abiding life. 

13. What’s the most surprising self-realization you’ve had?

I'm a good person. Again, sounds strange, but I'm okay.

14. If you could make one rule that everyone had to follow, what would it be?

Be kind. It's not hard. Just be kind. 

15. In what situation or place would you feel most out of place? 

Oh, that could be anywhere. I'm an introvert, so get me at a party with more than six other people and I'm either in the kitchen or out on the balcony with the smokers. Other places I'd be out place:

• A boardroom as a member of the board (too much bullshit)
• At the Australian Open (Don't like tennis)
• Swimming in the middle of the bay (Scared of being in open water - okay on a boat)
• At any sort of Country and Western gig, rodeo etc.
• At a Trump rally.
• At a Liberal Party Meeting (in Australia, our Liberal Party is the same as the Conservatives in England and the Republicans in America)
• At a pro-life rally. 

   There are lots of places you wouldn't find me. 

Today's song: 

Movie Review: A Difficult Year

 Movie Number 29 of 2024

The movie: A Difficult Year (Une Annee Difficile)

The Cinema: Palace Kino Cinemas, Collins Street

Stars: 3

Note to myself. Don't go and see a film the day after you get off a red-eye flight. It's asking for trouble. 

Making it even harder, this is a French Comedy. So over-tired and a little fractious went along to this - and promptly fell asleep, more because I'm over-tired rather than bored. But any chance to put in the Babel Fish** and listen to native French speakers is a good thing. And the film was enjoyable enough, even it was a bit strange in places. 

In my defense, I was taking micro-naps in the first third of the film, where things were getting set up. We meet Albert (Pio Marmai) who works at the airport, is deeply in debt and it grifting to get things back on track. The airport allows him all sorts of benefits, normally involving the moving on of lost and confiscated property. Albert also does some of those AirTasker jobs nobody else wants, including going to Black Friday sales. At the start of the movie, we learn two other things. Firstly, he's doing a job for somebody and secondly, there's a group that looks a lot like Extinction Rebellion over here raising merry hell around Paris. The leader of this group, "Cactus" (Noemi Merlant) is a bit of a bad ass. 

When Albert goes to drop off the loot from his AirTasker job he finds Bruno (Jonathan Cohen) in the pit of despair. He too is in financial dire straits. Bruno is trying to get some help from a financial adviser, Henri (Mathieu Almaric) who is well on the dodgy side. 

Bruno and Albert end up infiltrating the fringe group, mostly to ensure they get fed, but also, they appear to like being a part of the community of slightly strange people. 

I have to say, the French know how to hold a protest. A lot of the movie shows the antics of the group, which insist that their members go by benign monikers and get up to all sorts of stuff - as I said, not too far off the radical Extinction Rebellion group over here. The group are the source of a few laughs. 

This is not the film to see when you're overtired. I think, with a bit more sleep I would have enjoyed it more, but it came across as rather convoluted. The second half was definitely better than the first. 

Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano wrote and directed this - and a lot of it does have merit. I particularly liked the last few minutes which showed Paris during lockdown. The duo was responsible for The Intouchables - one of the best French films ever made. This film lacks the same pizzaz, but it does have some of the characteristic human elements found in their better-known film. 

I'm chalking this one up to being over-tired and probably napping through some important bits, which would have made the film easier to follow (although Jay did say she struggled with plot continuity at times. It was nice to listen to the French Language and see Paris again too. 

** Go read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It will explain everything.  

Today's song: 

Today's Learnings

It was a busy and productive day. Lots of work got done, even with a trip back to the apartment to cook myself an omelette for lunch (and do some packing before tonight's flight.)

And lots of work got done. 

But there were also the rabbit holes which we dear neurodiverse peoples find ourselves falling down at regular intervals. 

Today's little learning was the definition of cephalophore. 

Cephalore? 

Yes, it is the term for the Catholic Saints that are promoted to the public carrying their own heads. Most of them have been decapitated causing them to my martyrs, which is why they became saints when it all comes down it. 

Some of the more famous cephalophores are St Alban, who not only has a suburb named after him in Melbourne and Sydney but has a large and gorgeous cathedral named after him just out of London. I was there last year about this time. It's amazing. 

Which lead me to ponding why the Catholics liked to display their saints with their heads chopped off. 

I then remembered a book I read a few years ago called Damascus by Christos Tsiolkas, which was a hard and horrid book to read in many ways, and this book, set in the time just after Christ, they were forever referring to Christianity as a death cult - which when you think about it, it is - I mean, you're venerating some bloke (who albeit had some good things to say) who ended up on a cross. 

The other ironic cephalophore is Saint Denis, who has a big church in Paris named after him. Ironically, St Denis is one of the patron saints of Paris - and of headaches. Louis XV and Marie Antoinette, two other decapitated people of note, are buried in his big basilica in the North of Paris. 

St Denis

Who knew?

There's also St Winifred, who has this amazing looking church in North Wales that I'd love to visit. Centred in the town of Holywell, there are these sacred springs, which look amazing. It's called the Lourdes of Britain. 

And this is five minutes of procrastination time in the brain of somebody who's just a little neurodiverse, wandering down the rabbit holes that the internet provides between bigger tasks while David Bowie croons along in my head. 

Today's song: 

Family Dinner

 It's my penultimate night in Darwin for this trip. Tomorrow morning at stupid 'o' clock I'll be winging it back to Melbourne. 

But tonight was we call Family Dinner. 

The team get together in one team member's room or another and have dinner. 

Tonight, it was Greek. 

Our colleague cooked for us. I felt humbled. They did a feast of kofte, tzatziki and one of the best Greek Salads I've had in ages. I'm told they sourced these wonderful tomatoes from Coles. Who knew? They didn't need to do this, but they went and got me some gluten free pitas (which were actually really good). They also hunted out some very good Greek Sweets - and for me, some berries. 

If you come to my place for dinner, you'll get rotisserie chicken and salad - keeps things easy, maybe some berries and yoghurt for breakfast). 

It's lovely having people to eat with. As somebody who normally has dinner with the cat, sitting down, having a laugh, and virtual gin and tonic with great company - you can't do much better than that. 

I'm counting my blessings:

• I have colleagues who care enough to provide dinner (especially as I told them not to)
• I have people who will sit down with me and have dinner
• And people who don't talk all about work. 

Being the last full night here, I now have to get arranging some stuff. My Darwin bag has to go back to its resting place in one of the manager's offices. There are some perishables to be distributed. Recycling needs to be taken down to the fourth-floor car park. And as I'm heading out with friends who are up from Melbourne tomorrow night before doing the final pack and heading to the airport just before midnight. 

Too many blessings. 

But I'm glad I'll be back in my own bed by Friday morning too. 

Today's song: 

Drag Queen Bingo

 The local coffee shop at one of the offices is owned and run by this most wonderful person, who goes by the name of Sherri. The name on their license is Lance, short for Lancelot, as I found out the other day, but Sherri has been serving me coffee, when I was drinking it, for the last year. Tonight, I made it to the Drag Queen Bingo that they host on a Tuesday night at Lizards Bar down the end of Mitchell Street. My colleagues went last week. This week, a group of six of us made the pilgrimage down to the Daly Street roundabout, passing the backpackers places, and ice cream bars, and the rub and tug massage shops, and milling itinerants to get to kick off at seven.

