Retreat

The Getaway Girls were at Boonah again this past weekend.  I arrived late as I came straight from work.  I stopped off to buy some red medicine

 - and very nice it was too

 I took my Featherweight to put it through its paces

It sewed like a dream.  I worked out how to wind a bobbin, put the bobbin in, thread the machine, reverse stitch.  I sewed this entire top by morning tea Saturday

I then sewed these blocks that I had cut some weeks ago

 

Altogether I sewed 44 blocks.

Saturday night was dinner out - at the Dougandan.  Coming back to the unit, Margaret and I enjoyed some more red medicine

 

I finished the blocks by Sunday lunchtime, then started sewing some 9 patches

I had my little sewing friend on the table...

Sunset

I always park at Southbank and then walk across Victoria Bridge to get to various work locations in the CBD.  Coming home on Friday I spotted yet another gorgeous sunset - my phone camera can't do it justice, but here is a taste of how lovely it was

More Knitting

A couple of days ago I photographed a Kanga with a jumper - now its mate also has a warm covering thanks to the guerilla knitters

The Concert Hall at QPAC

Tonight this show

attracted a huge number of young women.  No wonder!  6 hunky ballet dancers rocking it to contemporary music.  One female joined the choreography every now and then.  Fabulous.  I think there were three encores.  Oh, and foot stomping whistling and a standing ovation.  You don't often get that sort of thing at the ballet.  Love the ceiling...

Gates

After All, It IS Winter!

A knitted heart on a traffic light

 An important man rugs up against the cold

Curves

Signal boxes

The long arm of the...signal box!

She's thinking about 5 o'clock!

Grants Award

We picked up our certificates and grants cheques on Monday night - Trish collected one and I the other.  A very happy evening!

Monday in Brisbane

Nothing cheers me up like quirky sights such as this!!

His mate that used to lie on the seat has gone - perhaps hibernating for the winter.
At work I saw heaps of art on the wall, such as this

Workshops

The Redland Performing Arts Centre ran some workshops this weekend.  One was a very basic introduction to Stage Management.  The other was a very basic introduction to Stage Lighting.  We were really lucky that we had two very experienced and well regarded professionals running the workshops.

Yesterday (Saturday) Sue Benfer did the Stage management workshop.  I saw Let the Sunshine which she stage managed and she'll be touring with the show to Melbourne.  There is SO MUCH to stage management.  Very full on.  We also had some hands on experience marking up a space with markup tape

 This is how the centre of the stage is marked

I was exhausted by the end of the day!

Today (Sunday) was Stage Lighting with David Murray.  I hope to see The Clean House coming up soon - he is the Lighting Designer on that show.  We got to play with lights

and learned techie terms like gobo

there is power going everywhere

I really liked the shadows of these rivets on the outside of the building -

Leaves

Jazz

My singing teacher had a gig on Friday night so I went along to hear the Elly Hoyt Quintet at the  Brisbane Jazz Club.

 Super location for the club - right on the river.

 I'm not a jazz fan but loved the show

 Elly headed off to China today.  This is her first CD that she took with her!

Airport Art

I picked up Bronte and Dan from the airport just over a week ago.  They had a great time overseas but found the month a little too long.  While I waited for them I took snaps of things I found interesting -

The Dreaming - Monday

The Narasirato Pan Pipers from the Solomon Islands got the day off to a good start.  Lots and lots of energy and very watchable muscle-y men in small costumes.  Then I listened to the Yabu Band and the Iwantja Band who were great.  I packed up my tent and then wandered over to the alterNATIVE Lounge to listen to loud drumming from Propaganda Klan, then the Iwantja Band and Microwave Jenny.  The day ended with Chasing the Lollyman - a one man show by Mark Sheppard who takes us on a journey through his life.

Before every show, there was acknowledgement of the traditional owners of the land

The whole weekend was one of respect and dignity and good vibes.  An enormously positive experience.

The Dreaming - Sunday

So Sunday was a change of pace.  I saw some dancing (Beneath the Ancestor, Naisda) which was beautifully done but I didn't quite get the meaning, and then Black Sheep, Glorious Bastards which was a very funny set of skits and stand up.  What would happen when Australia got its first Aboriginal Prime Minister??

Around the camp site were signs to make you smile -

kids were getting into crocheting

and juggling and other fun stuff

I bought a beanie with a Gumnut Baby vibe

and some stamps

from a huge array

 

The vendor had some wonderful textiles with lots of hand stitching - like kantha stitching  - that he brought back from India

Later in the day I watched some short films set in New Zealand and the Pacific and then Samson and Delilah - very moving.  I listened to Street Warriors - a hip hop band, then Dale Robert Huddleston and Microwave Jenny again.

The last event for the night was Bindjareb Pinjarra - a theatrical show designed to make us understand more about the Pinjarra Massacre in WA in 1834.  The actors were a mix of indigenous and non-indigenous men and the show ranged from the events of the time to more modern relationships between black and white.  Some hilarious and very clever improv and comedy as well.

Then it was time for a few drinks by the fire.....