“I’m having a quiet night. A night without noise”, I told my friend Sue as we chatted online tonight.
Because my life is so full of noise – I listen to the radio at work and at home – sometimes I really need a break. I need a night without noise.
And tonight was one of those nights, those I eventually did end up listening to the radio for a while.
And I also had a couple of phone calls tonight.
I chatted with Graeme for a while about something happening in his life. I chatted with my distant cousin Barry about the forthcoming O’Brien Family Reunion, and I had a phone call from my Swedish teacher, Marianne, confirming the recommencement of classes next Tuesday night.
“How did you cope with all of the hot weather?”, she asked.
“How did you cope with all of the cold weather?’, I responded, as she has spent some time in the last couple of months in Sweden where they’ve regularly recorded sub-zero temperatures, and where I read the other day, Stockholm has recorded its coldest January on record.
But for the most part, tonight I sat in silence.
And no, I don’t mean in a “hello darkness my old friend” depressing kind of way.
I mean in a way of just enjoying the sound of nothing. No TV, no radio. Surprisingly, even the neighbours who normally watch a floor rumbling DVD on Tuesday nights had a quiet one.
For a while I sat on the balcony tonight and just listened to the rain.
Gosh it was good. It’s raining again now, actually. What a welcome relief.
They say it takes a few days of being on holiday before you actually feel like you’re on holiday. Today was my first day of leave and relaxation feels a long way off.
I woke early this morning, had some breakfast, and went back to bed until about 10:30. Then, despite my promise to myself not to do this, I dealt with some emails. I sent a few more throughout the day, mostly to let people know I was out of the office and would respond when I returned later in the week. I’m working only one day at the moment, Thursday or Friday.
However, my headspace is definitely not in holiday mode yet.
I tried to shift gears by visiting the State Library of New South Wales. I grabbed a sandwich for lunch, browsed the bookstore, and then explored a couple of exhibitions upstairs.
The Press Photography exhibition is one I try to see every year. This year, the images from Ukraine were particularly striking. The photographers captured the grim reality of the war with a professionalism that was both impressive and unsettling. It made me reflect on the complexities of documenting suffering. There was also a strong showing from Australian photographers, with highlights including stunning shots of the Outback and captivating images of Australian swimmers.
Storm at Prenti Station, from the World Press Photography exhibition at the State Library of NSW.
I also stumbled upon an unexpected exhibition about the Dunera Boys, a group of Jewish refugees interned in Australia during World War II. The exhibition was surprisingly large, featuring photographs, videos, and artwork created by the internees. It was a moving and informative experience. I remember reporting on the Dunera Boys back in the early 90s when I was working in Wagga Wagga. Hay, where one of the internment camps was located, was part of my listening area for ABC Riverina. I had the opportunity to meet and interview some of them, and I can’t help but wonder how many are still alive today.
Dunera exhibition at the State Library of NSW
Even though I’m trying to disconnect from work, I couldn’t resist sending an email to the team at ABC Riverina about the exhibition. Old habits die hard, I suppose.
This afternoon, I came home, put up some Christmas lights, and finally allowed myself to relax. I plan to watch some television, listen to music, and truly embrace the holiday spirit. I hope.
Tomorrow, I’m meeting my friend John for lunch and I have a physiotherapy appointment. Later in the week, I’m getting together with some former colleagues from the Regional and Local team at the ABC. We were disbanded in July of last year, but we’ve remained close. It will be good to catch up and celebrate the end of the year.
I’ve been thinking about why it’s been so hard for me to relax on this first day of my holiday. Perhaps it’s because it feels like a return to normality after the past eighteen months of recovering from illness and a life-changing amputation. I’m finally starting to feel like myself again, but I’ve probably been pushing myself too hard at work. That’s why I insisted on taking some time off this year. Last year, I simply didn’t have the energy to even consider working over the summer. I took the time off and truly enjoyed it. This year, I have more energy, but I also feel the pull to be productive.
I’m taking four weeks off but will be working one day a week on average. My department at the ABC has been going through some changes, and we’re dealing with some staff illnesses. I felt compelled to offer my support.
Perhaps this explains why I’m finding it difficult to switch off. I hope it won’t be long before I can fully embrace the break and recharge. I’m mindful of the life changing experiences I’ve had, and my earlier resolutions not to work so hard. Friends and I have often discussed our feelings of “imposter syndrome”, that we perhaps overcompensate because we can’t quite believe we’ve made it to where we have in our careers. Maybe I need to think more deeply about this, or maybe I just need to go for a swim?
“Does the airport still operate at Casino?”, I asked Pat the other day. She’d picked me from Ballina Airport and we were driving home to Lismore. After a moment’s hesitation, she confirmed she was “pretty sure” it had closed.
With both a sense of fondness and incredulity, I remember the flights from Sydney to Lismore often included a brief stop-over at Casino, where less than a handful of people would leave the plane. Then, taking off again, and barely making it above Parrot’s Nest, we would land at Lismore Airport roughly eight minutes later. In those days, Pat could stay at home until she heard the aircraft overhead, and still be at Lismore Airport in time to meet me.
It’s been years, too, since I’ve flown to Lismore Airport. It’s so much cheaper to fly to Ballina/Byron, serviced by Virgin and Jetstar, while Lismore is only Regional Express. Though it means a longer trip for my family to meet me, they try to “make a day of it”. Though they’ve made improvements to Lismore Airport, and I’m sure business trips direct to Lismore keep the airport active, I can imagine a time in the future when Lismore Airport is also threatened.
