Mary Poppins. With a spoonful of sugar

24/06/201304/03/20153 Comments

My niece skipped over the obligatory Wiggles and High Five fetishes as a kid and went straight from Play School to musicals – at age 2.

Her favourite back then was Mary Poppins, or Poppins; which she tweeted cutely (in the days before Twitter when tweeting meant something else entirely).

We’ve got pictures of her at my parents’ place, drawing chalk pictures on the path; and years later I accompanied her and my SIL to a Mary Poppins Sing-a-long movie. Yes… such things do actually exist.

Her MP-fancy was kinda apt as it eventually came to light that the author of the original tale (penned in 1934), PL Travers, was actually born in Maryborough. Yes, the one on the Fraser Coast.

From: queenslandholidays.com.au

Maryborough-ites, always happy to be known for something other than ~~pub crawling~~ ship-building have latched onto this claim to fame, with a bronze statue erected in 1995 and an annual Mary Poppins Festival.

I must admit I was a tad ‘meh’ about the festival – as a non parent – but have only just seen the program of activities and feel obliged to eat my words. Or at least, regret my apathy (and antipathy!).

As usual the festival includes the day-long event in Queens Park and Portside (on Sunday 30 June this year); but it also features so much more!

Firstly, there’s the Heritage City Art Festival in the Maryborough City Hall which includes workshops and culminates in sidewalk art at the festival itself.

The usual Maryborough Market Day on Thursday 27 June is being transformed into a Mary Poppins Market Day, complete with peeps in costumes and children’s rides and the like.

There’s pop-up music being featured at cafes and pubs around town and a Musical Showcase in early July with a range of special guests.

From Sunshine Coast Daily

A Mary Poppins High Tea will be held at Muddy Waters Cafe on Saturday 29 June and – of course – it’s actually possible to have Tea with Mary at other times of the year.

And… my fave bit of all and something I’m super keen to get to: Vintage Styling sessions.

Stylists from NZ designer Annah Stretton are holding two evening styling sessions and will provide some ‘what to wear’ and ‘what not to wear’ advice, presumably without the nastiness which comes with reality TV shows in that vein.

If, however, you can’t make either of those there’s a Vintage Pop-Up Salon at the festival and a chance to learn about manners, etiquette and poise. (Note for parents, that this includes an opportunity for children to learn ‘the art of table setting’…. so – for your own sake – you might want to make sure they partake!)

The full program for the Sunday festival is available but again there’s something for everyone, from the styling sessions to kids’ activities, puppetry, bands and other entertainment (though I may be giving the ‘reptile show’ a big miss) and food galore.

I’ll see you there!

PS. Did you know that Mary Poppins actually featured in a series of books by Pamela Lyndon Travers (b. Helen Lyndon Goff), written between 1934 and 1988?!

Relishing what’s on offer

23/06/201303/06/20153 Comments

A couple of weeks ago my blogging and real-life buddy, KangaRue and I had the good fortune to attend Relish Food and Wine Festival at Portside in Maryborough.

Sadly I didn’t get to any of the other events: The Gourmet Cooking Classes with Villa Cavour B&B; Coast Restaurant’s Wine and Food Degustation Lunch; The Howard Park Degustation dinner at Muddy Waters; or the Banyan Bubbly Breakfast.

We both, however, lapped up everything on offer at the day-long festival itself.

KangaRue and her friends arrived earlier so had already attended some cooking demonstrations; partaken in some wine tasting; and started the Dan Murphy Food and Wine appreciation session when I caught up with her.

My grandfather (aka Poppie) worked at the Bond Store back in the days it housed barrels of booze, so it seemed apt that James Squire Tales and Ales (beer and food matching) and port and liqueur tastings were on offer there.

A heap of local cafes and food stalls were on hand and a myriad of wineries offering tastings. I was won over by a Crane Wines Sparkling Shiraz – procuring the last two bottles! (I should note that they do deliver, as do many of the other smaller wineries participating in the event.)

