I love Cold Play!

I had the great good fortune to attend the Cold Play concert at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Boondall (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) on Saturday night, the 24th of June, 2006!  The Brisbane Entertainment Centre is an international standard 13,500 seat indoor arena, & only the seats high above the back of the stage weren't filled, it seemed to me.

I loved every song, except I wasn't familiar with "Spiderweb".  (I only have the "Rush of Blood to the Head" & "X&Y" Cold Play cds so far).

 

Chris Martin is as limber as a tree frog, & was all over the stage, even jumping off the front stage & running way up to the gold seated section before jumping back down from there, & running back to the stage, during a song!

I was so lucky to be seated only about 10 metres from the stage.  Cameras were not allowed, & we all had to go through security.  (It wasn't me who took the video footage which these still shots were taken from.)

Chris Martin is inspirational, so full of energy, a great vocalist, guitarist, & pianist, with such charisma!

I was in the cafe of a service station near Landsborough, north of Brisbane on Sunday afternoon, & a fellow walked, in & I still don't know if it was Chris Martin, or just a lookalike.  He was wearing socks with sandals - not a look I could stand on anyone else!  He was with a dark haired older woman who looked a bit hippy-like.  He was looking rather serious.  If it was Chris Martin, he didn't want to be recognised.  Later one of the people I was with agreed that she wondered if it was Chris Martin, too!

I have the Cold Play Live 2003 DVD, & am looking forward to buying a more recent Cold Play DVD, if there is one.

 

You might not hear from me for several days - unless I manage to get a post in tomorrow -  because I'm off to Brisbane Entertainment Centre to see Cold Play!

There were several rosellas in my front trees this morning. 

They're parrots, mainly blue & yellow, with some red under their tails.

We've had gorgeous weather here lately, tops about 23 degrees celsius, & has only been getting down to about 10 overnight.

Ciao!

2 Things...

 

Two names you go by:
1. Missy

2. Woonah

Two parts of your heritage:
1. Danish
2. Irish

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. White lace
2. 5 gemstones

Two things you want in a relationship:
1. Adoration
2. Comfort

Two of your favorite hobbies:
1. Movies

2. Playing Age of Empires

Two things you want really badly at the moment:
1. A fully fenced yard with an automatic gate
2. A new timber & black granite & stainless steel kitchen

Two pets you had/have:
1. Biddy, a red cattle dog who comforted me when I cried, as a child.
2. Merlin, a black labrador who looks at me as though he hasn't been fed, even when he has.

 

Two things you did last night:
1. Cooked tuna mornay & rice.
2. Had a life changing moment.

 

Two favorite places to eat:
1. Thai restaurants.
2. At home.

 

Two things you ate today:
1. Uncle Toby's muesli with milk & honey
2. Ski D'Lite Yoghurt.

 

Two people you last talked to:
1. Anne-Marie
2. My daughter

Two things you’re doing tomorrow:
1. Going to an Arts Council meeting
2. Chauffeuring children

Two longest car rides:
1. Driving from Brisbane to Sydney.
2. Driving from Rockhampton to Ingham.

 

Two favorite holidays:
1. My birthday (I don't work on my birthday)
2. Christmas

Do you like jigsaw puzzles?  They're fun to do online too.

Check out this online jigsaw puzzle, made from one of my photos!

It's a bit tricky, made up of bird shapes.

Send me a comment with the time you took!

I accidentally took a photo & this was part of it: 

Is that anything like your work diary?

I thought this song was so cute when I heard it sung at a kindergarten about a decade ago:

Poor Little Bug on the Wall
(source: "The Worm Song and Other Tasty Tunes, Janet Wilson, 1993.)

Poor little bug on the wall No one to love him at all No one to wash his clothes, no one to tickle his toes Poor little bug on the wall!

 

That's what I thought of when I saw this moth on my wall.  We have security insect screens, so it's a rare moth which gets to venture inside.

It's a gorgeous sunshiney day outside, & here is our dog, basking in the warm sunlight on the front verandah:

Nature comes up with some great designs, have you noticed?  These stripes somehow remind me of the Baz Luhrmann movie "Moulin Rouge":

 

 

Progress made on the painting background yesterday:

Black birds which took to the trees at my approach this morning:

They have red eyes - & as you can see, they're red inside their beaks!

They've usually gone by the time I go outside in the mornings.

- so I'd better type fast!

I found this useful set of online tools years ago, & it's still there, useful for those without graphic programs, to make headings etc.  I quickly made this there:

My teenage daughter made me a Hummingbird birthday cake!  That's passionfruit icing on top & sides, delicious!

Finally this afternoon I put paint to canvas!  This is the start of a background for a painting:

Here I am in my birthday tiara, just before leaving for dinner with friends:

 Happy Birthday to Me!  :-)

My intention, when starting this blog several months ago, was to often post my new paintings.  I haven't painted all year!  I have my next art exhibition in March, & not one painting completed for it.  :-(  I have Artists Block. 

