As I walked home tonight and looked up at the sky, the light caught my eye. The photograph here probably doesn’t capture it, as it was taken on my mobile phone. Perhaps a bit of photo-shopping might help? Wot evah, it was a lovely afternoon, nonetheless.
According to the weather man on Channel 10, it was still 26 degrees when I arrived home. How cool is that?
As I wandered home, I couldn’t stop thinking about a conversation I had today with someone I know. We hadn’t spoken for quite some time, and so I asked her how her recent live-in-relationship had gone. She told me things hadn’t worked out which is a shame, because she’s a really great chick.
When I mentioned how much I sometimes wonder if I’d become “too set in MY ways” there was instant recognition on her face.
I’d like to say something and such and such about the pathways in our lives, though I’m not sure what.
I woke this morning and headed off to work with a spring in my step.
The week ahead looks reasonably interesting, work-wise, and there’s a few things on my social agenda, too.
Late this afternoon I combined a bit of work with pleasure by going along to CeBIT, the annual technology trade fair held at Darling Harbour.
There’s not a lot to interest you here if your bag is home technology. This is real nerd stuff: it’s cables, and wireless, and routers, and all of that kind of stuff, more than your latest popular consumable.
I’m a nerd, but not as nerdy as some of the guys you see as you walk around. We’re talking guys in mismatched clothing with leaking pens in their top pocket type of nerd.
A few of years ago wireless was the big new thing. I couldn’t, however, put my finger on what was this year’s big thing.
Giant characters selling something at CeBIT
Sexy ladies in shorts selling domain names at CeBIT
A computer building gameshow at CeBIT
Instead, I found myself focussing on how they were selling some of the products. One company, selling internet domains, had employed a bunch of attractive women in skimpy outfits to promote their compny. Another company had giant cyber mascots walking around. I’ve been in one of those outfits once: they must have been really hot.
My favourite, though, was the company doing a demonstration where they got members of the audience to participate in a computer building competition that operated a bit like a tv game show.
“How many people here have built their own PC?”, he asked. Almost everyone in the crowd watching raised their hands. Of course they had…
Statue of Swedish musician, Evert Taube and Stockholm town hall, Stadshuset
Stockholm is a city that’s “under construction” and that’s the biggest difference I noticed today between when I visited Stockholm last year and this year. Well, aside from the warm weather and the absence of snow, there’s a lot of construction work underway.
The biggest and most obvious development is the construction of a tunnel to link two of the main central islands, and with it, the re-development of Slussen, the major transport hub. I know it’s an important development, but it’s definitely and completely – albeit temporarily – reuined the view from Gamla Stan towards Stadshuset!
Elsewhere around the main part of the city, there seems to be a lot of construction and/or refurbishment going on. At the Royal Palace, for example, there are hoardings over what would appear to be a major cleaning operation. And there’s a significant amount of re-development underway at Kungsträdgården, which means the T-bana (subway) there is closed for a few months.
The other thing I really noticed today was the significant number of police in the main tourist areas, a response no doubt to the Oslo bombings. Sweden has its own issues with far-right politics. There was no shortage of tourists, though, with lots of Germans in particular walking around the city.
For me, it was a day to reacquaint myself with Stockholm, to go over some old ground, and to discover some new things.
Even if you’ve been to a place a couple of times before, you can always discover new things. I went on an archipelago boat tour earlier today and learned a whole lot more about the archipelago that I didn’t know.
I didn’t know, for example, the islands of the archipelago are actually rising. For thousands of years – during the last ice age – they were crushed down by a four kilometre deep covering. Since then, they’ve been rising at the rate of about 30cm per century, as the land-mass has begun to expand again. The tour guide for this particular tour – the Archipelago Race – was called Julia and she did an EXCELLENT job, and I told her so.
I also went on an ABBA Walking Tour. Yes, seriously. It’s a 2-hour walk around the central parts of Stockholm where you learn a little about the history of ABBA, and how that relates to the modern history of Stockholm. You visit spots where photographs were taken, you pay a visit to the outside of the flat in Gamla Stan where Benny and Frida used to live, and you listen to ABBA songs as you walk around.
ABBA Walking Tour in Stockholm
In the midst of it all, I couldn’t believe how beautiful and warm the weather has been. “It must be all of the Australians visiting”, our ABBA tour guide joked at one point. Seriously, I think there needs to be a public inquiry into the Swedish Weather Bureau. They keep predicting rain, and it was overcast for a brief moment this morning, but the rest of the day has turned out to be fairly spectacular.
