The Crucible and other stories...

I'll jump straight into my weekend stories as it is getting onto midnight and i should go to bed really, but i am not tired at all...possibly because i slept so late this morning. But on weekends, who can help themselves??

So, Saturday i got up early enough to actually have breakfast, which, given the above statement, is quite the achievement. The sun actually came out, and after the rainy week we had, i decided to go for a walk to feel the sunshiney goodness on my face - it was pretty warm out too. The rest of the day was spend doing basically nothing. I finished reading this month's Vogue, finished my book, started a new one (which is turning out to be excellent by the way - The Road Home, by Rose Tremain, sad, uplifting, hopeful, despairing...all these things at once, so you know it's going to be good), browsed the Internet...then before i knew it, it was getting close to 6 and we had to leave!

We were going to Walsh Bay to see a play, The Crucible, put on by the Sydney Theatre Company. Jo really had to be convinced to see this one, but i hope it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be - when i asked him what he thought of it, he said it was very intense - he stayed awake through the whole thing anyway, so that was a good thing!

I really enjoyed it - it was a play i enjoyed reading, by Arthur Miller, a playwright whose work i really admired (and whose marriage to Marilyn Monroe still puzzles me) - and overall i thought the STC did a good job with it. I had read a mixed review in the SMH that had put me off slightly, but no - it was enjoyable in the end, and as Jo described, definitely intense. The notion of hysteria, and how quickly it can spread, is still relevant today - Swine Flu is a recent case in point.

Here we are tramping about Walsh Bay:

If you think Jo looks slightly confused in the above photo, you would be correct. Apparently i did not give enough warning that the photo was going to be taken, naughty me.

Back home, we watched the Crusaders lose to the Bulls in the semi finals, much to our disappointed. When asked to comment, Jo could only shake his head and say "Oh dear." I thought they played valiantly, considering they were in South Africa, which is always a hard crowd and hard environment. Plus, no one even thought they would get to the semi's since they were a bit sloppy overall this season, so good job to get there too!

OK, no more boring sport.

Today, i went to high tea at the observatory hotel with Ashley and my friend Linda. We had a really great afternoon, gossiping away as the sky cleared and the sun came out again. I always enjoy a yummy high tea, though Ashley said she felt a bit out of place since she usually liked to "eat with her hands". I advised her to refrain during tea.

Highlights from the afternoon:

Ashley: "My Mom was riding horses up until a few weeks before i was born. She thought i wasn't going to come out for at least another couple of months."

Linda: "Oh, so you were born really premature then?"

Ashley: "No, she's just a retard."

Pure gold folks.

Here are some pics from our fun-filled afternoon:

Ashley enjoying her tea (another Weird Ashley Food Discovery - the girl does not like scones!! But believe me, there have been many such discoveries - can anyone say apple slices with peanut butter? I know she will read this and rage at me later that it's perfectly normal and acceptable, but i shall not relent, as it is neither i tell you!!!)

We took a stroll up to Custom House near Circular Quay station - if you go inside, there is a pretty cool 3D model of Sydney city constructed under a glass floor, so you can sort of walk all over it - it's very cool actually, if you haven't seen it, next time you are in the area stop by and check it out!

Ashley admiring one of our great landmarks....

So we had a good time all in all!


Tonight, Jo and i watched Fracture, with Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling of The Notebook fame - he is lovely isn't he *beams*. Then i got to watching some English show about bratty kids who get sent to a bratty kids camp to try and straighten them out before they turn into murders and drug dealers and the like...strangely addictive actually...

And now here we are, and it's good night from me :)