A few of my friends and I got together last June to put together a radio serial that showed what life was like on the land.
Our aim was to include current issues that were affecting the land and provide ways for farmers to approach the issues confronting them through the use of this radio serial.
We recorded the pilot live at my family's cattle station in the Queensland winter sun! Our hope was that if the serial got off the ground it would feature weekly in the The Country Hour, which is broadcast across Queensland.
It all came about when one of our work mates (Ingrid Just) was granted a Churchill Schlorship which saw her travel around the world to see how radio serials are still utilised today to help send messages to listeners through entertainment.
The working title is Big Sky - have a listen...
Our Radio Pilot - Big Sky
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Our aim was to include current issues that were affecting the land and provide ways for farmers to approach the issues confronting them through the use of this radio serial.
We recorded the pilot live at my family's cattle station in the Queensland winter sun! Our hope was that if the serial got off the ground it would feature weekly in the The Country Hour, which is broadcast across Queensland.
It all came about when one of our work mates (Ingrid Just) was granted a Churchill Schlorship which saw her travel around the world to see how radio serials are still utilised today to help send messages to listeners through entertainment.
The working title is Big Sky - have a listen...
I wasn't sure where I was.
It looked like Mum's kitchen, it smelt like Mum's kitchen, but it didn't sound like Mum's kitchen.
Mumford & Sons, the very successful UK band-of-the-moment was blaring from my Mum's stereo. Having just preformed at the Aussie Laneway festival and topping the Triple J Hottest 100 their folk/rock/country genre seems to not only be a hit with the kids but with my Mum as well!
I'm not saying my Mum isn't cool, when it comes to music she's often only 6 months behind what's hot and what's not. Usually though, if the song has 'coarse' language then it's straight off the stereo...yet not for Mumford!
Mother's love for them runs so deep that she's even recorded the film clip to their current single 'The Cave' so that my brother and I can see how 'cool it is'.
Is it possible that my Mum has becoming cooler than me? Or has Mumford & Sons simply created a genre that everyone wants to jig to?
I'm going to convince myself that I'm still the cool one and I'll only truly start to worry if Mum starts jumping up and down on the couch, dancing to Jay-Z and throwing TV's through windows!
Mum Loves Mumford
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Labels:
Mumford and Sons; Mothers; music;
I wasn't sure where I was.
It looked like Mum's kitchen, it smelt like Mum's kitchen, but it didn't sound like Mum's kitchen.
Mumford & Sons, the very successful UK band-of-the-moment was blaring from my Mum's stereo. Having just preformed at the Aussie Laneway festival and topping the Triple J Hottest 100 their folk/rock/country genre seems to not only be a hit with the kids but with my Mum as well!
I'm not saying my Mum isn't cool, when it comes to music she's often only 6 months behind what's hot and what's not. Usually though, if the song has 'coarse' language then it's straight off the stereo...yet not for Mumford!
Mother's love for them runs so deep that she's even recorded the film clip to their current single 'The Cave' so that my brother and I can see how 'cool it is'.
Is it possible that my Mum has becoming cooler than me? Or has Mumford & Sons simply created a genre that everyone wants to jig to?
I'm going to convince myself that I'm still the cool one and I'll only truly start to worry if Mum starts jumping up and down on the couch, dancing to Jay-Z and throwing TV's through windows!
It started as a joke with my dad.
"I'll come home to Oz for Christmas and bring the rain. Is that enough of a Christmas present?" I said.
"To right it is - but you'll have to bring a lot!" He replied.
Since returning home from rainy Vancouver on Christmas Eve I'm some how made the heaven's open up with amazing rainfalls. Just to the north of us one property scored 522mm in 24hrs - a record for the Central QLD region and one for the national record books.
In addition to the relief felt from the drought breaking rain, it's also made me feel young again. Rafts down the creek, washed out drive ways and puddles to splash around in. Just how old are you allowed to be to still inflate a tire tube and float down a river? Is 27 years too old? Yet I'm still unsure just how I dragged all the rain from Vancouver to here...may be I should be heading back to Vancouver to somehow help them make enough snow for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games! I could change my name to Snow Whisperer...nup not as catchy as Rain Whisperer.
p.s - if you're reading this abroad I can provide Rain Whisperer services for a small fee. Be warned interpretive dance may be involved.
