Decisions...

Luckily the cooler weather has returned and Scottish dancing tonight will be bearable. I have a double weekend commitment for the next two weekends and have to decide which events to forego. I knew I would be busy this year and it has started just like that. Balancing and prioritising is my challenge for this year, and not looking back nostalgically to my wonderful years in Wellington. But I certainly do miss many things in that wonderful windy city, especially a great network of friends.

Getting some publicity for The Laramie Project in the local paper...

Two regulars in their 'sitting room' at Ruby's. 

This is an ongoing travesty of Joern Utzon's original dream and the Opera House is just selling out to  commercial interests in my opinion.

Melting moments in the current heat but this photo is in front of the great Ocean Baths at Newcastle Beach where I have swum on many occasions. It is possibly where I may end up swimming regularly one day, as I believe this an is ideal living situation, within short walking distance to this wonderful beach, a bit more powerful than Ocean Beach, but with this adjacent pool available for all weathers.

More heatwave

The talk yesterday was a great one. It was subtitled 'Social change starts in your own street'.

It  was both hard-hitting and relevant to today's zenophobic feel permeating much of our own country concerning the enormous problem of relocating refugees. 

The new mantra 'We just gotta look after ourselves' is not what Gandhi espoused and it was his memory whom we are honouring today. The room was hushed during the speech but most effusive in its wholehearted agreement and gave a great applause at the end. Mackay is indeed a great orator and writer, and most people would have gone home positively affected by what he said yesterday.

Tony Mundine stands up for a change in our National Anthem and I totally agree with him.

Our Foreign Minister may just prefer to live in LA with the stars.....

'Our Glad' is having big settling-in problems, understandably  so with NSW politics riddled with factions and corruption.

New French Left Leader Benoît Hamon may shape up, who knows?

The crowd sheltering from the heat inside Ruby's.

Clover pushing bicycles, again. Sydney unfortunately is not that user-friendly for bikes. 

The man was indeed a real Renaissance man, dying quite young but left a heritage to be long remembered.

Interesting shot of Rod Laver congratulating Roger Federer, with defeated Rafaël Nadal looking close to tears. It was a very thrilling and close encounter with Federer retiring for treatment just before he won the final set. Nadal's emotions are writ large on his ever expressive face. He will be back. Championships are won sometimes in a few seconds of luck or good management. This one was really a tie.

Today is at least 37 degrees and I am home in the airconditioning before an evening swim with Cherel at 7pm. A first.

Hugh Mackay Gandhi Oration

I am trying to catch some sanity in this world by going to hear a lecture at UNSW today given by great Aussie speaker, writer, philosopher, but above all, social commentator and reformer, Dr Hugh Mackay OA. It is the Gandhi Oration, given annually at the UNSW on the anniversary of Gandhi's assassination, so it should be well worth the visit to the big smoke.

But Trumpism has begun with airport chaos from his rejection of seven countries with Muslims not being given US Visas for just being from these countries. What is the next step, when will the revolution begin?  This fascist dictator doesn't seem to have any brain function happening.

There are demonstrations in US airports but Trump just chooses not to see, not to listen, unless they agree with him.

Music in the form of Nigel Kennedy is good for the heart.

Some of the serious disruption caused by Trump's intervention...

John Hurt was one of Britain's greatest actors, gives up the ghost after a stellar career and fascinating life. He played the original Elephant Man.

Mana on Sunday

Am at Café Mana to put up the poster for The Laramie Project which takes place in a fortnight. Let's hope its get a good attendance as it certainly is worth listening to. The message is strong and vivid, stop judging others for their sexual preferences and just for being different, as we are all 'different' in our own ways. This powerful message comes across loud and clear in Laramie although it can be a sometimes painful experience but a necessary one for many.

This is not reflective of the very busy café on Sunday morning, where I am having an extended breakfast and catching up on my facebook friends in New Zealand. Each time I read their Kiwi posts I get a very nostalgic feeling indeed as I left such good friendships there.

Sunday Telegraph with nothing much to say...

The friendship of the brothers will be shown again tonight in the Australian Open final. Who will win?  it is a very close encounter.

This is the Laramie poster. The project is a work of love and dedication put on by director Jess Alex. She is such a great woman.

