365 Pink Feather Boas All in a Row - Day 150 : Eurovision 2010 - Day 5 : Apres the (Eurovision Deluge)

Well, the last of the glitter has fallen to the floor, the last screaming queen in skin tight lycra has sashayed across the floor, and Germany is in orbit over it's Eurovision win with the song Satellite (yes a sad play on words but thats so very Eurovision isn't it?), and so Kerry and I set off for the City on a very wet day to make our pilgrimage to the Lindt cafe at Cockle Bay.

It turned into a very quick pilgrimage as parking in the City is very expensive at that time of the day! Even so because we parked close, it still felt relaxed after a fashion, and we still had time to buy the Lindt ball flavours you can't get in the shops (Peanut Butter, Coffee, Cookies and Cream, Raspberry, Mint) and have hot chocolate and delices (macaroon-like biscuits - we had strawberry and pistacchio).

Then we drove across to the IKEA Memorial Building - really the Moore Park SupaCenta but ever since IKEA upped sticks for Rhodes some time back, all of gaydom has treated it as a memorial site, mourning the loss of everyone's cheap, customer-unfocused Scandinavian furniture hawkers - to buy some CDs and DVDs at JB Hi-Fi. Surprise, surprise Eurovision dominated the purchases, largely because I was buying Kerry's birthday present and she is a woman in love with Eurovision.

Then we very sensibly retreated to my dry, warm apartment as the rain cascaded down, ate all the leftovers for lunch - Kerry had all the herring to herself thank you! - while we watched one of my favourite movies, Hunting and Gathering, a gorgeous French movie about lost souls finding each other and fashioning a family of sorts. The lazy vibe of the afternoon was rent asunder - what a great phrase! - when QANTAS called to say her flight at 8pm had been cancalled and could she make the 7pm? That precipitated a frantic rush to the airport - thank god Kerry had packed ahead! - but we made it and I bid very hasty goodbyes to my darling best friend who's I see far too seldom.

Still we will always have Eurovision 2010 and there's always next year! Onward to Berlin!

365 Pink Feather Boas All in a Row - Day 149 (Sunday 30 May 2010) : Eurovision 2010 - Day 4 : It was the Best of Times, It was the Wurst of Times

Wow the big day has arrived!

Time to polish my Viking helmet ($10 at the local Bargain Store, which apparently sells anything), give the place one last Vacuum, Kerry adds the finishing touches to the mulled wine (a very considered drop if ever there was one), finish making Norway-coloured streamers with my gorgeous guy and Kerry, start making Swedish and Morroccan meatballs and their attendant sauces (we got Lyngonberry sauce from the IKEA food shop....yes what don't they sell right? They and the Bargain Store should get together!), arrange the seats in a funky theatre style pattern, make the vodka shots in blueberry (blue) and strawberry (red) flavours in clear shot glasses, scrub the toilet (which is staying white with not a Norwegian colour in sight thank you!!).... have a short nap in the arvo while my guy is at the orchestra and Kerry is having a shower..... then back into a frenzy of decorating fridges and bookcases and the room itslef (oh my!), cheese and cracker arranging and drink pouring as people start arriving.....PHEW!

We had a ton of things to do but thanks to the decision to go with finger foods like pastizzis, dim sims, meatballs etc, the cooking time is minimal and so once the Eurovision music list starting playing off my iPod and people mingled and ate in the elad up to the 7.30pm start, we could relax and enjoy the proceedings without feeling like we were the hired help.

Watching the final was SO MUCH FUN!! Gathering together my close friends - Stephen, Waz, Ian, Justin, house mate Aiden, Essie and Stephen's friend, Lucy - proved once again to be a master stroke and the clever quips, bitchy observations, and hilarious critiques flowed thick and fast. We were all instant costume, music and choreography critics, and it was interesting after listening to the songs so many times, to see how other less Eurovision saturated souls responded. Interestingly the catchiest song, Satellites by Lena (Germany) didn't go down well with Lucy who's Germany. (To be honest Lena came across as very drunk and ditzy when she won, and was interviewed and had to ask if she was required to sing again..... um yes, that's what the winner does!! So maybe Lucy has a point).

Points of concern were the fact that so many of the acts were so professionally put together, and while the English left a lot to be desired at various times, we bemoaned the lost of kitsch. All the kitsch-laden acts, like the Lithuanians, and Dutch, were voted out way during the semis, and we had to rely on the Danish to overplay the wind machine effects and pyrotechnics while singing an emotionally overwrought, albeit catchy, song to come close to the uber kitsch of past years. Still there were a lot of cute, hunky guys scattered through, or comprising all, the acts so we got a lovely lot of guy candy.

The best part was enjoying all the OTT fun of Eurovision with great friends, especially my wonderful fabulous friend Kerry and my darling man who held my hand throughout and regularly cracked me up with his clever commentary.

And as for going to Berlin to witness Eurovision in the flesh? We shall see, but oh, it's tempting!

