Armidale is celebrating its annual Autumn Festival. It's a curious mixture of events, with cultural attractions, a street parade, and a fun-fair. We had to miss the parade yesterday because of other appointments, which was a pity as it's usually a lengthy multicultural affair.
However, we were treated to some pipe bands practising in the mall just outside the post office. Armidale has Scottish ancestry and so do quite a few other towns in Northern NSW. Many have pipe bands and yesterday morning some came together for an impromptu practice. It was very pleasant watching over 50 people playing the bagpipes and collectively they made an impressive sound. Where would one find that number outside of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo?
We gave the fun-fair a miss in the evening and headed to the Ex-Services club of which Dot and I are members. We'd heard that the Australian Army Band was going to give a performance and I imagined we'd listen to endless military marches by various well-known composers.
Nothing could have been further from the truth, apart from a rendition of Crown Imperial and an impressive arrangement of Waltzing Matilda. The rest of the two hours was devoted to an amazing array of big-band numbers from the 30s/40s, jazz and rhythm and blues, Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, and various musicals including Phantom of the Opera. Band members sang a heap of well known songs and they even brought along three more bag-pipers to accompany the brass / wind band in Amazing Grace and others. There was an interesting duet for a combination of instruments I'd never heard before: Tuba and Piccolo. The Tuba was played standing up by a female member of the band and I had visions her dropping it. Finally, one number was for four saxaphones, and one of the players reminded of Bill Clinton!
The performances were highly professional and players were all dressed in white military uniforms (except of course for the pipers). All the instruments were wind apart for drums and an oddity - a violin, which accompanied the pipers. It was highly entertaining.
AS
Sunday, 30 March 2008
Thursday, 27 March 2008
Sojourn in Canberra
Our Easter in Canberra was a quiet family affair, but very welcome nonetheless. Perhaps the family description is right, but nothing involving Max is entirely quiet. He's a bundle of energy and highly articulate. Come to think of it, he wasn't the only loquacious person in attendance! I was there, not to mention a brace of cousins and their wives. David and Shlomit drove from Sydney on the Friday bringing Eric and Sue who were visiting Australia from Christchurch in Hampshire. It was a quick 24 hour visit because they had to return to Sydney at lunch-time on Saturday, but great to see Eric and Sue on their first visit to Australia. There was lots to talk about and we conducted them around Canberra which impressed our English visitors greatly. The UK has nothing similar.
On Friday, we split into two groups. Dot was feeling unwell and stayed at our motel, but I accompanied Shlomit and Sue to the National Gallery to see an excellent special exhibition: "From Turner to Monet". It included dozens of 19th century landscape paintings brought together from galleries around the world. Just down the road the rest of the blokes - including Max - headed for Questacom - the national science exhibit. Max loves going there with all the machines, experiments, and dinosaurs. On the Friday night, we had a great meal in a good restaurant and Max attended that also. In fact, he had three evening meals out over the weekend!
Talking of dinosaurs, we also took him to the National Dinosaur Museum to look piles of old bones and reconstructions. He couldn't quite grasp the reason why they were all dead and talk of the exhibits being hundreds of millions of years old brought a blank face. Again, this was a male only trip including me, Beck's partner - Rob, and his brother Andrew. Beck and Dot were out shopping downtown. The same day, Sunday morning, Max received some Easter eggs - well a large number. Apart from the larger ones, we staged a hunt for eggs deposited strategically around the house and located them all on a map. We showed Max how to interpret the map and I think he got the idea that 'x' marked the spot where eggs were hidden. In the end he found all 8. As you can imagine, they also disappeared fast.
Come to think of it, I also received an egg. That's naughty. I'm not supposed to have chocolate. In fact, (a) I didn't eat it, and (b) I don't know where it is!
AS
On Friday, we split into two groups. Dot was feeling unwell and stayed at our motel, but I accompanied Shlomit and Sue to the National Gallery to see an excellent special exhibition: "From Turner to Monet". It included dozens of 19th century landscape paintings brought together from galleries around the world. Just down the road the rest of the blokes - including Max - headed for Questacom - the national science exhibit. Max loves going there with all the machines, experiments, and dinosaurs. On the Friday night, we had a great meal in a good restaurant and Max attended that also. In fact, he had three evening meals out over the weekend!
Talking of dinosaurs, we also took him to the National Dinosaur Museum to look piles of old bones and reconstructions. He couldn't quite grasp the reason why they were all dead and talk of the exhibits being hundreds of millions of years old brought a blank face. Again, this was a male only trip including me, Beck's partner - Rob, and his brother Andrew. Beck and Dot were out shopping downtown. The same day, Sunday morning, Max received some Easter eggs - well a large number. Apart from the larger ones, we staged a hunt for eggs deposited strategically around the house and located them all on a map. We showed Max how to interpret the map and I think he got the idea that 'x' marked the spot where eggs were hidden. In the end he found all 8. As you can imagine, they also disappeared fast.