I've never played bingo before. I'm not sure that bingo is supposed to be quite like this, but golly gee, it was fun. 

Sherri is a top host. (oops, top... tee hee). We dutifully paid the $20 to get our bingo tickets, with some of us taking a few raffle tickets for "Chase the Queen" - a potluck of a chocolate wheel and then drawing from a deck of cards. You basically had two chances of winning the jackpotted kitty. None and fuck all. 

Regardless, we settled in for two hours of hilarity and filth. 

It was awesome. 

Something many don't know about Darwin - it has a thriving and vibrant drag scene, and from what I've been told, Sherri has been a stalwart of the group for years. 

As for the bingo, the double entendres came at a mile a minute. 

One of our group was a little taken aback. First out of the stables were the top and bottom jokes (You got bingo if you completed either a top or bottom line on your card - see, nothing smutty about that.) Most of the group were tittering away. 

"Top and bottom? What's so funny?" they asked. 

Another of our group patted their arm and said they'd explain it to them after.

"You don't have many gay mates? Do you?" I asked. 

They responded in the negative, so I shrugged my shoulders and let it ride. They'd pick up - just as they learned about the euphemistic intent of devon, or straz, or fritz (you know, luncheon meat, comes in like a big sausage arrangement - the name depends on what state you come from - it still means a penis... yeah, you've picked up the lingo.)

Sherri called the numbers. None of the regular two fat ladies, 88, Legs eleven, Two fat ducks, 22. 

Sherri had their own version of the bingo calls, such as 31, finger up your bum.... That's one of the less outlandish calls. 

I don't need to say more. 

You don't want to be a prude and go to Drag Queen Bingo. 

Instead, you either drink copious some alcohol while you're there, or insert your childish, smutty sense of humour (oops, I said insert.... tee hee) and get on with the hilarity. 

Sherri is divine. A true Darwin gem. 

This is some of the most fun you can have for $20 on a school night in Darwin that doesn't involve copious amounts of alcohol or a visit to one of the many "massage" places with the neon signs out the front advertising that "Tammy" is available. 

And I get why people love bingo. It's just a little bit exciting, even without a lairy drag queen out the front spitting one liners at an alarming rate.  (sip... sip... swallow...) or making you pump up condoms using your bum on the pump. 

It's an experience. I'd go again, even it was to take a slightly greener team member along to watch their reaction. It's wonderful, cleanish fun.

What else are you going to do on a Tuesday night? 

So, we walked back to the hotel on this oppressively warm night, back past the backpackers and the ice cream bars and the rub and tug massage parlours and the milling itinerants - in my case, singing Oasis songs, because why not, and I was home just after nine. 

I'll be going again. 

Today's Song: 

Movie Review: Thelma

 Movie Number 28 of 2024

The Movie: Thelma

The Cinema: The Deckchair Cinema, Darwin

Stars: 4.5

I bought my ticket to Thelma this morning, going over in my head how I was going to get home after the film. Darwin is not a place where you wander around alone after 8 pm. You're probably going to be fine, but do you want to take the risk?

Five minutes later, my friend Beth messages me. She's my old P.E. teacher from high school and we've become lunch buddies over the 18 months I've been coming up here. She has a friend staying with her. She asked if I was going to tonight's session of Thelma. I was glad to be sharing this film with Beth and her friend, Also, ride home solved. 

A couple of colleagues also joined us too to see this absolute gem of a film, based on a true story. 

This is an absolute hoot! The fact that it's loosely based on the writer/director's own grandmother makes it even better. 

The movie starts with 93-year-old Thelma (the fantastic June Squibb - who is a few years older than her onscreen character) receiving computer lessons from her slacker grandson, Daniel (Fred Hechinger). There is a lot of mileage to be gained from this first scene. For anybody with aging parents and grandparents, we've all been there, but Daniel is kind, and thorough, with his grandmother. She also has all the gadgets - the wrist band alarm, the high-tech hearing aids - you name it. 

(And I know my mother reads this blog - Mum, go and see this if you can - you'd love it). 

Thelma is also living independently - but for how much longer, nobody is sure. Escalating health issues make her living along after the recent death of her husband somewhat tenuous. 

It's when Thelma gets scammed, when a caller she believes to be her grandson calls for money, that Thelma comes into her own. She is determined to get her money back, enlisting the aid of her friend Ben (Richard Roundtree) the two embark on a journey across Los Angeles to get her money back. An extra character in the film is Ben's mobility scooter, which has a character all of its own. As does Ben's catatonic roommate, Starey Gary. 

Add to this Thelma's worried daughter (a playing to type Parker Posey) and son-in-law Alan (Clark Gregg) showing the very real difficulties of aging parents, you get a good grip on the family dynamics. 

Writer/director Josh Margolin has done an amazing done of this. If you're yet to witness the realities of aging parents and the challenges that can befall a family, this movie shows a few of the realities. 

But the joy of this film is June Squibb as the plucky, funny, headstrong Thelma, who will get her money back by hook or crook. This film is a fantastic vehicle for the 95-year-old Squibb. It's also a reminder that life doesn't end at 40. 

Oh, and did I tell you that this is laugh-out-loud funny, and it will keep you on the edge of your seat as Thelma and Ben cross L.A. on their quest?

Even better. In the credits, you get to meet the actual Thelma, who is now aged 103. Thelma's home in the movie is the actual Thelma's home. It looks like every grandmother's place across the Western World. You'll relate to something. 

Thelma is going to be a sleeper hit. Take your Mum and have a laugh. But most of all, go and watch this sleeper hit as it delves beautifully into the heartbreak of getting older and that deep within these people is a young person wanting to break out and do something amazing. 

Today's song: 

Gig Review: Choir of Man

The Group: Choir of Man

The Venue: Darwin Railway Club, Parap

One night only

Tonight, I got to see inside a Darwin institution - the Darwin Railway Club. 

Of the more difficult things about being a FIFO is you're at the mercy of what's about you in the city - you need some local knowledge to get the best of the city. You're also resigned to taking taxis and ubers everywhere if it's more than 15 minutes' walk away. And unlike Melbourne or Sydney, which have Instagram pages galore touting the next best thing, this information is thinner on the group. 

This is where my old friend from university comes in. Hayley's a Darwin local and a thoroughly good egg. We've not caught up for a while, and when she suggested going to see the Choir of Man, I jumped at the chance to going somewhere different. 

The Railway Club is a Darwin standard away from the backpackers and drunks of Mitchell Street, tucked away in the nearby suburb of Parap (which is close to one of the offices I regularly work out of). It started life as a worker's club for the men working on the Darwin to Tennant Creek railway, but since 1974 it's been a live music venue, tucked away in the back streets, with an epic beer garden and a small stage for small gigs. It's grouse. Also, from what I can see, it closes early on school nights so the neighbours don't get annoyed. 

Hayley and I turned up early, to catch up and to witness the support act. The tattooed fellow on the stage was belting out songs. His band, The Gooch Palms, is a punk band. He was a bit more melodic, though he mentioned going into his last song that this cover was not the version the band did - we would have been pleased to see that. 

Next on were two guys with guitars called The Malarkeys. I will admit that Hayley and I caught up during their set. They were fine. They could sing, but it wasn't earth-shattering. 

