James in the garden of Dianne d'Poitiers at the Castle of Chenonceau.It’s been another exhausting day on the “Castle Crawl of the Loire Valley”. I’ve changed into a pair or shorts and a t-shirt (and enjoying the relaxed nature of a queen-sized bed), while David is resting up in track pants reading a book. After a long day visiting three famous castles in the valley, we’re both pretty exhausted. In fact, I can barely keep my eyes open, so it might just be a few words today and some lovely “castle porn”.
After a light breakfast of coffee and croissants (I had a pain au chocolat) this morning, we set off to visit the first castle of the day, Azay-le-Rideau. Throughout most of its history it was privately owned, eventually sold when the final owner ran into some financial problems. Only once did a king, Louis XIII visit the property. The house had a very intimate friendly feel about it, and I especially enjoyed walking in the gardens.
We then came back for a bite to eat in Tours where I ate the very typically French liver pate on a baguette.
After lunch, we visited Chenonceau which mostly belonged to women. The occupants included Gabrielle d’Estrees, a favourite of Henri IV; Diane de Poitiers, a mistress to Henri II; and when he died it was taken over by his wife, Catherine de Medici. And after that, it became a refuge for the widow of Henri III when he was assassinated. For many years, the house was also in private hands, though it was turned into a military hospital. and during WW2, the house, which crosses the river, marked the line between occupied and free France for a period.
James in front of castle of Azay-de-Rideau.
Walkway leading to the Castle of Chenonceau.
Castle of Chenonceau.
Castle of Chenonceau.
James in the garden of Dianne d’Poitiers at the Castle of Chenonceau.
Castle of Chenonceau which crosses La Cher.
Beneath this stone lies…
David at Amboise.
Renaissance bed at Amboise.
One of Leonardo da Vinci’s party inventions at La Festa del Paradiso at Alboise.
Amboise: the first of the medieval fortresses to be turned into a renaissance palace.
Le Close Luce where Leonardo de Vinci died.
And then we visited Amboise: the place where Charles VIII died; a residence of most of kings of Fance in the Loire Valley until Henry IV. including being the place where Francois I had many famous parties. Some of the parties, incidentally, were designed by Leonardo de Vinci who lived just down the street for a number of years. Leo died nearby, by the way, and was buried in a chapel at the castle. We made a brief visit to the nearby house where he lived, though with only a few minutes to closing time, didn’t think the entry fee was worth the investment of time.
On several occasions today David has asked me to nominate a favourite. I don’t think I can since all three have their own special qualities. Some are beautiful, some are homely, some are architecturally or historically interesting. Sorry if that’s a cop-out.
Back in Tours we had dinner, and now we’re back in the room, ready to hit the sack. This is hard work, you know.
Can I take your photograph?”, the young woman said to me as I walked on to the red carpet at the Opening Night of “My Fair Lady” at Sydney’s Theatre Royal. Although I’ve walked on a lot of red carpet over the years, I’ve never had my photograph taken before.
I mean, there was an occasion at Trop Fest where I appeared briefly on the satellite feed to other states. And there was the night at the Opera House when Damo and I had our photographs taken by the “Wentworth Courier”. Sadly, we knew we wouldn’t make it to the social pages when Rachel Ward and Bryan Brown entered the room minutes after us.
But most of my red carpet moments are best summed up by my Andrew Olle Lecture experience of several years ago. Walking down the red carpet at Parliament House, cameras flashed rapidly snapping the veritable “Who’s Who” of Australian media. And then when it was our turn, the assembled cameramen literally turned away and changed their film.
Tonight was different though. Well, maybe not that different, as it was a friend who snapped the photograph :), so strictly speaking I’m still a “red carpet loser”!
I was very excited, though, when I was offered the tickets late this afternoon. “What are you doing tonight”, I asked Colin on the phone. “I’m going to this Clover Moore art launch at Taylor Square”, he replied. And so was I until about five minutes earlier. But when the offer came for opening night tickets (including the after party) for the Opera Australia production, there was little doubt in either of our minds about which was the better way to spend Thursday night.
“I’ve never seen such a crowded opening night at the Theatre Royal” Colin commented at one point. Nor had I. And it was a good a-list event. Kerry Ann was there in a slinky little number. Bob and Blanche were there, with Bob wearing a Nehru style white suit. Everyone seemed to agree he didn’t look all that well, though probably quite good for a man who must now be in his eighties. And Barry Humphries was there too.
Actually, I spoke briefly with Barry. Well, not so much spoke. I was chatting to a colleague and was telling her how much I’d enjoyed the show. Looking in my general direction as he walked past, he said “Yes I agree totally”. That’s a conversation, surely?
And it was a really good production, in my view. I’ve heard some negative stuff, but I really liked the show. I mean, it’s a really great show, with some of the most memorable songs in musical theatre history. In my mind, and occasionally out loud, I sang along with every song. And it’s such a great story. And as a production, I thought it was well-sung, well-directed, and had great sets and lighting. What more could you hope for on a Thursday night?
