Spent the afternoon and evening of the 26th with Uncle Alex looking at the preparations for the concert sponsorship. For someone who runs a pretty big concern he's quite nervous about it. It isn't even as though he's the sole sponsor, there are a whole group of them.
We went over to his place at Baldivis for the afternoon and stayed for some scoff. Suze & Pete joined us for the meal. I had a bet with Loll that they will ask why they hadn't been invited to the events. They have never been to any of the Classical Music concerts we've attended whist over here - which should be a pretty convincing reason by anyone's standards, don't you think? However, we are talking family here and noses being disjointed, so who can say what will happen? [PS Lost the bet, they didn't ask.]
On the Saturday (27th) went to the Maritime Museum in Freo after our trip to the market and found an exhibit all about the non-indigenous predator removal programme from the Abrolhos Islands. Jill was in one of the photographs! It is really weird seeing your relation in a museum exhibit. The Abrolhos Islands are where she took us when we went up to Geraldton.
Laura has had an e-mail from a bod at Sheffield Uni asking her if she'd be interested in working in the field of "Statistical Physics" when she completes her PhD. It is a new field of scientific research which she thinks sounds quite interesting. She has e-mailed back arranging a meeting for early October.
She has been bogged down (her words) with Quantum Mechanics of Simple Systems for a while, which she is not enjoying. Professor M (from Bristol U) thought she might find Ted Davies' work on QM of SS interesting but she feels it's a dead end as far as her Maths goes...
It could be a 'watch this space' situation.
Bella is back at Uni and being a bit of a prima donna about us having Dad's car. I mean FFS, she has claimed the clunker from Jeff, so he should be the stresshead, not her. (The clunker is an 11 year old Corolla Ascent.)
31st July
We have just taken our bikes on the train to Mandurah. Caught it at Canning Bridge station and about 45 mins later we were at Mandy Station. Outside the station is a modern art installation which from some angles looks like a pair of testicles and a penis sharpened to a point!
The trip saved us 140 Km of cycling (there and back) but we did do about 45Km according to the on board computer, cycling round the town and across to Hall's Head and beyond.
I like Mandurah. It has a nice waterfront and feels a bit like the area of Perth where Dad's flat is... We had a meal in a café overlooking part of the Peel Inlet and watched dolphins in bay looking like they were herding fish. When we got back La Bella nipote had cooked us a delicious cottage pie, she obviously has forgiven us cadging my Dad's car.
Friday 2nd Aug
Uncle Alex was in a panic about the concert this morning. We were at the hall this morning witnessing his mini-meltdown so we dragged him back here (Swanview Gardens) to chill out. He likes our outfits - tasteful and refined. Jersey dresses, about knee length with Roman legionary style leather sandals. My dress has vertical rainbow stripes and Laura's huge daisies. He gave us "Sponsor" badges so we didn't get mistaken for catering staff when we did our meet and greet.
I am not sure how many people in the audience actually knew the Bruckner symphony at all. I thought the applause was far more restrained than for the Beethoven Piano Concert. Maybe that's just me being critical.
The hospitality event was a bit nerve-wracking as Alex was still so tense at first. We tried our best to charm every guest we spoke to.
I got collared by one guy who knows Alex really well and I was subjected to the third degree about his older brother (Dad). He was shocked that my Dad had a double First from Balliol and that he'd made his home in the UK.
I guess I should have been speaking in my usual accent instead of sounding like a local [ I was copying my Dad's accent...]. I thought it would make for less explaining - why is a cut glass voiced English Sheila part of the hospitality? You know what I mean? I slipped into my Mum's voice and my usual one to try and illustrate my point. He laughed and called me a ventriloquist... [Doesn't work as a joke, does it? I didn't tell him that.]
I was later offered a seriously indecent suggestion by another one of the guests whom I told, "If you don't want my wine thrown in your face and me shouting 'How dare you?' at max volume, I suggest you shut your mouth and move away right now." He did.
Only briefly chatted with Simone and Javier they performed well, though.
Afterwards we stayed for about 30 minutes for the aftershow where the orchestra were like a plague of locusts over the remaining food!