Slowly, the venue filled up.

One thing I love about going out to these smaller venues is that they are very inclusive. There are kids spinning around on the dance floor, dogs roaming around the place (The Darwin Club has a resident Chihuahua Cross named Sid, who likes to greet everybody on entry. The crowd is mixed and varied - or maybe, it could be the act we were there to see. 

Choir of Man is just that - a group of middle-aged Darwin men who sing. At one of their performances at last year's festival, they performed, and they tended a barbeque, handing out sausages to the crowd. 

And they can sing.

Hayley pointed out of few of the men on stage. Pointing at one fellow, she said, "I've worked with him, EGM of Cyber Security." Of another, "He's been playing bars for years. Went to school with him." And it went on. All of them in their best Darwin casual (t-shirt and long shorts) Those without song sheets in their hand were sporting a glass of red wine. 

The Choir has been going for twelve years, with a few stalwarts and an ever-changing line up. For the obvious stalwarts, their musicianship was on display. 

The great thing about the Choir of Man is they all looked like they were having a good time. And they can sing. Okay, some players are a bit stronger that the others, but the main singers were excellent, performing a mix of Australian covers and original songs. I particularly liked 'Beer and Nicotine'. 

There were a lot of Northern Territory themed songs, some Paul Kelly and Missy Higgins classics. 

In all, it was a very entertaining night. It was good fun to watch them scramble for an encore song. We were told that they had books of songs that they's performed once and let them go as they thought they were shit, 

They weren't shit.

I'm also utterly grateful for having a friend or two up here with some local knowledge who's shown me some wonderful Darwin standards.

And as I was telling Hayley, I've got a colleague who loves live music - he would have loved this. 

It's also wonderful to see a group of middle-aged me doing something other than tinkering in their sheds, drinking beer or playing golf.

It's all rather inspiring. 

Today's Song: 

Sunday Stealing on a Saturday

 Greetings from Darwin, where it is bloody hot outside. I'll be going for a walk in a bit when the sun is out of full strength and a bit gentler on the skin, and I don't have to sunscreen up. I've had enough full sun for the day. Yes, I'm up here for work again, and yes, it's a weekend, and yes, I seem to be spending my free time between walking or reading by the pool or being in the pool. Yes, I'm a large child. 

I'm getting a jump on this week's questions, supplied, as always, by Bev at Sunday Stealing. 

1. What popular TV show do you refuse to watch?

Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. I have seen the first series of Game of Thrones, but that is it. It appears to be overhyped and from the first series it was all too violent for me - the violence being the messed-up kind I don't like. I didn't watch at the time and won't be watching it in the future. 

2. What pets did you have while growing up?

Growing up we had two cats and two dogs. Before we moved to the country it was just two cats, but the menagerie grew as we did. Mum has always had cats, but she was never a dog person. We had guinea pigs for a while - smelly things that they are. We also had calves that we used to feed at one stage, not that they were pets. 

3. What is the luckiest thing that has happened to you?

I could look at my life and think that lots of lucky things have happened to me. Winning two airline tickets to anywhere in the world was one of them. Not getting caught in England when I was there without a visa another. Some would say staying employed is lucky. It's all a matter of how you look at things. 

4. What are some small things that make your day better?

Easy:

• My cat
• Decent coffee
• Exercise
• Time with friend
• Laughing

5. What’s your favorite piece of clothing you own/owned?

I have two duster coats that I love. One is in a mint green silk and I bought it up here in Darwin. It is glorious and gets a lot of comments when I wear it. The other is a grass green cotton duster coat, which I bought in Adelaide when I was there the other week. For some reason, I feel good in oversized cover ups. 

6. What’s the most annoying habit other people have?

Other than clicking and or picking at their fingernails and the over-use of lip balm (particularly in men - had an ex who was a compulsive lip balm applier - ew!) I'm not fond of people who are regularly rude to service staff. 

7. What game or movie universe would you most like to live in?

Hogwarts. 

8. What’s the most impressive thing you know how to do?

I don't think I know how to do anything overly impressive. Here are a few things I've cultivated. 

• I speak pretty good French for an Australia
• I'm great at starting arguments from 10 kilometres away
• I know the lyrics to a lot of Cold Chisel songs
• I'm very good at fixing other people's writing. 

9. What was the best book or series you’ve read?

I'm a great fan of Louis de Bernieres and I loved his Daniel Pitt Trilogy (The Dust that Falls from Dreams, So Much Life Left Over and The Autumn of the Ace). It has tie in into Captain Corelli's Mandolin and Birds Without Wings.) They books are like being told a story by and old friend. Love these books. 

Robertson Davies Cornish Trilogy is fantastic too. 

10. What state or country do you never want to go back to?

In Australia there's no state I don't want to never go back to, but there are states I've got no desire to visit - Queensland and Western Australia. Both are big and dry and I've got no desire to go there at the moment - nothing against them. 

There's no country I'd not return to. Places that I'd rather not go back to include Naples in Italy (Strange vibe) and Trenton in New Jersey (Witnessed first-hand gang violence - no thanks). 

11. Where do you usually go when you have time off?

Home. 

What is time off?

I've had a time where I've gone to Bali when I have time off, but I haven't been since before COVID. I should rectify that.

I also like being a tourist in my own city. Melbourne is great to look around. 

12. What amazing thing did you do that no one was around to see?

I can't think of anything. I made the perfect omelette once - like the once you get at Asian hotels at the omelette station.  

13. What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?

Travel overseas. Travel alone. Travel to a country where you don't speak the language and the food is strange. Just travel. Get a passport. Do it now. 

14. What’s something you’ve been meaning to try but just haven’t gotten around to it?

Piano lessons and giving my flat a thorough clean. 

15. What is something most people consider a luxury but you don’t think you could live without?

My fridge always has a bottle of French champagne in there along with smoked salmon. Not much of it, but I love the stuff, even if it is expensive. It is one of my favourite foods. 

Oh, and live theatre. It fills my soul. 

Today's song:

The FIFO Blues

 Never in my imagination did I ever thing I'd be a FIFO. But I am. And for the most part, I enjoy it. 

FIFO you ask. It's an acronym for Fly In, Fly Out. Some say it stands for Fit In or Fuck Off, which has its merits, but it is the former definition. You fly in for work. When you shift is done, you fly out. The only reason I don't look like a FIFO is that I don't have to wear hi-vis clothing or steel capped boots. I'm more a linen pants and flowing top kind of girl, with an assortment of Birkenstocks on my feet. 

And like all things, it's temporary and will come to an end, so I have to make the best of the situation - which I am. I am truly grateful for the experiences this time in the Northern Territory is affording me. 

But it doesn't take away from the face that there are some elements of the FIFO life which leave you a little lonely. 

Tonight, after work, I got home and relaxed a bit. Somehow, I've become invested in this stupid game show, Tipping Point. The questions are easy, the contestants a bit dumb, and they have all of their winnings bound on this machine which tips counters over and edge. It's addictive. 

Yet the relentless travel means I'm missing my friends - and my cat - but he's happy with my friends, lording it over them like he owns the place (how very cat.) There are parties and dinners and events I'm missing out on. It's a little tiresome. 

Of course, there are blessings to be counted. 

I got to 'go home' for lunch today, walking the 50 metres down the road, back to my hotel apartment, where I dined on the salad, eggs and prawns I have in the fridge. 

