Return to Perth

Susan and I went for a wander along George St in East Fremantle, looking for a place to have lunch. But clearly it's not a place to go on a Tuesday. There were a couple of small cafes and shops open but there was hardly anyone walking the streets and most places didn't open until Wednesday. However, the walk was pleasant and the environment, full of terrace houses and historic buildings, reminded me of parts of North Adelaide and Carlton. One particular row of houses must have been built by a Victorian, perhaps someone like our grandparents who moved to WA to chase gold when the Victorian fields had dried up. The houses are named Glenlyon (the Brunswick street we'd stayed in before moving to Perth and also a country village), Kyneton, Daylesford and Hepburn. All are names are of charming towns in the goldfields region of Victoria. We've had many happy holidays and adventures the area. Hepburn is famous for its spas, Daylesford as the LGBTQI heart of Victoria, and Kyneto...

I'm trying to reflect back to what my parents were like in their 70s.When did they stop playing golf? When did they stop going out at night? When did they give up their subscription to symphony concerts and the theatre? What do the next 10 years look like? Alan's last trip was to Victoria in 1998, at 81, to visit Sebastian as a baby. Betty's last overseas trip was to Spain with me in 2004 at 83 (with walking stick and neck brace) and there was a final trip to Melbourne in a wheelchair a couple of years later. So there's still time to keep travelling. 1998 - Alan & Sebastian in Portsea 2004 - Betty in the Alhambra Palace, Granada These thoughts crossed my mind as I enjoyed celebrating another friend's 70th birthday. Susan and I were honoured to be invited to a family lunch in Guildford for Barry Strickland's anniversary. Barry and I have known each other since 1973 and there's even a photo to prove it. Can you spot me in the crowd? He's the handsome y...

  One of the enjoyable aspects of being in Perth is having access to student productions and performances at the WA Academy of Performing Arts. Every musical you see in Australia will have some WAAPA students performing in it and of course some of them have gone on (and will go on) to be famous. So it's a joy to see them with their skills in development on stage.  Roundhouse Theatre, WAAPA 2025 Our most recent excursion to Mt Lawley where WAAPA is currently housed as part of Edith Cowan University was to see a production of Stephen Sondheim's musical Merrily We Roll Along.  If you haven't seen it/listened to it, it's the story of three artist friends - a novelist, a librettist and a composer - told backwards. it was initially a failure on Broadway with only 16 performances after opening night. People either couldn't follow the story line or got confused about the characters. We Sondheim experts have never had that problem and thoroughly enjoyed the energy of the WAA...

In the last post but one, I discussed the the Agatha Christie play And Then There Were None currently playing in Perth. One of the best performances in the play is by Nicholas Hammond. You may remember Nicholas as the 14 yeard old Friedrich von Trapp in The Sound of Music. Susan and I, with theatre loving friends Barry and Gabrielle, caught up with Nicholas for lunch. He's a charming man, now 75 years old, mentoring the young people in his cast, and still enjoying the thrill of the stage.  Gabrielle and Barry told stories of when they'd first seen The Sound of Music. In one case, a whole Catholic primary school plus nuns pouring onto buses for an excursion. In another, a special trip to a nearby country town. I remember having the music at home as well as a record and learning all the songs. And it's still a film that captures a new generation. Sebastian, my nephew, claims to have watched it a dozen times in his youth. Nicholas is heading back to Europe for the film's 6...

It had to happen at some point. Although the move to Perth has been at times exhausting and in one case even involved Susan being hospitalised, I have got away with it scot free. Putting aside the back pain, the knee pain, the hip pain. That's just what getting old is all about so not worth complaining about. But then I blew it and ended up in serious pain.  Joy, the lady we bought 106 Archibald St from, was recently widowed and in the last few years of his life, her husband had been in a wheelchair. So there are helpful rubber ramps at the entrance to the garage from the house and to the outside area. However, the former had to be moved so we could do a termite treatment. Susan reminded me to watch my step and for my first few entrances I did....but then I didn't. I went crashing down, badly twisting my left foot and landing heavily on my right knee. For the last few days, I've been practicing being much older. I hobble around with a walking stick and people open doors for...