Citizen Carmel

Who would have though, when I took that evil long haul flight on 26 November 2006, that one day I would become an Australian Citizen? Yes folks, on Thursday I pledged my allegiance to the flag and became a true blue Aussie. (Don't be too alarmed, I'm still a Brit, you can be both these days.) The ceremony was simply a formality, I had already passed my test, filled out a gazillion forms and had all my medicals etc, but it was a lovely little ceremony and a great opportunity to formally acknowledge what is a pretty momentous step.

Celebrating with my certificate

My friend Nick and my new flatmate Beth came with me, and generously snapped pics and live tweeted the occasion, providing absent friends with plenty of amusement. It was held at Waverley Council, and was a surprisingly parochial affair. As we arrived, two schoolgirls played 'Stairway to Heaven' and other gems in duet on violins. Those about to become citizens assembled at the front, while friends and family gathered at the back of the room, ably warmed-up by the over-enthusiastic PA to the Mayor of Waverley.

Following the Mayor's speech, the first guest speaker was the Chairman of the Friends of Waverley Library. He nervously followed cue cards, espousing the virtues of the library, urging us to join the Friends so we could take advantage of 10% discount at Dymocks Maroubra. The second guest speaker was the Chair of the Bronte Surf Life Savers club, who taught us our duty to mock New Zealanders and that we should always swim between the flags.

There were about 40 of us becoming citizens that day, including people from Russia, Israel, the USA and of course a few Brits, as well as about 15 other countries. There are two pledges, one to god and one just pledging, so we did them in two batches. Then the squeezebox man came along and played the national anthem. I actually felt quite emotional singing 'Advance Australia Fair' even though the lyrics are a bit silly.

After that we all got snapped with our certificates, I had my first VB as an Aussie, and we selected our Citizenship tree (we all got an Australian native tree to take home, which was lovely!). The squeezebox man played Waltzing Matilda and we ate lamingtons.

With the Mayor

First VB

Nick's parents came along

Choosing a tree

Enrolling to vote

Lamingtons!

To be honest it doesn't really feel all that different, but it's cemented my right to be here, and it may well be something that becomes more significant as time passes and my life progresses. It's certainly made me feel very proud of the democratic world we live in, while also very lucky that I have been able to make these choices and live in a country of my choosing, when so people throughout the world don't enjoy that freedom.

I also feel as though the life of this blog may have run its course. At first it was a handy way of keeping folks in the UK informed of my experiences in Australia, but now that this is my home and I've been here almost five years, there seems to be less of an imperative to document this stuff here. Also, with facebook, twitter and flickr etc there is now a plethora of ways for you to keep up to date with what I'm doing, so I feel less pressure to keep the blog updated.

But it's been an awfully big adventure, and it's fun to have this blog to look back on, from my first nightmare bug experience, trips to Melbourne, Adelaide, Darwin, Toronto, Europe, Tumut, Byron Bay, Brisbane and loads more, a visit from mum and Keith, a trip to NZ with dad, bushwalking with Dan, a visit from Noreen and Jana, an extended stay from Siobhan, fleeting visit from Heidi and Manu, through all the little things that have added up to make me love this country, and choose to stay here (for the moment!). I arrived without knowing a single person in Australia, and have built up a fabulous network of friends and surrogate family that make me feel so welcome and settled here. So while I'm not saying goodbye, I think a hiatus is perhaps called for, as I decide what's next in store.

cx

All change!

Since I last blogged there have been changes afoot, and, as is often the case, when one thing changed it precipitated a bit of a life overhaul, and now I find myself with a completely different life to the one I had a month ago!