Being in the centre of the city, and after Tipping Point, I went for a long walk around the Waterfront, taking the long way home, around by the Deckchair Cinema and up the long stairs to Bicentennial Park, stopping in at Subway for some dinner. (Subway do a gluten free wrap - with lots of salad and some chicken, it fits in with the regime perfectly.)

It's Friday night. I've run the dishwasher - a novelty as I don't have one. I've done some knitting. I've finally done my washing - it only took me goes to get a clothes horse sent up to my room. I got toilet paper and J-cloths (chux) before that. Anyway, the clean washing is out on the rack on the balcony. It might be dry by morning. I've trimmed my nails. Some dodgy telly has been watched. 

It's all very pedestrian. 

I'm not in a place to go out and meet people. I'm not here for long enough and I don't have the mental or emotional capacity to put myself out on the apps, whether it be Bumble, Hinge or whatever swipe session it. It's not for me at the moment, particularly when my self-confidence is a little on the low side. 

The weekend will be nice. I'm going with a university friend to see The Choir of Man at a pub on Sunday afternoon. Tomorrow, I'll take myself off for a pedicure, maybe haunt the independent bookshop in the mall, and of course, go for a swim and go for a long walk tomorrow. To stay out of the heat, I might do some work on my novel and do a bit more knitting. Although I'm swamped at work, I refuse to turn on my work computer. That's not something I can do. I have books to read - two that I want to finish. It's not like I'll be bored. 

And next week looks good. There's a film on at the Deckchair Cinema I'd like to see on Monday. We're down for Drag Bingo on Tuesday. On Wednesday, I'll go back to the wave pool for aqua aerobics. Thursday, some friends from Melbourne are up, so we'll go to Mindil Beach Market before I have to get the plane at stupid 'o' clock back to Melbourne. 

Looking at this on paper, life looks sweet. It is in many ways. And I know how lucky I am to have this job and to have the opportunities I've cultivated. 

But it doesn't quite make up for your own bed and your friends at home. 

Today's song: 

The Happy Place

 Tonight, I found myself back at the wave pool tonight for aqua aerobic. 

Yes, in many ways it's an oldies class, and yes, it's a bit of a funny thing to do on a work night, but there's something great about getting off work at 5 p.m. running home, getting into your bathers and traipsing down the hill to the waterfront in time for the last set of waves. 

Even better, there were no kids in the pool when we got in at 20 to six. We had the waves pretty much to ourselves. A massive bonus as it meant we weren't navigating around noisy children riding inner tubes, dodging limbs and avoiding the noise. 

Once they shut off the waves, the pool is about chest height and flat, perfect for aqua aerobics. Callum, the instructor, of Irish extraction takes us through our paces. There were nine of us there. Median age a bout 65. It doesn't matter. 

Yet my favourite bit of the wave pool is the waves. 

They may only be around three-foot high but jumping around in the waves is one of the best ways to relieve stress. I see what surfers love about the waves. And yes, the sets are a little close together, but they you don't get dumped. It reminds me of the surf at Silver Sands when it's not entirely flat. 

And the best bit about all of this? You don't get sand up your bits. 

I'm planning to go back on Sunday morning for another aqua class. At eight dollars a throw, it's a bargain - and it beats doing laps in the hotel pool. 

Today's song: 

Greek Food

 We went out for a team dinner this evening at a local Greek restaurant, Meraki. 

Great company, fabulous food. 

And for somebody on a 'regime' I could eat quite a lot on the menu. Ordering chicken skewers, I was thrilled. The chicken was amazing. Succulent, tasty - just perfect when you're after something which is gluten, dairy and sugar free. 

Today marked day eighteen of this way of eating - and if I'm honest, the fact that I'm feeling great makes it very easy to stick to. And poking around a menu will normally bear fruit - you'll find something you can eat. Besides, there's carrot and celery sticks, and hummus ready in a bag to take to work tomorrow for snack. It's just a matter of being strong while out and in the office. 

I was happy with my dinner. Yet watching my workmates tackle their platters - between four, one meat and one seafood, I was amazed. 

We have a token Greek in our group - they were in seventh heaven. They were impressed with the food. I've said it before. Darwin punches above its weight when it comes to food and drink. 

But the amounts of food! Why does anybody need enough to feed an army? After making a solid dent in the two platters - which I was lucky enough to get a taste of some of the meats on offer, restraining myself from going full Labrador - there were four boxes of food to take home - without the spare chips. 

Regardless, a good night out with the team, a nice dinner, I stuck to my guns and kept to my eating plan. Even if I don't need to see chicken for another week or so. 

Today's song: 

My Favourite Darwin

 I woke to the patter of rain on my balcony. 

It's September. It's not supposed to be raining. 

On getting out of bed, I looked out of the window. The sky was oppressive. Making my protein shake, I went outside on the balcony, to see what the sunrise was doing. It was too dark for a proper Darwin sunrise, where the sun rises out from the North like a glowing red ball. There was none of that today, just an dreary, overcast sky threatening rain. 

Like most good Australians, I went to my phone to check out the Bureau of Meteorology app to see what was really happening. I wonder if other countries have a BOM app like us? Anyway, checking the weather it appears we got 60 millimetres of rain over night. 

60 millimetres of rain is about the average rain Melbourne gets for the month of April.

I can't compute the amount of rain this place gets. 

Regardless, as I was driving out to the depot with some workmates when it started to rain. The windscreen wipers were screeching against the glass. 

"Think they better be looked at next service," said my colleague.

"They haven't been used for many months. The rubber has probably degraded. I'll let our admin know."

There were puddles. 

It was relatively cool. Like 23 degrees, which is positively Antarctic for Darwin. 

The locals had their puffer jackets and cardigans on and where whinging about the cold. 

It's all relative. If you're used to it not getting below 25 degrees, I suppose it would feel cold. 

Regardless, after a day in the office where I barely rose from my chair, I left at 5 pm, to find it sunny and warm - not hot. 

Later, as I strolled down to Coles to pick up a few supplies, there was a breeze. 

25 degrees, with a breeze walking the city streets at sunset. Balmy, but not too humid. 

The streets were quiet. not that the Darwin Festival has finished, it'd gone back to it's normal, sleepy self. 

And this is my favourite Darwin. 

Today's song:

The Jammy Sod

 I mean, look at it!

This is my cat, Lucifer, at his holiday home, day two. 

Lying in the sun, on HIS mat - the one that he uses at home. On my friends' dining room table. 

He has a lovely cat tree with a perch that looks out onto the oval and the wetlands, but no, he has to sleep on his mat on the kitchen table.

Spoiled much? 

I dropped him off yesterday lunchtime. He stayed with these friends three weeks ago and they seemed to get on well. Last time, he didn't come upstairs before I left. 

This time, we went upstairs to have a cup of tea, then minutes later we hear the sound of pads tapping against the wooden stairs. He had arrived. 

Ten minutes after that Pat was sitting on the floor talking to him. Pat seems to love this little critter.

Pat is the one who goes downstairs to collect his toys so that his Lordship can pay with them upstairs. 

Pat is the one who is begrudgingly sharing HIS chair with the cat. 

He also hand feeds him stinky treats (Churrus - cats love them, but they stink). 

Lucifer is a jammy sod. 

