Ah yes, where was I?

Ok....

SUNDAY

Cycle chic...see the post here, was a lovely (though hilly ride!) to and from Bondi Beach and a lovely afternoon in the company of other like-minded lovely people.

Glad moment: Chic is a serious business, lucky I had a gold dress in the wardrobe to match the Golden Mongoose.

MONDAY

I'm passing again. If you can find something glad about Mondays...good on you.

TUESDAY

Another Tuesday, another 'Insights Night'! Learning about the artform you promote is never dull.

Glad moment: feeling that a tiny part of what you do has a big impact on other people.

WEDNESDAY

Also known as 'plaque day'. No, not a trip to the dentist! Rather a time when I can actually sing along to this....

>

This is end, my beautiful friend...the end! And here's my plaque to prove it!

Glad moment: Everything looks better on a plaque.

THURSDAY

Um, er....pass again.

FRIDAY

Spontaneous invites by email....the subject line of this one was...'Would you like to go sailing on Sunday?'...now ask yourself, what else would I want to do on a Sunday.

Glad moment: a return to the high seas

SATURDAY

Menu planning for said sail trip...this is where the 'part-domestic goddess' persona kicks in...rushing about, attempting to work out just what encapsulates a winner picnic for a Sunday sailing trip. I am usually so much better at spring/summer catering but nonetheless not daunted...if only I could take my nounce for picnic catering into other areas of my life.

Glad moment: gluttony can extend onto the high seas

SUNDAY

Sailing!

Glad moment: Realising that I love to be out on the water and I'm not altogether useless crew! A gold moon on the horizon as I drove home to a warm shower.

MONDAY

Um, er...

TUESDAY

Ditto.

WEDNESDAY

Glad moment: Mulled wine and being only slight tiddled...

So, you want to video something...

I promise I will stop posting links from UK-based arts discussions. I will stop when the content stops becoming so bloody relevant! More goodies today...

Today’s Topic: The production and distribution of video is increasingly accessible and affordable, offering new ways to explore artistic programs and engage audiences. In contrast, broadcast platforms remain off-limits to most art forms and their respective audience interests. In this AoDL salon we will primarily explore how arts organisations can create video for online and mobile platforms. Secondly, we would like to encourage a discussion about how the Public Service Broadcast network might forge relationships with arts organizations as ‘content providers’, thus possibly prizing open an avenue for greater presence (and diversity) within the broadcast arena.

For more read on!

Monday box grumblings

MONDAY

Astrobarry makes me glad today, always some sage advice that doesn't (at least I hope not) have a hidden agenda....! Glad moment: Nicely said today Barry...

Want to think outside the box? You have to leave the box.

Cycle Chic Sundays

I met them down at Bondi Beach and morphed into chic (aka cycling lycra be damed!)...welcome to the first ride in the Sydney version of Cycle Chic Sundays! Check out more here, thanks to the lovely Miss Saskia!

if music be the food of love, play on!

Ok, back to the gladness!

TUESDAY

An 'Insights Night' where we invite Patrons and Friends to find out all about new productions. The Insights were great (even for seasoned workers!).

Glad moment: Sitting in the back row like naughty school children was also most agreeable.

WEDNESDAY

Um, er...pass.

THURSDAY

Dinner with friends who work too hard... escaping the office at 5.15pm, dinner, dessert and drinks after...

Glad moment: Team Gourmet rocks.

FRIDAY

I think I have morose Friday's, that is, I always somehow end up with a rather anti-climatic feeling. So there I was walking home feeling rather flat (it may also have been the effect of two or three glasses of wine on an empty stomach) but...lets say a slight ennui was engulfing me. Suddenly I had musical accompaniment! There is a violist who lives on one street I travel as I walk home. I don't hear them all the time, but sometimes (usually when you least expect it) notes catch you and then I stop and listen for a few minutes. Tonight after my stop with the violinist, I was walking down my own street and there was a lovely soprano voice. Haven't heard that one before....but how lovely. Ennui gone, glad face back on.

