Things and Stuff - Volume One

We put up the Christmas Tree.  It's a real one and it smells so great.  So far the cats have left it alone.

 

We also met Santa!  I asked for a winning Tattslotto ticket.  Chyken asked for an alpaca, obviously.

 

I've got a mysterious itching thing going on.  No, I haven't changed my washing powder, or soap, or shampoo. I had it a few years ago, they tested me for everything under the sun and then decided it was stress.  The only thing that seems to help is Pinetarsol.  So, now I smell like a Christmas tree too.

We've got some visitors staying with us at the moment from the UK.  They cooked the most amazing Christmas dinner last night.  My belly almost died of happiness.  Their excitement at seeing kangaroos in the wild is infectious.

Things in my family are... difficult.  There are people who are not talking to me (and haven't in a long time, like over 6 months) and I'm not sure why not.  If I've done something wrong I don't know what it is. All I will say is that they have my phone number and know where I live if they chose to include me in their lives.  And I guess I have their number too, but I'm sick of being the one who always initiates contact, so this time, the ball is in their court.

Work is... Work.  I go there, I work, they pay me.  It's a win/win situation for all involved I think.

I miss my Dad.  Always.  Forever.

Hopefully we are taking the tourists down the Great Ocean Road this weekend.  On the hunt for a koala in the wild.

There is nothing worth watching on TV this time of year. It's mean.

We've been back to see Once two more times (that we paid for ourselves).  And then I was emailed an offer too good to refuse so we will go once more (haha) before it leaves Melbourne.  I've also seen Les Mis a couple of times and last week we saw La Cage Aux Folles which was absolutely fantastic.  it would be cruel to tell you how funny it was, because it is over and you can't see it for yourself.

Chyken is building the Chicken Mahal in our backyard. Hopefully he will finish it over the summer break and then... eggs!



But enough about me, I want to hear about you! Tell me what's been going on in your life...

Once the Musical - Review

I was given tickets to see this show by the kind people at ACMN.  They also supplied the photographs.  All opinions are my own.

I have this thing, I don't like to listen to the soundtrack of a musical before I actually see it on a stage.  Lots of people I know much prefer to know what they're in for, so to speak, but I like to discover the music while I'm watching the story unfold before my eyes. In the case of Once, I had heard the music before, when I watched the film, but it still didn't take away from the magic that happened on that stage in the Princess Theatre last night.

I was offered tickets to opening night and I couldn't refuse, even though we have already paid for our own tickets to see later this month.  Since booking our tickets, I watched the film.  I will admit to thinking we had made a terrible mistake, as the film really is quite ordinary. 

This musical however, is something truly special.

If your seats are in the stalls, you can go on the stage before the show and at interval and buy a drink at the bar.  If, like me, you are not in the stalls, you can watch this happen.  Cast members are there to entertain you.  This made the actual start of the show a bit odd.  The audience left the stage, the cast kept performing and then in the middle of a song, the lights went down.  Strange start to a show!  This also caused the first half to feel quite long.

Unlike conventional musicals, the songs in Once don't really tell the story, but they are a very important part of this musical.   And they are performed beautifully.  I have no idea how the man playing the cello was able to spin and keep playing, but he did.

Despite the first half feeling long, I was entranced from the moment it started. I didn't want it to end. I had no idea it would be so funny.  And have such clever staging. (The bar seamlessly became a piano shop, a house, a bank and at one point, a beach!)  The fact that every single member of the cast sang, acted and played at least one instrument was brilliant.

And then in the second half, they did an a Capella reprise of 'Gold'. I think my heart may have skipped several beats. It was absolutely stunning.  You could have heard a pin drop. 



This is a truly amazing show.  I can see why it won a Tony award for Best Musical and a heap of other awards all around the world.  It's not filled with high energy dance numbers, flashy lighting or special effects.  It has heart, it has soul. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before. You really should go and see it.


Once is playing at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne until December 2014.  You can buy tickets from here.

