Music

May 24, 2015May 26, 2015 | amandadales

Living in Melbourne has some strong benefits. As mentioned previously, one of them is the overload of opportunities we have to go to my favourite sporting events. Another is being able to indulge my preference for live music. Perhaps it is the atmosphere (as with the sporting events) but I’ve always thought that live shows are so much better than recordings. Recently, I was able to finally go to a Brooke Fraser gig. Last time Brooke was here, we missed out on tickets. The first show sold out before we had a chance to buy them, then they put on a second show which we couldn’t go to due to prior commitments. Then, just before the first show, someone offered me a ticket that they didn’t need any more but my brother was visiting from out of town by that stage and I had to turn it down! So when we heard she was coming again, we made sure we bought the tickets as soon as possible!

Consequently, we made our way to The Forum on a cold Sunday night to partake in the Brutal Romantic tour. Fans of Brooke would obviously have noticed a departure from the style of her previous albums which were a lot more acoustic and earthy. The Brutal Romantic album was a completely different tone with more synthesised sounds, allowing Brooke’s vocals to explore new territory. We were expecting nothing less when she opened the set with Psychosocial, the first track on the album. All my favourite tracks from the album were played with Brooke jumping between instruments and telling us random, amusing stories that may or may not have been associated with the songs. We were pretty content with the set as it was. Then they added a few tracks from the back catalogue that had been revamped to match the sound of the newer songs which took it to another level again! Once again, I was lamenting my lack of zoom lens (it’s on my to-buy list before I go to New Zealand, never fear!) but since we were quite close to the front I managed some half decent pictures.

The icing on the cake was getting to go back stage to meet Brooke after the show. Those of us who were subscribers to her app were offered the opportunity to meet her simply by RSVP-ing before the event. There was probably about 12 people who had taken up that offer and we were marched through to the back stage area after the rest of the crowd had been ushered outside. Brooke chatted and posed for photos with each of us one by one. I was at the back of the line, so I probably got a few extra moments than the rest. We talked about a few random things, whether or not I’d had my dress made for me. The dress I was wearing does garner a lot of appreciation. I bought it off the rack at COS in Melbourne’s CBD but it fits perfectly and everyone feels the need to comment on it whenever I wear it. I’ve even had students request that I wear it to work (weird?). We got a few photos since her tour manager was excited I’d handed her a real camera instead of an iPhone so she snapped away while we chatted. I’ve always loved Brooke’s music and I was glad to find out she was as lovely in person as I had imagined.

Outlander

May 10, 2015May 12, 2015 | amandadales

When it comes to a good book, I have zero self control. There are sleepless nights, unfinished household chores and shunned social engagements. So when I stumbled onto the Outlander series this summer, I was lost to the world for a good two months. Yes, two months is all it took to, I think it’s fair to say, devour the entire Diana Gabaldon series (eight books so far) and if you’ve seen those hefty books you’ll appreciate that for the feat that it is. I’ve even read a few of the associated books from the Lord John series and bought the graphic novel, “The Exile” in an attempt to satisfy my cravings.

Having a particular penchant for costume dramas (Austenland would be high on my to-do list), I own a fair catalogue of BBC mini-series. Outlander had caught my eye a few times on iTunes (Apple TV is brilliant) but I had never heard of it and wasn’t sure I was ready to invest myself in an unknown. My friends and I often lament that Americans always manage to ruin things like this (sorry, Diana). Oh, the ignorance! One fateful afternoon, iTunes offered the first episode for free. I binge watched the first half of the season and nearly burst when I reached the cliff-hanger of the mid-season finale. I needed to find the source material and fast! Consequently, I found myself reading Cross Stitch for the first time. It very rapidly became one of my favourite things.

I’m not going to give you a synopsis – read it yourself and then watch the show. If you’re anything like me, you’ll probably want to watch it with the remote handy to fast forward through some of the more gorey/intimate scenes but you will be hooked. And not just because Jamie Fraser is the “King of Men”, which he is. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say he has edged Mr Darcy out from his No. 1 ranking on my list. It is important to note that Mr Darcy’s characterisation is almost shallow when compared to the treatment Laird Broch Tuarach receives by the end of the eight books. It’s probably not fair to even compare the two really, but I did anyway.

