Adelaide Festival

Festival Favourites

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There is always a lot to choose from in Adelaide at this time of year.

One of my favourites – for being beautiful was going to the Botanic Gardens for the Chihuly glass exhibition.

We saw this in Kew Gardens London a few years ago so I was keen to see it here in Adelaide. I wasn’t disappointed. Most pieces on display are different to the exhibition in London.

We arrived in the afternoon light as it was getting toward sunset. Beautiful.

We visited the deck cafe for a G& T and something to eat before starting the trail around the park visiting the 16 sites of glass. about 2.5km of walking.

There was music. This week it’s Texas a country western band. Lots of fun.

Then we started walking. It’s dark along the path with fairy lights directing you around.

I’ll just post my favourite. Though all were stunning.

We’ve also been to a few fringe shows at night. One with Louise Messenger who we saw 2 years ago when she sang Ella Fitzgerald. This time it was stories of love…. And sometimes breakups!

She was great.

For another change we went just into the hill to Sleeps Hill to the old tunnels from the train that ran up the hill and through to Melbourne between 1879 and finishing in 1919. Then it became a mushroom farm and is now privately owned and open to the public during festival time.

It’s a curious place. Underground with big thick brick walls painted white. You walk through about 600 metre of tunnel. Divided by big black curtains each section has something different. A bit about the history, photos of the time.

Then movies on the ceiling of different plants – mushrooms moving. Then paper mushrooms painted amazing fluro colours.

The last section was the train heading toward Adelaide coming out of the tunnel

I’m back at writers week after having day 4 off. Is all a bit overwhelming to be there everyday. and quite hot.

Today I listened to Daisy Goodwin talk about her novel Diva about Maria Callas and to Dava Sobel and her book on Marie Curie. Very interesting

Then a session on writers using place to effect in their writing.

Now at one on history.

Lots of Trump talk! The session with Nick Bryant was great. He’s a journalist who has lived in the states and written about the political history of the US. He has great insight. And he’s moved back to Australia. Says it all!

Steve returned to Brisbane today. Hopefully he gets back before the cyclone winds of Alfred get too much.

Adelaide Festival Time…. Again

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I look forward to this time of the….. visiting family during festival time. And it’s made extra special as my choir are performing once more at the Fringe Festival.

Our choir, called Soul Singers , are doing as fun interactive show called Bangers & Mash Ups. It’s a combination of popular songs gathered into themes. Love Bangers, Boy Band, Rock Bangers etc. loads of fun and interactive for the audience.

Yes, it a sell out. Over 800 tickets have been sold. Not too bad ! And the envy of many other fringe shows I’m sure.

We arrived Thursday and it’s been all singing and family since then. Apart from my morning walk. The streets of Adelaide are still beautiful despite the lack of rain.

Residents seem to accept that gardens and lawns will turn brown during the hot dry summer months. They will regenerate later when rain finally arrives.

Fast forward…….

A week has passed. The concert went so well. Lots of fun.

What have I been doing this week?

Steve and I went to the pool at Burnside a few times. I have a swim trek to prepare for in June.

I’ve been walking everyday. The start are shaded so despite the heat it’s cool under all the shady trees.

We went to Zooma Zooma a fun musical festival show. I always love visiting the Garden of Unearthly Delights.

More walking. Lots of lovely walks here in Adelaide. Interesting suburban park at Unley with sculptures.

A visit to Payneham for the Soul Song choir there. There are Soul Song choir in 4 states. Find one near you. Payneham was fun.

Cindy the choir leader gives a great warm up using her drum.

Out to Glenelg for lunch with a view. Fish’n chips of course.

And two birthday parties.

One for Magnus 15 and one for Florence 7

Magnus requested a Wollies mud cake despite his mum Vashti offering any cake 🎂 he wanted – from the WW cake book. Florence chose the unicorn.

We made it to before school big band concert at Soraya’s school. She’s 17 and in Yr 12. her formal was on Friday. So lots of activity around that.