......oh and somewhere in the middle of all this multi-coloured madness, Kerry and I snuck off to Marrickville Markets, the hippie leftie organic markets I adore (because they remind of the ones back home on the far North Coast) for Bratwurst sausages and a look through the stalls. A lovely break before the Eurovision cranked back into high gear.....

365 Pink Feather Boas All in a Row - Day 148 (Saturday 29 May 2010) : Eurovision 2010 - Day 3 : Glitter Shorts on the Oldest Smurf Around

Eurovision Fest 2010 kicked off into high gear today - yes it is disturbing that I am using a mechanical metaphor for such a camp event! - with Yum Cha at Marigold restaurant in the City with my gorgeous guy, my dear friend Kerry, who's the Eurovision Queen if ever there was one (yes even more than all the gay men she knows, demonstrating how great her enthusiasm is for his fabulous yearly camp fest), and my friend Ellen, who I hadn't seen in ages (as evidenced by the huge number of Empire and Film Ink magazines back issues I gave her to read).

It was, as always - YUMMO! We had dumplings! We had mango pancakes and egg tarts! We had BBQ pork! We also caught up on 6 months of Ellen's life, and had a wonderful time in the middle of the barely controlled chaos that is Marigold.

Full as Shanghai-raised goog, Kerry my yummy guy and I did what any sane rational group of people with a party to get ready for, and not much time to do it in - we went to IKEA! Yes, my home away from home of late thanks to my gorgeous guy's purchase of an IKEA wardrobe and buffet, and IKEA's stupid policy of not reserving anything which means to complete the purchase of any major furniture item, in this case the wardrobe's final part (an adjustable hanging module), you have to make repeated trips. I am dangerously near getting bored by IKEA, which if you know anything of my great love of IKEA furniture is akin to blasphemy. But this trip also meant we could pick up some more Scandinavian food for our Eurovision party so it all worked out well.

Heading home, my gorgeous guy headed home to get some household tasks completed - he's away all week for work at the moment so weekends are his only chance to get things done - and Kerry & I indulged in some lovely relaxing, which in my case meant a much needed nap after another frenetic week. Bliss.

With energy levels somewhat back to normal, my guy arrived just in the nick of the time for semi-final 2 of Eurovision 2010 which was just as tacky and fun as the night before with some very strong acts like Armenia, Azerbaijan (see above) and Turkey. The first countries's songs were among my Top 5 songs and I am so glad they made it in! The surprises for Kerry & I were the successful inclusion of Ireland and Cyprus into the Final, with songs that weren't bad necessarily - just very, VERY ordinary.

Goodness knows what the good voters of Europe were thinking when they didn't include such wonderful acts as Inculto from Lithuania, who sang a very catchy funk song and did a fabulous costume reveal at the end where they whipped off their trendy grey plaid pants to show off glittery silver shorts underneath! (see above, top photo). Easily the best surprise of the night, and a lot of fun too. Naturally in the new, eerily too perfect for words at time Eurovision, they didn't make the final which was a pity. The same fate befell the Netherlands who's song was pure Eurovision kitsch with a song written by the guy who wrote all the Smurfs songs and choreography & set/costume design, straight out of a 70s variety show.While I love the fact that so many songs were great to listen to, and many of the acts made liberal use of pyrotechnics and wind machines (not to mention overwrought lyrcis and song delivery), the fact that so much of the tacky fun is being left out is a pity.

We all had a wonderful night watching all the acts, and passing all sorts of comments about the acts, and I loved having my guy there this time, after a traffic accident meant he arrived after it was all done and dusted the night before.

And what did we do when it was all over? Why we made streamers in Norwegian colours for the party! The first one took a while but with my gorgeous guy's knack for fashioning great party decorations, we had the prototype done in no time and went to bed all ready for the big day ahead!

365 Pink Feather Boas All in a Row - Day 147 : Eurovision 2010 - Day 2 : At Work But Head & Heart in Oslo

Yes I may have been at work in Macquarie Park, but in my mind I was in Oslo (pronounced Ussh-Lo....who knew? Well I guess Norwegians did!), eating herrings (goodness knows why as they taste like soggy plasticene!), and humming an annoyingly catchy Eurovision ditty under my breath.

While I ran around at work  like a manic dancer in a Eurovision act, but sans the lycra and over wrought attitude, my dear friend Kerry was hiking up King Street, buying bags and bags of groceries and alcohol for her contribution to the festivities...... and while all this was happening, or really near the end of it happening as night drew near, my poor baby was trying to get back to Sydney from Bathurst. Instead of the trip taking the usual 3 or just under, hours, it took 5 + hours and he arrived just as the dust was settling from the first semi final. We had kept dnner for him, and he at least got to live through the semi-final via Kerry and my passionate recountings of the nights joys and travesties (Malta and Russia through to the final? What?!).