Weekend Wrap Up - Volume Five

Chyken's Birthday Weekend!

In summary, a great time was had by all, and I may well have bought him the best present ever. 

How was your weekend?

Weekend Wrap Up - Volume Four

A quiet weekend this time. Mostly spent getting the Castle ready for Chyken's birthday party next week. 

We had a mate visiting, so we tested out Chyken's new fire pit. Which was just as well, because the base the metal bowl was sitting in pretty much exploded. It has since been returned and we got our money back. 

Played the Logo Board game. I'm quite good at it!

I made the Tupperware cupboard my bitch. 

   

Then I made the pantry my bitch. 

Meatloaf ready for the oven...

Meatloaf get in my belly!

If there's a better way to end a weekend than with golden syrup dumplings, I'm yet to find it!

So tell me, how was your weekend?

Weekend Wrap Up - Volume Three

Week three, in which we celebrate my birthday weekend with:

Presents!

Cakes!

Magical Mystery Birthday Tours!

Lakes!

Chicken Delights! (That's the actual name!!)

Ghost tours! 

Bacon!

BFF's!

Friends!

Fashion!

And last but certainly not least, with.... Love!

Care to Wrap Up your Weekend? Please leave me a link in the comments if you do!

A Tale of Stolen Cheezels

The following is a letter I sent to The Age:

 

To whom it may concern,

Recently, The Age online posted a great album on the Essential Kids section, entitled “What did your childhood taste like?”  This appealed to me, so I entered the online gallery, found at this URL:

The gallery starts with the first of 54 pictures, depicting a chocolate milkshake.  This picture was credited to a “Kimberley Hasselbrink”.  Delicious!, I thought, as I hurriedly hovered my mouse over the right-hand arrow.  Whatever could constitute the next 53 delicious morsels (om nom nom nom…)?

 

As my finger gracefully clicked down upon the mouse button, I saw with joy, that picture 2 of 54 depicted God’s gift of cheezy greezy nomminess, Cheezels. Delicious!, but hmmm…. Deliciously familiar, thought I. The caption underneath the image belays the truth – “Best eaten off every finger”, alas no credit.  To whom could this image of calorific goodness be attributed?

The answer, kind sir, c'est moi. Jo.  The original image, which I took using my own iPhone almost three years ago, is located on my blog here.

I feel that in lieu of the journalist forking out for a packet of Cheezels and tapping one of The Age’s photographers on the shoulder, a quick romp through Google image search delivered MY image.  Two more clicks, and you could have seen the origin of the page.

I am disappointed with the lack of professional ethics and courtesy shown by The Age.  I feel that best practice should demonstrate a sense of fairness and reciprocity involved in the online (and real-life) world. If I used an image from The Age without permission AND for purely commercial purposes, I’d have lawyers staving my fancy-pants front door in.

I respectfully ask for one of two solutions to this issue:

1.       1. The Age removes my image from the website and issue a formal apology; or

2.       2. The Age continue to use my image WITH the addition of a reference to the origin, i.e. www.chickensbees.com

I feel that the latter is far more practical, reciprocal, and continues to provide a wonderful product for your readers.

 

Kind regards (and significantly more Cheezels),

Jo

 

 

 

I eventually got a reply via email:

 

Hi Jo,

 

We are very sorry that in this case our producer did not seek permission for image use nor provide proper attribution. I have now added your website to the caption and counselled the team on proper use of images.

 

Thanks and regards,

 

The Age

 

 

 

 

 

I'm calling this a big win for the little people!

 

 

Have you had things stolen from your blog?  How freaking good are Cheezels?

Weekend Wrap Up - Volume Two

This weekend was a good one. 

We went to the zoo!

We rode the carousel. 

We watched the planes. 

We burnt stuff. 

We had fireside snacks. 

We went to the theatre. 

I had a Kiev Parma at Mrs Parmas. 

Why yes, it was a very good weekend indeed. 

How was yours?