I had a meeting at Bondi Icebergs late this afternoon, which was a really nice end to the day. As they look out of their full-length office windows, the guys there have THE BEST VIEWS.
It’s a chilly night in Sydney – cold and wet – and as we arrived, I looked down to notice one lone swimmer. His body was red with cold as he slowly did his laps. Why would you do it? You’d have to be keen.
On the way out, I was lucky enough to capture the moment where the lights were on at the pool, just on dusk. As soon as I took this photograph, they were turned off, in recognition of the venue’s night time identity as a restaurant. Very nice.
For the last seven days, I’ve been trying desperately to update my blog. As always, I’ve written a blog entry every day (as is my want); I just haven’t been able to complete and publish any of them them. Tonight’s there’s a bunch of entries which I’m going to re-visit, and they may just appear over the next few hours.
There’s a bunch of entries about everything from my social life to locking myself out of the house again. Yes, really.
Although this blog is not the kind of place where I reveal the intimate nature of my existence – as I blog under my “real name” that’s something I don’t want to do – I do use this as a means of tracking my life for those negative patterns which sometimes emerge. I’ve also found it’s a good way for me to think through some of the things in my life which cause me concern, and thus hopefully find a more positive way forward. When I’m grumpy or depressed, for example, it’s my hope a bit of personal creativity might help me break the cycle of negativity.
For others, I’m hoping the food, the wine, the travel, and the occasional insight into a slightly crazy character is also vaguely entertaining.
And that’s the problem. Just about everything I’ve written over the last week has been dead boring.
Maybe it’s just a bit of “writers block” – trying to find the right words – or perhaps, more likely, there’s something deeper going on? Maybe it’s not the words? Maybe it’s just that my life is a bit boring right now.
“I’m in a bit of a rut at the moment”, I’ve told a few friends over the last few days. Although I’m feeling well and truly satisfied in my professional life at the moment, I’m feeling less satisfied with other parts of my life. I’m going through that “I wish I had a partner” phase of my life once again without necessarily having the will or desire to do anything about it. I’m also going through that, “what does the rest of my life hold for me?” kind of feelings.
Part of me thinks it’s because I went to the financial advisor a few weeks ago and started talking about things like retirement, and have also made an appointment about my will. I’m not so concerned about the financial things, more about the life plan. We talked, for example, about my desire to move home to Lismore at some point. I’ve also got a fairly vague desire to live in Sweden at some point. At age forty-five, I’m wondering if those really are my short and long-term desires.
The last time I felt this way I booked an overseas holiday and went travelling for three months. Part of me thinks this would be a good strategy again. Part of me thinks I should just grow up a bit and try to find more comfort in my own skin.
Who said I don’t use this blog for a degree of self-revelation?
Maybe I’ll feel better after a few days in Lismore over Easter?
In the meantime, it’s a full-moon and I have no plans to leave the house…
“You know it’s been a year since our last holiday? You’ve been getting those Facebook reminders? I said to my friend on the phone tonight. A year ago we embarked on a COVID-friendly visit to Western NSW, going to places we had never been before or had never been for many years. “Yeah, we were in Condobolin a year ago, and I’m getting reminders about those utes in the paddock”, she said.
At the start of this year I had hoped to visit her in Wagga a few times throughout the year, but circumstances have prevented that. Oddly enough, and sadly enough I’ve seen her mother more this year than she has, since I’ve spent almost four months back on the Northern Rivers.
But with the end of the lockdown, the idea that we might actually catch up again dominated our conversation tonight. We discussed travel plans we weren’t able to achieve last year, as well as a possible visit to Victoria. She had previously lived there for many years, and I haven’t been to Melbourne for almost two years. As we spoke, we talked about these domestic travel options as well as potential overseas options.
And yet there’s still a part of me that worries, especially as I have read reports and arguments we may be getting out of lockdown too early.
Nonetheless, I’m excited about the idea of restaurants, bars, theatres and cinemas reopening in the next few days. Though I’m not an overly “social person”, I like having my options, especially around the arts.
