M has a sweet tooth, so on her Hen’s Day we decided to go out to high tea. I’d been researching the high teas given by various Sydney establishments, and decided on the Sofitel Wentworth hotel. They seemed to have a good deal and high quality food. I wasn’t disappointed.
First we attacked the savouries of chicken and mayo sandwiches, sour cream and mushroom choux bun, and smoked salmon roll. But it was the sweets that we were after. We started with scones.
The Japanese aren’t really known for their salads, but they actually eat more of it than you think. We started off the meal with a simple teriyaki chicken salad, with what might be sesame dressing. And of course, our cameras were at the ready.
The Harbour Bridge viewed by night and day makes for a wonderful contrast. I suppose living out in the ‘burbs, I don’t get to see the harbour at night so very much, so it is a bit of novelty for me.
I’m not a fan of amusement parks, but Luna Park, and Sydney Harbour in general, certainly looked pretty at night.
My first time seeing Josh Pyke live. I have his two full-length albums now and they are good, if rather gentle and poignant listens. On stage he is a rather straight-forward performer. Aside from a few jokes he doesn’t talk overly much, but is generally at ease. What surprised me about the performance is how powerful his voice is. It is really quite a standout, and that’s not particularly evident from listening to his albums. Also his acoustic guitar work when he was playing in solo mode was clever. Had no idea he was doing these things from the record, and if Josh can tab what he’s doing I’d be really grateful!
We didn’t exactly see The Mikado but saw a few things lying around backstage:
Costumes
Props
Lots of lighting rigs lying around.
And a mixer that I want to get my hands on.
But the coolest thing is the hydrolics that things from below to the stage.
But the best bit was that we got to walk through the bowels of the Opera House. And there’s some serious equipment down there.
I’ve been in ad-hoc choirs before, even as a kid, but it’s something else to listen to these kids from the Gondwana Children’s Choir. There’s a brilliant energy about them, probably because their enthusiasm is unbridled.
I’ve been to the Opera House quite often in the last couple of years since they’ve started programming more contemporary acts. But I’ve never stood on the concert hall stage until last week! Man, it was some view…
Static and Silence 