I didn’t venture into the XXXX Gold Mini Retreat but it looked to be doing a good business and I loved that you could wander about with your beer or wine from stall to stall or simply sit at a table and lap up the atmosphere and entertainment.

Early rain didn’t deter crowds and I was impressed at the constant throng of people milling about. There was a $10 entry fee (for adults) which also didn’t seem to discourage locals and visitors alike.

With the Mary Ann steam train, kids activities, music and the Relish photo exhibition (and competition) at Gatakers Artspace, there was something for everyone.

As someone who grew up in the borough (as a friend calls it) I love that these kinds of activities are now available. I only wish that – as a teenager growing up in regional Qld in the 1980s – I’d been exposed to similar stuff back then.

Congratulations to all involved. I was very impressed with the activities on offer and the quality of all of the promotional materials and publications. And I will DEFINITELY be making an effort to attend more festival activities next year.

Being Bolshoi in the Bay

04/06/201304/03/2015Leave a comment

I’m excited that tonight’s performance of the Bolshoi Ballet in Brisbane will be shown as a live simulcast at Hervey Bay’s Seafront Oval. And best of all, it’s free!

Pic from QPAC site

I’ve seen a number of opera and ballet live simulcasts in London before, with picnic and blanket in prime position outside my old office in Canary Wharf. Getting the opportunity to see Russia’s elite perform Le Corsaire along with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra is a great opportunity. The Bolshoi haven’t been to Australia in almost 20 years and Le Corsaire has never been performed in Australia before. Having access to events like these is definitely a SilverLining on my relocation!

I’ll be bringing my Mum (aka Bubba, one of the Grandparentals) to see the Bolshoi’s largest and most expensive ballets, from the comfort of a blanket and chairs, while we sip on some wine and nibble on a picnic. Why not bring your own and come join us?!

Date: Today, 4th June 2013
Time: Live coverage from 7:00pm, performance starts at 7:30pm
Venue: Seafront Oval, corner of Main Street and The Esplanade, Pialba
Cost: FREE!

Cheers, KangaRue 🙂

Showtime

24/05/201304/03/20155 Comments

It’s Show time here on the Fraser Coast again, which naturally means we’ve all been expecting rain.

Although I have absolutely no intention of setting foot anywhere near the Maryborough Showgrounds over the two day period, I’ve allowed myself a little walk down memory lane.

This first pic is of my nanna and poppie with their oldest child and my dad as a baby. As he was born in April 1939 this photo dates back quite a bit.

I’m (quite frankly) a bit disappointed that the dress standard has now slipped and think that a bit of class could be reinstated with a new dress code.

And… I’m pretty sure my dad wouldn’t have made the height restrictions on any of the rides… being 1mth old and all!

* In unrelated news, isn’t my poppie a handsome man?!

These could be my first two visits to the Maryborough Show (obviously when it was still being held in the Pallas Street Showgrounds – now home to peeps who dressed like those in the first picture).

I just hafta say though… WTF is with the guy in the second picture?! Perhaps my mum, taking the picture, was a bit dishy back then.

Obviously by 1973 I’d been able to ditch my older brother who – I must add – was a bit of a wuss when it came to showrides. We have a home movie of a pre-teen me getting off a ride called The Zipper, with one of my brother’s best friends. My brother was nowhere to be seen.

Although I remember my velvet phase fondly, I’m a tad embarrassed about the other pics. I was a bit of a basketballer back in the day and started getting bored with scary fast rides around the same time I realised I was good at the basketball game – despite its ~~rigged~~ weighted balls. Fortunately this coincided with the realisation the laughing clowns and their ping pong balls were a waste of friggin’ time! Suddenly it was all about the spoils!

