Gates of Bedlam Too

Yes, and it went just like that !

Friday night we went to one of our semi-regular DVD nights. We're currently watching Twin Peaks - please don't ask me what it all means!

Saturday was an all day rehearsal for MUS' upcoming concert. The rehearsal went pretty well - about as well as they do when you suddenly find yourself in a completely different venue with different acoustics and no longer being able to hear the same parts as you could before and then adding in an orchestra which plays parts you haven't heard before and an organ that doesn't seem to be able to do soft very well in the registration that you want it to play in.

But it is going to be a great concert. I was just a bit concerned when the theme was announced at the end of last year as Songs of Protest. I was concerned as I really didn't think I wanted to sing another lot of prettied up songs from the 60s protest era. Fortunately, it's not that. It's music as an expression of protest over the last 100 years or so. It has songs from the women's emancipation era, civil rights (from the 60s and before), south african songs and many more PLUS it has the Jenkins 'Armed Man Mass' - which is in no way a traditional mass and it is very emotionally confronting in some movements. All in all, it's not a concert for you to sit back comfortably and listen to pretty noises.

Sunday we went up to Aberglasslyn to see a display house. It's high on our list of possibilities and isn't on display in Sydney. yalovetz and i_ate_my_crusts came along for the ride and were very patient with our looking through houses. After that we set the iPhone to take us to Pokolbin to see what we might find in the way of interesting eating places. It took us through some small country roads (I have no idea whether that was really the best way to get from where we were to Pokolbin) and, on a small country road, we saw a sign out for a restaurant that seemed to indicate it was open even though it was about 2.30. We lucked out! I can recommend the Major's Lane Restaurant. I had the quail starter (Preserved lemon roasted Nulkaba quail, walnut,almond, parsley and merlot verjus pesto) and the duck (Glaze roasted duck breast, confit duck and potato galette, caramelised witlof, corella pear and rocket) for main course. Both were excellent and I tasted Styvyn's fillet steak and it was also mouth-watering. In fact, all the food looked good - at our table there was also barbecued ocean trout (which had severely tempted me before I settled on the duck) and salt and vinegar grilled pork loin cutlet. I might write more about this in Elysant's kitchen.

While we were at the restaurant, the weather closed in and we were treated to a tremendous rainstorm. We were outside, but under a huge pavilion, so we didn't really get wet though it got a little chilly. Eventually, the storm passed and we decided it was time to head back to Sydney.

Started for me on Thursday evening when we caught up with i_ate_my_crusts and yalovetz for dinner and shopping (stationery as it turned out). Friday I got to sleep in and then farnarkle around long enough that I had to rush to get the supplies I needed to make something for Dancing Cooks that night.

'Dancing Cooks' was very strange as we had no dancing teacher, but we had 4 musicians. So it was rehearsal for them and the rest of us tried to remember the dance steps- some more successfully than others. After that, we went out clubbing with some friends up from Tassie (and a few other mutual friends). I discovered that, if I wear earplugs, I can actually stand to stay inside and dance for more than ten minutes. Other times I've tried, my ears would start to hurt. Now just to find a place that plays decent music... (No, I don't mean old music, just stuff that doesn't all sound the same and isn't all at the same tempo - or put together by djs that aren't trying to dance to it!)

So, in bed by 4 in the morning, but not by much. We were heading off to the B&B's 5th anniversary picnic the next morning - so it was well in the afternoon by the time we got there, but we managed to run into some other friends (tqd and family) while we were shopping for picnic food and books in Newtown. Picnic was relaxed and fun and Observatory Park is a lovely place that doesn't seem too busy - though maybe the wind was keeping the crowds down.

We went home and grabbed an hour or so of much-needed sleep before heading off to see Cirque du Soleil's "Dralion". The whole experience was awesome! We had lashed out and gone for the 'Tapis Rouge' tickets and that just added tot he feel of the evening - that and having payed for them so far in advance that the pain had faded. :) Free parking, free alcohol (red & white wine, champagne, beer and some soft drinks) and nibbles (sushi, chinese pork buns etc) and a few other bits and pieces - not to mention good seats! And the show was just wonderful! Styvyn asked me today what my favourite bit was and I really can't decide. Although the show is certainly influenced by eastern art forms, it really is a fusion and the music, except the drumming, was more influenced by european forms than asian ones but the show worked as a whole - even the clowns. All I can say is that my inner child came out happy as well as did the outer adult. Go see it if you have a chance!