On the good side of things, I know that he's very happy with my friends, just as I know that they're very happy with the cat sharing opportunity. We're all cat people. I used to look after their cats many years ago and I loved having some critters to give some love to. 

Bit still, having your sleep mat put ON the kitchen table. Who does he think he is?

Today's song: 

Sunday Stealing:

 Another weekend, another trip to Darwin. Oh, what fun! So, I'll be doing this as I'll be packing, with the endeavour that once I've finished this, I will have everything packed and ready to go. 

Questions, as always, come from Bev at Sunday Stealing. 

1. What takes up too much of your time?

Lots of things. Pissing about on my phone being the worst culprit. Procrastinating is my other bad happy, hence me leaving for the airport in two hours and still not being packed. 

2. What do you wish you knew more about?

That's a hard one as I'm a curious person and I want to know more about everything. There is a part of me which would like to know more about Aboriginal culture. At school 40 years ago, we were taught nothing as were the times. Now, there is a big push to learn more about our First Nations people and their culture. 

3. What’s the best way to start the day?

With a cuddle. I love when the cat decides I'm worthy of a cuddle in the morning.

4. What mystery do you wish you knew the answer to?

What really happened to Harold Holt and Lord Lucan. 

Harold Holt was our Prime Minister the year I was born, and he disappeared from a beach outside of Melbourne never to be seen again. Was it a shark? A Chinese submarine? Did he just drown? Who knows. 

Lord Lucan is a British Mystery from about the same time. He allegedly killed his nanny and was never seen again. Odds on his mates smuggled him to Eswatini or some other upper-class scandal. 

5. What’s your favorite genre of book or movie?

I love literary fiction, if that can be classed as a genre. I do read romance and the odd crime novel, but I do prefer modern literary fiction. 

For movies, I do love Art House or foreign film but give me a good comedy or rom com any day. Good dramas can be very sustaining too. 

6. What’s the farthest you’ve ever been from home?

The other side of the world - numerous times. Being from Australia, everything fells like other end of the world. So, Inverness in Scotland is the furthest North I've been in Britain, and Salem, Massachusetts the furthest North I've been in the USA. 

7. Where is the most interesting place you’ve been?

I will put this down to the last year. I was in Paris and I spent an afternoon at the Paris Archives. They were amazing. There was an exhibition about Marie Antoinette, set in this old building. It was fascinating. And in French. 

8. When was the last time you climbed a tree for fun?

When I was in my twenties, a friend and I were in Ireland, and we went to a place called Glendalough. I remember climbing a tree there. That was around thirty years ago. 

9. What do you consider to be your best find?

I was in KMart this morning, picking up a vegetable peeler to take to Darwin with me. I also found this little gadget which when you've opened a can of beans or chickpeas (garbanzo beans) you can put it over the lid and you can strain the can. I love that idea. It means you don't have to get the strainer dirty. 

10. What’s special about the place where you grew up?

It is very green and very pretty. Gorgeous part of the world. 

11. What age do you wish you could permanently be?

I reckon I'd like to be 38 again. 38 was good. 38 you haven't got the joys of menopause wreaking havoc - never a bad thing. 

12. What fictional place would you most like to go?

Hogwarts. I'm a witch. I'd fit right in. 

13. Where is the most relaxing place you’ve ever been?

L'Hotel de l'Orange in Sommieres, Occitanie, France. It's just magic. I am booked to go back next year in September. 

14. What’s the most interesting piece of art you’ve seen?

I'm a big fan of Francis Bacon. I can stare into his works for hours. 

I also once got to spend half an hour with Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring. It was amazing to look at what that man did with light and brush strokes. 

15. Who has impressed you the most with what they have accomplished?

I was watching the Paralympics the other week. Every person competing is incredibly inspirational. 

Today's song: 

Movie Review: Deadpool & Wolverine

 Movie Number 27 of 2024

The Movie: Deadpool & Wolverine

The Cinema: Hoyts Victoria Gardens

Stars: 3.5

This film is for two sorts of people. Those who are into their Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Comics, and those who like movies where things blow up and the humour is just a bit wrong. Oh, and there is a killer soundtrack. 

If you're up on your comic book lore and have a love of the goriness that is Deadpool, you'll be fine. And like all other Deadpool movies, the humour is fifty shades of wrong. In this you have both Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman playing off each other. It's fun. And Hugh Jackman's torso is something to be admired. 

And yes, this movie delivers on the action and the spit take humour, but if you had no idea about the world of Deadpool and Marvel and Wolverine, you'd be scratching your head.

Don't ask me about the plot. According to RottenTomatoes.com, it goes along the lines of "Deadpool's peaceful existence comes crashing down when the Time Variance Authority recruits him to help safeguard the multiverse. He soon unites with his would-be pal, Wolverine, to complete the mission and save his world from an existential threat."

Doesn't mean much to you? Well, with all the bloody violence and spit takes, does it matter? 

Of the things I really liked:

• When they went into The Void, they met up with all these defunct superheroes - Elektra (Jennifer Garner, Blade (Wesley Snipes), Johnny Storm (Chris Evans) and this strange, never seen before character called Gambit (Channing Tatum at his dorky best).
• The violence was the sort that I can tolerate easily, as I've found all Deadpool movies. It's silly and stylised. 
• It's great seeing some English actors in the film. Matthew Macfadyen and Emma Corrin were very good - and fun in this. 
• And the soundtrack is a killer. 

I won't say too much more than this. I think I might have enjoyed this a little more if I had gone with some friends to laugh along with. Mind you, I really liked the spit take factor in this film. it's very inappropriate in places - and you have to love it for that. 

Today's song:

Movie Review: Touch

Movie Number 26 of 2024

The Movie: Touch

The Cinema: The Kino, Collins Street

Stars: 4

Just because something is a little predictable doesn't mean it's going to be bad, and Touch, though a little predictable in places, breathes fresh life into the timeless trope. After seeing this advertised as playing at the Scandinavian Film Festival, I had to hunt it out. I'm glad I did. What came about is a wonderful two hours of entertainment, which was both poignant and thought-provoking little film about closing off past regrets and finding your true love. It's sweet. It's beautifully shot. What's not to like? Oh, and it's mainly in English, with a smattering of Icelandic and Japanese for good measure, making it something a bit different.

The story starts in Iceland, where Kristofer (Egill Olafsson) is on the verge of receiving some life-altering health news. The doctor is at the point of advising him to get his ducks in a row and mark a few things off the bucket list. He makes the decision to travel to London, the home of his youth, to try to work out what happened to his love, Miko (Koki), who he met while working at her father's Japanese restaurant in the early 1970s. Kristofer, (Palmi Kormakur) an idealistic student, had dropped out of college to pursue and easier life, meets Miko, a modern girl with a traditional father, is caught between the two cultures - the one provided by her father Takahashi (Mashiro Motaki) and her life in progressive London. 

Of course, Kristofer and Miko fall in love, but this is shattered when Takahashi whisks his daughter back to Japan. 

Fifty years on, Kristofer is trying to find his lost love.

The biggest incongruity of the film is the modern telling of the older Kristofer travelling in the first weeks and months of COVID. Nobody was travelling then, but it's a film. C'est la guerre...

