[gen x] damn right we're right, and we told you so too

Look what arrived in the mail on Friday - one of Le's t-shirts*. Love it. Have worn it all weekend. It makes it easy to tell who all the non-gen x-ers are because they just don't see the humour. In fact I think, Le, you need to add one more gen x t-shirt to the list:

[gen x]
we told you so

After all, apart from those war babies of the 1930s and 40s we are the ones who've spent our formative years surviving the previous financial downturn (don't make me say credit crunch). We know how to survive crappy entry-level jobs our apprenticeships making tea, running errands and doing photocopies. And we love to stand around at parties telling everyone we saw it coming.

Not that I have been, of course. I'm preferring to take the head.in.the.sand fingers.in.ears la la la la la approach. :)

*I know you want one, buy one here.

PS. No offence to the Boomers and Whiners. I loves youse all.

Friday Flashback: 80s...the taffeta period

So Le from Third on the Right suggested we have a Flashback Friday with an 80s theme. I've already given you a sneak peak at my 1980s but I hadn't shown you my Taffeta Period.

From 1985-1987 I lived in a university residential college where a highlight on our busy social calendar was the annual ball. I got pretty excited about going to these things and went all out: new dress, big hair, new makeup and always black stockings and black shoes.

I thought I had survived the 80s without resorting to white shoes but I was wrong there are photos of me in white court shoes. But, proudly, I declare that I never wore white court shoes and white stockings with a ball dress.

College ball, 1985 (17 1/2 years)

College ball, 1987 (19 1/2 years)

- actually, look I'd developed some taste and ditched the black stockings!

You'd be disappointed with the 1986 photo so I didn't put it in. No big hair, no taffeta, just a simple black dress (it did have shoulder pads 'though).

I have kept both of these dresses, although the green one was converted to a (short) skirt to wear to a ball in the 1990s (with a black velvet fitted jacket - remember that trend?). Oh, and I'm a loyal customer - my wedding dress in 1993 was made by the same place that made both of these 1980s creations.

And, in case you're wondering, that's Firegazer I've cropped out of the photos. He's shy.

"Thousands of lights were burning on the green branches..."

“Thousands of lights were burning on the green branches, and gaily-colored pictures, such as she had seen in the shop-windows, looked down upon her. The little maiden stretched out her hands towards them when--the match went out. The lights of the Christmas tree rose higher and higher, she saw them now as stars in heaven . . .” Hans Christian Andersen

We usually set up our tree on December 1, however this year after some discussion the kids agreed to set up the tree on November 30 so that daddy could be there to help. I think this is the first year that I haven't directed the placement of the baubles - that was done by the kids, as it should be. I am now the house Christmas photographer. The official tree-trimming night is accompanied by loudly-played Christmas music.

We have owned this [clearly fake] tree since Blossom was a baby and each year we choose a new bauble each, often from the David Jones Christmas Shop. Apart from those that have been given to us this tree represents 10 years of bauble-buying. I love the eclectic mix and buying the baubles slowly means that each one is beautiful and has some meaning to each of us.

Once, pre-kids, we went to a tree-trimming party where the invited children decorated the host family's tree from a large box of baubles. I love the idea of this but shudder at the reality of fifteen children grabbing baubles and fighting for a space on the tree. It was, however, a great night that the invited kids really loved.

I'm happy with our simple ritual and love the look of the tree sitting with its lights twinkling between the lounge and dining room.

Do you have a tree-trimming ritual?

She's Fairlie Forty

My fabulous friend, and partner in many crimes, Fairlie is Forty today. Hard to believe, but true. I'll be hopping on a flight in a couple of hours to wish her happy birthday in person.

"35 is a very attractive age. London society is full of women of the very highest birth who have, of their own free-choice, remained 35 for years."

Oscar Wilde

Fairlie, no-one need ever know (except anyone in cyberspace who has read this).

I say you should claim to be 35 for ever.

Happy 40th Birthday!

See you later today...


Love, M

PS. everyone, pop over and visit Fairlie at fairliearoundthetraps.blogspot.com today
to spread the birthday cheer!

Andre from the Wet Seats

A friend of mine is a devoted fan of Andre Rieu. Last year, when she was looking for a friend to go to the concert with, I said okay to buying the $385 ticket because I knew how much this meant to her and couldn't let her go by herself.

Better be good seats, I said.

Well my friend employed her usual tenacity of purpose with the powers.that.be at Ovation to ensure that we did indeed have good seats. Row M to be exact. How fitting.

It has been raining on and off in Sydney for the last week and on Saturday morning it was looking dodgy for an open-air stadium concert. Then my friend texted me:

Radio said no rain pm, thank God.

Despite these assurances I donned my boots, wore long sleeves and packed two rain ponchos.

[the first big downpour]

Good thing I did. The rain held off until after we had checked out our seats and then it came down with a vengeance. There was talk of the concert being postponed. But we took our seats, dressed in our rain ponchos, for a prompt 8pm start. The rain continued for 15 or so minutes and then stopped.

[filing in for the start, my friend assuring me that her lovely suede shoes had been waterproofed...]

The set for this concert was amazing. It was a replica of Schonbrun Palace in Vienna and was set up at the Olympic stadium lengthwise with seating for 30,000 people in front. There was room for the orchestra, two ice rinks and a replica Viennese ballroom. Next to the set were two operational fountains. Cameras were encouraged and security staff were taking photos of groups.

[the set and views from our seats]

This event is a celebration of popular classics in a concert environment. High Brow music snobs would be horrified. And, despite my own reservations, I really enjoyed the whole thing. We heard beautifully played music, watched ice-skaters, saw the Viennese Debutantes perform waltzes, saw a small ballet, listened to fabulous soprano and tenor voices and were entertained by a mass bagpipe extravaganza. Couples waltzed in the aisles. Certainly a bit different from the restraint of the Opera House.

[view from the 'mosh pit']

My friend told me that for the last 20 minutes it is de rigeur to rush down to the front and generally ogle Andre and his orchestra. So we did. It was a mosh pit for oldies in rain ponchos, and us. At that point it started to pour with rain again but the crowd didn't care at all.

As we were leaving we overheard one man say he will never go to an outdoor concert again. Bah Humbug we said, if a concert is worth going to it's worth going to in the rain.