Glad moment: Walk home concerts.

SATURDAY

Possums in the park by daylight. Taking the Golden Moongose for a spin around a few blocks to enjoy the sunshine and spotting another cyclist who has stopped and is doing what can only be described as chatting to a possum. Now I love these possums, but I have never seen them by daylight. Usually it's night and I have been known to hand over a piece of fruit (that has spent too much time at the bottom of my handbag) but here was one in broad daylight...we both stopped, we watched as a possum decided the ground cover plants was a better place to hide than on the street chatting to two cyclists...and ran off!

Glad moment: random wildlife moments

How 'old' are young audiences?

An interesting article that popped up in the most recent email from Audiences London and made me look twice...

"Culture Hounds" - a new audience segment?
The Edinburgh International Festival will launch its INcrowd promotion next week. Aimed at attenders in their 20s and 30s, the scheme costs £20 to join and offers exclusive benefits and discounts and is designed to engage the over 26 group who miss out on the best discounts for students and young people.

For more details check out...http://www.eif.co.uk/news/incrowd

What's happening in London? Tell Boris your thoughts...

What's happening to culture in London? Who knows really (wish I was there!). However we can all have a say in the Cultural Strategy for London through a nice little bit of sharing via the web. With a click of a button you can view and comment on the draft strategy dreamed up by Boris and his team to drive London's cultural future. You can see all the documents here, and the introduction below.

Cultural Strategy

Closing Date:

6 September, 2010 - 18:00

“As Mayor of London I want us to continue to be the greatest cultural capital of the world, a city that attracts millions of people from overseas and the rest of the country each year, but also, of course, one that Londoners find never endingly stimulating, provocative and enjoyable.”

- Boris Johnson, Mayor of London

The Mayor’s Cultural Strategy sets out his vision, priorities and recommendations for how to strengthen the cultural life of Londoners across the capital. It recognises the significance of the cultural and creative sectors in making London a successful world city, and puts forward a case for its continued support and investment – particularly in the run up to the 2012 Olympics and the opportunity it presents for London to undertake a step change in cultural activity and participation.

The strategy is now available for public consultation. Results of the consultation will be published in late 2010.

This reminds me a lot of what the Australian Federal Government was trying to do with the discussions around the NBN and the good old 2020 summit days. The right to comment on various pieces of government strategy is not new (heck, knock yourself out and lodge a response to a local council planning development application as a fun Saturday afternoon piece of participating in democracy). What is interesting however, is the advent of commenting online. I only wish we could see all the responses to Boris in real time.

Another year, another OzCo Summit

I'm not in attendance this year at the Australia Council Marketing Summit, but participating from afar is almost as good. A few conference activities I have enjoyed include:

• Catching up on the You Tube stream from the conference at #msummit2010
• Reading the links referenced in various speaker's presentation. A particular post of interest has been the talk by Claire Eva - Head of Marketing and Audiences, at the Tate UK and links to the Tate Online Strategy 2010–12 and the idea of 'Your Tate Track'.
• Reading other's wrap up of the events....check out this great blog wrap up of several presentations.
• And of course, you can check out the OzCo site for all the presentations files, video and audio.

Happy reading! (from afar!)

Just another phwoar related post...for your coffee break

I didn't realise that Joseph Fiennes was also doing some seductive coffee break reading...this campaign works for me (and I don't even drink coffee!). Ohh and more Greg Wise readings too...heaven!

Facebook things to play with...

I am now a Facebook page admin. Actually I'm the admin of three pages. One is an older work-related page that will soon by superseded by a shiny new work-related page launching in a month or so. The other is my play space, which is a space I really need as I get to grips with custom tabs, promotion rules, writing FBML, Facebook API, custom applications and the myriad of analytics that come with running a page for an organisation.

Who said Facebook was for kids? I'm off to read the Developer pages like a proper nerd.

The Big Shaggy...

No it's not about Scooby Doo...found via Sarah Wilson, David Brooks from the New York Times says...more...

studying the humanities helps you befriend The Big Shaggy.

