It's a sad day. Emily has just returned to the US after an extended stay with us and it was lovely having her around. She faces an arduous 30 hour trip on four flights, with changes of aircraft in Sydney, San Francisco and St Louis. Let's hope her luggage travels with her unlike the trip here where it arrived three days late and the airlines incurred a $350 penalty.
Remember this. If you are arriving at a destination that is not your home address airlines are supposed to pay compensation reflecting the length of delay experienced.
AS
Monday, 28 January 2008
Sunday, 27 January 2008
Country Music Festival
Given a choice between listening to country music and purgatory, I would normally choose the latter! I know 
like-minded people in Tamworth, a nearby city, who happily leave town for two weeks in January and let their homes to country music fan
atics from all over Australia and overseas. However, Emily has been visiting for the last two weeks or so and yesterday she expressed a wish to visit Tamworth for the event. My arguments in favour of walking in a National Park were over-ruled and I reluctantly joined the party of four for the 110 km trip south.
Well, Tamworth had several things in its favour. At least it was warm: Armidale has a cool and wet summer and has rarely exceeded about 25 degrees (C). Secondly, it turned out to be an interesting sociological investigationn - I was asking myself who might be tempted to like twangy guitars, lyrics (if that is the right word) about the dreadfully commonplace,
and mournful sounds that would not be out of place at a funeral. Well, I adopted participant observation as my research methodology and was also encouraged by the pleasant rythms and sounds of two Andean flute groups and a group of gyrating belly dancers with music that seemed to be a cross from Lebanon and Morocco. We heard something similar last 
year at an Andalusian Festival in Chefchouen in Morocco's Rif Mountains.
Better still we spent an hour opposite the belly dancers at a pavement cafe having lunch. This was an ideal vantage point for the start of my investigations because we (I) could size up the passing traffic at leisure. Later on we promenaded the main street paying close attention to the other visitors and who, among the many busking individuals and groups, attracted their attention.
Well, it was a snap-shot of middle Australia: elderly farmers and their portly and/or matronly wives in tow; young families with strollers; bikies and heavily tattooed men or women; teenagers of both sexes generally wearing very little; but very few from an immigrant background. It's possible to make a lot of money from performing country music and 
several sub-15 performers were being pushed by their parents into performing on the foot-paths and I had to admit that one 12 yo girl was particularly good.
Yesterday was also Australia Day, so many of the crowd were adorned with flags of all sizes and materials. They were also bouyed by yet further evidence of the centrality of country music in the national landscape by the selection of Lee Kernaghan (OAM) as Australian of the Year,
not my first choice. OA, by the way, stands for Order of Australia - our system of gongs.
Anyway, Emily, Dot - and her friend Jane, who was in our party had a great time and my research confirmed my suspicions! I attach a few pictures giving some of the local atmosphere.
AS
like-minded people in Tamworth, a nearby city, who happily leave town for two weeks in January and let their homes to country music fan
atics from all over Australia and overseas. However, Emily has been visiting for the last two weeks or so and yesterday she expressed a wish to visit Tamworth for the event. My arguments in favour of walking in a National Park were over-ruled and I reluctantly joined the party of four for the 110 km trip south.Well, Tamworth had several things in its favour. At least it was warm: Armidale has a cool and wet summer and has rarely exceeded about 25 degrees (C). Secondly, it turned out to be an interesting sociological investigationn - I was asking myself who might be tempted to like twangy guitars, lyrics (if that is the right word) about the dreadfully commonplace,
and mournful sounds that would not be out of place at a funeral. Well, I adopted participant observation as my research methodology and was also encouraged by the pleasant rythms and sounds of two Andean flute groups and a group of gyrating belly dancers with music that seemed to be a cross from Lebanon and Morocco. We heard something similar last 
year at an Andalusian Festival in Chefchouen in Morocco's Rif Mountains.Better still we spent an hour opposite the belly dancers at a pavement cafe having lunch. This was an ideal vantage point for the start of my investigations because we (I) could size up the passing traffic at leisure. Later on we promenaded the main street paying close attention to the other visitors and who, among the many busking individuals and groups, attracted their attention.
Well, it was a snap-shot of middle Australia: elderly farmers and their portly and/or matronly wives in tow; young families with strollers; bikies and heavily tattooed men or women; teenagers of both sexes generally wearing very little; but very few from an immigrant background. It's possible to make a lot of money from performing country music and 
several sub-15 performers were being pushed by their parents into performing on the foot-paths and I had to admit that one 12 yo girl was particularly good.Yesterday was also Australia Day, so many of the crowd were adorned with flags of all sizes and materials. They were also bouyed by yet further evidence of the centrality of country music in the national landscape by the selection of Lee Kernaghan (OAM) as Australian of the Year,
not my first choice. OA, by the way, stands for Order of Australia - our system of gongs.Anyway, Emily, Dot - and her friend Jane, who was in our party had a great time and my research confirmed my suspicions! I attach a few pictures giving some of the local atmosphere.
AS
Monday, 7 January 2008
Barbecue
We made an increasingly rare social foray out the other night to a neighbour's barbecue, rare because Dot keeps a tight rein on anything that might over-excite me. The occasion was the chance arrival back in Armidale of Christine's two children, Kassandra and Michelle who are roughly the same age as Emily and Rebecca and played together. The former now runs a design business in Sydney and the latter lives and works in London. Completing th guest list were Anne Pine and her son Matt who is Kassandra's partner.
It's a pity that neither Emily nor Rebecca were close but that's life. However, the coming weekend will at least bring Emily and Michelle together - Baltimore joins London in Armidale. Em is coming back for a couple of weeks to check on me and make sure that stories circulating of my survival are accurate. We are looking forward excitedly (sorry, wrong word: passively) for her arrival. Dot is off to visit the Australian Open tennis in Melbourne for four days during Em's visit, so the latter will keep watch over my rebellious tendencies!
Our March visit to Baltimore has been cancelled because Dr Omari (of St Vincent's Hospital) grounded me until the thrombosis in my arm disappears.
AS
It's a pity that neither Emily nor Rebecca were close but that's life. However, the coming weekend will at least bring Emily and Michelle together - Baltimore joins London in Armidale. Em is coming back for a couple of weeks to check on me and make sure that stories circulating of my survival are accurate. We are looking forward excitedly (sorry, wrong word: passively) for her arrival. Dot is off to visit the Australian Open tennis in Melbourne for four days during Em's visit, so the latter will keep watch over my rebellious tendencies!
Our March visit to Baltimore has been cancelled because Dr Omari (of St Vincent's Hospital) grounded me until the thrombosis in my arm disappears.
AS
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