Elevated over the Avon Valley National Park in the Chittering Valley, the view resembles an exhibition of the Heidelberg School. The scene below could very well have been the inspiration for artists, Frederick McCubbin, Arthur Streeton or Tom …
We make a pit-stop at the Japanese Cemetery, one of the largest Japanese cemeteries …
Representing life and hope, an injured Tiger Quoll is brought to veterinarian Andy (Myles Pollard; A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Drift) after mining mogul Harry (Matt Dyktynski; Black Swan roles include Day One, A Hotel, Evening and Boundary Street) accidentally hits the rare marsupial …
“I would love for my husband to do it as he works so hard & has made so many sacrifices, he deserves it.”
Happy jumping!
Thank you everyone for your entries and keep up the fun times!
Happy travels,
Carmen.
The night I met Anthony Bourdain
From drug-addled chef to successful author and TV presenter, Anthony Bourdain wasn’t only a storyteller but a story creator. He lived the stories he told not merely as an observer, but as a participant, and in doing so, he connected us to worlds many of us will never experience.
I’ve been a die-hard fan since encountering his first book Kitchen Confidential; I’ve savoured every word many times over. I was thrilled to discover he hosted an entire TV series, A Cook’s Tour giving the viewer an insight into the calibre of his compassion, grit and humour. Now I could read his words while hearing his distinct voice in surround sound, and by voice, I mean both his husky speaking voice and the succinct voice of a writer. He broke the travel reporting mould without the gloss but instead with refreshing candour.
I met him once after a presentation he gave in Brooklyn, where his intelligence was as apparent his humbleness. He knew he’d been blessed with a second chance at success. His wife arrived in the audience with her entourage. He’d always said he’d wished he’d been born into an Italian family, so he married into one instead. She had such a presence I suspected the audience watched her almost as intently as her husband on stage. And I got the feeling he was more than ok with that.
It was one of those steamy New York City nights, and the “Meet & Greet” function was held in a Brooklyn brownstone converted into a bar full of equally zealot fans. As the jazz band swooned, we alighted the stairs in trepidation to meet THE man himself. I was one of the last in the line. The temperature upstairs was sweltering, and he was clearly uncomfortable and grumpy. Nonetheless, we all persisted with the publicity circus, he as the reluctant showman and us as the expectant fans.
At last, it was my turn, and I handed him my book to sign. He glanced up at me without words. I gushed a little before asking, “So when are you going to do a show in Perth?” At last, I had his full attention and gaze, “Oh Perth, yes I have been. I decided to do a show in Sydney instead.” I don’t remember my response except that my husband was standing ready with the camera to capture this awkward moment in time.
There are thousands of stories of off-screen encounters with Anthony, some equally irreverent from what I’ve heard, which is what made his work so brilliant, and many touching. All of them influential in some way. He lived as he ate; without fear.
He appeared to have it all, which is why it’s so hard to believe he voluntarily ended his own life. Although he did appear nostalgic during his last episode in Hong Kong. How can we ever truly know; I believe there was no note.
An ambassador of food, travel, culture and let’s face it, basically the universe, he brought the world to the page and our screens. And for that, I’m eternally grateful. An incredible legacy we’re free to dip back into at will. He gave the ultimate gift.
We generally associate mangoes with the tropics but about an east of Perth in Gingin, there are about 20 commercial growers handpicking their juicy fruit as I write this. The Mediterranean climate in the part of the world allows the fruit spend 120 days on the tree, which is one month more than in the tropics. The extra time before harvesting allows the sugars to become more developed, making them sweeter to eat, and the warm temperature also means minimal …
As the outback scrub gives away to hills of faded gold, the Southern Wheatbelt region is dotted with cattle languidly grazing in paddocks while lorikeets and galas nibble on roadside picnics of seeds. The quintessential outback town of Wagin is at the crossroads of the Great Southern region; with Albany …
Where those of ill-repute reigned over what was once Australia’s roughest port town, Fremantle reinvented itself in the 1950’s with the arrival of Europeans immigrants. Then after winning the America’s Cup in 1987 the town rejoiced as the streets became lined with cafes, bars, shops museums, and buskers; the revellers may have dispersed but the party still remains 30 minutes west of Perth.
Imagine having to pay for the air you breath? Or worse still, not being able to afford it? Injected with Ben Elton’s signature sharp wit, Gasp! will leave you, dare I say it, gasping for air between laughs at this satirical poke at Perth’s mining boom and political landscape. Co-produced with the Queensland Theatre Company and the Black Swan State Theatre Company, Gasp! showcases some of Brisbane’s and Perth’s most talented actors, including Greg McNeill who I had a chat …
On a recent journey to Bali’s tranquil Ubud I didn’t find myself and despite hunting high and low not even Javier Bardem frolicking in the rice paddies either, sorry girls. I did however discover many enticing ways to eat, lay, bend and write, with a few naughty detours along the way.
Set during a time where writers and actors were black-listed by …
Conspiracy theories will always abound about Pope John Paul I’s death. Never accepted into his sudden position of power after the death of Pope John XXIII, speculation festered about how he met his maker, especially among those closest to him during his brief 33 day reign in the Vatican in 1978. The Last Confession examines the unsolved crime, if in fact a crime was committed?
Tell me about your character Konstantin in The Black Swan State Theatre Company’s production of “The Seagull”?
You’re an Egyptian immigrant working as a taxi-driver to put yourself through university. Your passenger is unbelievably …
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