Come to think of it, I also received an egg. That's naughty. I'm not supposed to have chocolate. In fact, (a) I didn't eat it, and (b) I don't know where it is!
AS
Wednesday, 26 March 2008
The Eight Days of Easter
We've just driven to Canberra and back over the last 8 days. That's not quite right because Dot did all the driving since I'm still banned from doing so by my doctor! So, the driving was done over two part-days there and two part-days back, and we went via Sydney on the way down and took the inland route back. It was very tiring for Dot and I fear that her health may have suffered. So, I suspect that we'll do a lot more flying than driving in the future. For the POMS, Canberra is about 900 km (about 560 miles) from here.
In Sydney, we stayed with Dot's brother, Dick. He's also not well, partly because he's now in his mid-70s, partly on account of a stroke he experienced about 5 years ago, and partly I suspect because he lives alone and needs some TLC. The Sydney leg was prominent for two other reasons. I visited my St Vincent's specialist, Dr Abdullah Omari, for a check up and he was very happy with my progress on the blood clot. In fact, he was so enthusiastic that he took me immediately off two drugs - a weight off my shoulder! It appears that the clot has disappeared, except for a small scar.
We celebrated that 'success' by going shopping at Bondi Junction - an up-market shopping centre in the well-healed eastern suburbs. We got there by train because we'd purchased seniors' excursion tickets at the unbelievable cost of $2.50 each (a bit over one pound) and valid for unlimited travel by bus train and ferry for the entire day. The second trip took us to the suburb of Rhodes close to Olympic Park. The precise destination was Australia's largest IKEA store because I'm about to refit my home office and wanted to observe first-hand the range of furnishings on offer. Dot, Dick and I spent some hours wandering through rows of shelving and cupboards, desks and chairs. We collected a pile of leaflets to digest on the way. We've contracted to have wood flooring installed instead of the current worn-out carpet which needs replacing.
On our return from Canberra, we visited Dot's aged Aunt Hazel and Uncle Max in Cudal near Orange (a city, not a fruit!). Alas, they're leaving their farming property, a mohair goat stud, to go into retirement accommodation at Orange - a great wrench after perhaps 6 decades there. The property will pass to Doug and Rosie, Dot's cousins, but themselves of our generation. How time flies! Max was mayor of Cabonne Shire for many years and I seem to recall he has an AO for his services to government (AO = Order of Australia, our bunyip system of honours). The country in Central West NSW where they live is drought stricken and a sad sight. After a night in Wellington (I wonder how it got its name!), we arrived home mid-day yesterday.
Throughout the trip we hunted down successfully various geocaches as a diversion and providing opportunities to stretch our legs. I'll report on our time in Canberra next.
AS
In Sydney, we stayed with Dot's brother, Dick. He's also not well, partly because he's now in his mid-70s, partly on account of a stroke he experienced about 5 years ago, and partly I suspect because he lives alone and needs some TLC. The Sydney leg was prominent for two other reasons. I visited my St Vincent's specialist, Dr Abdullah Omari, for a check up and he was very happy with my progress on the blood clot. In fact, he was so enthusiastic that he took me immediately off two drugs - a weight off my shoulder! It appears that the clot has disappeared, except for a small scar.
We celebrated that 'success' by going shopping at Bondi Junction - an up-market shopping centre in the well-healed eastern suburbs. We got there by train because we'd purchased seniors' excursion tickets at the unbelievable cost of $2.50 each (a bit over one pound) and valid for unlimited travel by bus train and ferry for the entire day. The second trip took us to the suburb of Rhodes close to Olympic Park. The precise destination was Australia's largest IKEA store because I'm about to refit my home office and wanted to observe first-hand the range of furnishings on offer. Dot, Dick and I spent some hours wandering through rows of shelving and cupboards, desks and chairs. We collected a pile of leaflets to digest on the way. We've contracted to have wood flooring installed instead of the current worn-out carpet which needs replacing.
On our return from Canberra, we visited Dot's aged Aunt Hazel and Uncle Max in Cudal near Orange (a city, not a fruit!). Alas, they're leaving their farming property, a mohair goat stud, to go into retirement accommodation at Orange - a great wrench after perhaps 6 decades there. The property will pass to Doug and Rosie, Dot's cousins, but themselves of our generation. How time flies! Max was mayor of Cabonne Shire for many years and I seem to recall he has an AO for his services to government (AO = Order of Australia, our bunyip system of honours). The country in Central West NSW where they live is drought stricken and a sad sight. After a night in Wellington (I wonder how it got its name!), we arrived home mid-day yesterday.
