The first few times I visited Sweden and tried to use my Swedish language skills, I was always somewhat frustrated. Every time I spoke in Swedish, people would reply in English. "Are my Swedish language skills that terrible?", I thought to myself. They would always reply politely with "Your Swedish is very good", but then … Continue reading Melodifestivalen 2021
"We apologise for the delay, but we're still not sure when we can leave, after an earlier incident", the tram driver told us twice. While many others got off the tram, I decided to wait. And what a lovely experience it was. There was a couple sitting opposite with a child of maybe eighteen months … Continue reading Surry Hills Tramstop
A couple of days ago a friend and neighbour alerted me to a new piece of public art in Surry Hills, on the wall of the nearby Bourke Street Bakery. Her post on Facebook made me somehow more conscious of the public art that already surrounds me. The bird mural on Edgley/Nickson Streets The pottery … Continue reading Public Art in Surry Hills
I've grown up with a family of dominant women. Though there have been male influences in my family, it's undboutedly the women who have influenced my family from an early age. I come from a matriarchal family, not a patriarchal one. From my early years, women have been my closest friends. A photograph from the … Continue reading International Women’s Day
About 10.45am on Friday, I received the following text message from a friend and former colleague. "Watching you on tv xxx move out from behind Nat where do I buy merch?" Shortly afterwards, she added, "Ps I'm in WA forgot time difference". If you look closely at the video below, you'll see me as a … Continue reading Mardi Gras
I'm not really sure when I started looking closely at "Development Applications" but it must have been sometime between 2005 and 2010. I was the Program Director at ABC Radio Sydney (then named 702 ABC Sydney), and I knew local council activities were a good source of news stories. Previously, I'd worked at the ABC … Continue reading Development Applications
The best thing about Andra Chasen this year was Shirley Clamp's performance of "Min kärlek ". Despite her name, Shirley Clamp is a well-known Swedish pop singer. Her father was British, and I understand now lives in Australia. She's had quite a few hit songs in Sweden, including this. https://youtu.be/Z7tRdjBqbgE I've seen Shirley Clamp perform live … Continue reading Melodifestivalen 2021 Andra Chansen