This is a photo of Clare and I at the Mountain Goats at The Zoo last night. Oh wait wrong caption but we could be called a pair of Galahs I guess. Though this pair of Galahs are a male and female, like bird seed and spending their days flying about the Glasshouse Mountains so I probably quit whilst I am ahead.
The above photo is from earlier in the day when we went up to visit Grandad at the farm. Had a pretty quiet day at the farm, washed the car (much easier to do at the farm where there are no water restrictions like in Brisbane), picked beans, had lunch and had fun with my camera taking photos of a small selection of the birds who visit Grandad for his good looks and charming conversation (ok they like the bird bath and seed he leaves out, a girl has to have an imagination).
Once we had returned from the farm and I had had a short power nap it was into the valley to meet Clare to go to The Mountain Goats and John Vanderslice (JV) show at The Zoo.
It was Clare’s first ‘Goats show so she didn’t really have anything to compare it to so I am pretty sure she had a good time. I on the other hand well there were parts of the show I enjoyed such as Peter Hughes passing a bottle of Jameson’s around the crowd or the encore of covers or JV joining the boys on stage after a couple of songs and staying there for the rest of the night and providing some cool harmonies. Overall though compared to the last two ‘Goats shows this seemed to missing the magic, the crowd was a lot more somber and there was a lot less singing along and dancing at this show.
The biggest bummer of the night though was that they had sold of shirts the night before in Sydney 🙁 🙁 🙁
Well we arrived back in reality yesterday and it is certainly a change from what life was like for the past week.
Woodford was everything I imagined it to be and a hundred times more. The music, the food, the people, the vibe. I had a blast and would happily go back tomorrow working 5hr shifts in the little grocery store, cruising round discovering new bands and kicking back to old ones, eating good food and finding all sorts of cool things in the shops the only problem might be that I would probably run out of money at one stage. mmmm Woodford Rocked!
Next year I want to camp in a better place with different people (read:not my brother and his friends) and change my mobile provider because my much loved Vodafone does not love Woodford much at all (why can’t the mobile providers be nice people and co-operate and share coverage). Though I did survive without a computer for the week, having a mobile with extremely patchy reception was not fun because it was chewing the batteries searching for reception all the time and I am still yet to receive a message from Clare that she sent on the 30th. mmmm.
Music wise I had a blast, I only missed two or three bands that I really wanted to see but I can go see them round here anyway and if not I will see them at Blues and Roots in April
I will quite happily admit that the one of the major drawcards (actually probably the drawcard, the tipping stone) in making me go to Woodford this year was the fact that Women in Docs(WiD) were playing a couple of gigs and oh what a delight that was.
It was great seeing them play and it is hard to believe that it took me what seven years? to see them play and get a couple of CD’s. I missed one of the shows as I was working but the other two I caught and they finished their set with the most delightful cover that I have not been able to get out of my head – Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show. They have two gigs in Brissie in a bit less than a month’s time so we will of course go and check them out. Hopefully there will be some Tin Roof action at one of those because there wasn’t at Woodford 🙁
Over the years I have seen Tim and the Whitlams numerous times, but this relatively smallish gig at the Grande tent topped the list. It was Tim, a keyboard and a mike doing what he does best singing those songs. He made small talk with the crowd at the front and played requests as people yelled them out to him. Though he didn’t get round to doing Kate Kelly.
For me the music I saw pretty much divided into two broad categories of folky/rocky/vocal centered and then the funky/roots/fusion jazz/designed to get you shaking that tail feather. Pablo Discobar and De Jah Groove, Blue King Brown and Troy ‘n’ Trevelyn (now known as Banawurn) in the funk pile along with some others. Very much prefect music for some late night hip shaking.
One of the highlights had to be the 80’s Singalong, the Concert tent was filled with people singing, dancing and laughing as we were lead by a merry group of singers on the stage.
Whilst most of the songs were on the poppier side of the 80’s, the closing song Livin’ on a Prayer went off and I think the whole tent started laughing when Roz decided rock out and go for the stage dive. This photo actually for some reason reminds me of Joan Jett, can’t quite place why but it does.
Ms Clare came up to Woodford with her friend Katie for the couple of days that Katie’s band was playing and then departed. It was great fun to meet Katie though and to cruise the streets of Woodford with the both of them plus the various people Katie collected along the way.
Sporting their hippie head bands
Ms Clare trying to tempt me with a piece of Sushi (it didn’t work).
The two food highlights for me at Woodford would have to have been the Byron Bay Organic Doughnuts and the Hungarian Langos place. The doughnuts were so so good and pretty darn cheap. The cinnamon one was classic and a good snack but the chocolate filled ones were just like heaven in a little hunk of dough. mmmm but messy, I had melted dark chocolate all over me. The Langos were also so good and I am going to try my hand at making them at home. mmm tasty!