At the after party, I also ran into fellow blogger, Monty. This was the second time I’ve seen him out and about in Sydney in a week. He really does get around, doesn’t he? :)
Otherwise, it was quite a good day at work, and I managed to achieve quite a bit.
And now it’s late and it’s time for bed.
Red carpet at the opening night of the show in Sydney, October 2008.
There was a time, I remember reading, when the supermarket chain Aldi would never advertise. Aside from shop openings, and their weekly “specials” the company has had a “no frills” approach to advertising the other supermarket chains could possibly learn from.
Tonight, there’s a lone bloke standing outside the Surry Hills Mall with a sandwich board advertising the opening of a new Aldi store on the corner of Bourke Street and Danks Street.
That brings to “three”, the number of new supermarkets in the area since I moved here seventeen years ago. For a long long time it was the rather average Coles. And then Woolworths opened near St Margarets a few years ago. And now, closer to the Moore Park housing complex (or Moore Park Housing Commission as some people call it), there’s another Woolworths and now an Aldi. It’s been fascinating to see such growth.
Growing up in Lismore in the 1980s, I never found a particular affinity for “pub rock”, as my musical tastes weren’t in that direction but last night, stepping into the Northern Rivers Hotel, I couldn’t escape a wave of nostalgia.
Having recently reopened post the catastrophic 2022 flood that severely impacted it, “The Northern Rivers Hotel” was, at first glance, an unlikely candidate for re-opening. It’s located in the lowest part of town, and had flood water in the second floor. Yet, during my last visit over Christmas, the scent of fresh paint lingered, hinting at a promising renewal.
Last night, the smell of fresh paint had dissipated, replaced by the tempting aroma of freshly cooked food.
The Northern Rivers was bustling. As a family member remarked, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many people here before.” I couldn’t help but watch in awe at the youthful crowd, reminiscent of thirty years ago when I might have been one of them.
The dance floor was alive with the energy of 20-somethings dancing, reveling in the tunes of the Billy Gudgeon Band. Billy, a local talent gaining recognition in the country/rock circuit, had recently graced the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
The crowd defied the typical Lismore music scene stereotype, leaning more towards “farm kids” from nearby places like Casino and Kyogle than the usual hip crowds of Southern Cross University and Byron Bay. They enthusiastically danced to a mix of 80s covers and originals.
Today, the musical journey continued with Luke Yeaman at The Levee, offering soulful acoustic covers. Unfamiliar with Luke until my online search revealed his expertise in “wedding music packages,” I quickly grasped the appeal of enjoying familiar tunes presented in a unique way. His rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” was particularly impressive.
Around the corner, another local musician Adam Gardiner entertained a smaller audience at The Metropole Hotel. Acknowledging the humble turnout, he smiled and said, “When I started, it was just the bar staff, so thanks for coming along.”
As I explored town, seeing many shop window posters advertising upcoming gigs, across a variety of musical genres, brought a smile to my face. While it may not match the “glory days” of Lismore’s music scene, with bands playing nightly at numerous pubs, it touched me to hear these sounds again on the streets, marking a significant step towards recovery after the flood.
I don’t know if it’s my television viewing habits, or if it’s the summer season, but every time I turn on Channel 9 or Gem, there seems to be an episode of “Embarrassing Illnesses” (or one of the associated spin-off programs). Are they strip programming it at the moment?
I can’t recall exactly the first time I saw one of these programs, but I suspect it was late at night and I suspect I was channel surfing looking for something, anything to watch. Click, click, click, click. And then suddenly, there was a rather cute bloke – Dr Christian Jessen – who had just asked an equally cute bloke to drop his pants. “I think I’d better take a look at your penis”, he would have said, I’m sure.
“Hang on, I might stay around on this channel and watch this for a while”, I’m sure I would have thought to myself, only to discover a few seconds later the attractive bloke had some awful condition of the “private parts”. Something not quite right. Maybe something was a little bent? Something was, maybe, a little too large or a little too small? Or perhaps he’d had some unexpected and unwelcome visitors? :)
And then again a few minutes later, there’s someone under surgery, or someone with some awful skin condition on their bum. It’s not what you would call “polite television”. It’s not something you’d expect Mel and Kochie to host, is it?
But it’s actually quite a good show both in its concept and execution. I love the way they’ve taken lots of taboo subjects and have tried to normalize them, to make it okay to talk about stuff that affects many people, but which we don’t talk about. I think it’s fantastic they’ll address medical conditions which obviously cause people deep shame, and which often results in an avoidance of medical assistance. Sure, there’s a slightly voyeuristic quality about the program, but I think it’s great that they show people with these conditions, and show there’s a potential solution.
Every time you see Dr Christian Jessen with this face, you can be sure someone he is going to ask someone to drop their pants.
I don’t quite understand how English people go on the program. I mean, they have the National Health Service which, eventually, means their condition can be dealt with. But I guess there’s a degree of individual exhibitionism going on in the UK as well as the USA. Programs like Jerry Springer would struggle to work in Australia because of the shame factor, but I guess the UK is large enough to sustain a population of people for whom that wouldn’t be an issue. Personally, I would never go on a program like this, and I would never expose my personal, private illnesses on television, and I would never – intentionally – flash my tackle on national television, even if it meant speedy, safe surgery. But some people are happy to do this, and I guess we should all be grateful for that.