After the excitement of my choir gig it’s been lots of family time and relaxing.

More next week from the wonderful Writer’s Week

And the Heat Goes On

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Yes it’s a hot one in Adelaide. Quite the heat wave going on here. But so different to Brisbane which swamps you with humidity. Here is a searing dry heat.

We manage – helped along by Margs beautiful ducted aircon.

Our friends Peter ( Macca) and Elizabeth from Crescent Heads are long time friends from waterpolo days. We met poolside in Sydney after our sons were selected in the Australian under 21 side. they looked like fun so I suggested we share a place in Naples where the world champs were held in July 2003. Now we catch up and travel together.

Elizabeth found a tour, a tasting and lunch at Penfolds winery Magill. It’s just on the edge of the city.

A beautiful collection of old buildings which are still in use today producing the Penfolds renowned Magill Eatate wine.

The family developed the wine business starting in 1844 in the Magill area of Adelaide. This stands today as the closest winery in the city though most of the grapes are grown in the Barossa and other wine areas.

The legendary wine maker Max Schubert put the winery on the map with his Grange series. As part of the tasting after the tour we got to try the Grange as well as the Magill Estate. And their Chardonnay is a good taster as well!

After tasting six wines we were ready to eat. So off to the Magill restaurant for a delicious lunch. Italian Burrata is a favourite of mine now and made a lovely start to lunch. Followed by Kingfish ceviche I was very happy. Catching up with Elizabeth and Peter is a great treat. We’ve travelled together many times during and after our sons Waterpolo careers. World championships, Olympic Games and trips to NY and we travel happily with many laughs.

The lunch crowd was in full flight. It is obviously a popular place with locals as well as visitors to Adelaide. Next up was a tasty piece of beef and honeycomb chocolate mousse. By now I was done!

We had met another couple during the tour and tasting and they joined us for coffee. George and Francesca from Scotland. Such a lovely couple we shared many travel stories and laughs as the afternoon slipped away.

Peter, George Francesca myself and Steve after a very long lunch!

Fun at the Festivals.

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We’ve tried to catch a few shows in between attending the Writers session. There’s so much on it gets hard to fit it all in.

We went to the State Library into the beautiful old Mortlock Chambers. Emma Knight, a well known Adelaide Musician & writer has developed a show around books. She looked back at her favourites, chose a line from the book and wrote a song around it. Such an original idea and it was well done. In the intimate setting of the beautiful room with balconies we enjoyed an hour of entertainment unlike any other show.

Mortlock Chambers
Emma Knight

It was a warm evening so we went to the nearby 2KW rooftop bar for a drink and bite to eat. It has the best burrata dish. And a great view.

With friends Linda, Elizabeth & Peter McGregor from Crescent Head

The next night we went to a Pub Singalong quiz show. Lots of fun & interaction.

From the singalong we headed to the Garden of Unearthly Delights. It’s a big garden – a party hub of venues with shows of all types from comedy to music to burlesque. We saw Nurse Georgie Carroll. She was a nurse and now is a comedian. She has a big routine of stories! Very funny and nurses would love it. She has a signer in stage with her and that was hilarious to watch. Seeing her signing some of the things being said and described was so funny.

Google her and have a laugh. One of the lines I enjoyed was ‘menopause has stolen the rest of my sentence’.

Another full Festival day. We’ve set a cracking pace but it’s great fun.

Music in the Hills

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We’ve always gone to Ukaria in the Adelaide Hill for an Adelaide Festival concert. I always enjoy it.

Ukaria was built to house beautiful performances.

Taken from their website.

The performance this year was called Dawn.

It was a stunning performance. The quartet was wonderful but the second piece a Beethoven for Violin and piano was simply amazing. The playing was so wonderful it is hard to describe. The room was spellbound and at the end stood and applauded.

