So, how was your weekend?

Singing is such an excellent thing, that I wish all people would sing. ~ Richard Byrd.

So yesterday we sang.  It was a huge day that began much earlier than I wanted because Liddy had a training day & needed the car.  This left Star & I with the option of travelling into town early with her or training in later.  We opted for the train but that meant an extra 2 hours travelling to allow for boats & buses & trains ~ & then we were early.  Early meant time for an icecream at Southbank before heading into QPAC.

No car meant we were lugging all our gear: Black & whites, shoes, water bottles, music, heavy jackets for later as we had to go to Liddy's soccer game after & Star, who has been rather spoilt in this regard, was not a happy Star.

We also had to detour en route.  By dint of raiding everyone in the house's closets I was able to turn up a white shirt, a pair of black pants I could fit into & a pair of black shoes that weren't going to kill me but a flesh coloured camisole was not available & flesh coloured is what you wear under whites because of the lights & as I'm allergic to elastic /nylon/rayon ~ pretty much anything that's not 100% cotton~I knew I was in for a bad case of the itches as soon as I put it on, which I didn't do till the very last minute.

First however we got our passes into QPAC to join with Cygnet Repu and the Basalaya Kwaya & the QPAC choir for a workshop.  Then  we hiked over the overpass to the State library to rehearse; concrete floors which are cruel to feet & legs unused to city streets; performance about 5.30.

Half the alto section ended up on the top balcony ~ where to my consternation I discovered I had a rather serious problem.  Without my glasses I couldn't read my music; with them on I couldn't see the conductor! The things that never occur to me till I'm in the middle of them! Worse, I am singing away shortsightedly doing the whole juggling act of foreign language no soundee what she lookee like, watch the conductor for my cues, try & hit a note somewhere in the right range when my peripheral vision discovers I have a camera shoved smackee~doo~da right in my face. I know why horses shy.  That was pretty much my reaction.  Yes, I knew the film crew was floating round.  Yes, I knew the camera guys were about.  No, it never occurred to me I'd be the poor sucker caught in the frame!  Hopefully my startlement didn't show too much. With luck the picture will never surface anywhere.

There was a good crowd but one of the bonus' of having become as blind as a bat is that I can see very little past the immediate page, with my glasses on.  And Ruth Ghee, who must be the sweetest chorus mistress ever, stood at the rehearsal door & hugged every single singer, thanking them for participating!  I feel like such a fraud!

Star & I hurtled back across the overpass via the QPAC stage door & headed round to the Ferris wheel looking for Liddy who was cooling her heels impatiently & whom we had made rather late.  However critical her stress levels had become they were very good for her game.  Her opening strike on goal came from the 18 yard box, dead centre, & she slammed it home. The goalie was very relieved to hear it thud against the top bar because no~one was stopping that ball! And she played like that all game. Mmm.  What finally subdued her was being given the spot kick for a hand ball in the box & I can't tell you how much Liddy hates taking spot kicks!  Waay too much pressure.  She put the ball in the back of the net but confessed later it had not done what she had meant it to do but as that was the only goal scored all game, she won her team the game.

Another late night.  The whole house is now suffering serious sleep disturbances but Liddy coped it worst.  She had asked to borrow my small travelling bag for her camp & had set it out, ready to be packed when she came home.  Never let it be said that our cats aren't deeply, deeply neurotic.  When no~one came home at the usual time & they started feeling anxious & emotionally deprived, someone [& neither cat is confessing] let their distress be known by piddling in the bag.  Liddy was beside herself but it's a good thing she hadn't already packed or she would have had a real problem.  As it was, she was frantically scrubbing out the bag & alternately scolding & smooching both cats until the small hours of the morning.

This afternoon I drive her too Coopooroo Station to head of for the first of two short missions.  By the time she comes back she will have just over a month before her departure date for Chile.  Anyone who wants a newsletter but hasn't received one, please let us know.  The first one has gone out but no doubt we've missed people so if that is you, do say.  It is easily rectified.