The Rain Whisperer
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Labels:
monsoon,
Queensland,
rafts,
rainfall,
swimming,
Vancouver 2010
It started as a joke with my dad.
"I'll come home to Oz for Christmas and bring the rain. Is that enough of a Christmas present?" I said.
"To right it is - but you'll have to bring a lot!" He replied.
Since returning home from rainy Vancouver on Christmas Eve I'm some how made the heaven's open up with amazing rainfalls. Just to the north of us one property scored 522mm in 24hrs - a record for the Central QLD region and one for the national record books.
In addition to the relief felt from the drought breaking rain, it's also made me feel young again. Rafts down the creek, washed out drive ways and puddles to splash around in. Just how old are you allowed to be to still inflate a tire tube and float down a river? Is 27 years too old?
Yet I'm still unsure just how I dragged all the rain from Vancouver to here...may be I should be heading back to Vancouver to somehow help them make enough snow for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games! I could change my name to Snow Whisperer...nup not as catchy as Rain Whisperer.
p.s - if you're reading this abroad I can provide Rain Whisperer services for a small fee. Be warned interpretive dance may be involved.
I could write a novel on Regina Specktors' voice! So clear, crisp and her range is amazing. She certainly proved this last night at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver with the start of her West Coast North America tour.
Opening with stables from her previous albums and a full backing band consisting of a cello, violin and drums, Specktors' Steinway & Sons grand piano (delivered all the way from NY) was a beautiful addition to the stage for both it's sight and sound.
After a few sound engineering issues, Specktor fell into her own with the band leaving her for an a Capella tune and keyboard action.
The highlight of the night though, was when Specktor played the piano with one hand and a chair with the other! Playing "Folding Chair" she kept her own rhythm with a drum stick hitting the chair, while playing outstanding one handed piano on the other.
Coming back on stage for her encore, Specktors' big hits including Samson and Fidelity had the crowd on their feet the end of the evening with a standing ovation ensued.
If ever you have the chance see this Moscow born, New York based performer please do it for the sheer range of her voice and talent on the piano. Fantastic!
Regina Hits the Chair... and the High Notes!
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Labels:
concerts,
gigs,
music,
Orpheum,
Regina Specktor,
Vancouver
I could write a novel on Regina Specktors' voice! So clear, crisp and her range is amazing. She certainly proved this last night at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver with the start of her West Coast North America tour.
Opening with stables from her previous albums and a full backing band consisting of a cello, violin and drums, Specktors' Steinway & Sons grand piano (delivered all the way from NY) was a beautiful addition to the stage for both it's sight and sound.
After a few sound engineering issues, Specktor fell into her own with the band leaving her for an a Capella tune and keyboard action.
The highlight of the night though, was when Specktor played the piano with one hand and a chair with the other! Playing "Folding Chair" she kept her own rhythm with a drum stick hitting the chair, while playing outstanding one handed piano on the other.
Coming back on stage for her encore, Specktors' big hits including Samson and Fidelity had the crowd on their feet the end of the evening with a standing ovation ensued.
If ever you have the chance see this Moscow born, New York based performer please do it for the sheer range of her voice and talent on the piano. Fantastic!
There's no denying I'm a child! When Toy Story first came out I think I saw it nearly three times! I don't know if it was the great animation, the witty banter or the Randy Newman soundtrack that Pixar used to bring well known toys to life but I couldn't get enough of of it!
When I found out that both Toy Story 1 and 2 were being released in 3D for a limited screening there was no way I was going to miss it. So to widdle away a cold post-thanksgiving afternoon I settled in for a double feature of one of Disney's highest grossing films.
