Good Presents

I scored big points with the gifts for both Trin and Finn. Both loved the face paints. This is Finn with his tiger face in progress. 

It was also fun to help build small houses, train engines, desks and rubbish bins with the set of massive Lego that Santa brought for Finn.

Merry Christmas 2011

I spent a few days over Christmas in Mt Martha with my friends  Sheila and Sue, their son Finn and their foster daughter, Trinity.  We had some good laughs, good food and good drinks. The weather was pretty good too.
Having said that, while we sat on the deck sweating in warm temperatures on Christmas Day, we watched the thunder and lightning and dark, dark clouds move over the bay towards the city. Some parts of Melbourne got hit with snow, golf ball sized hail, and deluges of rain!!

Christmas Presence

I've been thinking that maybe it's just the summer season and warm weather that makes Christmas in Australia surreal.  Maybe it's being without the familiar family and friend rituals (Mom's tree decorating, Dad's boozy Xmas cake, coffees out with Lori and Darcy).... not to mention just being without the Canadian family and friends.  Maybe it's just feeling adrift because I haven't created my very own holiday rituals down here yet. And maybe it's time for that to change.

So, I'll begin by counting my blessings. In addition to some lovely time spent with friends this week, I have had some really nice Christmas presents already:

• Lots of cards and little gifts from Canada and the States arriving in the mail. I don't wait to open them. I open them as soon as I get 'em!
• A package that Mom sent with an incomplete mailing address made it to the Thornbury Post Office and was there when I went in to inquire about it. 
• My mobile phone company waived a $500 charge on my account because of a clerical error. 
• I've got another paid Directing gig lined up for next year. 
• With a little help from my friends, I've got a fabulous FREE rehearsal venue in a great location organized for  January when rehearsals start back up for my play The Drowning Girls.
• I've had a heap of grief with back pain in the last two weeks,  and it all seems to be settling down as I settle down. 

Here's some new vocabulary for you.
I'm taking to heart the Aussie phrase "Settle, Petal."
Definition: Chill out, Dude.;  Cool it, Sister.;  Relax, Precious.

I'm pretty sure I can do that.

Almost Christmas

It's been a bit of an effort for me to get into the holiday spirit down here. And while I've been off work for a while, it has taken me up to now to slow down and begin to relax. I spent the better part of yesterday at the pool in the sun with a good book, and that seemed to help!

 The other day, Sapidah, Che and Nadia came over to mine for a Christmas lunch.

Here's the view of the city from the rooftop bbq/garden. 

I got even more of the Christmas spirit when  I went down to Lorne to visit Jas, Matt, Ava and Alex.

 Jas loves to play her Elvis and Jackson 5 Christmas albums, and in the evening, we listened to all their greatest hits as we sipped champagne and I helped her make Christmas hula hoops.

We hung out in the park the next day with Ava and her best mate Rafferty, as the sun burned through the clouds and it got warmer and warmer.

Ava. 

Who needs hands to hold a sandwich?

No more teaching, no more books...

I'm finished the school year at Aquinas. It feels a bit funny breaking for summer holidays in December, but I'm not going to complain! The weather has been lovely and in the high 20's the last couple of days. I've been able to sleep in and it feels a little less surreal now.

We had our Christmas Party at the Carlton Brewhouse in Abbotsford. It was a really fun evening, with a sit down dinner, drinks provided and a dance floor. Some staff members burned holes in that floor.... it was awesome!!
The Carlton Brewery is a very large and important fixture in that suburb. It's where all of the Carlton Draught, Victoria Bitters,  Melbourne Bitters and Fosters Beer are brewed in this part of Australia.

Giant Beer on Entry

My beer

Bottle Opener for Giant Beer Bottles

The venue was pretty cool, with all kinds of historic displays and vintage beer posters decorating the walls and other spaces.

Models of the famous Carlton Clydesdales. 

This breed of horse played a big part in building parts of Australia in the 1800's: agriculture and building dams. In addition to working with milkmen and green grocers to bring locals their milk and fruit and veggies, Clydesdales delivered beer to public houses well into the 20th century. 

This poor horse had an accident with his eye. 

And these are the ladies of the Drama Department in basic black and white.

Fixed Address

I've just sent out my Christmas Cards, and for those who wish to send me lovely, old-fashioned snail mail, my address is as follows:

9/6 Francis Grove

Thornbury, VIC

Australia 3071

Here are two views of my flat. The lounge room and one view of the kitchen. (Brand new kitchen and gas appliances.) More views to come. 

Sunlight over EKTORP

I think it's funny that I'm so proud of my IKEA couch. Sunlight looks amazing on it. 

