Family get together

Afraid I succumbed yesterday and had to spend the day indoors admiring the outside views going past Robin's bedroom window. The cough sneezes and general un-wellness was too much to consider when invited to go to Paddy's Market in Chinatown! Evidently I have now not got rid of the buds but given them away to Frank!
Last night we were joined by Marie and her man in her life Greg. I certainly feel they are very happy together and Marie looked radiant in his company or was it ours? Nope it was his! The Balkan seafood restaurant was very good but after the first course of a dish with New Zealand Green Lipped Muscles - yummy - followed by a seafood platter - I could only manage the two massive prawns that looked like they had come off the set of a sci-fi movie - the octopus, calamarie and two different types of white fish proved too much for me! Sadly I had to excuse myself and leave the assembly early - not sure if I have over reached myself with the food or the flu like bugs were winning!
Rested and with four 500mgs of Paracetamol - feeling much better today but with Frank feeling unwell! Off to Circular Quay to view the Queen Victoria docking - think that means landing! Big day tomorrow as off to Turtle Cove so watch this space!

Corpus Christi

As a part of Mardi Gras Festival we were taken to the performance of the "controversial" play, only contorversial if you are a Christian and made you mind up without seeing the result! The Company were excellent, but the Texan drawl was a little thick for my taste. It was a good play and proported to be nothing less and certainly was nothing more. The protesting consisted of a sad chappie drving up and down the road hooting a gas horn and telling "fags to go home" which we did after the performance. So withe the critics say that Corpus C is arguably one of the most controversial plays of the last ten years, and has outraged Christian groups with its modern take on the story of Jesus’ birth, ministry and death. Why? Because it depicts both Jesus and his disciples as homosexual. Yet the moralists miss the point: this is not a play that mocks Jesus; it’s a play that speaks out against inhumanity by providing a witty, contemporary interpretation of Jesus’ life. We were left a little bit under-sold on the advertising. The first part was certainly the best and it did seem to lose it's way rather and return to traditional biblical midrash in the second half. Funny that amongst us four queens of the night it really did not spark any great feelings of delight or opposition!
However, what did delight is all was that Thai restaurant that Robin treated us to before the show! Wonderful! Will post contact details when I can get them.
So the holiday - well a little challenged by my chest infection and streaming "cold". Have taken numerous dispenses remedies but nothing is making it disappear! Hence sadly sitting here writing this with the lovely sunshine blazing down on Sydney. Andy & Frank evetually got to go out and are exploring Paddy's Market for a "rainbow fan" for me! As for my not wellness I am certainly outting it down to the poor air conditioning on out inward flight - thanks to BA!

Jet lag

Yes it is catching up with the three of us! However it's not stopping us having a good time in the sunshine - did I mention the weather? We are doing so much we have had to create a chart of daily activities.
Tuesday today so off to the Sydney Harbour Opera House to book a show for tomorrow night. Cabaret Decadanse is Canada's award winning adults only puppet theatre, Camp cool and quirky and very Canadian so the advertising goes! We will see.
Have some fabby news from home that I have been elected to represent Unison Scotland LGBT Committee ar ILGA World Conference in Quebec this coming May. Lots of work I have no doubt but with a strong representation, David, Liz and Lynn, it should be really uplifting and educational.
So off to the sunshine - factor 50 (thanks Andy) at the ready, Sydney here we come!

It's downunder time!

Well here we are in beautiful SUNNY & HOT Sydney! After the challenge of travel with British Airways - a cancelled flight and two delays which then had a panic for our London Heathrow connection. This meant that we had to arrange to be "in transit" for the while of the journey to Oz! Now while I was happy guess who was not and guess why? Frank had to cope without ciggies and did not cope well until Singapore when he could have a nicotine fix. More of this no doubt. So we met our good mate Robin, who has surrended his part of Oz to us for our stay, including a bed to be comfortable in and recover our jet lag!

Victoria Park gave us Fair Day, a fun day and run up to Mardi Gras! Connected with our Sydney sisters who were very welcoming and gave me a Blessed Dingo blessing! Then off to reaquaint ourselves with the city from on high - Central Tower and the Oz Trek! But then jet lag overwhealmed me and I was in a coma from 7-7am - ask about Frank's am/pm confusion!