But despite this being a little predictable, this is a wonderful little film. It's beautifully shot, not only showing modern day Iceland, and Japan, in ways many of us have not seen before. The fact that it's mostly in English also makes it accessible, though the subtitles, used when the speech is in Icelandic or Japanese, are really good.  

Baltasar Kormákur's direction is even handed and the movie, which goes between the modern day and 1970s London is easy to follow. I also loved the cinematography, which is done with a lot of love. 

Touch was a most wonderful Friday night film. I'm glad I got to see it before it leaves the arthouse cinemas. 

Today’s song:

Theatre Review: Iphigenia in Splott

 The Production: Iphigenia in Splott by Gary Owen

The Company/Theatre: The Red Stitch Actors Theatre, St Kilda

Stars: 5

Until 22 September. Tickets are hard to come by. 

FUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCKKKKKKK. That was GOOD!

So, in my attempts to make the most of being in Melbourne while I'm here, and after being impressed with the Red Stitch Actor's Theatre's production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and the desire to see some less commercial theatre, and being roped in by the advertising, I took myself off to see Iphiginia in Splott.

One of the best decisions I've made this year. 

This is an incredible piece of theatre. Indeed, it's an incredible play, which is carried off by one actor who is bound for greatness. Jessica Clarke is a name you should watch out for. 

Yes, I'm gasping over this, but in this 70-seater theatre, I got to witness a little bit of magic. One woman on a stage that was barely five metres square. 

On entering the stage, Effie (Jessica Clarke) is sitting on the stage scrolling through her phone. Once the audience was settled, off she went. 

Effie is the woman who makes you bob your head and cross the road when you see her in the street. She's a slag, a slapper, a chav. These are the names used for her type in England, and in Wales, where the play takes place. In Australia, she'd be classed as the worst kind of bogan (and not the cashed up ones). 

For the 90 minutes of the play, Effie takes us through her life - unabashedly unemployed, forever drunk, fond of her grandmother, and salt of the earth when you get to know here. The events of her life turn from comic to tragic at a rapid pace. The last fifteen minutes of the play are some of the most effective theatre I've seen in ages. 

Gary Owens play is a timeless indictment on what is wrong with our current culture. As Effie says, the lower class is the ones who feel the cuts in society. They cut and they cut, but what will happen when they can take no more? It's a fabulous tale. Funny, relatable, smart and indeed, tragic in places. 

Gary Abraham's direction has the pitch and toss of Effie's performance down pat. Jessica Clarke's performance is raw, at times visceral. This woman will get under your skin. You won't want to like her, but you'll end up loving her very quickly. In some ways, she is everywoman. That part of you that you won't want to admit to. She's plucky. She's a survivor, even if she needs some dusting off. 

I won't go into this anymore. On leaving the theatre, we were told there was a Q&A. For once, I didn't stay for it, instead choosing to decompress and wonder at the power of this small stage, this fabulous actor and this stunning play. 

Definitely worth getting a ticket to see this. Look out for Jessica Clarke in future. She's going to go places. And see this. You won't regret it. 

Today's song: 

Lazy Programming

 The new programme of plays came out on the Melbourne Theatre Company website tonight - and I'm feeling a little underwhelmed, as I was with the Sydney Theatre Company 2025 Season. 

The Sydney Theatre Company season underwhelmed me because of the fact that I've seen four of the eight plays, not that I will be dibbing into the whole of the season, but I don't need to see these play again, as excellent as they are. Bloom, a musical about an old folks' home is great, but once is enough. And yes, it's playing with a different cast, but I don't need to see that again. Joanna Murray-Smith's Julia is a tour de force, but once is enough, even if Justine Clarke is amazing in the role. And The Dictionary of Lost Words was good - very good. But once is enough. 

Suzie Millar's RBG: Of Many, One was in Melbourne a couple of months ago. Again, it's excellent, but I don't need to see it again. The same goes with Happy Days, this time with Pamela Rabe as Winnie, where here in Melbourne Judith Lucy took on the main role. 

So, if I want to go to Sydney, for whatever reason, and have a play to see over the weekend, I'm left with Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Talented Mr Ripley. Thankfully they're playing months apart.

The other highlight is at the end of the year is the Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. This is the same production that was on at the Red Stitch Actors Theatre, which transferred to the Comedy Theatre and is some of the best theatre I've seen in Australia in the last 25 years. It might be worth my time. It's worth a though. 

The Melbourne Theatre Company 2025 season hasn't grabbed me either - but maybe I need to have more of a thorough read of the program. 

It's starting out with a play called 37, which was performed this year. Again, it's excellent, but isn't this a bit of lazy programming. Other hand, it is an incredible play. 

They're also doing David Williamson's The Removalists. I think I did that play in my last year of high school. 

I'm curious to see how they go about adapting Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. The MTC are good at adapting classics onto the stage. I enjoyed their North by Northwest and Storm Boy. 

They're also going back to doing a Shakespeare - and Much Ado About Nothing is always good as a crowd pleaser. This is their Christmas play. (This year it's an adaption of My Brilliant Career). 

The rest of the season seems to be a lot of plays which have done well in London and on Broadway which have been brought over and will be given an Australian lease on life.

Normally, Jay and I get a season ticket. On first glance, this year I'm not so sure. 

Today's song:

Movie Review: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

 Movie Number 24 of 2024

The Movie: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

The Cinema: Hoyts Victoria Gardens

Stars: 4

Word of warning. I'm a big Tim Burton fan. I'm also a fan of cult films and Beetlejuice, the original is one of my favourites. It's a nuts film. But nuts in a good way. 

I'm in a number of minds about this sequel, which has come some 35 years after the original. Is it as good as the original - no - but it does a good job trying.

What happens here is Lydia (Winona Ryder) is not having a great time. She's widowed, her teenage daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) is giving her grief, her mother Delia (Catherine O'Hara) is still a pain and her odious fiance (Justin Thoreaux) is somebody you'd like to run over. 

When her father dies, the family are forced to go back to Winter's Creek, the place where the first Beetlejuice movie takes place to settle up. 

When Astrid is kidnapped by a malevolent ghost who takes her into the underworld, Lydia is forced to call on her old enemy, Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) to provide some of his often-misguided help. 

Beetlejuice is having his own issues. His ex-wife (Monica Belluci) is back on the scene. 

Sound a bit convoluted. Well, it is. But not in a bad way. 

For lovers of the original film, there are enough references to keep you happy. That they had the Banana Boat Song sung by a girls' choir was pure genius. Little things, like Delia's artwork, the model of the town in the attic and the general look and feel of the film. 

There are also some wonderful cameos through then film. Willem Dafoe and Danny de Vito being two of them. 

And Tim Burton's direction is exactly what you think it's going to be - just a little bit bonkers. 

What I loved about this film most of all is that it is a lot of fun. Sure, it missed out on the freshness that the original film had in 1988, but it has just the right mix of nostalgia and new material. I also loved the small musical references to the original film - however Burton has changed tack here and the music is now classic 1970s disco standards. 

For the squeamish, there are some slightly off colour sections, but this is to be expected with this director. 

Do you have to see the original to enjoy this film - probably not, but it might help in understanding this strange and wonderful world in front of you. 

I think that this is probably best for those who love the original film. However, if you want to see a group of actors having a great time, this might be what you are looking for. 