Throughout the trip we hunted down successfully various geocaches as a diversion and providing opportunities to stretch our legs. I'll report on our time in Canberra next.
AS
Sunday, 16 March 2008
Opera in the Paddock
Yesterday was the Ides of March - it still is in the US, but our experience was much happier than Julius'! We headed off to a property called Mimosa near Delungra, about 200 km from here for a truly magical event - opera in the Paddock. Delungra is in the middle of nowhere and, in fact, if one travels north-west from there the next town of any importance is ... Darwin, some 3000 km away. That figure is correct - I haven't added a zero by mistake. That's 1875 miles for those trapped in imperial measures.
We got there in late afternoon and joined a throng of people who had brought along tables, chairs, and Eskies full of wine and food. I couldn't count the number of people there but it must have been in the order of 500. The impromptu restaurant was a field near the Mimosa homestead and just in front of a large covered stage. For an hour before dusk, the four members of our party sat eating and drinking - a delightful meal under any circumstance, and we finished off at the Interval with expensive hand-made chocolates.
The performance started at 7 pm just as the sun was setting. There was no wind to speak of, no cloud, little humidity, and no atmospheric pollution, so the atmosphere was warm and brilliantly clear. And, as darkness enveloped, we could watch the gracious and towering nearby Eucalypts slowly become illuminated by floodlight. Somewhere in the distance a Kookaburra (a bird of the Kingfisher family) laughed raucously. The stars began to appear and the southern sky put on vivid display rotating in the sky as the earth flew through space. Northern Hemisphere residents cannot appreciate an unpolluted night sky and its effect on the brightness of the heavens - little dust and water vapour and no light pollution. It gets better still, because we can see the main band of the milky way directly overhead - a band of billions of feint stars and even adjacent gallaxies like the Magallenic Clouds.
One advantage of warm weather is that the audience was casually attired - I had on my best shorts and T-shirt. It was different for the performers who wore their best formal gear. The instrumentalists making up the Mimosa ensemble were excellent: Australia's best piano accompanist; a German horn player; and so on, with lots of international experience between them. And the singers were truly excellent - all of national standing. Moreover, last night's performance was sponsored by the German government among others. It was no amateur event, despite its remote and improbable location.
And what did they sing? It was a collection of arias from the works of well-known composers - Handel, Mozart, Bellini, Puccini, Wagner, Elgar, Bizet, Flotow, and ... at the end ... a medley of songs from Kiss Me, Kate by Cole Porter. One the problems with outdoors performances is the quality of the sound. Well, the entire audience was blown away by the clarity of the sound cross the vastness of the paddock. In fact, the further away from the stage one went, the better the sound! If any of you are planning to visit us, please select this time of year and we can go along to next year's performance - the ninth in a row. You won't be disappointed.
AS
We got there in late afternoon and joined a throng of people who had brought along tables, chairs, and Eskies full of wine and food. I couldn't count the number of people there but it must have been in the order of 500. The impromptu restaurant was a field near the Mimosa homestead and just in front of a large covered stage. For an hour before dusk, the four members of our party sat eating and drinking - a delightful meal under any circumstance, and we finished off at the Interval with expensive hand-made chocolates.
The performance started at 7 pm just as the sun was setting. There was no wind to speak of, no cloud, little humidity, and no atmospheric pollution, so the atmosphere was warm and brilliantly clear. And, as darkness enveloped, we could watch the gracious and towering nearby Eucalypts slowly become illuminated by floodlight. Somewhere in the distance a Kookaburra (a bird of the Kingfisher family) laughed raucously. The stars began to appear and the southern sky put on vivid display rotating in the sky as the earth flew through space. Northern Hemisphere residents cannot appreciate an unpolluted night sky and its effect on the brightness of the heavens - little dust and water vapour and no light pollution. It gets better still, because we can see the main band of the milky way directly overhead - a band of billions of feint stars and even adjacent gallaxies like the Magallenic Clouds.
One advantage of warm weather is that the audience was casually attired - I had on my best shorts and T-shirt. It was different for the performers who wore their best formal gear. The instrumentalists making up the Mimosa ensemble were excellent: Australia's best piano accompanist; a German horn player; and so on, with lots of international experience between them. And the singers were truly excellent - all of national standing. Moreover, last night's performance was sponsored by the German government among others. It was no amateur event, despite its remote and improbable location.
And what did they sing? It was a collection of arias from the works of well-known composers - Handel, Mozart, Bellini, Puccini, Wagner, Elgar, Bizet, Flotow, and ... at the end ... a medley of songs from Kiss Me, Kate by Cole Porter. One the problems with outdoors performances is the quality of the sound. Well, the entire audience was blown away by the clarity of the sound cross the vastness of the paddock. In fact, the further away from the stage one went, the better the sound! If any of you are planning to visit us, please select this time of year and we can go along to next year's performance - the ninth in a row. You won't be disappointed.