I've had Artists Block before, for years, but last year I painted with someone who I invited to exhibit with me in December 2005.  We met most weeks, on Tuesdays, alternating homes.  Too much of our time was spent preparing & eating food, I thought, morning tea & lunch, but at least we could show each other what we had worked on while apart, & make some progress together.  AFter all, we had a goal to work towards:  to have at least 10 paintings each finished & framed ready for our exhibition last December.

I usually only drew when I was with her, I felt too inhibited to paint in her presence, while she was the opposite:  preferred not to draw in my presence.  Also, it was too much 'mucking around' for me to bring & organise & clean up after painting, I thought - plus I have much more experience, & confidence, drawing than painting.

I praised her paintings whenever she showed them to me, but she was only enthusiastic about one of mine, this one.  :-(  I'll let you into a secret:  that's quicker & easier to paint than the other styles shown in my online gallery! 

I suspect she thought, & thinks, that she is a better artist than I am.  Although I enjoy the bright colours & cute things she paints, she could do with some texture in her backgrounds, & some more light & shade.  That's my opinion - they're too 'flat', too 2 dimensional.

Anyhow, one day in the lead up to our exhibition, I was upset because the venue had double booked our next planned joint exhibition date, without so much as an apology, & she was 'passive aggressively' saying to me over the 'phone that it didn't matter, & I (suffering from PMT at the time too) snapped at her that it bl***y well did matter to me!  Well, it seems that's all it takes with her:  she hasn't turned up to paint with me at all this year, & hasn't 'phoned me to let me know why, either!

So, in short, that's a contributing factor, to my Artists Block. 

I do have lots of ideas to try, but am afraid I'll produce something not up to par.  Perhaps I'm buying into her opinion, that my art isn't good enough?

Remember I was talking about perfumes which I currently like to wear?  Another one is J.Lo's Live, & it comes in a pretty bottle.  "Live for the moment! Here, now, forever."  "an energetic fruity-floral fragrance with a top note of sparkling Sicilian lemon, ..."  I like Gucci's Envy Me more, but it's also more expensive.  I almost know I'll be receiving one of them tomorrow (the 11th) for my birthday.

Today I do not have my camera with me - & just when I see two different species of parrot flying amongst my trees, & a huge flock of white cockatoos flying overhead as I drove home earlier.  You'll have to actually read instead of just looking, for a change.

Last night I was out, as I was the night before.  I've never seen so many energetic people in their 50s, dancing the night away!  Perhaps couples get a new lease on life once their children leave home?!  I'm too self-conscious to just jiggle, twist, & turn to music in public - & besides, I don't need to be the centre of attention nor a figure of fun - just imagine all of me jiggling!  I do like old time dancing (ballroom, but not formal), you know, waltzes etc.  I learnt as a child & as a single young adult too, for fun.  I love watching Latin American dancing.

It's my birthday in a week.  I want a hummingbird cake.  My sister in law had one for her wedding cake, & it was scrumptious!  I hope this recipe, which I found online, will be as delicious as hers was:

Hummingbird Cake

 

A moist & delicious dessert cake.

 

Serves as many as want to indulge

 

Degree of difficulty: Low

 

Preparation Time: 15 mins

 

Cooking Time: 1 hour

 

You need:
HUMMINGBIRD CAKE
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon bi-carb. soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
2 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil (or extra light olive oil)
1 cup mashed banana
450g can crushed pineapple in syrup, drained

PASSIONFRUIT FROSTING:
100g Philly cream cheese
100g softened butter
1 cup icing sugar mixture
1 tablespoon passionfruit pulp

 

Method:
Preheat oven to moderate....(I use 170C F/F gas oven).
Grease a deep, 19cm square cake tin and line base with baking paper.
Sift flour, soda and spices into a large bowl and stir in sugar and coconut.
Combine lightly beaten eggs and vegetable oil and add to dry ingredients.
Then add mashed banana and drained pineapple.
When well combined, spread mixture into cake tin and bake in moderate oven for about 1 hour.
Let cake stand for a few minutes before turning out onto rack to cool.
When cold, top with the yummy passionfruit frosting.

I suppose it's a bit like a carrot cake, except much better!

For my birthday, I would like perfume, because at the moment I'm scraping by on Clarins Tranquility & Chanel #5 samples.  I like Paris Baby Doll* & Gucci Envy Me**, among others.  Actually, for my main birthday present I would like two timber sun loungers, with wheels & drinks trays & cushions.  Winter is the only time it's cool enough here to work on my tan! 

Did you enjoy my ramble? 

*"The sweet, pink-tinted floral bouquet is youthful and carefree, perfect for springtime in Paris--wear Baby Doll with a cheerful attitude..." & "a fruity floral fragrance for women, this is the Peter Pan of the fragrance world, for the woman who refuses to grow up." & "Like a frothy pink tutu, Baby Doll exudes joy and laughter… share the giggles.."

**"Envy me was created for the woman who demands attention. This dazzling blend of sensual peony, jasmine..." & "Gucci Envy Me is the scent of a woman who follows her impulses and enjoys..."