Today's song:

Decision Made

 Today marks the second year of me using the Duolingo app. Every day. For about 15 minutes. Every day. 

My French is still crap, but not as crap as it would be if I hadn't been using it. At the moment, we're looking at the irregular formations of the subjunctive form. What fun!

Over the weekend, I was with a couple of French speakers, so I got the French out again. It was wonderful. I like speaking another language. Okay, I love being able to speak another language fairly well. I love that I speak French with a gentle Australian accent (unlike my compatriot over the weekend, who speaks very good French with a strong Australian accent - which is cute - but my accent is better... )

So today, on the second anniversary of me starting my Duolingo journey, and reconnecting with a language that I love, I've made the decision that next September, I'm returning to France, and Paris. I want to go along to another Gunnas International retreat. I might not opt in for the activities in Paris, but I want to return to the South of France, to Sommieres.

A plan is forming in my head. A week in England. We'll find some things to do over there. Then over to Paris - get to see some of the things I didn't see last time - St Denis, Chartres, wander around la Rive Gauche, maybe go for another mason's meeting at the mothership...I'd like to go wandering galleries and visiting cathedrals and sit at cafes with a coffee wishing that I still smoked. I want to ride the Metro and walk along the Seine...

This need is at a cellular level.

After that, I think a little trip to Rome or Florence might be in order. I haven't been to Italy in 25 years. 

So, on this, the second anniversary of my using the Duolingo app, doing my daily French lessons (my old French teacher would be pleased with my progress. I always hated the subjunctive) I'm making a pact with myself to return to Europe. 

It means staying employed, and keeping up with the lessons, and scrimping and saving. 

But I need this for me. 

I want my heart to sing again. 

And if I book by New Year's Eve, I get to choose my own room at L'Hotel de l'Orange. 

I have a goal.

Yay. 

Let's do this. 

Today's song:

Sunday Stealing: The Sunday Questions

 Finally, I'm home. It seemed to take longer to get back from Adelaide after a really good week. I have a hungry cat to deal with, seeing he has been sulking for the last three days at Blarney's place. 

Anyway, on with the questions, thanks to Bev at Sunday Stealing. 

1. What shows are you into?

I'm currently working my way through Bad Sisters on Apple+. It's darkly funny. I'm also watching Grey's Anatomy from the start again. It's easy television. 

2. What’s your claim to fame?

I'm very good at starting arguments from ten kilometres away and being a complete shit stirrer. 

3. How often do you play sports?

Actual sports, probably never. But I'm in the gym around three times a week and I love to walk and swim. 

4. Are you early or late?

I'm perpetually late. Time keeping is something I have to work at. I'm there for important things - everything else I'm about ten minutes late. 

5. What quirks do you have?

As somebody who identifies as neurodiverse, I have many quirks. I'm quirky. There are too many to mention. 

6. How often do you people watch?

Multiple times a day. It's one of my favourite things. 

7. What’s your favorite drink?

Gin and tonic. 

8. What do you hope never changes?

The greatness of 80s music. The smell of cat's and dog's paws in the morning. That you can still drive down onto Silver Sands Beach. 

9. What’s your dream car?

A decadent part of me would love a Mercedes sports car. An upgrade to the top of the range Mazda CX-3 or Nissan Juke would be nice. (I currently drive a mid-range Mazda CX-3 - it's just right for me. 

10.  Where would you rather be from?

In my heart, I am English. Although born and raised in Australia, and my family have been here, on Kaurna lands, for well over 160 years, I still feel English. Though I wouldn't mind being a Parisian either. As long as I had a great job that paid well. 

11. What songs have you competely memorized?

As a Gen X Australian, I can sing most of the Cold Chisel back catalogue under my belt. I can definitely sing Khe Sahn without prompting. Don't tell anybody. (It's like an unofficial Australian national anthem). The girls at Gunnas will tell you I can sing along to everything. I know the words to all sorts of obscure songs. 

Oh, I know the National Anthem and the Adelaide Crows song too. 

12. What would you rate 10/10

The movies Poor Things and Past Lives. 

13. What job would you be terrible at?

I'd be an awful engineer - bad at physics. I'd probably be a rotten nurse, and I could never work in a childcare centre. As much as I like kids, I could never work with them. I couldn't be a public servant either - I hate committees with a passion. 

14. What skill would you like to master?

Playing the piano. Time keeping. Focus. 

15. What movie title best describes your life?

Dazed and Confused.

Today's song: 

Spent

 I have just spent a day in a room full of people in one form or another. In a lodge room. In a restaurant. I'm staying with friends, but that is not a drag. 

Anyway, I'm completely people and noised out. 

And because of this, I can only manage a few sentences. 

Like Freemasonry is great. 

People are noisy. 

Adelaide has changed a bit, but not that much.

I could write a lot more, but I need to have my cup of tea and go to bed now, as we are due back in the lodge at 10 a.m. before I go back to Melbourne tomorrow afternoon. 

Oh, and I have a new cat friend. This is Wink. 

Hi is a good substitute for Lucifer, who will be collected on the way back from the airport.

Night night.

Today's Song: 

The Welcome to Country

There is a tyranny that comes with age which is never more apparent when you're at a conference and people forget how to behave themselves. This is even more startling when you work out that the world has moved on and those people are left in a virtual wilderness of disdain, confusion and annoyance. 

Today I bore witness to this. 

It wasn't big. It wasn't clever. And if anything, it was offensive. 

As somebody who takes the acknowledgement of country seriously when it is presented at the start of any event, small or large, today's first session at our conference did not go as expected. 

"I'm told I have to give a welcome to country. This is my country. Australia. This is Adelaide."

There was a stony silence. 

The person delivering this looked smug. They went back to their seat to assorted mumbles. 

I don't want to go into a Julia Gillard "I was offended" rant. But I was offended. The Acknowledgement of Country has become an integral part of our public landscape, and it feels wrong to have this have happened. I'm the first person to say that people have a right to their opinions, however, with the Acknowledgement of Country, if you're not going to proffer it with a modicum of respect, then don't give it. Sit down, keep quiet and let the rest of the room get on with it. 

And I get that there are people who don't see the value of the Acknowledgement of Country. I don't share their sentiments. I'm willing to discuss personally, at an appropriate time - not air grievances at a public event. 

Later in the day, another speaker took the floor. The first thing they did was give another Acknowledgement of Country. This time, a short, respectful version.

As the speaker started to shuffle their notes, a comment from the previous speaker interjected. "Rubbish!"

The room went quiet. 

The speaker, a little stunned, bristled and stated, "People are allowed to have a difference of opinion."

They went back to looking at their notes, before straightening and looking the interjector in the eye.

"You disrespect me. You disrespect my family."

The room fell silent. 

If I'm honest, they disrespected the rest of the room with their remarks. 

From there, the speaker gathered themselves and gave an excellent talk. 

After the afternoon's talks, I approached the second speaker and gave them my support, checking in on them. They related that they have indigenous nieces and nephews. To have an acknowledgement of country to be disrespected in such a way is like urinating on his family. 

Considering the space in which we found ourselves, where we uniquely dwell on the power of ritual and words, these interactions left a chasm. 

I'm still ruminating over the overt disrespect. 

It hurt that at a gathering which promotes brotherhood, equality and freedom, that such jarring attitudes, even from one person, can be present. 