Another day, more rambling

This gladness business is getting me down, well Friday was. Friday was a hard day to be glad...I really struggled to reflect on something from the day that made me glad. But I hope I've made up for it over the next few. Well let's not talk about Monday either at this point. Ok, so here's just some ramblings.

FRIDAY

I'm going to need to think.

Glad moment: My game, my rules, I'm not skipping today, I'm just passing for now.

EDITED - ok I'm back and I've got something. This made me laugh on Thursday night (and continued when I shared it with [I hope] a like-minded soul on Friday...Tour de France you are so close, I can't wait!

Having trouble deciding who to support at the Tour de France? Cycling Weekly has this handy guide.

SATURDAY

This is going to sound really odd, but I saw my favourite shoppers today, my 'Maltese Falcons' as I call them (apologies to Dashiell Hammett). Ok, stay with me while I explain. I am a creature of habit really and I love to grocery shop early on Saturday mornings. Less crowds, better parking, a reason to get out of bed and get to the growers markets early, all day stretching before you (and all of Saturday to cook!). In my years of shopping for groceries on Saturday mornings you start to notice the same people. It's like commuting, there's always the people you notice who do the same thing as you at the same time.

For me, there's the guy who puts the fruit out at Harris Farm markets (thanks for the tip on the ruby red navel oranges this week!) to the lady at Bi-Lo check out and then there is the shoppers themselves. Three of my favourites are a father and his two young sons. I don't see them all the time, but often enough they are there. He is tall, lanky and so very Irish with dark hair and killer blue eyes. I usually hear him before I see him, or should I say I hear them. The boys are I'm guessing around 7 and 4 and they are dark, Mediterranean looking (somehow I thought Maltese and it just stuck, how the falcon part crept in who knows, but stay with me). The boys are a delight, glorious in only the way that all little boys are rat bags really. Now they do tear about the shop a little but really Bi-Lo if you paint white and blue squares the length of the shop, any small child is likely see it as the ultimate hopscotch game. However, they are polite and a short sharp (though kind) remonstrance from dad usually brings them into line. Sweet and always smiling...they make me smile. I really want to play hopscotch too!

Glad moment: the future is not all bleak. Polite, well socialised and happy children do exist.

SUNDAY

Image: Anne Ferran

Earlier in the week, The Sagacious Friend and I were standing in a nondescript hallway and I turned around to see an Anne Ferran work on the wall. Anne Ferran is an artist I did a project on during my years studying Art History, she is an amazing Australian photographer and some of her work that resonated most with me was her images of movable cultural heritage objects from the Historic Houses collections that are both haunting and beautiful. It's been so long I don't even really remember what the I wrote about in my paper, all I can really remember is a trip to SCA to view an exhibition and an enjoyable research and discovery period. Perhaps it was this that sparked my interested in Australian colonial photography?

Anyhow...a fleeting moment in a hallway earlier this week, was recalled by a haunting image on my wall as the sun played with specs of dust on my window. I don't think Anne Ferran is in any danger, but reflected and refracted light is fun.

Glad moment: small things, small minds? A blast from the past?

MONDAY

I'm not going to be cynical. I'm not going to be cynical. Come on repeat it with me!

I am only going to say I am glad Australia has two more games to play in our group in the World Cup.

Glad moment: we all get another chance.

Singing and Nutters (and Mr Darcy)

Singing and Nutters (and er, Mr Darcy), yep that's what is getting me glad over the last couple of days

WEDNESDAY

At the place of toil are some lovely and caring people. One such person sings a little song each morning when he starts work to another very dedicated early bird (and night hawk) in our office. The pleasure of coming in early and witnessing this seemingly random act of song just puts a smile on the face.

Glad moment: Random acts of song, you know I love to perform them, but I love to see others do the same too!

THURSDAY

Sometimes a little praise goes a long way. Being told you're good at what you do by someone you professionally admire makes it even better.