The Rundown on November

I went underground and really didn't blog at all in November. It was a pretty hectic month. I'll give you a quick rundown on things that happened:

• I found a home and moved in. It is bright and light and quirky and I love it. 
• I bought a fridge. Everyone who rents has their own fridge here. Fridges just don't come with rental properties. 
• The siren calls of IKEA, local opshops and garage sales ring in my ears once more. 
• The One Act Play Project I directed for Verve Studios went into production week and then opened, ran its season and closed. I think all my actors found it a positive learning experience. 
• I lost my iPhone in a taxi on closing night and had to scramble to get a new phone. I lost many phone numbers... some of which I needed to lose.
• I went to a fantastic Birthday party for my lovely friend, Jasmina. (If you want the truth.... I got very loose and blew off HEAPS of steam.)
• I started rehearsals for my upcoming project, The Drowning Girls. My actors are wonderful and I am SO excited for this production. 
• I coordinated and ran semester end assessments for my Drama and French students. I've almost finished reporting on 120 students. 
• I have formed a close bond with my Chinese Medicine Doctor as I went for weekly acupuncture and cupping treatments. I am still drinking spewy tasting herbal concoctions daily.

Smells Good

Star jasmine at Che and Sapidah's place

Australia smells amazing right now: warm nights with Star Jasmine, Roses and Orange Flower. You can't bottle this stuff!

Getting It Off My Chest

I am usually careful to be cryptic in my blog posts. I don't want to reveal too much of myself , so I tend to err on the side of optimism and light. Well, right now, I'm in a space in my life where I feel there is power in articulating my anger and dissatisfaction...if only to place it behind me and move forward.
I like lists, so I thought I'd make one.

Reasons I'm Angry:

• I'm angry that my heart was broken.
• I'm angry that I invested in a "we" when I should have been looking out for me.
• I'm angry that I have no fixed address yet.
• I'm angry that my body shut down in the face of stress and anxiety and as a result, my health has been compromised.
• I'm angry I have to commit time and energy and money to healing.

And here's another list: 

• I celebrate my resilience and perseverance.
• I celebrate and am very thankful for my friends...actually... here, they are my family who support and care for me.
• I celebrate the fact that I have two big creative theatrical projects I can dive into.
• I celebrate my teaching job, which gives me joy and provides me with good money.
• I'm thankful for a great Chinese Medicine Doctor.
• I celebrate the lesson of patience.
• I celebrate the potential in my present and my future. I'm calling in good things.

Be Free

Uppers

Last Sunday, I met Sheila, Sue and Finn at Costco for a coffee and a visit  and a shopping mission. I bought pumpkin pie and maple syrup. I thought about writing a haiku or something equally clever to express my thoughts and feelings about pumpkin pie and maple syrup.... but I  think it's enough to say that these things have helped lift my spirits when I was feeling low this week.

Convenience

I've decided I am too busy for the next couple months to set aside time to shop at the market. Well actually, if I thought about it, I could do it....it's not impossible. However, I've opted for easy and I am now getting my fruits and veggies delivered every fortnight. My first box came this last week and it was like Christmas. 

Check out the Globe Artichoke! I steamed it and dipped each leaf in garlic butter with crusty bread last night!

Transitions in Coburg

The universe is looking out for me. As I search for the best place to live (as in: by myself!), I am lucky enough to be housesitting for the month of October at a cute little cottage in Coburg while it's owners are overseas visiting relatives in Vancouver. (Fancy that!) 

Now, while the cottage is cute, and it's owners like to say it is in Brunswick East, it is technically in Coburg. Nestled in between factory outlets, it is quiet, but it is the farthest out I've ever lived in Melbourne. It's a fresh 10 minute cycle to meet Evelyn and Paul for our morning carpool out to work, and I must look after Oscar. 

Meet Oscar: 

I am SO NOT a cat lover, and Oscar tends towards needy. He's an old man cat, so that's ok, I guess... at least he isn't hectic. Oscar and I have established boundaries: I feed him on time and he doesn't jump on the dining table or sleep near my face.

Season One... done and dusted

The Turtles are tired, content and a bit hungover after we celebrated the closing night of the Melbourne Fringe Festival. 

Since my production of A Second of Pleasure went up early in the festival, I had the most opportunity of the three of us to see other shows. Nadia and Sapidah's show, Ulrike Meinhof Sings had an almost sold out season, and given that it is an intensely dense text AND a really difficult piece to stage, they ended on a very strong note. 

We celebrated with a lot of Honey Vodka shots at the Lithuanian Club (so good and so cheap!), and a bit of a boogie at the Fringe Club. Nadia and I lasted until 4 am.  We got messy and we were fine with it! 

Breathing Space

As is often the case, when I finish with an intense period of activity in the city, I escape to Lorne to find some breathing space. I took my time driving down the coast and enjoyed sitting on a few beaches and just looking out over the sea... until the torrential rains came.
I am quite content to just sit  and breathe salt air. The weather is immaterial. I needed to watch the sea move and gather my thoughts, allow some learning (personal and professional) to consolidate and to just let myself be.