Firstly, I got a new job, with a great company. This one. Basically Australia's number 1 producing theatre company. A month in and I'm loving it. The vibe is really positive and energetic, everyone's so passionate about theatre and it's a great atmosphere to work in. Little things about working in a producing theatre company are all so exciting, like the fact that there are rehearsals going on all the time, I'm getting to read scripts of new translations, the cast and crew are on site so my work is much more collaborative and I actually feel for the first time in ages that I'm getting to be creative every day. This is a huge inspiration to me, and I'm now spending all my free time researching about the productions and artists, totally immersing myself in the theatre world. And the company are really changing things, there's a great energy about the place. Plus I get to work on the Wharf:

Not too shabby

Pretty gorgeous. When I cycle in to work I watch the sun sparkle on the harbour water, glance up at the bridge, and want to pinch myself just to remind myself it's real! A bit of a dream job this one. Oh and this is my boss.

So the move for work necessitated a move of house, as Bondi was going to be too big a commute for me. So finally, after almost five years, I've moved away from the beach. I've got a gorgeous apartment with my friend Beth, and we're living in Rushcutters Bay.

This is a lovely bay a short walk from King's Cross station and the famous Coca Cola sign close to Sydney's city centre. I'm really enjoying being closer to the city but still having some tranquility and water nearby. In the mornings I often take a walk along the bay, which is filled with the tinkling sound of yacht masts swaying in the breeze. And yes, Siobhan, I often wander past the Rushcutters Bay Yacht Club keeping my eye out for any dishy, eligible young yacht owners :-)

Dusk on the bay

View of the city from the mouth of the bay

Our apartment is wonderfully 80s, with glass chandeliers in each room, and an entire wall of mirror tiles in the loungeroom. The bathrooms are brown and cream, and we even have a 'party oven' above the stove in the kitchen! We've got harbour views from the balcony, and a pool which it's still too cold to try out. It already feels like home, even more so after our very 80s housewarming party at the weekend!

80s hostess extraordinaire

So with a complete life overhaul I'm enjoying all the new things that have come my way. My new bicycle commute takes me through the city and round the harbour, I'm enjoying sampling the new local delis and cafes, I've joined a new pilates studio opposite the flat, I'm getting to know The Rocks area of Sydney much better, and I'm having fun getting to know my housemate Beth even more and realising how much we have in common! She's a drama teacher so our conversation often revolves around theatre, and we see lots of plays together.

Leaving the Bondi house was hard, as it's been my home for four and a half years, but sometimes there's a danger of life becoming stale if things are too familiar and comfortable, so I think this whirlwind of change is doing me good.

So now all you folks have to do is COME AND VISIT! Come on, who's my next visitor?

cx

Another long weekend

My trip away at Easter gave me an appetite for long weekends, so a bunch of friends and I decided to take a Friday and Monday off work last weekend and go down the coast for a holiday. Nick's friend Dee has a house in Jervis Bay, which I'd visited in my first winter in Australia, in the beautiful Callala beach.

Chilling out at the beach house at dusk

Nick and I headed down early on Friday, did a massive shop for food and booze on the way, and proceeded to set up the house, mooched about in the garden, and started on the wine and prawns. I made some yummy shepherd's pie for dinner, and the others joined us in the evening for dinner and evening frivolities.

Then the weekend pretty much revolved around eating and drinking, mooching about on the lawn, the beach, the sofa; punctuated by the odd game of scrabble, doing the crozzle, playing with the kids (Sam: 2, Lucy: 6 months), and reading. The boys got manly and chopped up some driftwood to light a fire, and we lay underneath an impressive canopy of stars (without the light pollution of the city).

Nick and Sam build sandcastles

Pretty good reading seat

The boys get manly and chop firewood

Oysters!

Moonrise over the ocean

Dolphins: breakfast companions

All in all a great getaway weekend, spoilt only by the fact that I broke my little toe. Back to Sydney and some great lifechanging stuff, more about that later!

cx

Easter weekend

Easter brought an extra long weekend for us here in Australia, as it coincided with a very important annual holiday, ANZAC day, where we remember people from the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps who have given their lives in service of their (and the Mother) country. My five day weekend began with a fantastic brunch at the home of my friend Beth's parents.