In my neighbourhood, there’s a sense of optimism in the air, as restaurants unstack their chairs and prepare for opening.
A couple of years ago I was in the area of “excess leave” at work, which meant I had too much leave saved up, and there was a requirement for me, under the Enterprise Agreement at the ABC to take some time off. I did that at the time by taking Wednesdays off, which was a wonderful way of breaking up the week, and reducing my leave balances. I still can’t believe how wonderful it was to take that day off just for “myself”, even if I did end up working longer hours on the other days to make up time! I’m about to start doing that again, as I’ve now re-entered that phase.
I’m also starting to think about an overseas holiday. At the top of my mind is a return trip to Japan. I went to Japan a few years ago, though only visiting Tokyo at the time. It sounds like Japan might open up reasonably soon as a travel destination for Australia. There is so much more to see in Japan, and so it’s at the top of my list right now.
There is an empty shop opposite the old Railway Station in South Lismore that has caught my attention.
Most weekdays I’ll take a walk down along Union Street to the Duck Pond Espresso to grab a take-away. I quite enjoy the walk, I enjoy the coffee, and I enjoy the chat with Noreen and Alex who run the coffee shop.
Along the way, I might also pop into the chemist, the pie shop, the chemist or the cake shop.
Occasionally, I’ll also peak into the windows of the computer shop, the laundromat, or the second-hand clothing store.
But there’s one shop that has caught my attention, not so much for what it sells, but how it has been decorated.
It looks like the shop has been closed for quite some time now.
Maybe they’ve been closed since the 2017 major flood which would have seen maybe two metres of water enter the premises? Lots of shops in Lismore closed after the flood, and many never reopened.
Either way, I have no idea what type of business previously occupied the premises.
What fascinates me is the decoration on the outside: lots and lots of cassettes.Slowly but surely, the cassettes have been falling off. I can’t be sure if the glue is finally giving way, or they’ve been “helped”, but I noticed this handful of cassettes on the ground the other day.
Before it gets too late, I thought I should document the commercial recordings. Of course, there’s lots of blank tapes which were presumably bootlegs of commercial recordings, or perhaps mixtapes given in the pursuit of romance. It was a “thing” back then to dedicate your love to someone by putting together a tape of the songs that touched you, or which you shared in common. But the best I can do is document some of the commercial recordings, and these are some of my favourites.Who doesn’t remember Leo Sayer from his big hit songs in the 1970s and 1980s? He has been living in Australia for about twenty years now, and I have memories of interviewing him on the radio about his decision to move here.Though I don’t specifically remember the Telmak label, it sounds like it was one of the many “generic” brands of the 1970s where they had session musicians recording popular hits of the day.Another cheapie compilation by the look of things.I’m starting to think the collection of cassettes once belonged to an older person. Even in the 1980s, liking Al Jolson implied someone of a “certain age”.The awesome Dame Vera Lynn. Yep, that kinda proves the age of the owner of the collection.Richard Clayderman. The ultimate soundtrack to an uncomfortable first date in a large, empty overpriced restaurant.At first, I rightly thought this was a recording from the UK, but then I noticed the 1988 Australian Bi-centennial connection. How curious. Did they come here? Frank Bourke & The White Rose Orchestra were huge in regional areas. Growing up and watching local commercial television, hardly an ad-break went by without seeing another recording by them. There were many many more releases after this one.The Judds were/are a mother/daughter American country music duo. This looks like an example of a “cass-single”.The Flying Emus were a great Australian folk/country band who I still like very much.And of course, no collection is complete with head cleaner. The only thing missing is a razor blade, some sticky tape and a pencil. Those reading of this who are of a “certain age” will know what I’m talking about.
The cassette collection fascinates me. Was it just from one person, or were there many collections? Were they picked up as a bulk lot? Why did they decorate the outside of the shop like this? Maybe you can answer some of the great mysteries?
Rushes near where salt meets freshwater at the Murray
You remember how I mentioned the other week it’s twenty years since I started working at the ABC?
Well, it’s also twenty years since I moved to South Australia.
