A Catholic Wedding.

I was at a wedding recently and was not only impressed by the ceremony but also by the multicultured nature of the ceremony. The groom was originally from Uruguay, the bride from Australia and I believe her family were from Wales. The priests were from Vietnam and Ghana as perhaps can be seen from the small photograph. Small here because of confidentiality! I read some prayers and as you might know I am originally from Ireland. I was aided my a lecturer who was originally from (in his words) Persia. I think in modern terms he was from Iran. At the reception they had relatives from England, friends from Thailand ( I pretended I was from T'ireland .... well it was quite a few toasts later!) I love meeting people from other countries especially when we all get on so well. Yes the Thai people DID have an Irish sense of humo(u)r OR they were very patient listeners. As the song goes "I am, your are, we are AUSTRALIANS.

A Strange Gig

When I was told a few days before the actual gig to sing a few songs other than my usual Irish repertoire, I did not realise the audience was going to be different. They all had Huntington's disease.

Huntington's Disease is a progressive, degenerative disease that causes certain nerve cells in the brain to waste away. As a result, a sufferer may experience uncontrolled movements, emotional disturbances and mental deterioration.
More information and support is available from
Australian Huntington's Disease Association (NSW) Inc. [Australian Huntington's Disease Association (NSW) Inc.].

Of course it turned out to be a good concert for all of us. They accepted my "new" songs about Barack Obama being Irish, " oh Lord it's so hard to be humble when you are perfect in every way", "Underneath a Scotsman Kilt" and an appalling song namely "If my nose was running money I'd blow it all on you".
I overcame some apprehension to play five songs with a backing I had recorded on the keyboard. "Grandma's Feather bed", "Hotel California", "Brown-Eyed Girl", a Beatles Medley and "Would You Like to Swing on a Star". I included two original songs about the Bali Bombing and 9/11 and ended with an average version of "King of the Road". I think they enjoyed it! One or two were even able to catch on to the rhythms. I am not sure whether they wanted encores or not but I did three (as the careers turned up late and it seemed the right thing to do).

If you are a little bit down, remember ALL the parts of you that are going well.

Victorian Fire Disaster Feb 2009

Twenty five years ago I was doing a gig in Sydney when the house next to the pub went up in flames. The speed of the fire, the sound of the flames and the immense heat generated was most terrifying. Nothing to what is happening in Victoria at present. To lose your life in this way could not be described accurately. To lose your possessions or be burned must be truly horrific. Over one hundred people have been killed; much worse than the Bali Bombs. (see my blog a few below "Closer to Home". We have to do more than give the survivors our sympathy. We will all have to act to help them.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1878114,00.html

Remembering items.

As I was leaving the tennis club yesterday, I had trouble with all the things I had to remember. When my Grannie was alive 50 years ago, she had two things she did not like to forget. Her glasses and her walking stick in that order! That number has increased significantly over the years. Besides the obvious items like sneakers, racquet, racquet cover, clothes, towel etc. you now have to remember keys, mobile phone, ipod, wallet, card holder, sun glasses, water bottle, sun screen lotion, hair brush and in my case my photographic equipment. As I am the web master for the club, I need the camera nearly every time I go there. Murphy's Law is quite applicable here. If I forget to bring it; sure enough someone or something demands a picture. My daughter turned up yesterday with a $900 mobile complete with some sort of bluetooth box for the car. (My phone was $90 and it performs many more functions than I require). I wonder what you can do with a $900 phone? Perhaps send an f mail to Outer Mongolia. I can only look foward with amazement and anticipation for the gadgets of 2020.