Our Christmas Holiday Calendar

Since about 1980 our family has had Our Christmas Holiday Calendar to guide us through the various aspects of the Advent and the Twelve Days of Christmas ending in The Feast of Fools or Epiphany. It started as an exercise book in which we made notes and pasted ideas until eventually there was something for each day - a picture I drew, space for notes, an explanation of the theme of the day, some things to do, an appropriate song, a story or recipe for the theme of the day.

I first self-published 100 copies of this book in 1990 with an ISBN and all. This year I am at least starting the digitising project. You can find it in the tab at the top "Our Christmas Holiday Calendar" or you can ask me for a hard copy.

By making this book digital I might even be able to add some photos or links that I find. Something that was not available to me when it was first published.

Coming Messiah Performance

It is nearly Christmas, come to a performance of Handel's Messiah with Tim Chung directing 400 singers, 4 soloists, an orchestra and Peter Kneeshaw playing the Grand Organ at the Sydney Town Hall on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 December 2019 at 3:00 pm.
Purchase your tickets online or at the counter at the City Recital Hall: 
https://www.cityrecitalhall.com/whats-on/events/messiah/
More information? Email: handel@handelsmessiah.org.au

An August Update

Well it is a while since I updated but I am busy busy with patchwork, grand girl sitting, jam making, garden, Luke's concerts and singing.

Some coming events you might like are...

I'm sure both will be great music. 

I've almost finished another family quilt from Surrey's shirts and look forward to getting some photos of the ones that have been taken down to Underhill.

First few weeks of April

Wow what a start to April!

Following the traumas of the rainy drive to Underhill I decided that as my Renault was 10 years old it was time for a change so Kim and I set off together to choose a new one - a Hyundai Tucson (white).

A beautiful Australian Blue-banded Bee seen on the way to Pilates.

 On Friday I was in the city all day with Robyn at the QuiltNSW Friday Showcase then the St Stephens Friday Lunchtime Concert. I then met Ellen for dinner and we went to see West Side Story (my Christmas and birthday present from her). It was an outdoor show and we had rain until the show started so had to buy a protective poncho each. We did look a treat. The rain stopped as the show began and we were blessed with a starry night and city lights as the backdrop.

On Saturday I as back in the city to meet Kerrie for our catch-up day. This time a walk through the Botanic Gardens to three art exhibitions - Botanica, Margaret Flockton Competition and the Marijka Greenway "Tree Whispering" exhibition. We then wandered slowly back through the gardens while I pointed out various bits significant in my life to Kerrie.

We lunched at the Botanic Gardens Restaurant.

Then headed to the Calyx to meander through the Insectivorous Plants display. These photos are worth clicking on and seeing at higher resolution. The plants are stunning.

I left Kerrie to wend her way back to Springwood, spent some time in Grill'd having an early dinner and marking up my music, then headed for St Mary's Cathedral to meet up with Alastair for our performance of Stainer's Crucifixion. The light of the setting sun was wonderful on the cathedral west wall.

Prizes for those who can find me and Alastair.

Sunday was church choir as normal at St Stephens and lunch at Mum's.

Monday I had the girls for the day and had loads of fun and activity with them.

Today I collect my new car.

The end of an era?

For those who have visited me in the last 8 years or so you'll know that various members of one family have lived with me whilst completing studies in Sydney. Over the years they have become my adopted family, often staying alone, or en masse, for short or extended periods.

My latest was Arianne who was here for 4 years doing a Theatre Costume Design course.

Arianne had her final exhibition last week and has now, with the help of family, has moved out creating a huge hole upstairs. I think I'll find it a large empty house for a while.

Brett, Josh, Zoe, Arianne, Leigha

On Saturday they all stayed here (except Thea who is overseas) as a base to attend a concert and collect Arianne and her many packages.

Meanwhile my raspberries are producing a stunning harvest and I am able to pick enough for at least one feast every day or two.

For me it is now the run down to Christmas with lots of singing practices, performances and services, the last being on Christmas morning.