We followed this with a visit to a park in Mt Barker to see the Disco Dogs. It would be better at night when the dogs are lit up but still fun in the day. Music is coming from the dogs and you can walk around and through them and dance along.

The park had a great Sunday afternoon vibe. Food vans picnicking families and beautiful weather.

A quick visit to niece Vashti and her family in nearby Balhannah rounded off the afternoon.

Adelaide Fringe Fever Festival

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Two Fringe events in one night. Wow!

Two very different shows.

The first one at one of the many squares ( should they be called piazzas!) in Adelaide.

Called 80’s Ladies it probably would not be my first choice but my niece Vashti a professional Sax player was in the band for the show. and it was great.

It was a riot of fluro. See niece Vashti with her saxophone 🎷 in the background of the above photo. It was loud , fun, and our group were definitely the oldest in the crowd!

Somehow it was great fun. I sang along to 80’s songs like Working 9 to 5 and It’s Raining Men…… and we came out smiling.

The show finished ….. we sat outside having a Gin & Tonic looking at the trapeze artists then walked a few blocks to another Square – all lit up and in party mode.

We scrambled into the Speigeltent, found seats and settled in for Elephant Man the Musical. You probably remember the sad story of the Elephant Man. A movie starring John Hurt. Now thanks to a wonderful director – a local team – including musician husband & wife – it’s now a musical.

Complete with a ringmaster, beautiful nurse, evil Doctor, assorted musicians, actors and the sad elephant man we clapped and sang and shed a tear through the musical journey of the elephant man.

After thunderous applause we left the tent to meet the actors outside. My niece knew the music writers from her days of studying jazz at the uni.

Vashti meets her old uni friend – composer of the music.

This original Australian production is co-directed by the Olivier-award winning, Edinburgh and Adelaide Fringe veteran Guy Masterson alongside Christopher Mitchell. This gothic fairy tale retelling is as hysterical and heartwarming as it is heartbreaking. It’s going to Melbourne soon if you happen to live there.

We followed the next afternoon with a visit to the old Capri theatre complete with art deco foyer, velvet chairs and old style organ. It’s gorgeous and if I lived here I’d be on the volunteers list and work here. We saw the new Fisherman’s Friends movie. A great fun viewing.

Capri Theatre , Goodwood Adelaide.
Restored art deco foyer

We could go to shows morning, noon and night. It’s a feast here during Festival time. You should try and come one year.

Observations of a Writer’s Festival – Adelaide

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My postings have been a little thin this week.

I’ll blame the weather! It’s been cool and a little rainy so I’ve jumped in and out of the Writers Week.

The program is for me a little hit and miss. Wednesday I jumped between Sloane Crosley and Holly Ringland and her editor.

I really enjoyed Holly Ringland the day before. She wrote The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart. And is now promoting The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding. Holly is an engaging author and describes herself as a sensory writer. She uses all her senses and places her writing in a natural setting.

Also on Tuesday I heard Sally Hepworth. She writes fiction with a twist. A little murder….. family settings. It’s very popular here and in America where some of her books are set and all around the world.

Sally Hepworth on the move.

I went to a session with Inala Cooper a Yawuru woman with German and Irish heritage. In her book Marrul: Aboriginal Identity and the Fight for Rights, she shares a deeply personal and moving account of the impact of colonisation on her family.

The session was enlightening. Inala is a very good speaker and the moderator Amy Mc Quire was very good at letting us get to know Inala. Her father Mick Dobson and Uncle Pat have been involved in trying to forge a treaty. We heard about their trip to Geneva for the UN work on treaties with indigenous cultures from around the world.

I’ve also heard one of my favourites – author John Boyne. He was on a panel with other Irish writers Esther Freud and Louise Kennedy. And he had a session talking about his sequel to the Boy in Striped Pyjamas. I’m reading All the Broken Places at the moment and it’s wonderful.

You get a feeling for who is very popular with the audience. John Boyne is popular.