I remember vividly arriving in Renmark on a Friday afternoon, after an overnight stay in Broken Hill. I remember vividly the drive on the back road between Wentworth and Renmark which took me via Rufus River, a spectacular “oasis” in the “desert” landscape of the corner country where South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria meet.
Working as a journalist/presenter, I spent a lot of time talking about the environment, and in particular some of the Murray River environmental problems.
This trip to South Australia is bringing back memories of many things from the past.
Today, for example we visited the mouth of the Murray River, and in particular the lock which separates fresh and salt-water. On the freshwater side there are reeds and Black Swans. On the saltwater side, your eyes are led out to the ocean. Down the middle is a lock with just one bloke working there today doing some repairs.
The only other visitors where a couple in their fifties who came in, made a brief inspection and left. Sue and I were left wondering if maybe the bloke had worked on the lock for many years and still made “daily inspections”? Or if perhaps they were a couple on a round Australia trip taking in the sights of infrastructure irrigation, as I’m sure some people do.
Although my memories of covering irrigation, salination, and other environmental stories were strong, we struggled to remember the detail of the Hindmarsh Island Bridge affair, other than a very vague memory that it involved disputed claims over the sacredness of the land to the local indigenous people.
After having a look at the land around the bridge, we had a late morning tea at a cafe in Goolwa. The only other people in the cafe was a group of eight or nine women (and one husband) who we agreed were part of a tennis or walking group which met regularly. They were all in their sixties, we assumed.
Well, virtually everyone we’ve seen since arriving has been in their sixties. “The greying of Australia” is very evident in this region, with young people (we include ourselves in that category, relatively speaking) few and far between.
Obelisk at Port Elliott
Earthpacked walls on Anglican Church in Goolwa
Lunch at Flying Fish at Port Elliott
Granite Island Causeway
Little Blue Penguin under soft red light
The lock which separates fresh from saltwater at the Murray
Rushes near where salt meets freshwater at the Murray
Looking for Little Blue Penguins
Port Elliott Bowls Club
That was also the case at lunch today. As we headed towards our destination, we walked past the Port Elliott Bowling Club. Looking through the window there wasnt a free seat in the house. It’s as if everyone who hit retirement age in Adelaide had suddenly moved south.
At the recommendation of a friend of Sue’s, we had lunch at the nearby Flying Fish Cafe at Port Elliott.
“Shall we sit outside in the cafe, or go into the restaurant?, asked Sue, to which there was only one answer.
Inside, we had a great table which overlooked the ocean, afforded us some wind proteciton, but which also allowed a nice breeze in.
Afrer sharing half a dozen oysters – the ones with onion and balsamic were the best – we both had beer-battered fish. Sue had the flatheard, while I had the garfish. Both meals were large and tasty, though not necessarily worth a tip.
Looking around the restauant there were lots of retired people “doing lunch”, while outside it looked as if there might be a school excursion underway.
A brief walk followed lunch which took us around the sites of Port Elliott, including their lovely palm tree memorial to local soldiers, as well as affording us pretty spectacular views of the coastline.
All of this physical activity, naturally enough, resulted in the need for a mid-afternoon nap ahead of tonight’s “penguin tour” on nearby Granite Island.
We were expecting it to be much colder than it turned out to be, as we walked the bridge from the mainland to the island. A seafog that has drifted in has both brought the temperature down, but also maintained it at a reasonable and consistent level.
Sue, who knows Phillip Island well, contrasted the difference between the penguins there and the penguins here. “There’s hundreds and thousands there, here we’re looking for just a few” she observed as we walked around a small part of the suitably named, “Granite Island”.
With a soft red torch, we were led by a guide from the National Parks and Wildlife Service, in search of the penguins, and were told about the risk they currently faced, especially from increasing seal numbers. “Seals are actually increasing at about the rate of 10 to 15 percent each year”, the guide mentioned.
Overall it was a really interesting, satisfying, and relaxing day. What more could you hope for except a good night’s sleep? I’m exhausted…
I arrived home just in time tonight to catch the opening story on SBS World News.
They were leading with a story about a bomb blast in Lahore.