Glad moment #1: praise is sometimes the best motivator. Finding out said person is also a nutter (like me) is a bonus!

Phowar and swoon. Those words make my heart swell...if you are not sure what it means ask yourself if Mr Darcy and Mr Thornton (or any literary hero from the 19th century for that matter) mean anything to you...

Glad moment #2: finding other phwoar & swooners in the world...(hiding in the strangest places!)

Bend and stretch!

Are you sick of me being glad yet? Are you? If you have no idea what I'm talking about see the earlier post. I'm on a mission of noticing and recording one thing each day for six weeks that makes me glad. Glad to be alive, glad to be where I am, just glad really. My impetus? Well, why not? Surely it can't hurt? This might be my alternative to organised religion. Who knows...I'm just out there doing and being and seeing the glass half full rather than empty (as I normally would!)

TUESDAY

So in today's glad tidings is yoga. Yoga at work. Now twice a week, now every Tuesday and Thursday at 1pm you can catch me downward dogging with the best in the boardroom. I've been doing it since February but today it just clicked. Here is 1 hour a week (now 2 hours a week!) where it's just about me. And breathing. And moving. And mostly dying and not believing I can wrap myself in knots and pretend to be a pretzel but holding on for a few more breaths. I haven't done yoga in a class format properly in years but boy I am enjoying this. And you should see my plank.

Glad moment: Me, yoga, boardroom, lunchtime...

Glad tidings...

The gladness continues...

SATURDAY

The monthly pilgrimage to the Pyrmont Growers Market. Sunshine after a week of rain, finally lolling out of bed very late (in market terms) and still managing to get most of the purchases, and a discount on Rowie's Cakes! Sunshine, puppy dogs and bacon & eggs rolls.

Glad moment: All of the above, plus a tall ship against a Sydney skyline.

SUNDAY

Friends of friends influence your life in amazing ways. Catching up with friends (and their friends) for a movie and realising you can have things in common with veritable strangers (no more!). A movie being more than a longish, boring product placement vehicle, now that is gold.

Glad moment: a sweet film called Boy, if this get general release, see it! (and watch the trailer now...)

MONDAY

Glad moment: it's cold. That is all.

A week of Pollyanna-ing...

So, yes I haven't had a chance to jump on here properly and fill you all in my week of gladness, but that doesn't mean I wasn't thinking glad!

MONDAY

Gladness was just a stroll to work, only to reflect I've missed Autumn. Somehow I have managed to wile away those precious months when the trees change and the temperature cools. Autumn is my favourite time of the year, but somehow Autumn and I didn't connect this year? Are the trees late? Was I walking about blind? Was there not a chill in the air? Did I miss the season of mist and mellow fruitfulness entirely?

Glad moment: a huge Autumn leaf across a path, far too big to be dampened by the rain, bigger than two hands and gloriously rusty.

TUESDAY

Glad moment: urban pets. Pets that aren't yours that just don't mind a pat as you walk past their place. Snapped on Belvoir Street.

WEDNESDAY

I didn't intentionally mean to have an urban pet themed week. Nor did I mean to sit in a park on Wednesday lunchtime and feed the last bit of my Bourke Street Bakery lamb and harissa sausage roll to a friendly labrador. But hey, those eyes!

Please note this is not the actual labrador in question (forgot to bring my phone with me!)

Glad moment: feeding a random labrador in the park.

Urban pets rock.

THURSDAY

A new colleague started today, working on a project for the place of toil. She is someone I truly professionally admire, a real hero of mine...and I get to work with her!

Glad moment: inspiration now works in my building.

FRIDAY

Imagine you are having lunch. A Sagacious friend rings, invites you to a movie (with a choc top thrown in) after work. It pours and you get drenched (feet have never been wetter), but you know what, rain, movies, friends and choc tops make it worth it.

Glad moment: no one knows if your shoes are wet in a dark cinema. Conjuring up images of having to buy new shoes because the current collection just won't cut it through a rainy Sydney Winter. Burberry, Choo or Hunter wellies for me?