The audiences are mostly over a certain age. Others are probably at work! There are the usual seasoned writers week attendees. They know how to scurry into a good seat – reserving one for their fictional friend so they are not too crowded ( until approached by a game person who questions the empty seat with a bag on it)

I love a spot of eavesdropping at these gatherings. You have time before a session starts. Lots of little discussions usually involving books. There are some wonderfully well read people here. Books have definitely not gone out of fashion.

I had to leave for a while on the last day for an online ADFAS meeting. What is ADFAS? It’s a society for those interested in lectures by wonderful speakers on topics of a decorative & fine art nature. Check it out here : google ADFAS

Peter Fitzsimons without his trademark red bandana.

I arrived back to hear the booming slightly overpowering voice of Peter Fitzsimons. My goodness does that man like the sound of his own voice. He writes histories of people and events in Australia. His latest one The Battle of Long Tan is about the Vietnam War.

The moderator for the session didn’t have to ask many questions.

The last session of the week is probably the most relaxed and enjoyable Alexander McCall Smith. The sun was out. It was delightfully warm and what a treat. He is author of so many books – over 80 I believe & he kept us entertained with descriptions of his characters from books in his series. I’m listening to the audio The Bertie Project from his 44 Scotland St series. Set in an Edinburgh apartment block the characters are delightful. Especially 6 year old Bertie ! Have a read it’s easy and full of fun characters.

His series set in Botswana features Precious Ramotswe who is kind, wise and good. Precious solves crimes in a cosy readable way. Then there is the Isobel Dalhousie series. …… I could go on …..but check out his website if you don’t know his books.

https://www.alexandermccallsmith.co.uk/books/

And so the Writers Week in Adelaide concludes. It’s wonderful. It’s free ( I’m going to give a donation to keep it free!) and it’s usually great weather!

WHAT! RAIN !!!!

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I’ve been coming to the Adelaide Writers Week for a few years and never had rain. But yesterday afternoon it started and in the evening there was rumbling thunder and lots of rain.

But I didn’t go to hear writers yesterday. We went to The Jade, a small venue in the city with a small stage & a bar !

We were at the Knitting Cabaret.

Melanie Gall. The Knitting Singing Lady.

What is that I hear you asking. Performed by a young Canadian woman Melanie Gall, it is storytelling and song all at once. And knitting. We were encouraged to bring our knitting. Which our group did.

The performance told the story of the importance of knitting during the World Wars. There are hundreds of knitting songs. Who knew!

And along with old slides of photographs of the time we knitted and enjoyed the singing the storytelling and the glass of wine!

The show started with Melanie asking if anyone had anything to share. Normally people are a bit shy. Not these knitters. They were up in the small stage showcasing their wooly wraps and shrugs and socks.

Today, Monday is cloudy and trying not to rain. Steve and I got the bus to North Terrace and walked to the Pioneer Gardens. Behind Government house this year there are no gates. No covid restrictions means no checking in as you arrive.

Very free and easy.

The programme today is very full. Three stages going from 9.30 through to the last session at 6! Im not sure I’ll last that long.

Lots of choice.

First session has just finished and featured 4 writers who have written biographies of other writers.

Very interesting session and makes me want to embrace Biography a little more.

Have you read The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland. she turned out to be a very insightful speaker. She very sensitive and describes her own writing as sensory. She is very much influenced by nature.

She talked about her latest book character Aura and why she has her covered with many tattoos. She also has many tattoos and said ‘Choosing to alter her skin. She wanted something to come out not to put something on the skin. …..Not a marking a revealing.

Next up are the Irish writers. Headed by John Boyne – just about my favourite writer also Louise Kennedy & Esther Freud.

It was not the funny Irish session one might have expected! Rather serious about the extent of the cruelty of the nuns & priests. Finally John Boyne said ….. “we must remember that the Irish are wonderful people, I love being Irish and we are learning from the past. “ He provided a few humorous moments.

I bought both books.

There’s so much on today and tomorrow.

Follow along……..

Off to Adelaide

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For those of you who usually follow along ….. I’m off to Adelaide. Writers Week , the Festival and the Fringe.

Adelaide airport is big and very well set up with local products for sale and even a piano for the talented ( or not so ) to play.

Always so much to see and do in this accessible festival city. We are lucky to be able to stay with Steve’s sister not far from the city. We enjoy seeing my niece Vashti , her husband and four children. Always fun

I flew down yesterday and we met Steve off the Overlander train from Melbourne. He had driven our friends MG from Brisbane to Melbourne for them, staying with friends along the way. Needless to say- he loves driving.

We spent the first night catching up with family and looking ….. and booking tickets to festival events and planning who I would see during Writers Week. It’s been particularly controversial this year with new director Louise Adler booking some speakers with strong views and opinions on the Israel – Palestinian situation as well as the Ukrainian Russian war. It’s providing a lot a comment in the papers and on TV.

This morning I headed out for a walk in the tree lined streets admiring the sandstone houses – so different from Brisbane’s wooden houses.

This afternoon we went yo our first Fringe event. A play called Recalibrate. It was in a tiny theatre call The Lab with a wonderful courtyard for drink before or after.

My nieces friend Katie was in the play about a mother , her two daughters and a student of the mother. Well presented, good acting and only a little confusing!

In the late afternoon we are enjoying the great weather with a Gin & Tonic and getting out our knitting needles for a Cabernet show tomorrow.

I’ve started knitting a snood! A small project I’m hoping to finish. A small circular scarf for the neck. Tomorrow should be very funny!

I’m starting the Writers Week on Monday. There may be some controversial speakers but there are some I really enjoy reading. So I’ll be going to see John Boyne, you must read The Hearts Invisible Furies and Echo Chamber. Also Alex Miller – A Brief Affair. Bill Browder, Sally Hepworth, Jane Harper. Just to name a few

Check out the program and tell me who you would like to hear.

https://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/writers-week/writers-week-schedule/?dateId=16969

The sky is blue , it’s warm but not hot and Adelaide looks beautiful. It will be a good week.

Adelaide you are THE Festival City

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Last year was my first Adelaide Writer’s Week, Fringe and Festival visit.

It was so good I came back this year – and brought friends for Writer’s Week if you read my earlier blogs you’ll know how much we enjoyed that week.

This week is I’m spending time with the family. My niece Vashti is a musician but isn’t in any festival shows this year, unfortunately. But we’ve been to a few great shows.

Last week we saw a band playing Blues & Soul , for women comedians and a very funny choir.

This week we went up to the Adelaide Hills to Ukaria. This cultural Centre is purpose built for chamber music.

Beautiful Indigenous artwork at Ukaria.

Today we went to a play called Blindness.

It was a very different experience.

Based on Nobel Prize-winner José Saramago’s dystopian novel Blindness, England’s Juliet Stevenson’s gripping narration unfolds around you through headphones handed out on arrival.

The theatre goes dark, the seats are grouped in twos around a large warehouse space. The story is about a city facing an epidemic of blindness. Those affected are moved to a disused asylum. The city panics.

There are strobe lights that flash occasionally, surround sound so you feel like someone is whispering in your ear.

I listened mostly with my eyes closed!

The end is hopeful – but what an experience.

Later tonight. In fact st 8.30 we went back to the city for a cabaret jazz show.

In 1956, acclaimed jazz vocalist Ella Fitzerald did a season at Zardi’s Jazzland in Los Angeles. Tonight sublime jazz singer Louise Messenger and her band recreated the show at Zardis.

Louise Messenger

What a great night. This Festival is great. It’s well supported by locals. It’s struggled a little during covid probably more with this years very contagious omicron. Some shows cancelled during to the performer catching it.

But the show goes on.

I can recommend visiting Adelaide during this time. There is so much on at such a variety of venues. It never feeling over crowded.