Newspapers can be a wonderful reminder of the place you have been, as they can include both the major news events happening at the time, as well as the smaller details, such as the weather and what’s on television. I’ve still got a copy of The London Times from when I first visited Europe in 1983, which holds a special place in my heart.
But as I’ve scaled down my baggage needs when travelling – I actually did my last trip to Sweden with carry-on luggage only – I’m trying not to bring back too many physical copies.
Instead, for the last two trips to Sweden, I’ve taken a photograph every day of the newspaper banners outside the local Pressbyrån.
The bombings and killings in Norway dominated the headlines for most of my time there, naturally enough (eight days). But so too did the celebrity breakup of Måns Zelmerlöw and Marie Serneholt (four days). In between there were stories about other celebrities, the weather, and a major feature on the founder of IKEA. It was summer, after all.
And in case you’re wondering, “I Made The Headlines” is a reference to a song by Swedish group, Alcazar.
Our family is also mentioned in the article above.
Across the road, there’s a house that caught on fire, while the owner was on the roof, seeking refuge from the rising floodwaters. No, I’m not fucking joking. The woman was seated on her roof, as floodwaters swirled around her, and the roof caught on fire.
For a few months now I’ve wondered about the empty block on Engine Street. I was told the house on the block had “floated away”, but I didn’t know much more until yesterday.
A nearby neighbour confirmed that’s what happened, and she added her neighbour was seeking refuge in the ceiling/roof, as it floated. Thankfully, he survived. And his house has too, kinda, though not where it should be.
The house that floated away during the catastrophic Lismore flood.
Many houses remain empty in the block around Engine Street, Crown Street and Elliott Road. One of our neighbours moved back only yesterday. “No point waiting for the buy-back. Might as well move home and get on with it” seems to be a common refrain. “Southies” are a tough bunch.
Our morning in Wuxi began with a stark reminder of how weather can change even the best-laid plans. It was the final day of the Dragon Boat Festival public holiday, and our first stop was a park by a lake. We could see stalls set up and decorated, ready for bustling crowds, but the paths were eerily empty. The reason was the rain—a persistent, soaking downpour.
I donned my trusty plastic poncho, which I’d ironically picked up at Big W in Sydney a couple of weeks ago, noting its “Made in China” label. As I stepped off the bus, I immediately realised the ground was incredibly slippery. For me, every step was a calculated risk, and I was genuinely worried about falling over.
I took things very, very slowly and even took a photo out in the rain to document the moment. But as I watched the rest of the group head off in their rain gear, I had a moment of clarity and asked myself, “What in God’s name am I doing here in the rain?”
I decided the risk of falling was far too great. While the others went on to explore what they later said was a beautiful view of the lake, I remained on the small vehicle. I was perfectly happy and secure in my choice, content to enjoy the peace and quiet and, most importantly, stay upright. It was a clear reminder that sometimes the smartest decision is knowing your limits.
From that wet and challenging start, our next stop was an indoor one: a visit to a local Pearl Factory. The tour gave us an insight into China’s significant freshwater pearl industry and the cultural importance of these gems, which have been a cherished export since the Han dynasty. We learned all about the cultivation and intricate processing required to produce the lustrous pearls.
This was definitely one for the women of the trip. While the men showed genuine interest in the manufacturing process, our eyes collectively glazed over once we entered the sprawling showroom filled with finished jewellery. The tour guide took one look at me, and he smiled and pointed me directly towards the coffee stand—a suggestion I happily accepted. Meanwhile, many of the women were in their element. A number of them even ventured into the exclusive VIP room, where we saw some truly exquisite pieces, including one breathtaking pearl necklace with a price tag of around $200,000 AUD!
Following the factory visit, we settled in for the 200-kilometre coach journey to our next destination, Hangzhou, a city renowned for its stunning natural beauty and historical sites.
It’s Sunday night. There’s a tv-special about two environmentalists / photographers from Tasmania which is interesting, but a little worthy, perhaps?
Anyway… the last week has been full and yet I’m going to have to sit down and think pretty hard about what I have actually done.
Last Saturday night, John and I went to see Slava and Leonard Grigoryan play at Angel Place. The show was excellent: a good mixture of styles, tempos and familiary/obscurity.
Nothing much happened on Sunday. The only highlight was watching the final auction of “The Block”, which in its worship of money, I actually thought was a bit offensive. I recgonised then why I enjoyed “Big Brother” more… as Big Brother was about collective harmony, while The Block was about rampant individualism. Any wonder it’s been so successful in John Howard’s Australia.