Copyright 2014 Sony Pictures Television Inc. — James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser (Sam Heughan)

Speaking of comparisons, perhaps this is a little weird considering the ranking I just gave him but, Jamie constantly reminds me of my father. I’ve always held that our idea of what makes a “real” man is largely shaped by those we grow up with so the capable, tall, strong, country bloke fit most of my conceptions. In fact, I kept a mental list as I was reading that went something like this…

Reasons Jamie Fraser reminds me of my Dad:

known by a variation of James (Jamie/Jim)
for all intents and purposes, grew up in another century (my dad’s not that old but his family pioneered a farm from scratch so they started off without water, electricity, housing, and he road a horse to school…)
therefore has no grasp on any modern cultural references
he’s a farmer
good with horses
wouldn’t let a little thing like a severe shoulder injury keep him from getting the job done (dad has a wonky collarbone since he wouldn’t stop long enough for it to set properly)
has a comprehensive knowledge of his huge extended family history and will happily spend hours explaining it to you
taps his fingers on the table all the time
has a good head for business
honey is his weakness
first names are reserved for special occassions (we all have multiple nicknames and “Sassenach” would not be the most creative amongst them)
he’s a handy hunter
loves telling stories
has a collection of random things he “has uses for”
strong believer in the virtues of corporal punishment
I can only remember him giving his wife flowers once
always ends up in charge/leading others without intending to
has some serious scars, some unavoidable, others not so much
spent some time living in the city but never really content unless he’s out in the open country
has terrible hand writing
has a strong sense of what it means to be a “man”
has faith in God and biblical values
not so concerned about the laws of the land…

The list goes on. While there are plenty of differences as well, it makes me think that part of the reason I was so attached to Jamie’s character so quickly was how familiar he was. He would definitely fit right in with my family.

In contrast, Dad is infinitely happier to travel by boat. And less likely to wear a kilt.

What is even more attractive than Mr Fraser (hard to believe anything falls into that category) is Mr and Mrs Fraser. Claire and Jamie are better together, and that’s the ultimate goal, isn’t it? I’ve heard the author mention that so often the bulk of a romantic plot is spent in the “courtship” phase and the climax is the characters finally getting together. Gabaldon seems to set out not just to write about a wedding, but a marriage, including all of its ups and downs (which is gives Jamie’s character time to be shown in so much more detail than Mr Darcy ever had). She has done that masterfully and I appreciate it. In the interests of minimising spoilers, you’ll have to discover the rest on your own.

The constant immersion in 18th Century Scotland left me pining for the simple life I’d known as a child on our farm. Living off the land, away from the hustle and bustle of the city is a total gear shift from my current lifestyle and I think sooner or later, I will find my way back there. Maybe a strapping, young, kilted, red-headed Highlander will be waiting for me. Maybe.

Mount Dandenong

May 2, 2015May 3, 2015 | amandadales

As much as I enjoy living in the suburbs of Melbourne, it’s nice to get away from all the busyness every now and then. Some of my teenagers were keen to go on an adventure so we drove up to Mount Dandenong. One of my greatest thrills is introducing people to my favourite things (hence this site?), especially if they enjoy it half as much as I do. We trekked all the way to Sassafras — home to the cutest shops on the mountain. The girls were particularly enraptured by the puppet shop and the candle shop. We also stopped at Brother Jon’s Cafe for Heavenly Scones. Tasty.

Our main purpose for our trip was to take some photos in the bush. In usual fashion, we managed to spend so much time fluffing around Sassafras that by the time we headed to the One Tree Hill picnic ground, it was getting quite late. Quite accidentally, though, it meant that we stumbled upon some great natural lighting. We wandered around the bush, taking turns at posing like no one was watching because no one was! Sometimes we need to get away from the crowds and enjoy the peace and quiet of nature.

Here are some of our better shots! I had to persuade the girls not to jump the fence at this point.

We wandered a bit deeper into the bush than the average picnic-er at the One Tree Hill picnic area.

The girls tried their hand at a few shots as well, although I do need to teach them how to focus…

Some of the younger family members who saw the photos later insisted that we must have used a green screen rather than actually found such a backdrop in real life. Not sure why they thought that would have been less effort than driving half an hour up the mountain. We are lucky to have such a beautiful place so close to home though!