I also picked up a skirt, a dress, a couple of scarves, a couple of bangles and some other assorted trinkets. Plus a whole stack of CDs and quite a few gigs to go to in the coming weeks and more CDs to buy from the stores here.
Matthew and I are still wearing our wristbands and are having a mini competition to see who can leave it on the longest :). Oh and a gumboot report is coming, so watch out!
I was to young (read: not even thought of) when Woodstock was on so instead I am heading up to Wood(ford)stock (Woodford Folk Festival) for the coming week with my brother who went up this morning and another one of my friends who will be there for a couple of days.
It is currently drizzling here (Rain, what is rain?). Which means that maybe I will get to wear my gumboots round the site at Woodford, I painted them up last night so my feet will not get lost in the crowd!
Matthew and I are both going as volunteers which means we get free entry and camping in exchange for 5hrs work each day. I will be in the general store and Matthew will be working in one of the bars. I can’t wait for the bands to start playing tomorrow as there are so many bands that I know I want to see and I am sure there will be many others I will discover!
We come home on Jan 2nd so I don’t plan on been in contact before then. Have a good New Years and enjoy the rest of Boxing Day today 🙂
The Christmas tree was decorated on friday night after I came home from work at 9pm and before Matthew went to work at 12am. The presents are under the tree. The smoked mutton leg was picked up yesterday. Mum is currently in the kitchen working on the glazed carrots and cauliflower au gratin. The table is set. Christmas carols are playing.
We are just waiting for it to get dark enough. It is 6:45pm and it is still fairly bright outside. If we were true to our Icelandic roots we would be sitting down to dinner at 6pm like the rest of the country when the bells ring out across the country. I remarked to Mum before that we are some of the first people in the world to celebrate Christmas as we follow our Icelandic roots and celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. You have to love the fact that the International Date Line is just two timezones away 🙂
We had a Christmas afternoon tea before with our “surrogate” grandmother which was lovely and tomorrow we will have an Australian Christmas at the Farm with Grandad. Karl also rang up this afternoon before we had afternoon and we had a nice hour long chat with him which was just the most delightful Christmas present.
Christmas Menu
Smoked leg of Mutton
Mashed potatoes
Cauliflower au Gratin
Glazed Carrots
Peas
Dessert
Christmas Rice Pudding.
I leave you with this Christmas tree that I made with Grandmum many, many, many Christmases ago. 10 perhaps? It is made out of polystyrene trays from the butcher 🙂
Mum bought a food dehydrator (EziDri Snackmaker) the other week. A couple of days ago I picked up 3.5kg of tomatoes at a bargain basement price at the local fruit shop. I came home, quartered them and put them on dry. Mmm the house smelt like tomatoes and now we have about 400g of dried tomatoes! I love putting some tomatoes and cheese on a slice of bread and putting it under the griller for a very yummy snack.
I also finally bought my self a pasta maker the other night when a local(ish) kitchenware shop was having 20% off and I have had a ball making tagliatelle and linguine. It also tastes so yummy and even after I have dried the pasta for storage it still cooks in an instant which is fantastic. I will have to take a photo of it later. Tonight for tea we are going to have Mum’s Bolognese with my pasta.
Well, I now have a piece of paper that says I rock ok it says I can now add letters after my name if I wish and that I am permitted to tell people that I have a Bachelor of Arts in Asian and International Studies. There was a 11 of us graduating from that degree this year and 7 of us were at the ceremony which was nice. We were also the first cabs off the rank so I was the fifth person to walk across the stage 😀
awww, don’t I look pretty? Pity you can’t really see my rocking dress, so I guess I will have to take some photos of the dress so you can see how much it rocks. And look, I am wearing heels! I own one pair and have had them since 2000 🙂
Michelle, Martina, Lydie, Kate and myself. Some of the girls I have had classes with over the last two years
Helen as a Jedi Knight or perhaps I am really a Sith Lord? No. I think I prefer to think I am a Jedi Knight. When Matthew graduates and if he goes to his ceremony I will buy him a light saber so I can take a photo of him as a Jedi Knight.
I don’t think there is really much else to say about the ceremony. I rocked up, picked up my robes and was dressed by the uni staff, sat in a seat, walked across the stage, I doffed my trencher at the Chancellor, received a fake degree paper, walked off stage and was given my real degree paper, walked back to my seat and cheered and clapped for the other people we knew, walked out of the theatre and had photos taken, de-robed, picked up my free drink and went home.