A Weekend of Music and Patchwork

Over the last long weekend I joined the Chorus Oz (Sydney Philharmonia) Choir to enjoy singing for two days. One day was a rehearsal in Pitt St Uniting Church and the Sunday was spent in the Opera House, giving our performance on Sunday evening. I wore my coat decorated with all the Tshirts we've been given over the last 12 years and whilst having lunch on the Sunday Jacqui from Sydney Philharmonia too some photos...

It was an amazing two days only marred by the long walk up Macquarie Street afterward and the crowds from Vivid. What a pity they did not all come to hear us as well.

On Monday I spent the day at home finishing off my pink quilt getting it ready for a competition in September. It won't win any prizes but at least it used up some of my pink fabrics of which I have far too many.

A weekend of Music

I have now recovered from my weekend of music. Saturday and Sunday were spent practising and performing Mendelssohn's Elijah with Chorus Oz (Sydney Philharmonia Choirs) at the Opera House. It is always such a great experience.

This year my Sunday morning was filled with a choral matins at St Stephens in Macquarie St. This was a huge sing just to warm me up before being driven to the Opera House in the Tardis and experiencing time travel that got me there only 1.5 hours late for Elijah practice.

Chorus Oz 2016

This year was my 12th year with Chorus Oz, one of the Sydney Philharmonia choirs. There were around 700 choristers, 5 of whom were from the Sutherland Choral Society - Lee, Janetta, Betty, Phil and Lyndel.

Of course we all had a fantastic two days learning and then performing Handel's Israel in Egypt in the Opera House.

On our way home on Sunday we were treated to glimpses of Vivid. The only drawback being having to join the huge crowds to shepharded to Martin Place Station to get home.

Ivy and Christmas Music

The last month has been filled with music and Ivy. I was lucky enough to go with Ivy, Geoff and Jen to Ivy's last swimming lesson of the year. She just loves the water and all the singing and playing with Dad that goes with it.

Then when Ivy comes to my house she has a huge playpen to entertain me in. The house looks like Fort Knox with barriers on every door and the stairs.

She came in her Giraffe outfit the other day and it even had a little tail.

She is so pleased she can pull herself up on all these barriers.

We were even able to start making the Christmas cakes.

Intermingled with Ivy days are my singing practices and performances. In late November there was Celebration Sing Out with a huge choir, kids choir and full orchestra. There were quite a few of us from Sutherland Shire Choral Society.

The practices for the Westpac choir are held in the Westpac head office in Kent St overlooking the developing Barangaroo area.

Our performances for that are held in the foyer of the same building and next week we have a concert pianist accompanying us!

Practices for the Messiah this coming weekend have now finished and I sang the alto part of Purcell's "Rejoice in the Lord Alway" in a trio at church on Sunday morning. The afternoon was then filled with another practice.

In the next week I have only one day (tomorrow) that is music free but I am loving all the opportunities to sing.

Music, music, music

Family, garden, patchwork and music are my main activities at the moment.

Last Sunday afternoon we had a special 'service' at church - Hymnsing - when we sang lots of the old Wesleyan hymns. The church was well filled with people who love singing. What a magnificent sound!

On September 13th we'll be having another such musical treat - HymnFest - so if you like singing hymns do come along. For this concert we'll have brass and timpani added to the mix.

A moment of fleeting fame

You are probably not wondering what is keeping me busy this weekend. However, music is it. I became fleetingly famous this week with my photo appearing on the Sydney Philharmonia facebook page. You'll have to scroll down a bit by now to see me. I have been learning the music for our Chorus Oz concert on Sunday night and am enjoying it immensely.

Keeping me busy in April

This March-April has been a family month. Apart from my singing practise which is about an hour a day, I have had lots of family time.

Visiting Mum in hospital is a daily activity - chatting, dealing with washing, paying bills, and troubleshooting technology issues. She is to stay in rehab for another week then to go home.