Which brings me to the subject of the Lismore Railway Station, which closed several years ago, largely as a result of under-use, I suppose. Though, as a teenager, I would do small trips to and from Casino, and would often travel with my brother-in-law who did track inspections, only twice in my life have I ever caught a train from Lismore. On both occasions, it was to Sydney: for my first overseas flight, aged 17, and then, aged 18, for a job interview with the ABC (which I didn’t get).
That said, I have fond memories of Lismore Railway Station. As I wrote the other day,
As a child growing up in South Lismore, one of my strongest earliest memories was of the arrival at the nearby railway station of hundreds of people for the Aquarius Festival. Though it’s often described as Australia’s answer to Woodstock, I don’t think there was such a high musical component to it. But as a youngster, I remember a whole bunch of “odd looking” people arriving, providing quite a spectacle for the residents of South Lismore, as the people made their way to Nimbin. Their ongoing presence has fundamentally transformed the area in which I grew up.
Also, I’m old enough to remember when Casino was actually the area’s main railway station, and connections to Lismore and Byron were still around, though on a much smaller scale. In contrast to Lismore, Casino Railway Station still operates with daily XPT services to Sydney and Brisbane, and as a hub to railway buses.
So yeah, I’m part of the problem that faces public transportation in country areas. I quite like short distance trains (though I hate anything over about seven hours), and yet I mostly use planes because they’re cheaper and faster. And because I and so many others currently use planes in preference, governments won’t support major infrastructure projects which could make long distance trains more attractive, like they are in Europe and Asia. Catch 22.
Sue and I enjoyed a fabulous afternoon at Boomali Aboriginal Art Gallery.
The current exhibition is on there until February.
Both Sue and I really liked a couple of works, which might turn out to be our Christmas presents to ourselves. As with all art purchases, there’s a degree of “think it over” involved.
That said, it’s a really great exhibition with lots of really great works from NSW artists which are worth checking out.
I realised last night what an anti-social creature I’ve become. To avoid conversation and contact with other human beings while on the bus to Circular Quay, I actually put my headphones on without the sound playing. It was actually quite good, as the headphones both blocked out the sound, and gave me the ability to appear invisible.
That’s what headphones do you know. They allow you a moment of quiet in an otherwise busy city. And for the less socially conscious, they allow you ignore people begging for money without appearing to be heartless. Sorry, that’s being a tad cynical.
I was on my way into the city to see “Up Close & Musical” at Sydney Theatre. While many would think of nothing but sleep at 11.15pm, I really love the idea of late night cabaret and I’m really pleased it was well-attended.
Star of the show was Genevieve Lemon (currently Priscilla Queen of the Desert) who has lost a significant amount of weight, by the way. She sang some great songs and was warmly welcomed by the audience.
Supporting her were Jennifer Peers (a beautiful voice and loads of fun with a routine where she sang a classical piece with her own humorous surtitle) along with Luke Barron and Jason Langley.
A great night out, especially since the $18 (I was shouted, actually) also included a generous glass of wine.
First impressions? Very tasty. Second impressions? Extremely alcoholic.
With all this talk of “alcopops” in the news, a colleague and I decided today we really didn’t know enough about the details of the situation.
…and so for lunch today, as we got out of the office to enjoy some tacos, we decided to do some “field research” by ordering an alcopop as well.
It’s been ages since I’ve ordered a drink like this. I’ve always been a beer and wine man myself. Never really one for spirits. Never really one for the mixed drink. Generally, if I have a tonic it’s usually just the tonic, and not a gin and tonic that I order.
First impressions? Very tasty. Second impressions? Extremely alcoholic. Oh my goodness. Thank goodness, I’d done most of the “hard work” for the day before I went out for lunch!
The other highlight of the day was going out for “Fruits in Suits” (which I haven’t been to for ages), where I chatted with a bloke I used to know from many years ago who works in the same industry as myself, with a bloke I met there once last year, and with a bloke with an interest in both China and art.
In a quite modern take on the world of “exchanging business cards”, the China bloke and I blue-toothed each other our mobile phone contacts!
All in all, a reasonably interesting Thursday, you might say.
It was a late, though satisfying night of theatre at The Ensemble. Colin and I went to see “Mary Stuart”, a play written in the eighteenth century by a German playwright (though recently updated) about the conflict between Elizabeth and Mary about who should be Queen of England.
It was a really good production, well-directed, and with a really great cast which included Greta Scaachi as Queen Elizabeth. Interestingly, the character was far more fragile, far more inclined to uncertainty than the likes of Cate Blanchett or Glenda Jackson who’ve previously played Elizabeth. Kate Raison, a regular face around The Ensemble played Mary, the Catholic sister who felt she was far more entitled to the throne, and who was imprisoned for nineteen years.
Apparently there’s a fair bit of literary licence in the play, with suggestions Elizabeth and Mary never met, and a lot of questions about the historical accuracy of the play. For me, that stuff doesn’t really matter, as I thought it was a well conceived and enacted piece of theatre.
One of the additional highlights of the night was a half-hour “Question and Answer” session after the play with the director and cast. In a fairly informal manner (some were wearing shorts and thongs), the cast sat around answering questions from the audience in a highly articulate, though often humorous manner.
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During the day, the radio is always on. In the evening, the tv is usually on. But I have occasionally been doing as you did, that is turning everything off. I won’t mention anything about summer radio programming.
During the day, the radio is always on. In the evening, the tv is usually on. But I have occasionally been doing as you did, that is turning everything off. I won’t mention anything about summer radio programming.
Just as well :)
Glad you like the website though. Shame you got the geographical source of the problem wrong though :)