AS
Summer has arrived!
We have just been through an awful summer, with lots of rain and temperatures averaging 2-3 degrees below normal. Farmers, of course, think that these conditions are marvellous, and I must admit that the grass is standing high in the fields and even our garden is in good condition. However, I like the sun and was fed up with endless dull days.
Now we are in Autumn, which officially began on 1 March, things have changed for the better. In fact, the entire last week has been gloriously sunny and temperatures have climbed into the mid 20s (about 77 F). Since we're about as high Mt Snowdon in Wales, imagine the temperatures there at the same time in the northern hemisphere (i.e. September). I doubt if they've ever reached 77 at any time of the year. Of course, we have a slight advantage. In mid-March the angle of sun at mid-day here is the same as in the UK's mid-summer.
Meanwhile, the same weather systems have created hell down south. Adelaide managed a week of temperatures > 38 degrees (100 F), and this is a record. Melbourne likewise was very hot and Hobart ... . Australians think Hobart is half way to Antarctica and, for the mostpart, has temperatures to match, making Armidale look like a hot spot. Well, Hobart reached 39 degrees C on Thursday and I imagine that most of the population expired. My replacement at UNE arrived from her previous post in Hobart a couple of weeks ago and must have been relieved!
AS
Now we are in Autumn, which officially began on 1 March, things have changed for the better. In fact, the entire last week has been gloriously sunny and temperatures have climbed into the mid 20s (about 77 F). Since we're about as high Mt Snowdon in Wales, imagine the temperatures there at the same time in the northern hemisphere (i.e. September). I doubt if they've ever reached 77 at any time of the year. Of course, we have a slight advantage. In mid-March the angle of sun at mid-day here is the same as in the UK's mid-summer.
Meanwhile, the same weather systems have created hell down south. Adelaide managed a week of temperatures > 38 degrees (100 F), and this is a record. Melbourne likewise was very hot and Hobart ... . Australians think Hobart is half way to Antarctica and, for the mostpart, has temperatures to match, making Armidale look like a hot spot. Well, Hobart reached 39 degrees C on Thursday and I imagine that most of the population expired. My replacement at UNE arrived from her previous post in Hobart a couple of weeks ago and must have been relieved!
AS
Sunday, 9 March 2008
Work
It is with some sadness that this is the first time in over 25 years I haven't played in the Armidale pairs bridge tournament, which is on this weekend. My name occurs on the shield more than anyone else apart from my regular partner, Barbara Gates. However, she was unavailable this weekend and I doubted my ability to survive 17 hours of play.
So, instead, I turned to some academic work. Tomorrow, Monday, I'm presenting a seminar on housing affordability and I have to prepare the powerpoint presentation. Immediately afterwards I'm attending a planning meeting for a new Professional Doctorate degree for which I am preparing some of the documentation. Then it's on to writing two articles, one of them commissioned with a deadline of next Friday and refereeing a manuscript I received yesterday.
Dot is freaking out, warning me not to go so hard! It doesn't help her that I keep bumping into colleagues who ask after me and commenting that I look really well.
AS
So, instead, I turned to some academic work. Tomorrow, Monday, I'm presenting a seminar on housing affordability and I have to prepare the powerpoint presentation. Immediately afterwards I'm attending a planning meeting for a new Professional Doctorate degree for which I am preparing some of the documentation. Then it's on to writing two articles, one of them commissioned with a deadline of next Friday and refereeing a manuscript I received yesterday.
Dot is freaking out, warning me not to go so hard! It doesn't help her that I keep bumping into colleagues who ask after me and commenting that I look really well.
AS
Sunday, 2 March 2008
Warm as Pie?
The regular travel section today's Sunday paper - Sydney's Sun-Herald - features a wonderful tourist destination in the United States ... [drum roll] ... Baltimore! A two page spread describes the city as "warm as pie", a "real" city, a "happy fusion" of the urbane north and hospitable south, infused with Baltimorean "sincerity", a "fringe festival" (in relation to nearby Washington DC), and so on.
It makes Baltimore sound like a fun destination, which is great because we're going to spend two weeks or so there in June when we visit Emily and Greg who are living near the inner harbour "where tourists congregate". We can't wait to get there.
I'm sending Emily the article for expert comment on its accuracy, and hope it's not going to disappoint us.
AS
It makes Baltimore sound like a fun destination, which is great because we're going to spend two weeks or so there in June when we visit Emily and Greg who are living near the inner harbour "where tourists congregate". We can't wait to get there.
I'm sending Emily the article for expert comment on its accuracy, and hope it's not going to disappoint us.
AS
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