Though I knew all the punch lines, and how each film was going to end, seeing the characters come to life in digital 3D was well worth the $15 bucks. Standout scenes that benefited from the 3D treatment include the rocket scene at the end of Toy Story 1 and the opening sequence of Toy Story 2 where the film opens to mimic Star Wars. It also gave fans the chance to see the trailer for Toy Story 3 which is set for release in June 2010 also in 3D.
It's the detail and small additions that Disney Pixar use before and between each film that makes the 3D films worth seeing on the big screen. Bloopers and quizzes played between films to keep not on the children but adults entertained was a nice touch.
If you're a fan and a child at heart, it's worth donning on the groovy 3D glasses and wasting an afternoon with Woody and Buzz, even if you know every line!
Toy Story 1 & 2 in 3D = Time Well Wasted!
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Labels:
2 3D; movie review; cinema; 3D; Toy Story 3,
Toy Story 1
There's no denying I'm a child! When Toy Story first came out I think I saw it nearly three times! I don't know if it was the great animation, the witty banter or the Randy Newman soundtrack that Pixar used to bring well known toys to life but I couldn't get enough of of it!
When I found out that both Toy Story 1 and 2 were being released in 3D for a limited screening there was no way I was going to miss it. So to widdle away a cold post-thanksgiving afternoon I settled in for a double feature of one of Disney's highest grossing films.
Though I knew all the punch lines, and how each film was going to end, seeing the characters come to life in digital 3D was well worth the $15 bucks. Standout scenes that benefited from the 3D treatment include the rocket scene at the end of Toy Story 1 and the opening sequence of Toy Story 2 where the film opens to mimic Star Wars. It also gave fans the chance to see the trailer for Toy Story 3 which is set for release in June 2010 also in 3D.
It's the detail and small additions that Disney Pixar use before and between each film that makes the 3D films worth seeing on the big screen. Bloopers and quizzes played between films to keep not on the children but adults entertained was a nice touch.
If you're a fan and a child at heart, it's worth donning on the groovy 3D glasses and wasting an afternoon with Woody and Buzz, even if you know every line!
Dear Canada,
It disturbs me greatly that such a cold country doesn't embrace the love of custard.
The other day I was to take Apple Crumble to my friends house for dinner. There is no denying that the perfect accompaniment for such a dessert is custard. The fact that I was dining with British people was an even greater reason to ensure that custard was on the table.
After searching supermarkets, fruit stores, deli's, dessert stores, ice-cream shops and 7-11's all I could come up with was vanilla pudding?!?!
I would have taken custard anyway I could - pre-made, in a carton, powder, chilled, hot - but nothing, nada, zilch.
Oh! Canada, you should love custard, it's warm and delicious and can make you happy on a cold, wet day. Why oh why haven't you decided to indulge in this fantastic treat.
If you decide to start making it part of your country cuisine I would happily swap the Tim Tams I can buy from London Drugs for the ability to get custard from the corner store to enjoy in the imminent winter months.
Please help this cold Australian (and her British friends) by importing custard (in any form is fine).
Kind Regards
Jessica A.K.A Custard fanatic
Dear Canada - import Custard!
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Labels:
custard; food; Canada; dessert; winter treats
Dear Canada,It disturbs me greatly that such a cold country doesn't embrace the love of custard.
The other day I was to take Apple Crumble to my friends house for dinner. There is no denying that the perfect accompaniment for such a dessert is custard. The fact that I was dining with British people was an even greater reason to ensure that custard was on the table.
After searching supermarkets, fruit stores, deli's, dessert stores, ice-cream shops and 7-11's all I could come up with was vanilla pudding?!?!
I would have taken custard anyway I could - pre-made, in a carton, powder, chilled, hot - but nothing, nada, zilch.
Oh! Canada, you should love custard, it's warm and delicious and can make you happy on a cold, wet day. Why oh why haven't you decided to indulge in this fantastic treat.
If you decide to start making it part of your country cuisine I would happily swap the Tim Tams I can buy from London Drugs for the ability to get custard from the corner store to enjoy in the imminent winter months.
Please help this cold Australian (and her British friends) by importing custard (in any form is fine).
Kind Regards
Jessica A.K.A Custard fanatic