I don’t know why the tax payer continues to fund SBS, as they’ve clearly missed the most important world story of the day: the failure by Sweden for the first time ever to make the final of the Eurovision Song Contest.
“You bastards, you made Anna cry”, I said, when I saw the front page of today’s edition of Aftonbladet, Sweden’s equivalent to The Daily Telegraph.
The headlines screamed that it was a “schlager fiasco” and that “Norway felt the sorrow of its big brother” when it was revealed the gorgeous Anna Bergendahl had failed to make it through the first semi-final.
I really liked the song, and hoped it would do well.
James was wrong, Yoda & I were right: Sweden’s Eurovision entry was crap. It got knocked out of the competition! Anna Bergendahl – L O S E R
It wasn’t my personal favourite to represent Sweden, though it was a popular choice on the night of the Melodifestivalen final. My favourite was “Keep On Walking” by Salem Al Fakir, though I also had soft spot for Peter Joback’s “Hollow”.
I maintain my view that Anna’s song remains a good song, and that it was a good song to represent Sweden (though there were better ones).
Sweden fails to make Eurovision final in 2010
But like someone supporting a football team, I guess I’m one who supports Sweden when they’re weak and when they’re strong.
In other news, I caught up with some friends tonight to celebrate a birthday. The birthday celebration almost compensated the tragic loss which occurred.
In my workplace that includes two half-Swedes and one faux-Swede (me), I declared today a day of national mourning. The Swedish flag was flown at half-mast.
“There’s certainly no Loreen in that lot”, I thought to myself as I watched Melodifestivalen #1 this morning. Melodifestivalen is the multi-heat competition which chooses the Swedish entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. In the equivalent heat last year, Loreen appeared with “Euphoria” and it was pretty clear she was a major contender to go on to represent Sweden, and history shows, win Eurovision. Although there were a couple of songs I quite liked, I thought none of them really stood out as a strong contender for Eurovision. The closest we got to anything like Loreen was when comedian, radio announcer and host, Gina Dirawi dressed up like her in the opening number.
Although Gina is very comfortable in the role of presenter, her co-host, Danny Saucedo seemed a little nervous. He actually joked about this in a mid-show song and dance number which also featured legendary Melodifestivalen host, Kristian Luuk and pop star, Lena Philipsson. In contrast to last year’s three person hosting team for Melodifestivalen which was just amazing, this year’s Melodifestivalen already seems a little more subdued. It seems as if most of the energy will be going into Eurovision itself, held in Malmö later in May.
My two favourites from the first heat of this year’s competition were quite different. I really quite liked the country rock song, “Burning Flags” by Cookies and Beans as it was a good number performed well. With the glam-rock shades of previous Swedish Eurovision entry, The Ark, I also quite liked Yohio’s “Heartbreak Hotel”. Beyond that, there wasn’t much on offer.
Although I thought it was okay, and I quite like him as a performer, I was a little disappointed with David Lindgren, as it was just too similar both musically, and in his performance to last year’s song. I really liked last year’s song, “Shout It Out”, I guess I just hoped he would do something new this year.
The most bizarre number in this first heat was “Paris” by Jay-Jay Johansson. I saw it described on Twitter as “this song doesn’t have lyrics, it’s just a list of tourist attractions”. I TRIED to like it, simply because it was a little out of the box, but it was just awful.
I also really tried to like “Porslin” by Anna Järvinen. I think she’s a terrific singer, and I’ve really liked a lot of her work in the past. But it was just boring.
It was actually the two production numbers that stood out the most. In particular, the bits when Danny Saucedo revealed his very muscular body. I’m not one for muscles, but you have to acknowledge Danny has an impressive chest.
The other thing which impressed me this year was the improved streaming capacity from SVT. In the last twelve months, my internet connection hasn’t improved, so clearly they’ve done something at their end. I was able to watch the entire program in high quality on my television without any drop-outs or buffering. Impressed.
I had a meeting at Bondi Icebergs late this afternoon, which was a really nice end to the day. As they look out of their full-length office windows, the guys there have THE BEST VIEWS. 