I have often spoken of seaweed and how I love it and then I always forget to keep it in my pantry. Itis one of my must-haves, certainly essential for Miso soup in winter, but I must get used to using it in summer as well. Jamie Oliver spruiks it all the time.

Saturday scorcher

Today we have another historic tennis final with the Williams Sisters, Serena and Venus, both veterans playing out their hearts and bodies to win one their favourite finals, the Australan Open. And tomorrow it is Federer and Nadal, a final much awaited by the Melbourne tennis mad public.

The two Swiss champs, Federer and Wawrinka embracing after a really tough semi..

Finally some punishment for the awful crimes of child abuse at smart Private Schools....there will be more coming up I am sure.

Joe Tripodi, a puppet master in State politics just can't get away from his power addiction.

Paul Capsis one of Sydney's greatest artists is back on the boards with 'Cabaret'.

He is more than a survivor, he is a living legend, Paul Capsis.

Richard Divall, a great musician and conductor, whom I had the pleasure of seeing many times in Melbourne, now gone, too young.

SURVIVAL Day in Sydney

The 26th of January is now gone with its many disagreements on when the real Australia Day should be celebrated. 

Move it on, I say, to a date which is agreeable to all Aussies, but especially to the Indigenous ones.

The movie is an Oscar winner if they are true to their beliefs.

The finals act in progress tomorrow.

Smoking Ceremony to cleanse the atmosphere in Sydney, did it work?

Mary Tyler Moore was indeed a pioneer in women's lib in the US.

Facts revealed showing where the Cancer Research smells as I think it has done for a while now. There is just too much money at stake.

Two of the stars of Moonlight...a gut wrenching movie.

The writer director Barry Jenkins getting a much deserved Golden Globe award for his great movie.

Back to Scottish Dance

Finally the year begins with Scottish Dancing, it always feels good.

There was a full house as well so everyone is keen to get back to some real exercise it seems.

The automation of Centrelink is creating lots of problems which they are not accepting at all. Computerisation is not always the best solution where people's emotions are concerned, but to me it seems that not enough research was done to discover embedded inaccuracies in computer facts.

The poor whistle-blower, where is the justice? Let's hope it is done here.

Wawrinka looked good but still not good enough for Federer....

It's not just Warren who wants to change the date, it is many millions of others, including me.

An interesting picture of downtown Sydney, Ultimo.

The Madness of Donald Trump

Moments like this concert of PJ Harvey's are sent to us to reassure us how good the world can be, in spite of the presence of a madman in the name of Donald Trump.

Would have loved  to have attended this concert...

A Trump appendage, just as scattered as he is and making sure the world knows it.

It now seems he will inadvertently make China the next positive superpower.

Again a great singer taken away in a mad moment in a Rio...

Another departure of a good actor who was never really known, the son of José Ferrer and Rosemary Clooney

And here is our own Cherel in the local newspaper with a great editorial about her Qigong Mastership.

Monday with Trish

Today I am booked to re-visit in the late afternoon Trish and her favourite sister Rob in Terrigal. Rob is over from NZ and will have lots of Kiwi news for me, and I want to sound her out for my possible visit to Amsterdam in August. She has a very good friend living there whom I would like to meet and Amsterdam is still a very lovely and user-friendly city. But who knows if I will really make this enormous trip so soon after returning to OZ.

Another week and a new President of the USA to contend with. This is someone no-one would have predicted and indeed very few like, but he has touched a chord in middle America and now they are paying for whom they voted into the highest office in the land. He is a flake in the real sense, but a powerful flake and one who leaves much debris in his wake. Let's hope the rest of the world does not also suffer in his wake, but I fear it will, for a while anyway. Trump may not last even the full year. Who can predict this volatile and corrupt world of politics? Impeachment is always a possibility.

In Melbourne the madman who drove his car into Bourke Street Mall has killed five people now, it is a carnage which should never have happened but severe mental illess is a hard one to deal with.

'Our Glad', ar least her first name is easy for the rest of Australia to pronounce, and it will be fascinating to see if she becomes a strong Premier, we certainly need one.

Trump is indeed unbelievable, as he constantly twists his truth and denies what he said previously. 

This is how you have to survive as a NIDA graduate these days it seems, as a Merman!

Is this the new face of male world tennis? Mischa Zverev has conquered Sir Undy in a nail-biting match.

But here is the Queen of women's tennis, Serena, staying supreme.