Valentine's - follow the dream

Well another V's Day! A surprise for Frank being that we are going to the Barbara concert tonight! No not that B - Babara Dickson the girl from Cowdenbeath but I hear she is rather reluctant to be remindered of that fact! Also heard she is not a good supporter of local good causes so let see how she tackles tonight's audience in the Carnegie Hall Dunfermline.
Really a silly thing to do as we are jetting off to Oz tomorrow but hey ho the second silly action, well not the third - have not mentioning changing the light switches yesterday and giving myself a jolt in the process, as I thought I had switched off the lights at the mains - wrong!
Other thing is associated with the holiday to Oz! have booked for go to Cairns for four days - 24/28th - so flight from Sydney to Cairns and then return after staying at Port Douglas - well just outside at Turtle Cove - now take a look www.turtlecove.com
Told you so! So what's the problem? Well the weather this time of the year is rather moist to say the least with a rainfall factor of around 130mm this has been well and truely exceeded! However its an adventure and give Andy & Robin sometime together! Got the update of the Mardi Gras activities and we will miss the Queens getting together in Sydney Harbour on 24th - ships that is!
So I do intend to try and keep the blog updated - remember the NY resolution - and will let you know if Turtle Cove has been washed away - or if there "little piece of paradise" is what they make it out to be - even in the rainy season!

Fife Council - Equality - Film Festival

My how times change - or perhaps I was just a little too ahead of the pack and started to plant the seeds that are now coming to fruitition! The Equality Film Festival runs 17th & 18th February to link with LGBT History Month:

Fife Partnership has launched a new drive to promote Equality and Diversity in Fife.
A three year campaign has been designed to ensure that discrimination is effectively tackled, diversity is celebrated and equality of opportunity for all is promoted.

To coincide with LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) History Month in February 2008 we are showing a series of films to raise awareness of equality issues. Each film will focus on at least one equality strand: Age, Disability, Gender, Race, Religion and Belief, and Sexuality.

Sun 17 Feb 2.30pm
Breakfast on Pluto 15

Sun 17 Feb 5.00pm
La vie en Rose 12A

Sun 17 Feb 8.00pm
Brick Lane 15

Mon 18 Feb 3.00pm
Iris 15

Mon 18 Feb 5.00pm
Inside I'm Dancing 15

Mon 18 Feb 7.30pm
The Shawshank Redemption 15

Tickets are available from the Adam Smith Box Office.

Further information on Equality and Diversity can be found at www.fifedirect.org.uk/equality

Sisters at play

On our Oz trip we will no doubt connect with the Divine Dingo - and such excitements! As you can see this was a manifestation at the Christopher St Parade last June in Berlin. Although invited to the "Spank A Yank" night on our last visit to Oz in 1999, it seems the the Fair Day, hisory, zoo walks and the Mardi Gras parade are the only events where Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are going to ending stigma and guilt! I think until we have global equity we still need to adopt the missionary position most of the time! I'll seek out some pictures from the 99 pilgrimage for folk to view! Now there is a warning!

Oz here we come!

Well here we are again! Expecting a great time at the 30th Sydney Mardi Gras and better still back in the company of Andy & Robin for some good times! Jetting off on 15th Feb until 9th March I have been silly enough to get tickets (St V's Day) for the Barbara Dickson concert at the Carnegie Hall in Dunfermline - she will back back on hole turf! Her new CD is great "Time & Tide" - not like me recommedning sounds! I suppose we should have been packing, so it may turn out to be a disaster! Although it may pale into insignificance, as at the weekend we raided Homebase for wallpaper and decorating stuff which has meant I have had to strip the walls in the living room so we can have the decorator in when we are away! See why things are rather chaotic! My virgoen aspects hate mess!
So off to Yorkshire tomorrow to see mother and drop Damon off in Rochdale - I know loads of miles out the way buy hey ho - he's a pal! I will probably not get away until the afternoon as I have meetings for GETRA and Unison before I go. Oh local news made the front page of the Fife Free Press this week because of the the state of the local area and my involvement with the residents group GETRA - must get their web sorted www.getra.co.uk when I upload it all!
http://www.fifetoday.co.uk/fife-free-press-news/EXPOSED-St-Clair-Street-drugs.3727794.jp
Just in case you want to check it out. Not really good reading and missed all the positive aspects of living here but that's reporters!

Gerry & Bruce

On Friday 16th November 2008 we attended Gerry & Bruce's post Civil Partnership celebration in Pollockshields Burgh Hall Glasgow - and very good it was to! We stayed overnight with in a Glasgow guest House which has a very gay feeling to it - mainly as it is a very gay household! Made very welcome and if you need to chack it out go to www.get-me.to/glasgowguesthouse

Now needlessto say I was fliting about with the camera and gave Gerry and Bruce the DVD without making a copy. Jaki and Derek took pictures and here is Derek with Frank and I - Jaki was at the other side of the camera! We wish Gerry & Bruce all the best for their future.