6/26/10

I must apologise for having deleted the very welcome comments from my last entry. For some reason the photographs went higgledy-piggledy and just would not stay where I wanted them, so I've redone it, losing the comments in the process.

It's been quite a week, both for the nation and for me, personally. Kevin Rudd, our previous Prime Minister, had been creeping down in the polls, so members of his party decided to knife him, figuratively speaking, of course! So now we have our first female, Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. This is quite something for a 'blokey' country like Australia! She was sworn in by a female Governor General too! As I'm a Feminist I'm quite delighted by this but I like to think that I'm intelligent enough not to vote for her in the coming election just because of that! She seems very capable and she has the 'people' skills that Kevin lacked. But there will be a lot of enemies to contend with, I'm sure. She comes over as tough but charming; two useful attributes. But she has one of the worst Australian accents I've ever heard! This is odd because her parents have broad Welsh accents and they came out here as 'Ten Pound Poms' in order to guard Julia's frail health from the Welsh climate.  I wish her well.

Julia and Kev before the 'knifing'.

In my own life it's been one long round of entertaining! Not that I've minded as it's my life-blood, but I'm quite happy to have an 'empty' weekend now.

On Monday we took my play 'The Golden Heart' to a Probus Club. Nearly all our members were at the Probus Committee Meeting so we were thin on the ground. (I'm on the Committee but only as an Assistant Secretary so I wasn't missed.) I adapted the play so that it could be perfomed by two people, and they performed well. Afterwards I organized a Quiz based on the songs in the show, and gave a prize. I forgot to take photos that day.

On Tuesday morning I went to a retirement village called 'Fig Tree' to read my poetry. I also told the old people the story of my evacuation as a child and they lapped it up. Afterwards I discovered one of the ladies was German so I apologised in case I'd upset her at all, but she was very gracious about it and we had a good chat and laugh about our very different experiences.

That very evening we put on our rehearsed play 'Jeweled Jeopardy' for the Retired Persons Group. They treated all eleven of us to a lovely meal, having us mingle at their tables so it became a social occasion.

The audience tucking-in.

The play went well. As usual, our mistakes, rather than my witty (?) script got the most laughs. I didn't laugh when someone dropped my new camera and 'broke' it though! However, he delivered it mended to my house next day!

Here I am gazing at the moon (a torch)! 

On Thursday we performed 'Unhand Me' at a local VIEW Club. I had a full cast this time and we did the version which involves the audience. We also sang songs to Xmas tunes (not religious) as the Club requested something for 'Xmas in July' although it was June!

The audience enjoyed joining-in.

 And me directing and chuckling too.

The week was not yet over, though! On Friday we had a rehearsal for our new play, 'Tiddly Pom', at the 'Cricketers' Arms'. I said to someone that I'm enjoying exactly the old age I'd have chosen for myself! Long may it last!

But this weekend hiatus is being enjoyed to the full!