It was a great semi-final! Kerry unveiled her fabulous Norwegian flag head dress (see above), we feasted on a stir fry that I made up as I went along (and by some miracle it tasted yummy!), were joined by my house mate Aiden, friends Warren & Fahmi (for what almost became a dry run for the big party on Sunday night)watched class acts like Estonia (great indie pop), Estonia (bring on the folk/polka mash up!) and Iceland (generic dance pop but very catchy), and suffered through Russia (the song sounds like a bad funeral dirge slowed down to snail pace), Malta (slow soul destroying ballad anyone?) and Portugal, ogled Tom Dwyer who sang and strummed his guitar for Belgium (more delicious than a bowlful of toffee ice cream!), and the cute guys in Poland, and oohed and aahed at the costume reveal by Belarus, who's female members were secretly wearing butterfly wings that sprang up at the last moment. What a night!

365 Pink Feather Boas All in a Row - Day 146 : Eurovision 2010 - Day 1.... Kerry and a YouTube of Euro Kitsch

My Zen-like frame of mind continued today but mingled with a lovely sense of fun and excitement, which Kerry and I later termed the 'Eurovision Effect'.

It's partly due to the sheer sense of fun and campness that pervades this song contest, but also to the fact that Kerry and I are wonderfully close, long-standing friends, and sharing this weekend with her (and my gorgeous guy who has worked so hard in Bathurst to find some cool things for the party, even with a monstrously busy schedule) when she is so passionate and excited about life generally but Eurovison particularly, will be a hoot, and was from the moment I met her at Gloria Jeans in the QANTAS terminal.

We spent the first night grabbing some stuff for the party - everything including water bottles in red, white and blue to match Norway's colours - and then watching the 1st Semi-Final of 2009 on DVD while eating yummy pizza from across the road. So much fun, and oh-so-silly but how we love it!

Let the glitter-filled, pyrotechnics-saturated, camp-as-a-row-of-tents fun begin!!

365 Pink Feather Boas All in a Row - Day 145 : Zen in the Age of Outlook

As usual, my schedule has been beyond hectic, and rapidly moved into the orbit of unconquerably busy.

As usual, the stress consumed me, my stomach felt like a thousand squirming knots, and I seriously began, not for the first time if I could keep handling such an overwhelmingly massive neverending workload.

Then for no obvious reason, around 1pm, a Zen-like calm descended on me, and I just accepted that I couldn't get everything done.

I have no explanation for it but I am grateful it happened.

Peace out man.

365 Pink Feather Boas All in a Row - Day 144 (Tuesday 25 May 2010) : So Funny My Guts Exploded

365 Pink Feather Boas All in a Row - Day 143 : Zara with a Z Shines Again

Here are the latest photos of my gorgeous, wonderfully photogenic niece, Zara who is an absolute delight.....

What a winning smile!!

Off to the snow!

Recharging the seemingly inexhaustable batteries

and more......

Come on Winter!

Off to home care (with the back pack Aunty Rachel bought her)

She isn't good at relaxing...needs to learn from Dad!

365 Pink Feather Boas All in a Row - Day 142 (Sunday 23 May 2010) : Andrew, Steve and Waz's Wonderful Morning Tea

A FABULOUS BRUNCH TIME TALE

Andrew, Warren, Stephen, and Ian decided to have brunch one fine Sunday.

This one in fact.

So off Warren, Andrew and Stephen set off to meet Ian.

They were only along the road a little way when Warren asked Andrew :

"Is this where we are having brunch?"

"No, its not," said Andrew.

"This is damp, wet tunnel"

Warren nodded and they walked on till they found a store called PicknChews.

"Is this where we're having brunch?" asked Stephen.

"No, it's not" said Andrew.

"It's a convenience store."

Stephen nodded and they kept walking.

Then they passed an enormous four wheel drive vehicle.

"Is this where we're having brunch?" asked Warren.

"No, it's not," said Andrew.

"It's a gaz guzzling monster of a vehicle, it's true, with enough room for a crowded village of Bolivians, but it's not where we're having brunch."

Warren nodded and they ketp walking onto King Street.

Stephen perked up when he said an alluring street sign up ahead.

"Surely this is where we're having brunch?"

Andrew shook his head.

"No, it's not," said Andrew.

"The people who work here will make you pretty, oh so pretty, but they don't cook food."

Stephen nodded and they kept walking.

"Then surely it's this shop! It sounds marvellous!"

"No, Glitterbox is not where we're having burnch," said Andrew.

"But it does sound lovely, true."

So they kept walking, momentarily wondering if they were walking in the right direction, decided they were, and then finally were stopped by Andrew at Lou Jack's Cafe.

"This is where we're having brunch!" said Andrew.

Warren and Stephen, beamed, walked in, greeted Ian and proceeded to eat all manner of delicious breakfast items, all served by friendly, happy staff.

They had  a fabulously gay time and then they walked home in pouring rain, very glad they had brought their umbrellas.

THE END