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Saturday, June 21, 2008

Delights of the Day

1. Going to the farmer's market and buying my first bunch of poppies for the year (and lovely smelly jonquils for only $3.50 a bunch!).

2. Walking Bumblebee across the Lyneham ovals for his tennis make-up lesson, enjoying the cool morning and thanking the universe that he doesn't play regular and randomly time-tabled weekend sport like all the poor buggers who were playing netball and footy nearby.

3. Going to see the latest Indiana Jones movie with Bumblebee and thoroughly enjoying the many in-jokes that he wasn't getting due to lack of age and experience.

4. Taking Bumblebee to a local sushi cafe and using the little sushi conveyor belt for his first time.

5. Spending the rest of the afternoon guillotining paper until my arm nearly fell off, then arriving home to find Best Beloved preparing a roast chook (with lemon and herbs under the skin) for tea.

6. Having BB show me what looked like a fans-only nostalgia trip on YouTube about Mike Willesee mocking Dr Who fans for flocking to interview the director (circa 1984), a clip which dragged on and on until suddenly BB froze it and pointed out himself in the front row.

Dr Who nerdling
he made sure to tell me that Jeannie Little was just out of camera shot. This is one of his major memories of the occasion. I'm sure he thought she was a character in full costume or something.

Heh. My lovely nerd-in-training, complete, if you'll note, with looooong Dr Who scarf. Now that he's grown, he's passing on the costuming bug to Bumblebee (not that he's EVER needed encouragement), who has been cultivating his David Tennant look, wearing a black duffel coat with white gym boots and striking poses with the only BFG I will let him have (one of those highly coloured plastic supersoaker thingies), and more often a weird lego thingy that is the sonic screwdriver. We are a Doctor-loving household, and now that BB has the hots for The Catherine Tate Show, I'm sure we'll be glued to the next Dr Who series (I'm resisting -- very hard -- the temptation to download it, because my last visual downloading adventure blew my allowance to shreds).

7. The memory of yesterday's Jan Brown opening. Not only was it delightful to see Jan get her dues, complete with speeches, flowers and general all-round adoration, and equally delightful to see a lot of people I haven't caught up with in ages, but I was tickled pink to discover that I was represented in the exhibition in a few ways -- my Transmigration volume is there (open at my least favorite page spread, unfortunately), and also the Icarus volume that I helped produce (by printing both the text and images. It's in the bottom righthand corner of this page), and I'm also the subject of about three life drawings! I modelled for Jan for many years, up to and including when I was pregnant with Bumblebee. Jan gave me the pregnancy drawings, but it was fun to see some of the others up on the gallery walls.

I *highly recommend* this show. It's elegant, spacious and breathtaking. Jan's work is beautifully presented, as is her due as one of Canberra's most community-spirited and well-loved artists.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, what a great thrill to see your name listed, now you need to write your own book, I sure it would be a wonderful read what ever you wrote. I am doing mine by way of photo's and journaling very slowly but getting there. Aunty Lou

Poppy Letterpress said...

MUST. BUY. POPPIES.

Also, must go see the show as well.

Miss Schlegel said...

Oh, it just all sounds ridiculously delightful. I never get why people bag Canberra — I love it. It's all going to openings and cold, sunny mornings and running into people you know.

My poppies are budding already. I worry I put them in to early and it'll be too cold for them.

Here's a little apropos project for wintery nights: http://www.doctorwhoscarf.com/pattern1.php

fifi said...

How beautiful... I wish every week that sport was not on our agenda!
I hadn't realised that 4a thing had posted itself all alone without my words till you just commented on it! How weirdy-weird!

I'll just be off to fix that.:-) . brb.

Anonymous said...

The hair - I shall say nothing about the hair. The scarf, on the other hand....

fifi said...

I really really hope I get to that show, just reading about it makes me think I have much in common with her, and also the poet Nan in your lovely book.

I am dead impressed with the doctor who get-up.
And Jeannie Little as well? phew. Too much.

btw, I am sorry I tossed that ghost-post, you'll have to plow through all the faff surrounding it now!

Ampersand Duck said...

Thanks, Auntie Lou! You're such a champion maker (and blog-reader!).

Heh. Ms S, my scarf-knitting days have gone down the toilet. Although I had the same scarf as BB, around the same time, only wider, longer and more colourful (and I made it myself). [pokes tongue out at him]

Miss Fifi, it was a delightful post to plough through :)

Mummy/Crit said...

Every year when you blog abuot poppies I get excited about buying some and I'm too disorganised to do it until it's too late. I think I did manage it the first year from Trash and Treasure, but have failed ever since (and this would be the third year of failure now). Oh well. One day I'll plant some for myself and the snails will not eat them.

BB's Dr Who get up is great. I love the suspense of you watching the video politely, but bored until he paused it for you.

How was Garth?!?! it's been so long I can't remember what he looks like, and I know he wouldn't remember me...

Anonymous said...

Miss S, I love Canberra too. You don't want too many people finding out about it. Alas time and petrol and elderly cars are keeping me away.

Just flying a little kite here Ducky: did you or Jan know an Anne (Annie) Taylor?

Who moved to Tasmania in the late 90s or 00s?

Anonymous said...

How did you get the little bouncing bilby thing in the lower RH corner? (sorry if everyone else already knows this)

Ampersand Duck said...

Mummy Crit: Garth is loquacious, talented, completely in control of his environment and looking like a man in the prime of his powers. I thoroughly enjoyed his launch, especially when he refused to let the smaller readers hog the question time (1 question each!). And he was nice to boot. Which I'm would make his mother very happy.

Ms S: no, I don't, but I'll ask Jan. And I had a lovely natter to Erica at Jan's opening about you. My lips are sealed.

Helen: the bouncing balloon thingy is, if you click on it, a sign that I'm a pit-stop for the world's first internet balloon race. I found it through my favorite intrepid webonaut, Ample Sanity, and I couldn't resist. I haven't got time to join in, so I thought I'd be visited!

Ampersand Duck said...

Wah, NOT Miss S who asked the question, but Helen. Sorry, same answer except the gossipy bit :)

Long day!

TimT said...

I love that youtube - authentic 1980s fandom! The kid answering the question about the colour of the doctor's ring is brilliant. And the president of the Australian fan club is even better. And I still get a thrill when seeing the Dr Who opening credits.

When I grow up, I want to be like those people. BB is clearly very wise.

Anonymous said...

Hi - have you checked out the BBC website for the iPlayer? It is free downloads of the previous week's BBC shows. Doctor Who has been brilliant this series (I am living in London)and you are sure to love it!

Also, your balloon thingy in the right hand column is actually an advertising device for an english mobile phone company called Orange.

One more thing - I really like your style of writing and always think of Helen Garner when I read your blog, keep it up and read her latest book 'The Spare Room'. Really good!

Ampersand Duck said...

Hi anonymous

Yeah, I thought the balloon thingy was an ad, and I'm usually not into that sort of stuff, but I love the idea of heaps of orange novelty balloons floating across my site over the next few weeks... bit fond of hot air balloons.

I love the Spare Room. I'm proud to say that I have my own signed copy, although sadly didn't get to have it signed in person -- was done by a lovely friend (who told Helen who I was, so the degree of separation actually makes me swoony). Comparing me to her is the best compliment I can get, although I don't really feel I earn it :) But thanks!