The program, of course, concentrates on physical conditions. It would be interesting to see them deal with mental illness, for example, though the treatment would obviously be far more complex and long-term than chopping off a bit of foreskin (which is not a good idea at the best of times in my humble opinion), I guess.
Yes, a good show. But what’s going on right now? Why is it that every time I turn on some late night television there’s someone with some awful scabby condition on their bum? :)
I spent a fair bit of this weekend napping. It’s not like I’ve been working excessively long hours, or going out “clubbing” (heaven forbid), I’ve just been feeling a bit tired this weekend. By nature, I’m an introvert, and that usually means socialising really tires me out.
Despite having gone into a career which involves a lot of public speaking, meetings and, generally chatting to people, my natural instinct is for solitary pursuits. I live alone, I like being alone, and to be honest, I’ll sometimes feign illness to avoid social interaction.
And it’s been a very social week. I caught up for dinner on Tuesday night, on Wednesday night I caught up with friends for drinks, and then on Friday, I attended an awards lunch (followed by celebration drinks) and then dinner with a friend.
It was terrific to catch up for dinner with Sue on Tuesday night, the first time we’ve seen each other since she moved to Wagga at the end of January, and when I went down to visit her there. It was good to catch up on how she’s settling in, and to hear updates on how her house was shaping up (as I’d helped her do some unpacking and furniture organisation). It was also good to catch up on how she’s going with her job, and with making friends/contacts. We talked about a few dates when I would next come down to visit, though I’ve concluded it will be more than likely after my forthcoming trip to Hobart.
And then on Wednesday night, I caught up with fellow blogger, Andrew and his partner who were up from Melbourne. Though I was quite sure it was only last year when we had met for the very first time, a quick re-think of the last 12 months was a timely reminder it was actually two years.
They seemed to have been enjoying their time in Sydney with things like a trip to Double Bay (inspired by my recent blog post) with further plans to visit The Blue Mountains and some Japanese Gardens I’d never heard of before, but which sound interesting. Hi Victor! They were a little apprehensive, naturally, about being able to return to Melbourne, so I hope that’s all worked out fine for them.
As Andrew comments frequently on public transport, I asked him for his thoughts on the new tram system in Sydney. He thought it was very good. “The drivers are very good. No stops and starts”, he said, though adding there are parts of the route where they could increase their speeds. Agreed.
The awards are based on the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI), which measures the impact of LGBTQ inclusion initiatives in organisations. The ABC’s annual score out of 200 in this year’s AWEI increased significantly from 105 to 177.
Three awards. Gold, Most Improved (we were Bronze last year), and for the Best External Campaign for the ABCQueer Instagram account)
I’m part of ABC Pride which is a staff-led group focussing on a range of staff welfare issues. We also do awesome things like hold morning teas, provide behind the scenes policy and editorial advice, and have participated in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras over the last two years.
There was much to celebrate, and so lunch morphed into dinner with a friend and former colleague. We caught up for a drink, and then headed to a light and sound installation at one of the former monorail stations. As awesome as it was to see one of the former stations still exists, to be honest, it wasn’t that exciting for either of us. But still worth doing, and an awesome idea.
My friend, Andrea has recently moved to Sydney, and we had much to talk about. We had dinner at an old favourite, Red Chilli. We’ve also been to the equivalent part of the Red Chilli in Canberra (where she’s been living). Interestingly, despite it being fairly busy in Chinatown, and Red Chilli being usually fairly busy itself, there was only a handful of people in the restaurant, and then it was just us. So we could be as noisy as we wanted, and could consume some of their wonderful food without having to worry about neighbouring tables.
Dinner at Red Chilli. We had left-overs for lunch the next day.
By the time the weekend came around, it was time for sleep. It’s less busy this week: catching up with a friend for dinner and drag queen bingo!!, and then on Friday, it’s time for having my AstraZeneca shot. By the sounds of things, I’ll be resting up next weekend, as most peopleI know have reported feeling a bit under the weather the next day. AstraZeneca sounds like a drag queen, too, right?
I’ve spent a fair bit of the day fighting off a “summer cold”, which apparently is not a cold at all.
According to the interweb… a summer cold is…
… a popular term for hay fever. Although the symptoms of a “summer cold” may be similar to those of a real cold, the term “summer cold” is a misnomer. Unlike a real cold, it is not caused by a virus but by allergy. It is therefore also called allergic rhinitis, a runny nose due to an allergy.
I guess it’s because of all the spring cleaning I did yesterday.
Boring eh?
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My most remarkable castle was Chateau Chambord, especially the double staircase, who would have thought of a thing like that in those days. It would be usefull nowadays.
My most remarkable castle was Chateau Chambord, especially the double staircase, who would have thought of a thing like that in those days. It would be usefull nowadays.
James your right touring and sightseeing is hard work. But you gotta admit its great way to work.
It’s pretty good. Currently checking my email in The Marais. Have fun next year!