On Saturday night I had Jen, Ivy and Ponyo for a sleep over while Geoff attended a wedding. It was great fun to just be together and I didn't really get woken during the night. What a beautiful baby, a wonderfully calm mum and Ponyo is so chilled out about it all.

These photos were taken at 10 days old by Chalk and Cheese Photography.

For three days of the school holidays I've had my boys and one of the fun activities was getting to 500 on a 1000 dot dot-to-dot puzzle each. It takes so much concentration we did it in stages and will finish the rest when the boys are next over.

We also walked to Carss Park for a play on the equipment and a paddle in the water. Last week we did sewing but this week we did not have time. There were things to do in the garden, movies to watch and games to play inside. When we left Luke said "but we did have not done any sewing yet." Next time I'm sure we'll need to sew.

My scores for Chorus Oz in June have arrived so apart from St Stephens practice I now have to learn:

Orff - Carmina Burana: O Fortuna
Handel - Zadok the Priest 
Mozart - Requiem in D: Introitus, Dies Irae, Confutatis, Lacrimosa
Rachmaninoff - All Night Vigil: Bogoroditse Devo
Haydn - The Creation: The Heaven’s are telling
Brahms - Ein Deutsches Requiem: Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen
Mendelssohn - Elijah: O Lord, thou hast overthrown, Thanks be to God
Sculthorpe - Requiem: V Canticle
Verdi - Missa da Requiem: Libera Me
Beethoven - Symphony no. 9 in D minor: Finale
Encore: Handel - Messiah: Hallelujah Chorus

If you'd like tickets then let me know as I can get a discount. The performance is in the Sydney Opera House at 5pm on Sunday 7 June. No tickets are available at the Opera House.

What a month I've had. I havn't had time to do anything in the garden except fill the green bin.

Hospitals and Hope

Well we have Mum in hospital at St Vincents (King's Cross) recovering from spine surgery and Jen in hospital in Hurstville Private to have a caesarian shortly.

I hope and pray that all goes well with them all in their recovery.

Life for me is a busy round of visiting Mum, being on-call for Jen and gradually cancelling all sorts of things so I don't suffer too much from brain drain.

Hopefully my next post will have good news all round.

The thing that keeps me sane is learning all the music I need to know for Easter at St Stephens.

Christmas comes and goes

I must say this must have been the most musical Christmas I have ever experienced. On the Sunday before Christmas (following the two weeks of Westpac choir performances) I sang a solo in the St Stephens 9 lessons and carols service, then again on Christmas Eve. And then there was the Christmas morning service as well (but no solo).

As I was singing at the Christmas Eve midnight service then the 10am Christmas morning service I decided to treat myself and stay at the Westin in Martin Place (the old GPO). Karen and Alastair joined me for a beautiful dinner there and the room was in the heritage wing and was magnificent.

 There were views over Martin Place...

and the atrium highlighted the old sections of the building.

But wait... Christmas morning I came down with food poisoning (not from the Westin) and only just made it to Desley's for Christmas lunch. There I lay on the lounge most of the day but was able to listen in to family catch-up conversation and take some photos.

The boys had practice handling Alexandra who was passed without decorum across the table.

The proud parents, Cath and Foti.

Desley and Jack had prepared a magnificent Christmas lunch.

Unfortunately that evening Geoff and Jen also succumbed to the food poisoning that we had all caught from a takeaway Indian meal we'd shared the day before Christmas Eve. No-one else got sick.

By the day after Boxing Day I was beginning to recover so was able to go out to lunch at Karen and Alastair's. What a great meal (my first in 2 days)! It was also great to catch up with Helen and Bob. After lunch, as there were 5 singers and a pianist on hand we had a lovely sing-a-long.

The rest of the year was spent justing, scanning family photos, watching TV, slowly gardening and playing solitaire just to fully recover from the Bombay Belly side effects. Geoff also took it slowly but thankfully Jen seemed to get over it fairly quickly.

I'll certainly remember this end of year for a long time for both the wonderful singing opportunities and the horrible gastric issues. Thanks to all those who coped with my highs and lows.