Cosmo Café and The Inauguration

Today was a day to visit Sydney so I took the early train to catch the first release of 'Lion' at the Dendy Quay, a favourite cinema of mine if only because of its position on Circular Quay, my absolute favourite Sydney water spot.

'Lion' was a great movie of inter-racial adoption starring Dev Patel as the older adopted Indian son. The young boy Saroo, who became lost in India, his younger self, was also amazingly good but heart-achingly sad. It was a true story and a touching one, saying in a post-script that 80,000 young Indian kids are recorded lost on the streets every year. Shot in India and Hobart, Tasmania, with Nicole Kidman and David Wenham the adoptive parents, it was excellently made and certainly worth the Sydney trip, although it will be appearing very soon at Ettalong Paradiso I'm sure.

But of course I came to Sydney to see my good friend Annie. We met up at the Cosmo Café at Bondi Junction and had a great catch-up. She gave me a couple of choice DVDs to look at and pass on to her brother Luke in Woy Woy. Good company as always, Annie is a great talker and listener. Bondi Junction being a shopper's paradise helped me out yet again with my Vital Greens which I always buy from a health store on Bronte Rd. Then home to wonderful Woy Woy.

A part of the cosmopolitan Sydney scene, friendly as well.

With jewellery sellers and buskers  on the streets. 

A former great, Armenian André Agassi, who finally found his match with Steffi Graf. They have a lot in common and now run a tennis empire and have two kids - good luck to them in a tough world.

With President Trump sworn in the day turned into a fairy-tale ball,  but the word 'dangerous' features when Trump's dance with his wife becomes a political opportunity - he also can't dance!

The Trump Dynasty. Trump's youngest son seems to me to quite a loose cannon whose future will be mixed with the crazies. He never seems to be happy and there is a lot going on in that young mind of which his narcissist father has no idea I am sure.
First Lady Melania looked fabulous dressed in powder blue Ralph Lauren and her husband should take some fashion advice from her. Their ominously short walk to greet the very small turn-out of supporters which was half the number who appeared for Obama's inauguration, gave a premonition of perhaps a short reign in office I wonder?

Here are the three young hopefuls in Aussie male tennis, but two of them need a lot of psychiatric help it appears. Alex De Minaur is the only 'normal one'.

Shameful tennis

The Aussie favourite Nic Kyrgios is down and out after after behaving like a spoiled teenager during his loss to Italian star Seppi. Kyrgios is a very gifted player with little self discipline and certainly has a lot to learn. He is no good example for young players, but there are some other good young Australian players on the way up.

The brat Kyrgios shouting off his mouth....

The one who conquered King Novak.

Down and out also in NSW politics, Premier Mike Baird, more of a show-pony in my opinion, has resigned after virtually putting his State into private hands. The road system is a total mess and the politics still serially corrupt. There will be an incoming woman to take his place who should be better but Labor now will pounce on a weakened Liberal opponent.

Not a great loss to NSW in my humble opinion, but a 'nice guy'.

But will she have the intestinal fortitude to stand up to the factions which is NSW politics?

Baird's departure....yep!

Irish writer Colm Toibín gives a fascinationg version of historical events through the eyes of Jesus' mother, a woman who was never heard. This may be a feminist revival to show the male writers of the Bible that they might not have got it all right.

A scorcher

The Australian Open is always famous for its scorching hot days on centre court, above forty degrees quite often. So the Aussies are used to it but not the international players. However here below you see the  loss of Sam Stosur, again, to an opponent who was able to finish her game.

 Sam is so strong but so fallible when it comes to finishing what she starts. I feel for her as she seems to be a lovely girl.

Beaten by a Brit!

Tennis as dancing, with new boy Alex De Minaur strutting his stuff...

Newcastle dangers....

Ridiculous wealthy people and their mansions.... 

Two of my favourite actors up for the next James Bond, Tom Hardy amd Michael Fassbender...

Tammy back at work after her Cook Island holiday...