Spectacular brunch spread

Beth's mum is probably one of the best cooks in the whole of Sydney. Her cookbook selection is bigger than Borders' and she's a committed foodie in this city of foodies! Her annual Good Friday brunch is the hottest ticket in town, and I was lucky enough to score a seat at the table.

Never one to scrimp on breakfast possibilities, the menu was something like this. Glass of champagne on arrival (most of us brought a bottle of Moet or Veuve with us). Then homemade granola with stewed rhubarb and yoghurt to begin. Then we moved on to her magnificent corn fritters, served with sides of avocado, tomato salad, spinach. Then home made grainy bread with smoked salmon, cream cheese and horseradish sauce. Then brioche, chocolate easter cupcakes and the most incredible home made hot cross buns I've ever tasted, fresh out of the oven. A smorgasbord of deliciousness and enough to send us on our way with a full and satisfied stomach.

Amazing hot cross buns

After brunch, Nick and I got on the road and began our 6-hour drive south to Jindabyne, to stay with some friends by the lake at the foot of the Snowy Mountains. We took the coastal road south and belted out some tunes on the way, including the best of Elton John and the Dixie Chicks. We arrived in Jindabyne at Kathie and Dinni's just in time for dinner (more eating!) which was a splendid spread of prawns, fish kebabs done on the barbecue and salad.

Autumnal Easter road trip colours

View from their deck (pool in foreground, Lake Jindabyne beyond)

Kathie and Dinni own a hotel and burger shop on Mount Perisher, a popular skiing destination in the Snowy Mountains, and they have a fab location right at the bottom of the ski lifts. They work very hard for the winter season (about 5 months) and then they chill out in their lovely Lake Jindabyne home for the rest of the year (not a bad life!). We were visiting off-season but we took a trip up the mountain to check out their hotel and look at some of the summer renovations they're doing before the weather gets colder and their winter season starts again (it's looming, the nights are getting chilly!).

Ski lifts off-season

Their lovely hotel

Nick and I in front of Rock Creek Ski Club

Dinni's father is Austrian and he came over many years ago, and set up the hotel. Over the years he's shipped over some lovely artefacts and furniture which now adorn the walls and vestibules of the hotel. Franz now lives on the mountain with his nine donkeys, while his two sons run the business. He sticks his oar in now and then but he's mostly retired. We had lunch in a traditional Austrian restaurant in Jindabyne and he was very entertaining, especially after a few rounds of Schnapps.

Austrian artefacts

Franz's donkeys

The entire weekend revolved around eating and drinking, including lots of Lindt chocolate bunnies and red wine. K&D have two little chihuahuas so we did take them for a walk, but as their legs are only little it was a short walk, not quite enough to walk off all the overindulgence. We also watched movies and hung out in their lovely home.

Taking the dogs for a 'walk'

By the lake in the evening sunlight

Sunset over Jindabyne

Coming back to Sydney was difficult after such a lovely long weekend. On the way home we stopped by the Snowy Mountains hydro scheme memorial. The Snowy Mountains hydro scheme is one of the most complex integrated water and hydro-electric power schemes in the world, and was pivotal in building post-World War II Australia. Workers from 32 countries came to Australia to assist on the 50-year project and many stayed upon completion to help make the country as diverse as it is today. The tribute featured the flags from all the contributing countries, and some lovely mosaics showcasing the different elements of the lives improved by the scheme.

Tribute to those who built the Snowy Mountains hydro scheme

A model of the entire scheme

Mosaic

Now back in Sydney it's getting colder -- dropping below 20 degrees! I'm busy with work and lots of cultural commitments in the evenings but having fun. Hope you're all enjoying the days getting warmer and summer on the way.

cx

Easter roadtrip casualty

February frolicking

February was pretty busy for me, with hardly a free evening in the whole month! My housemate decided to move to America so I had to interview prospective replacements along with my other housemate. Thankfully we've found someone so we are three once more. Also I travelled up to Newcastle to do the catering for a friend's film shoot -- 3 days catering for 25 hungry people filming at a location 45 mins drive from the kitchen I had to use. Yep, crazy! But lots of fun.