I had lunch with Jas and Ava, and when the rain cleared, we wandered the main street, popped in to shops and said hi to people.... and yes, we giggled at the adorable baby Ava and her goofy smiles...but mostly we just talked and talked and talked.

I stayed on for dinner at the farm and overnight, and after a great visit, drove back into the city the next morning via Jas and Matt's preferred shortcut.... a new one for me.  These backroads revealed deep gullies, rolling fields, a few planted with bright yellow canola, some old farm windmills and twisted gum trees.
It's a good thing for me to take advantage of breathing space. It's good to really sit quietly. And, as I travel on new roads, to be reminded that I actually like new roads and adventure and not knowing what might happen next.

...and scene.

We got through this week's season of my production of A Second of Pleasure by Neil Labute. The week was rife with challenges, but we enjoyed a fair review in both the The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald.

While Stephen and Carla worked throughout the week to solidify text, play objectives and negotiate the space, audiences seemed intrigued, curious, perplexed, and entertained.

Every evening, we had a handful of audience members there "on purpose", and we always picked up an even larger handful of randoms. People would glance as they passed, some rubbernecked, others slowed down and then stopped. Still others passed, but paused the turn around and watch at a safe distance.

Each night someone would stop and ask someone else who was watching, "What's going on? " "Is this real?" I loved watching the reactions of people as they passed to catch their trains. I loved it when no one applauded. It doesn't end on a happy note, and the two actors would leave each other at the end of the scene, each walking in their own separate direction: Stephen (Kurt), towards the trains, and Carla (Jess), back up to the street level.

Many people commented that they felt guilty and voyeuristic as they watched Jess and Kurt end their relationship. "I felt bad for watching!" "I felt a little bit wrong."
The grumpy Metro guy who turned out the lights and locked the roller doors at 7 pm every night watched the end of the show one evening and after Jess breaks up with Kurt and leaves him standing there with a train to catch, he said, "Poor bloke.... I had a lady do that to me last month. I was devastated."
And that's the beauty and the tension of site-generic work. Is it real, is it not real?How real do you try to make it? How performative do you make it?  Does it matter as long as people recognize the moment as one they themselves have experienced?

Bubblegum and Briquettes

As I cycled home from my rehearsal today, the city smelled like bubblegum and barbeques. It was a warm day, and a warm evening --- so maybe it was a concoction of jasmine, fresh mown grass, and other scented trees that filled the air with candy-like sweetness. There must have been someone in each neighborhood who was firing up some fresh briquettes to have a barbeque.

Spring Energy

Spring is sneaking into swing here in Melbourne. The jasmine is blooming and scenting the air, and camellias, irises and violets have been blooming for some time. Calla lilies and roses are starting to open.

I bought two bunches of ranunculus at the market on the weekend, and the riotous colours and open blossoms make me happy.

My fringe show opens next week, and things are busy. Often, I can put way too much pressure on myself to meet my own exacting standards in so many areas of my life. And, of course, this means hello to anxiety and sleepless nights.

I had a great yoga class tonight. At the end of class, when our heads were bowed in namaste,  my yoga instructor reminded us to "Be content with your effort".  Good timing. (How is it that this man always says the things that I need to hear the most? ...One reason why he's my favourite.)

Launch Party

Sapidah, Nadia and me

It's on! Turtle Lab has launched! We had a lovely afternoon at Provenance, with Benny and Jules playing cool jazz in the front of the restaurant, and our supporters (30 strong!) gathering at the back.

 Me and two of my students, Margot and Tristan.

Chris, Rinske and Xanthe

Elise, our producer and her crew.

Allen and Nick

Turtle Working Bee

Sapidah, Nadia and I got together on Saturday night to prepare and fill the gift bags we gave out to all those who attended the Launch party. I made and baked Brownies (gluten free and gluten full) and Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookies to wrap and include in the goodies bag. Red wine was consumed and many laughs were had in the process.

Sapidah was in charge of cello wrap.

 Nadia was dogsbody: she poured, scooped, filled bags and tested the product. 

Hipstamatic shot of Brownies and Chocolate Pecan Cookies bonbonieres. 

Turtle Lab Online

CLICK HERE to check out our new website!
Nadia, Sapidah and I launch our new theatre collective tomorrow.
It's all happening...

Springtime in Melbourne

I have been ABSOLUTELY  PATHETIC in maintaining this fricking blog! August passed with one post and that's just shocking.
September will make up for it, believe me!

Here's a lovely post though: I had dinner with some beautiful friends of mine on Tuesday night. We ate lots, drank good red wine and talked about both the meaningful and the inconsequential.

Sapidah and Xanthe

Nadia hates having her photo taken, and she never poses. 

 This is Lara and Karen during one of the meaningful conversations...

Xanthe and I 

Rinkse

Lara and Sapidah

Ratatouille Goodness