The Show had moved to its current location by the final pics and although I was a HUGE lover of the show in my younger years, I gave the whole thing a big miss in my final year of school. In retrospect, I moved through all of the phases:

hooking things with fishing lines, merry-go-rounds and kids’ school displays and competitions
scary rides like the whizzer, zipper, octopus and matterhorn, showbags; and as much fairy floss and waffle thingys as you can manage (without them making a return appearance after the aforementioned rides!)
wearing new clothes, hanging out with friends and hoping to see the cute boys (which coincided with my fluffy toy fetish!)
too bloody old and concerned about human error!

The last time I attended the Maryborough Show was in the early – mid 1990s. My aunt was in town (for a family funeral) and we wandered about with my parents looking at ~~boring stuff~~ animals, cooking, cars and the like. We skipped the dagwood dogs in favour of a steak sandwich and left before the fireworks. But what I most remember, is that my aunt, mother and I decided to go on the matterhorn. For old time’s sake.

And. Oh. My. God. The fearless me of my childhood had long departed. I felt ill and found my eyes glued to the ride’s machinations (nuts and bolts ‘n’ stuff) wondering who’d screwed them together. Plus… I was almost sick afterwards.

I realised that the Show of my childhood had long disappeared. It was someone else’s turn.

Just as I suspect there are teenagers and young adults ‘dissing’ the Fraser Coast Show this year, I’m sure there are as many five, six and seven year olds out there whose Christmases have all come at once!

*Actual info about the Fraser Coast Show can be found here! There is – as usual – heaps on for those with kids or an interest in livestock, cooking and a myriad of other events.

Definitely not the pits

15/05/201304/03/20151 Comment

I really need to start staying at home on weekends. Or… get into an exercise routine so I feel less shame, if I’m going to continue to visit sporting events around the Fraser Coast.

The Hervey Bay Triathlon was depressing enough: fit-as-a-fiddle lycra-clad athletes whizzing past on bikes or pounding the pavement, as I lolled about on my blanket wondering what I’d eat for brunch. But this past weekend my body-image issues returned as I attended the inaugural Fraser Coast Regional Beach VolleyBall Invitational in Hervey Bay.

While the weather and crowds disappointed a little on the Saturday, a steady stream of people did take advantage of the fact that talented and professional athletes were again on our doorstep, frolicking about in an incredibly large sandpit!

Olympians and those among the best in the State and country were on hand to show us exactly how one looks good in swimwear while throwing themselves onto the sand.

I’ve previously confessed my hatred of getting sandy, so the notion of being sweaty and diving into the sand (no matter how pristine) is like all of my nightmares come at once!

But, in addition to the amazing bodies (from a strength and fitness point of view, rather than sleazy pervy way. Of course!), there was some fantastic sporting prowess on display.

The usual beach volleyball pairs offered us some great athleticism but it was the fours that impressed me. All eight invitees (of either gender) on court at once resulted in some amazing rallies and closely fought tussles.

I’m stoked that it’s reported that the competition will return. From all accounts the players were impressed by the facilities and – as a spectator – I was impressed at the event’s organization: from the array of food on offer, to the activities for kids (jumping castles and face-painting) as well as the chance for spectators to rub shoulders with the pros on the practice court. As a social media fiend I was also impressed to see regular Facebook updates and some fabulous pics of the matches.

The lack of protection from the elements was a bit of a problem.

It was either too hot and sunny in the stands or those present got saturated by the pesky rain which hung about most of Saturday.

I’m not sure how undercover areas would be catered for, but a bit more shade would have been handy. Perhaps if the court was ‘moved’ a little there would be some shady spots under trees.

As for the ~~boring~~ important bits… Mike Watson and Will Mercer took out the men’s title from Dan Carey and Joshua Slack; while super-impressive Townsville gals, Natasha Chapman and Rebecca Matheson defeated the sisters’ Mowen (Jordan and Justine) for the women’s title.

It’s great to see national and world-class athletes on our doorsteps (roads, ocean and beaches) and I’m stoked to have had the chance to be privy to their awesomeness. It’s also worth thanking the sponsors, including The Hervey Bay Boat Club and the Queensland Volleyball Association. I’m already looking forward to next year!

Fraser Coasting

Tag: entertainment