Kids in Fed Square

I also flew down to Melbourne for a conference, and squeezed in a bit of birthday shopping while I was there.

About the most chilled out day of the month for me was a lovely brunch date with my friend Jill at a new cafe in Sydney, which ended up being a whole day of spontaneous joy, market shopping, ferry hopping, and plenty of eating and drinking in the inner west of Sydney. I love days like that!



It started off at Greenhouse by Joost. This is a travelling eco cafe that has made its way around the world. Not only did it have a fabulous location, down on the harbour near the Rocks, but it was also a glorious day the day we were there.

The view from the roof

The cafe is made of old transport hangars. Everything is made on-site and there is hardly any waste. Wheat is ground daily to make the bread that's baked daily in the cafe. Museli is served in old jam jars, as is the water, and the jam is served on old jar lids. The floor was made of old truck tyres, the tables covered with old waxed posters, and the water to wash your hands also flushed the toilets.

Breakfast

So cool! I loved the inventiveness, but also how it made me think about how much waste we create each and every day, and how easy it is to reduce this just by the way you live on a daily basis.

We then wandered across the Harbour Bridge to the Kirribili markets, hopped on a ferry to Balmain, walked in the sun to Rozelle where we wandered round the antique markets and I bought a lovely little teacup.

Jill on the ferry

Jillian's boyfriend Ian then joined us and we began a tour of the various pubs in Rozelle and neighbouring areas.

Sunset on the balcony of a pub

After several beers, ciders and glasses of wine we went to a Polish restaurant for a slap-up meal, and thus endeth a lovely day.

Ian and his litre of beer

cx

January's cultural snippets

Once again I indulged in plenty of culture during January as part of the Sydney Festival. Here are some of my faves from the month.

Dracula with a live score by Philip Glass and the Kronos Quartet



In the gorgeous art deco surrounds of Sydney's State Theatre, at a midnight screening attended by the bold, and by the looks of it, some of the undead, I watched the 1931 Bela Lugosi version of Dracula, with a fantastic live score composed and performed by the legendary Philip Glass, with the Kronos Quartet. Truly a rare experience and one of my festival highlights, I loved seeing the old school film tricks to create the building brooding vampiric atmosphere, including the toy bats hanging outside the windows! Marvellous.


The Red Shoes



This British theatre group, Kneehigh Theatre, came to Australia with their darkly funny and gory version of The Red Shoes story, with clogs replacing the ballet shoes of the Powell and Pressburger film, and some pretty gruesome sound effects. Loved it, and I found some of the themes it drew out incredibly interesting, and some which I'd not thought of before. It's all very pertinent to our times, the desire to have everything, without thinking of the cost.


Trocadero Dance Palace



For the Sydney Festival the beautiful newly-renovated Town Hall in Sydney was transformed into a 1940s dance hall, with a live all-girl swing band, acrobatics, and some fantastic jive dancers. Our seats were at tables along the side of the room, and the night was preceeded by a swing dance lesson. This is clearly going to become my new favourite thing, I loved it! I especially loved the eclectic mix of people attending: lots of youngsters newly into 50s fashion and dancing, along with lots of old timers who clearly remembered the Troc from the first time round, and were still pretty nifty on the dance floor.


Eddie Perfect



At midnight in the Spiegeltent we dared to witness Eddie Perfect, and his musical comedy. This guy's show skirted close to the boundaries of good taste, but I did find him very funny, and ultimately I like his politics and what he chooses to take the piss out of. He definitely lost some of the rest of the audience along the way though!