Today's song:

Adelaide Bound

 Returning to Adelaide always brings a strange gamut of emotions. The first one being that of despair in that I’ve left my cat at Blarney’s place while I’m away. All is fine. He will sit in the cupboard and sulk. He’s been fed and interacted with. He will be fine.

The second emotion is instead of hopelessness I’m not sure I want to be Adelaide. I’m here for a Freemasons convention of all things. Our weekend of riding the goat. It will be delightful, but I see myself being peopled out by the middle of the afternoon. I have bought my sparkly notebook so that I can start planning out a novel. I’ve had the idea for this for awhile. The Ladies of Gilgamesh Lodge. I think spending three days with a mob of lady Freemasons will me ample fodder for situations and characters. What is the collective noun for Freemasons? A conclave? A herd? A parliament? 

The next feeling that comes to mind is abandonment, if that’s a feeling. For the last 25 years coming back to Adelaide seeing my family. This trip I am not seeing my family. This trip, I really should go down and see my family. My parents have bought a new house in Victor Harbour and I’m moving out of the family after 30 years. Because I am going to be stuck in a convention for the next three days, I will not have an opportunity to drive the 100 km down to Victor Harbor to see them.

I am also feeling a little bit of resentment. When I was setting my out of office on my work email, the last time I took a scheduled day off that wasn’t a public holiday or Me being ill, was in January. I have three days off, I am in Adelaide and my time is not my own. But fight has built me a good hand. I’ve found that I have under packed and need to go shopping. I will be making a break for it at some stage to go down Jetty Road to find something to wear for dinner tomorrow night. If I am really daring, I will also go for a walk down to the end of the jetty. This is where I was born and raised, it feels strange not to do that.

It is raining. Just how I like any city.

Regardless, I am now in Adelaide city of my birth, place that I escaped from in 1991 and never looked back.

I’m always going to have mixed feelings about this place.

Today's song:

The Blondening

Vanity, thy name is Pandora. 

Last night's trip to the hairdresser was a bit more expensive that I was expecting. Why? I've had my hair lightened. I think they call it balayage. If you don't see my very often, you'd probably not notice it at all. And it looks natural. And I rather like it. 

It was done on a whim. 

But I don't get how people can be blonde. Sure, there are lots out there where this is their natural colour - but it's the upkeep! My wonderful hairdresser was telling me that there are people who come to see her every six weeks and spend up near $300 to have their hair done. 

As a basic sort of person, who gets a cut and semi-permanent every three months, and the roots filled in between, I'm a pretty low maintenance. 

But last night, after a chat, we decided on the balayage, while filling in the roots, with the hope that the slightly lighter hair will take away some of pressure on keeping on my normal colour for keeping the greys at pay (i.e. blondes don't show their greys like we brunettes). 

Who is this person that lightens her hair so that the greys are less apparent? Am I really that vain? 

I can't and won't go full blonde. I'd look like a fat version of my sister for one. I can't afford it for the other. And the skunk line would do my head in (Just as I can't wear gel or shellac nail polish - if I can't fix what isn't right quickly, I get anxious.)

Around 15 years ago, dream group egged me on to go blonde - something about lighter hair, lighter attitude. 

That didn't last long. 

Maybe this slightly lighter hair is a good compromise. Stave off the greys, while still being a brunette. 

Maybe it is a sign that I'm taking this aging shit seriously even though I really don't like it. 

And even if I do go a bit lighter, I'm not cutting it short. Sorry, I'm a Leo. I need my mane. 

Vanity, vanity. 

Today's song: 

Home Made Spring Rolls

Elimination Diet Day Three

Don’t try and tell me gluten, dairy, sugar, alcohol and caffeine is boring.

Tonight, I made spring rolls for dinner. Gluten, dairy and sugar free.

I took half a box of mushrooms and chopped them up finely and tossed in a frypan.

I did the same with a chicken breast, throwing the diced breast in with the mushrooms.

Add to that a thumb of grated ginger and some garlic, a tablespoon of soy sauce and a tablespoon of oyster sauce. And okay technically oyster sauce has a bit of sugar in it, but yeah, I’ll wear it. It’s not like I’ve gone and eaten a doughnut

When all was cooked off, I took half a bag of coleslaw mix (no dressing) and tossed that through in the pan with the rest of the mix until it has slightly softened.

This was then rolled into soldiers in rice paper sheets, then gently fried off for a minute or two each side. 

They were bloody brilliant.

Yes, I would’ve liked to have them with some of my colleague’s plum sauce that she gifted the team a few weeks ago, but on their own, they were fabulous.

If I can find a few more recipes like this, this regime may be easier.

Today's song:

Online/Exercise

Tonight, I took Cleo to the gym with me to work out. 

Cleo is in Barcelona. I have a phone. 

We normally meet on a Monday night session using the weight in my living room. Tonight, for a change, we went back to the gym - which was quite fun. 

Cleo was on Messenger on my phone. I gave her a quick tour of the shopping centre to show her all of the stuff that had changed while she had been away - now well over 18 months, before getting into the gym. 

Stupidly, I'd left my wireless earphones at home and had to rely on some wired ear buds, but that way by the by. We chatted as she told me what to do around the gym. Some squat and rows, a Cleo favourite, Shoulder presses, high to low wood chops. Three rounds of the buggers. I perched her on the weights of the dormant cable set next to me, so she could see what I was doing. 

Out the back of the gym, I did a more spread-out set, with the lat pull downs, super-setted with a leg press, on opposite sides of the studio, followed by walking lunges to get back to the lat pulldown machine. All the while, Cleo sat in my hand, egging me on. 

To finish, we went back out front to use the TRX machines. 

We ran into Chuck and Cam. Cam is one of my proxy training partners. Chuck and Cleo used to work with each other. 

"Hello, Cleo."

"Hey, Chuck!"

"Are you working her hard?" he asked her. 

"Of course," we bleated back in unison. 

And we finished off our session, leaving Cam to his rather heavy shoulder presses. 

I like continuity. I've been working out with Cleo for around ten years now. It was nice to be working out with her in the place we started at. 

And for me, exercise is just another way to take back control of my life. 

Today's song:

Day One

 There's sixty-one days in September and October. 

Over this time, I have the following things:

• A three-day Freemason's convention in Adelaide
• Two trips of a fortnight each to Darwin
• A number of plays
• A couple of dinners
• The Whitlams, at the The Corner - my first time at The Corner Hotel
• A haircut

And I'll be attempting to remain gluten, dairy, sugar, caffeine and alcohol free.

It's not as bad as it all sounds. 

That I've been banned from coffee - both decaf and normal for at least a month, is a bit rich, but I'll do it. I've gone back to carrying vanilla rooibos teabags with me. As almond milk is off the menu for a while as well (unless I make it myself - no thanks - sound messy) it's just rooibos tea - which is thankfully palatable. And ginger and lemongrass tea. And water. 

Anyway, I've done my shop for the week, my trolley like a veritable Mother Theresa of food shops. Fruit, vegetables, avocadoes, frozen berries, chicken, fish, gluten free bread, tahini and some LSA...

It's okay. I just have to remember that this is temporary. 

The first few days are the hardest, then you get into the swing of it all.

I promise not to whinge for the next two months. It's for the best. 

Even if I'd kill for a coffee and an ice cream. 

Today's song: