Adelaide Festival

Off to Adelaide

/ brisbanefrannie / 7 Comments

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

/ brisbanefrannie / 2 Comments

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.

The Adelaide Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music

/ brisbanefrannie / 1 Comment

The day started with a long walk up and down the streets of Fullerton and Unley.

I choose a different route each day. The walking is tree lined and flat. Ideal.

Today I looked at the furniture people place on their verandahs. I love the variety.

Four types of seating.

There is also a walking trail you can follow.

Great for exploring

An old barn and community garden.

Little bits of history everywhere
A street library. Very popular in this area.

The old and the new.

Which do you prefer?

I stop at a different coffee shop on Duthy St. This time I did see Lycra! Two men arrived on their bikes and sat near me as I perched on a stool in the sun. They apologised for ruining my view!

I returned to our house and we had lunch with the family.

Then off we set for the Adelaide Hills. Ukaria Cultural Centre is perched in the hills near Mt Barker. It is a purpose built 220 seat theatre for chamber music. It hosts concerts and recitals all year. It has the most beautiful setting.

You arrive looking up to the Centre through beautiful gardens.

In 1985, Ulrike Klein AO co-founded the internationally acclaimed skincare label, Jurlique. The state-of-the-art and environmentally sustainable UKARIA Cultural Centre, which opened on 29 August 2015, was funded by the Klein Family and built on what was once the Jurlique Farm, where many of the herbs, flowers and plants were grown for natural skin care products.

Today we were here for a 4.15 composers talk and concert at 5pm. There have been concerts all weekend as part of the Adelaide festival.

We listened to Elena Kats-Chenin, a Russian born Australian composer. Her music is beautiful. Modern but still tuneful!

She is a colourful lady in style as well as music.

She autographs with a few bars of music.

Inside the auditorium it was quite light when the concert started and we sat looking out at the beautiful hills and gardens.

By the concert end the light had changed and light rain had started. Very beautiful.
The art through the centre reflects its aboriginal heritage.

Another lovely cultural day.

Adelaide you charmer.

/ brisbanefrannie / 3 Comments

Today I spent an hour walking around the area.

Lots of beautiful houses and a lovely coffee shop on Duthy St. No lyrca in this cafe. It’s favoured by locals mostly walking there meeting friends. Not a bike in sight.

We spent the rest of the day at home playing with 3year old Florence – Florry and waiting for the other children to return from school.

Marg had invited very old friends to afternoon tea. And to enjoy the remainder of Florry’s birthday.

There was home made pinata to crack open.

Gideon has a go
But Florry hits the jackpot!

Later that evening we left all the children with Marg and headed off with Vashti for another Festival treat.

We parked opposite the Festival centre and walked across the pedestrian bridge. I live this city. So easy to get around.

7.30 and beautiful light

We had a bite to eat & drink at the Taphouse brewery on the river and went to the newly erected Summerhouse. Built for the festival it’s open on the top and has just curtains for walls. It’s like being at an outdoor venue with wooden bench seats.

Tonight we are seeing the legendary jazz musicians Paul Grabowsky on piano and Vince Jones, singer and fluegelhorn player.

A great mellow sound.

I loved the laid back restrained performance.

Our Town

Starting at 9.30 it was another late night. Thank goodness we don’t have to hurry in the morning!

Last day of the Writers Festival. But there’s more….

/ brisbanefrannie / 8 Comments

I have thoroughly enjoyed my week at the Writer’s Festival. The line up, the talks, the books and the magnificent setting.

So low key – set under the trees in Pioneer Women’s Memorial Gardens. How lucky I’ve been.

In these days if covid there have been so few activities to go to. I think we’re a bit over being inside, being on zoom, seeing things on line.

Now is the time to attend things. Get out and support the arts. In covid safe ways……. we can attend. And I’m making the most of it.

Vashti, Marg Steve and three year old Florence went to a session on our relationship with China.

Former Australian Ambassador to China Geoff Raby explores China’s newly assertive place in the world and the implications for Australia in his new book, China’s Grand Strategy and Australia’s Future in the New Global Order. He is joined by Chongyi Feng ( an academic in China studies) to discuss what – if anything – can be done to repair this critical geopolitical and economic relationship.

A very interesting discussion. They agreed on some points. They disagreed on others. Our relationship with China has deteriorated and we have to somehow restore it.

We made our way up to Rundle Mall making a stop at Haigh Chocolate shop. An institution in Adelaide Steve popped in for a purchase and we admired the Easter window.

Further along the Mall , past the buskers we went up to the Fringe installation- The Plastic Shop. Celebrating the last of the single use plastic bags

All kinds of buskers

The Plastic Shop is set up like a mini supermarket and everything is made out of plastic!

All covid safe we entered and three year old Florence was intrigued!

Read some of captions on the plastic magazines.

A walk down the hill past Adelaide University, a stop at a Vietnamese bakery and home in time for the other children to arrive from school.

Then it was out for an early dinner at a little Italian restaurant before a big band concert.

We drove through Norwood a lovely suburb with wide streets, lots of roundabouts, beautiful big houses and a great street sculpture.

By day and by night.
A story lights up in the sculpture.

The Norwood Hotel is a beautiful old pub and has a room where lots of Fringe activities take place.

The K&N brass band originally formed in 1898. They have played at Australian band championships and won medals. So they are good!

They played the music from ‘Brassed Off ‘the movie. A narrator gave an outline of the story before each piece.

What a great night!

On the way home we stopped at the street sculpture to read the story – about an Italian woman who lived in the Norwood area during WW2 and about her family growing up there.

Notice the story in coloured writing.

Back home we decided to finish off the night by re watching the Brassed Off movie!

Wednesday Day 5 at the Adelaide Festival.

/ brisbanefrannie / Leave a comment

I walked a different way to the bus stop today. That’s what I love about visiting a new city. Discovering.

I walked the leafy streets of Highgate towards Unley. The houses are a style so different to the timber houses of Brisbane. They are stone, solid, traditional.

The gardens are lovely though dry. The grass out front only green when lovingly tended & watered. Front fences are a mixture of brush, picket and stone. Except for my sister in law who has created a very Australian style using corrugated iron.

I walked along Unley past Waldorf College where my niece Vashti teaches instrumental work.

This is the city of churches and in a few blocks I passed several.

Some beautiful Memorial gates.

I arrived at the Writers Festival marvelling at the glorious weather. I sat under the trees listening to Sigrid Nynez.

She wrote What are You Going Through ? A book about a woman who helps her friend prepare for death after a cancer diagnosis. Not an easy topic but obviously written with feeling.

Next up was Australian Steven Conte. Author of The Zookeepers Wife – which was also made into a movie but today he spoke about The Tolstoy Estate his book set in 1941 in Russia.

I caught the bus home and got ready for a 6pm start of the Opera Midsummers Nights Dream. Shakespeare set to music by Benjamin Britten.

Directed by Neil Armfield a wonderful Australian director we knew this would be different.

The costumes were wonderful as was the staging. I thought the first two acts were way too long ! The individual singers were great but the music by Britten was not tuneful enough for me.

The theatre was great. Big foyer and everyone had to wear masks from the moment you set foot inside.

This included during the performance. You could only remove it to sip a drink.

So another great day in beautiful Adelaide.