My Bicycle Loves You



Found footage from the 1920s was projected onto various objects at the Sydney Theatre, while various dance and acrobatic pieces were performed, interacting with the film footage and using it as inspiration. I thought it a little disjointed and long, but some of the set pieces were awe-inspiring and the film footage itself was incredible. I'd quite like to have seen more of that.


Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend's Boyfriend



The primary reason why I went to see this show is because Mike often appears on one of my favourite podcasts, This American Life. His stand-up show My Girlfriend's Boyfriend was a lovely meandering tale which delighted the audience and was one of the most popular shows in the festival. This guy is really funny, and has a broad appeal, and really wasn't afraid to take a shot at himself in order to raise laughs.


The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik



I didn't see much theatre as a child so I try to make up for it as much as possible now I work in a venue, and make a point of seeing as much live theatre as I can. I find the psychology of kids' theatre fascinating, because almost as much time can be spent keeping the audience's attention as actually telling the story. This wonderful tale of a deep sea explorer, told with puppets and lights, was captivating and one of the best family shows I've ever seen. It was also surprisingly moving.


A Life in Three Acts



I knew nothing about the life of Bette Bourne before going to see this monologue, delivered by him, telling the story of his life. What a character! He grew up in London round the corner from where I used to live in Stoke Newington, and was a driving force in the early Gay Liberation movement, and one of the first people to openly dress in drag in the UK. His tales of living in a drag commune were hilarious, and his story was incredibly moving, as well as informative of that key period in the history of gay rights. In particular I loved all the old photographs he'd found, which were projected onto a screen behind him as he spoke.

Another cultural highlight of January was going to the Ashes! Yes, I got to cheer on the victorious England team at the SCG as they trounced the Aussies, much to the upset of my friends. I also realised what fun going to a cricket match can be. It's basically just a whole day in the sun eating and drinking, and you get little radios to wear in your ear that transmit the ABC radio coverage, which really add to the experience!

Lots more fun was had over the summer, including more gigs, theatre, eating, drinking, and chilling out, despite the rather rubbish weather this year (lots of rain).

cx

Farewell 2010, Hola 2011

At the turn of the year it's always tempting to take stock of one's life, and turn over some new leaves in anticipation of the renewed energy the new year brings.

2010 was an interesting year, a year of transition but ultimately not a huge year for achievement. Looking back on my resolutions for the year I think I managed to succeed with about one and a half of the three, which I guess isn't bad going but it's not so great either. I certainly started the year on a better footing than 2009, with a NYE party at Nick's where I outrageously died my hair pink. A year of bad hair ensued, from which I am only now recovering!

I have travelled quite a bit this year again, with a trip to Darwin, a jaunt in Byron Bay, a conference in Brisbane, an escape to a country Queensland music festival and several other little weekends away. Of course a highlight was another big trip to Europe, and my first UK Christmas in a long time.

Life on the open road

Another resolution was around cooking, to explore new recipes and grow my culinary vocabulary. I can confidently say this was a resolution I stuck to, and I've tried many new recipes this year. They have primarily been of the dessert variety, much to the pleasure of my friends!

My spectacular book club cheesecake

Chocolate and cherry cupcakes

The resolution to grow green fingers was a complete disaster. The garden I had been cultivating is sadly no more, and I have simply not had the time or the patience to try again this year. Perhaps gardening is something I should leave until later in life, when I have my own garden or someone to help me with the hard work it entails. I'm considering getting involved with Landshare Australia, a movement which aims to connect people with land and people with the time and energy to contribute, in order to enable more people to grow their own food.

So here's to 2011, and let's hope it's a more productive year than 2010. My resolutions for this year are:

SORT LIFE OUT: Pass my driving test, get my Australian Citizenship, clear the credit card

CULINARY: A continuation of last year's resolution, but to try more savoury dishes this year

LEARNING: Continue to learn Spanish, look into some further postgrad study, learn to sew clothes

Not so thrilling but they're there at least. Let's see how I go this year.

cx