On Tuesday night, Kate and I went to the launch of the new CD by Renee Geyer. Held at Star City Casino, there was a sparkling of minor celebrities including Richard Wilkins, Judy Stone and the man from the cooking show on Channel 9.
Wednesday and Friday. Nothing much to report, aside from a drink or two here and there.
But Thursday was fantastic, as Damien and I went to see the band, Stringmansassy play at The Basement.
Stringmansassy play at The Basement in Sydney
Damien and I met near Circular Quay and then had dinner at nearby restauruant which Damien suggested as he had walked past there on many occasions but had never been inside.
We had a really nice meal, chatted a lot about France, I mentioned my forthcoming trip to Griffith and invited him. We then went off to see Stringmansassy, the band I had interviewed the week previous.
They were terrifici. Both will benefit from age though as Kacey (the vocalist) often went over the top with her vocalisations. Aaron (the guitarist) however was both talented and cute!
A few weeks ago my sister asked me if I was on Skype? This surprised me at the time, because she’s never really been one interested in computers or technology.
Skype, of course, is quite a different thing: it’s about communication. And so when she became aware of the technology, and in particular, the idea of video calls, she became quite interested. With assistance from her grandson and niece, we’ve conducted a few video calls since then.
As we spent Christmas Eve together, I gave her a few lessons in using Skype herself from computer set-up to computer set-down. She’s been a great student. I’ve managed to add a few relevant addresses for her too. Thus, Christmas Eve became a connector for her for family and friends near and far.
More importantly, she’s now empowered to make these connections herself. Aside from the lovely electronic photo-frame I bought her, I think this is probably the best Christmas gift I could give this year.
I guess it means I’ll have to start wearing clothes – I mean shirts – at home more often in case she calls unexpectedly. :)
There was a moment about half way through the voting when it looked like Russia was going to win. For what it’s worth, I’d taken a break from watching the contest to take the garbage out and had missed their entry, so I had no idea what the fuss was all about. In the Green Room, Conchita Wurst kept telling the woman from Russia she deserved to win. I’m not entirely sure the Russian viewers would have seen this, as there was a lot of talk on social media, Russian television had censored Conchita. Shortly afterwards, thankfully, Måns Zelmerlöw began to take a lead, and there was a clear moment when it became obvious he would win.
Måns wasn’t actually my preferred candidate. At Melodifestivalen (the Swedish finals leading to Eurovision) I was actually supporting Jon Henrik Fjällgren, the Colombian-born, Sami-raised reindeer herder. However, my philsophy around Eurovision is that, like footy, you should always support your team, and so when Måns was announced as the Swedish winner I threw my support behind him.
Måns Zelmerlöw at Stockholm Pride 2008
He’s not without controversy, though. Even though I first saw him perform at Stockholm Pride in 2008, and he made a spectacular nude performance at last year’s Gay Gala in Stockholm, he’s been getting a reputation on a number of websites as being homophobic.
Måns Zelmerlöw at Sweden’s Gay Gala
He made some comments on a Swedish TV show last year along the lines of it being “more natural” for men and women to be together because of their capacity to have children. Before the program went to air, he sought to have the comments removed from the program. Soon afterwards he issued a strong apology. The “word on the street” is that he isn’t homophobic.
That aside, Heroes is a pretty good song (memorable in lots of ways) and the concept and performance of the presentation was excellent.
I thought it was terrific that Sweden and Australia both exchanged twelve points. I’ve written before there’s an odd connection between our two countries in lots of ways: almost exactly opposite geographically; a sparse population, though most people seem to live in a small area; and of course, people in both countries drink too much. BTW, Måns visited Australia a few months ago and seemed to enjoy himself.
Throughout the day I’ve received quite a few emails, social media interactions and text messages all with basically the same message: “Have you booked for Sweden yet?” Am I really that obvious? Yeah, I guess so. Tickets don’t go on sale until much closer to the event. I will, however, start looking around for accommodation for next year.
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Carry-on luggage only? Wow! You deserve some kind of travelling award!
Carry-on luggage only? Wow! You deserve some kind of travelling award!
It’s actually not that hard, when you consider many airlines will give you 10kg of hand luggage. Check out this link to Angus Kidman who has pretty much mastered the art of hand luggage over a number of years. http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2009/04/hand-luggage-only-one-bag-one-month-one-continent/ Angus travels A LOT http://www.lifehacker.com.au/tags/road-worrier