In the midst of living/working from home, it’s been great to take some time out (a few times each week) for afternoon strolls along the Wilson’s River, Lismore. It’s been one of the things I’ve really loved about being back here. It’s calming. It’s relaxing. I love it, whether it’s to or from work, or just because it’s a nice thing to do.
Wilson’s River, Lismore viewed from near the Rowing Club
Lismore has such a complicated relationship with the river. On the one hand, it’s quite beautiful. However, too frequently, floods have caused such devastation.
South Lismore in flood, 2017, courtesy ABC News, with three family homes in view (including where I’m staying right now)The levee bank that separates Lismore from the Wilson’s River
Despite this, people still make good use (though possibly not enough) of the river bank.
Down by the Rowing Club there’s a car park with EXCELLENT pricing. “I don’t know why they bother”, a friend responded when I posted this photograpgh on Twitter. Another commented, “A spit of rain and you have to find a new car park :)”
A few weeks ago, when it was first suggested Sweden was favourite to win this year’s Eurovision Song Contest I wrote my boss an email saying, “If Sweden wins I’ll be wanting to take some extended leave next year”. By the time I wrote the email, I already had a pretty clear travel plan in the back of my mind to travel to Sweden for Melodifestivalen, spend some time there, pop over to New York for a while, spend some time in Paris, go to the International ABBA Day in The Netherlands, and then return to Sweden for the Eurovision Song Contest. The first thing I did, after bidding my friends farewell tonight, after watching Eurovision, was write another email to my boss, saying, “I am now confirming I wish to take some leave next year”.
How good is it that Sweden has won this year’s Eurovision Song Contest? Although lots of the other songs were good this year, “Euphoria” by Loreen was very, very good. It’s a song I’ve been listening to for the last two months and have yet to get sick of. It’s a song that remains stuck in my head, even if I don’t really know all the words. “Euophoria… daddah dadaah dah dah dah” is about the best I can manage when trying to recall the lyric. Loreen’s performance tonight may not have been as good as it was in Melodifestivalen, the Swedish finals for Eurovision, but it was still very bloody good.
As good as it was, there were lots of other songs which I enjoyed very much. Lithuania was a surprise favourite of mine, and not just because the singer was bloody cute. I never did visit Lithuania when I travelled to Europe in 2008, and now I’m beginning to wonder why. I’m thinking the same about Ukraine. Was that a gay anthem or what? Jedward from Ireland? I would like them to appear every year, they’re such fun.
Blue and Yellow flowers next to the television, of course
Thanks to Mr Internet, my friends and I watched this year’s Eurovision Song Contest a couple of hours before most Australians. Put simply, we’re all getting far too old to have to stay up late on a Sunday night to watch the show. And so this year, for the first time, we turned to Mr Internet, and in particular, Mr Spanish Internet who allowed us to watch the show a little bit earlier, allow me time to do some late night clothes washing, and allow my friends to travel home by public transport at a decent hour. It was quite civilised, actually.
It was interesting to watch the show with Spanish commentary. Even though the bloke was translating a lot of what was said, it never seemed to interfere with what was being said. I guess it’s because you put the sound you don’t understand out of your terms of reference. Tonight my friends and I discussed whether or not the time had arrived, thanks to the internet, for SBS to show it live in the morning and then replay it later at night. It’s getting too hard to enforce a media blackout in the days of social media, we all agreed.
Unlike many Australians who watch Eurovision with an “English sensibility” – thinking it’s cheap, trashy, crap and camp – we all really like the show as a musical contest. Unlike a lot of people, we don’t look “down” on pop music that isn’t from England or America. We all LOVED the fact that so many artists this year sang in their own languages instead of English, the so-called “international language” of pop music. We love how the diversity of European culture is celebrated in this way.
And of course, I love that next year’s contest will be held in Sweden, cos I will SO BE THERE.
PS…
This is my favourite performance by Loreen from this year’s Gay Gala in Sweden. It’s the song she entered in the Swedish finals for Eurovision last year. I love it because it’s such an energetic performance and I love how the audience enjoys it.
Staycation (Day 3) started early. I woke at 4.30, and thought “I don’t feel like going back to sleep”, so I hopped on a bus to Circular Quay, to enjoy the sunrise, and to take some lovely photographs.
Viewing the Sydney Harbour Bridge before sunrise at the Sydney Opera House
Retrosexual - the reading matter on our table at the pub tonight
It’s been a bloody busy week at work,
I actually left a little bit early today – about 4.30 – because I needed to clear my head a little.
That’s one of the things about working with sound. Sometimes you just need a little quiet.
So I wandered around the city for a while not thinking about work, looking in shop windows, and generally chilling out a bit.
But even though I was totally bloody exhausted after and could have easily gone straight home to bed, I sent Graeme a text, asking if he felt like catching up for a drink. I’d seen him on Wednesday when he related some tales about his time in Sweden which was great. He told me a few other things also.
Oddly enough, we ran into a few people who joined us for a chat along the way, including The Other Andrew, and a bloke who used to be a barman at the pub we frequent. It was a lovely night of chatting and watching the world go by.
On arriving home, Sue and I chatted about our forthcoming holiday to NZ. We’re thinking South Island is probably the far more interesting option for this trip.
My life has changed so much since I got my mobility scooter. For a long time during COVID and after my limb amputation, I’ve spent all my energy looking down at the ground, focused on every step. I was constantly on the lookout for uneven footpaths, small children, and dogs, which meant I missed so much of what was happening around me.
Now, with the scooter, I’m able to rediscover old routines . I can take my favorite route through the Devonshire Street tunnel to work, stopping at my old coffee shop—where the owner still remembers me—and grabbing a bread roll for lunch.
Grabbing lunch at an old favourite bakery!
But more than just routines, the biggest change is being able to look up and see the world again. Today, I stopped to admire the new Atlassian building under construction in Sydney’s city center. It’s a building I’ve seen in the distance, but for the first time, I get to appreciate it up close without worrying about my next step.
What you can see when you’re not always looking at the ground. The new Atlasssian building, under construction near Central Station in Sydney
I’m also finding a new sense of community with other mobility scooter riders. Just today, a fellow rider coming towards me happily tipped his hand and smiled in recognition of our common mode of transport. A couple of days ago, I was heading to work when another rider on a much larger scooter wanted to chat about things like pneumatic tyres. It’s a whole new world of connection, and it’s wonderful to share these experiences.
The scooter isn’t just a vehicle—it’s a way for me to reclaim my independence and fully enjoy life. It’s truly amazing how much of a difference it makes. I really didn’t think it would make such a difference.
Handy parking spot at an empty workstation in the office!
It looks lovely.