Our Nic learning that it is tricky when you are a celeb to say anything that is good and well received. This is photo-shopped photo of course, she would never wear red!

Tomorrow I am looking at our local Community Garden to see if it is just what I want to get my fingers dirty  and grow a few veggies. Hope I am not disappointed.

Return to the past

Today I am looking for a book by lost Aussie author Ion Idriess. A name  strangely familiar to me as in the fifties, when we had the only bookshop in Gosford, the names of the best-selling books, and others not so best-selling like 'Lolita' and 'Lady Chatterly's Lover', which were both banned, but which we had all the same, were etched in my memory.  Ion Idriess is one of them, and was recently written about in the SMH so I am about to read someone who my father said was one of his favourite Aussie writers, I believe.

The new Aussie 'Lleyton Hewitt', and a protegé of his, albeit Spanish reared and educated. His name is Alex De Minaur.

This writer has it right, Obama suffered from his racial origins more than anything else. We are so racist, we white colonialists.

Finland also has it right, again, with Primary Schools in nature and enjoyable for the kids. When I remember my schooling, although I loved it to get away for a bad homelife, it was very poor indeed, and I learned very little about nature, life and history. Very little indeed, it was just the three 'r's - readin', 'ritin'and 'rithmatic, and the ever-present discipline of 'the strap'!

The new camping, or some say, 'glamping', with a mobile espresso coffee waiting for you at breakfast time!!

Joel Meares is addicted to movies, like me. I wonder if he hated Lala Land as I did, or was grossly underwhelmed like me?

The people who buy takeaway coffees at Ruby's...

Planning begins

Monday today and lots to prepare. Summer makes you somewhat somnolent unfortunately, so I must beware -  early in the morning is the time to get things done. I must start getting up at six, and be in bed by ten!

The Royal photographer is dead.... What a life he had!

This is the Chinese remedy!!!

A good picture of Putin.....

Annabel says it all it below but is it really, really true?

I think it is!

Australia's obsession with tennis at its zenith....

Voluntary Euthanasia must be legalised....

Sunday recovery

Last night was a delightful dinner at Cherel's where I met two more of her good friends, one an ex-pat Kiwi who was interesting. However his wife was more interesting as she is the person who has, with Cherel's help, started a Community Garden in Moana Street and now I have somewhere to go to get my fingers dirty and grow a few veggies. This was a great discovery and Jill, her name, will be a great teacher I am sure. Another goal to tick off.

Nick Cave with many demons in his mind...

Tony Abbott's gay sister showing off her expensive pad in Paddington...how droll is that.

With Turnbull looking more and more inconsequential....

What's this with child brides in the Muslim faith ??

Packer's problems....

And finally a reviewer I totally agree with about this poor movie!

The money to send kids to private schools and the the privileges they receive..it is mind-boggling!

Am having a coffee at Mana today for a change as I wanted to visit the Gnostic Forest. They have given up on the HU CDs so I may go elsewhere in the new year, in February, to find a new outlet.

Now to write an editorial for Cherel in her bid for more QiGong students.

The Laramie Speech

Looking forward to seeing Jessica  again today at The Woy Woy Little Theatre. Jess is the Director of 'The Laramie Project' and she has asked me to speak at a forum she is organising to give the cast a bit of a background to the sociological phenomenon that is sex discrimination all over the world, in this case resulting in a hate-murder in Wyoming USA .I have written a speech which should be OK I feel. Will also be seeing Paula again too and bringing her home to see the success of the umbrella which she kindly gave me.

The differences of the two .....

Now some young men are playing the system dishonestly...disgusting.

And long ago Monica Seles was assaulted and had to quit the game. Its not that sporty is it?

Well the Laramie forum went well and my speech was well received. There were many there who had no idea what I was talking about, being so young, but they are part of a real-life play which was the result of rampant homophobia which I tried to give background to. Jessica was very happy with the result and has offered me two freebies to the Saturday night's performance to which I will ask Malcolm to accompany me.