After a day of heavy sight-seeing I’ve come back to my apartment for a meal, a shower, and a bit of relaxation before heading out again to enjoy a spectacular summer night in Stockholm.
It was one of those days where I was almost too exhausted to move. Work had been busy – lots of long hours – and I was probably burning the candle at both ends a little too much. So Sunday afternoon and evening for me has been a time to relax and do not very much at all. I even turned down a regular Sunday night dinner catch-up because I was simply too bloody tired. Still, there were some bright moments to the day as I met someone new and interesting. Oh, and a cockatoo came to visit me on my balcony.
Sam (and a friend visiting from the Gold Coast) and I planned to meet at about lunch-time at Redfern Station.
It’s just a short walk from there to Carriage Works, where’s there’s an exhibtion currently underway of IKEA Furniture.
Given my interest in all things Swedish, a number of opening night invitations were directed towards me at work. Unfortunately, though I couldn’t attend, as Damo and I already had plans for Judith Lucy.
It’s a shame because it sounded like a great opening, and quite a fascinating idea for an exihibiton…
The IKEA Home Project will mark the 30th birthday of the iconic KLIPPAN sofa, one of IKEA’s most recognisable and affordable items. A selection of acclaimed Australian artists are creating unique works which the public can buy. The artists create a one-off KLIPPAN cover in their own style, focusing on the theme of ‘home’.
Two time Academy Award winner Catherine Martin, Australian fashion icon Akira Isogawa, and Archibald Prize winner Del Kathryn Barton in collaboration with fashion label Romance Was Born are amongst the contributing artists.
Unfortunately the exhibition was closed today, which was a disappointment to all of us, and led to a bit of cursing from a nearby woman we had gotten chatting to.
Carriageworks Markets
Carriageworks Re-development
Peeking through the barracades of the Carlton United Re-development
So, we wandered around the nearby markets, had lunch at a cafe none of us can remember the name of in the back streets of Chippendale, and had a look through the facade of the Carlton United re-development on George Street.
I caught up briefly with Damo to pass over some computer software, and then came home and napped for the afternoon.
In contrast to last week which was incredibly busy, both in terms of work and social life, this week it’s just busy work-wise.
Tonight I’ve got a date… it’s a three some actually… it’s me, and two besties, Foxtel and Fischer & Paykel.
So, it’s been twelve days since I broke my right hip – yep, the same one I had my below-knee amputation on eighteen months ago.
I’m at Sacred Heart Rehab in Darlinghurst, and it’s a gorgeous afternoon. Just soaking up the sun after a visit from my friend Michaela. Honestly, the visitors I’ve had have made this whole thing so much easier. It’s been amazing to have friends and family checking in, plus all the messages from colleagues. It really helps with the daily grind of physio and treatment.
When I presented at accident and emergency, and after x-rays, the surgeon recommended a full replacement instead of just a partial one, which is better long-term given my age and how active I am. I do have some pain in my residual leg, probably from the extra strain, but it’s all connected.
My days are filled with relaxation and physio right now, focusing on getting back on my feet – you know, balance, strength, all that. It’s also been nice to just chill and let my body heal. I told my nurse earlier, after a nap, that it’s actually nice to have the time to properly rest. Something I’ve definitely learned to appreciate since the amputation.
Of course, I’ve been worried about my family in Lismore with the cyclone. Been keeping in touch with them. Anyway, physio tomorrow, and then I’m off for lunch at a pub with a friend on Sunday – looking forward to that!
I didn’t expect to, but ended up telling a story at the “Now Hear This” story-telling night in Sydney tonight.
I told the story of my great-great grandmother who had a relationship with her first cousin (no, I don’t have two heads). After the birth of their fourth child together, he married someone else and had four more children. My great-great grandmother then went on to live a somewhat shambolic life, it seems, until she ended her life in the “destitute women’s asylum” in Sydney, and was buried in a “pauper’s grave” at Liverpool Cemetery. She died of heart disease, though you might say she also died of a broken heart. What would it have been like to have had a long-term relationship with your first cousin, only to see him leave and form a new family in another state? We’ve had some contact with the “other family” and they had no idea we existed. In exchanging photographs, it’s pretty clear we are related as we look like each other very much.
The story-telling night was, as usual, handled beautifully by Melanie Tait and will be heard sometime soon on the ABC ‘s RN.