Sunday 4th Aug
We arrived at Yallingup an hour after admittance time, 3pm. We started by testing their free wi-fi. The Dunsborough Railway Carriages where we usually stay seems to have closed down. We couldn't raise anyone when we tried to book... Took a walk down to canal rocks after getting on-line in our room.
Yallingup was one of the places we passed through on our Cape to Cape walk, 2 years ago. The Seashells Hotel is a nice one and it over looks the Indian Ocean, which is a bonus.
We booked the booze taxi to take us to our five cellar doors on the Monday. The plan is to go to ones we haven't visited before. We are going to use it again on Wednesday. Tuesday we are doing a circular walk based on part of the C2C walk. (Unless the weather's grotty...)
Found this about Yallingup. Can we pick 'em or what?
Monday 5th Aug
We took a vineyard Cellar Door tour today. Visiting 5 vineyards and tasting their wines. Tomorrow we are doing the circular walk taking in part of the Cape to Cape trail. (We did the whole trail two years ago.) and then on Wednesday we are touring 5 more vineyards. We may swap this if the weather is inclement.
Today's vineyards were: Credaro, Arimia, Marq, Swings & Roundabouts and Deep Wood. There is a taxi service which takes you from one cellar door to the next, giving you about an hour in each place. It means you aren't driving after boozing...
We have deliberately chosen vineyards we haven't visited before. There are over 200 in the Margaret River region and over half have Cellar Doors - where you can go for a wine tasting and buy some. We bought one bottle of the wine we liked best from each place. On Friday Suze & Pete are driving down in their camper van and we are going to have a mass wine tasting of each of the wines we bought... They are staying until we leave on the Sunday. [Well that's the plan...]
Friday 9th Aug
Sorry for the multi day hiatus. It's currently about 2.45pm and we are awaiting the arrival of Suze & Pete in their camper van. They are going to help us taste the 10 bottles of wine we bought from the two days of sampling tonight and then tomorrow we have booked the taxi service again to take us to the vineyards three or four we liked the best. Plus we are putting in a serious buying trip to Happs - our favourite producer ever, on Commonage Road, Dunsborough. That will be done by driving ourselves there before heading back north.
Our 2nd wine day (Wednesday) got moved a day as we decided to go on another circular bush walk, because the weather was glorious. We walked the Ten Mile Brook Trail along the Margaret River itself to the 10 Mile Brook Dam. There is a picnic area here (which you can drive to if you wish) with barbeques and tables. We brought a huge salad and a couple of steaks in our rucksacks so we could cook lunch there and saunter back afterwards. We also brought along a bottle of red as well - posh hiking or what?
At the dam, as it was deserted and our periods were over, we indulged in a bit of 'hide the bottle' fun once our wine was drunk. Too much information?
Thursday's wine tour saw us at more first time cellar doors for us: Cape Naturaliste Vineyard; Windance Estate Wines; Glenmore Wine; Aravina Estate and Abbey Vale Wine. Most of which were mainly along Caves Road, which follows the coast from Yallingup down to Cape Leeuwin. Again we bought just one bottle from each for our tasting.
Sports thoughts... let's hope for the next test match Anderson doesn't lie about his fitness again. It ultimately has to fall on his shoulders, our defeat, because he must have known he was not 100%.
With 2 games to go in the AFL, there is still a chance Freo (The Dockers) can may the finals. This weekend they are away to St Kilda - no not the Scottish Island - and their last game is a home one at the Optus to which we are going. It's just across the river from Dad's place.
I imagine lots of my friends and colleagues back in the Steel City will be excited about Sheffield United's first match in the Premiership since 2007, my old home town's first game back is tonight against Liverpool. They will be doomed.
Don't know why I am writing all this sport stuff. I will sign off...
Sunday 12th Aug
More sport stuff. The Dockers lost to St Kilda. We sat with Bella at Dad's and watched the whole game on TV. They were leading right up to the last kick of the match when SK scored a field goal. There followed a brief text exchange between Jill, Annabelle and Suze who were all distraught. I have said it before, sport turns us all into idiots...
I like it
ReplyDeleteThanks. No idea what's happened to the font though.
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