The German-Aussie weekend...

This weekend was a reunion/meeting of us Aussies and our German friends. The backstory: In 2004, when Lawrence was still heavily involved in the nerdy practice of playing network games (Warcraft, I think it’s called, all geeky swords and potions in imaginary cyber worlds where they give themselves names like Escador, and special powers, and mighty weapons and so on), he became cyber friends with another nerdy computer-game-playing guy called Alexander who lives in Germany. Alex’s good friend Barbara was about to head to Sydney to continue her studies in film and media, so he posted on the Warcraft (?) message board, asking if anyone knew anyone in Sydney that might be able to help her out. So brother Lawrence asked me, and I said ‘no worries’, then Barbara and I emailed each other, then a few weeks or months later she arrived on the door of mine and Jac’s cosy flat in Vaucluse. Barbara stayed with us for ten days. Barbara, being a strong and passionate woman with a sense of humour and appreciation for good food and wine and music…we all got along instantly. In those 10 days, she found a flat to move into in Newtown. She also found the potential flatmate attractive. Despite Jacobie and I insisting that if there is a vibe, you shouldn’t flat in the same house, she moved in with Len and the other flatmates. And 3 years later Len and Barbara are living together in Edinburgh.
The nerdy computer friend Alex is based in Germany still, has a girlfriend called Kitty, and neither he nor Lawrence play computer games as much as they used to. Barbara is in Edinburgh because Len’s job as an animator has landed him a gig working with the company that produced the fantastic “Triplets of Belville”, but she HATES Edinburgh.
Somehow, over the last couple of months, since I let Barbara know I’d be in the UK, we all arranged to have a weekend together in London. So Kitty and Alex flew over, and Barbara caught the train down from Scotland… One of the many highlights of the weekend’s adventures was the consistant entertainment of Barbara’s unceasing railing against the city of Edinburgh and it’s inhabitants. So impassioned and sincere and relentless, I think it would make a brilliant stand up comedy show for the fringe festival I’ll be visiting in August. She was so excited about this trip to London she’d been telling all her Edinburgh work colleagues and friends how she was going to stay with her actress friend in Kensington!! Well, Kennington is a lovely suburb but its not quite Kensington (I work at the salubrious Christies, South Kensington, next to Chelsea, if you get the picture). If only I WAS an actress who could afford to live in Kensington! So this is how the weekend of the Germans, the Scottish German, and the Aussies and the actress from Kennington went…

Friday night, I briefly encountered and was introduced to Lawrence’s network-games friend, Alex, and his girlfriend Kitty (her real name Simone, but we all call her Kitty), as I walked to the tube station. I met Barbara at King’s Cross around 11pm, arriving from Edinburgh. We headed as fast as possible to catch a rare and special midnight performance of Othello at the Globe, where Jacobie met with us. The first half of the play was admittedly slow, especially as we had standing tickets. And it was after midnight! And Iago’s voice sounded painfully sore (maybe they need to do better warm-up’s before Globe shows), so Jac and Barbara decided to sit the second half out in the foyer gossiping, while I stood with my RADA mates (almost half the group was there!) to watch the stunning tragedy unfold. It was excellent. And it didn’t rain on us! But when it finished at 3.30am we were seriously ready for bed. My bedroom hosted Kitty and Alex for the weekend, so Barbara, Jac and I camped out in the lounge room.
Saturday morning, Jac had to leave early to go to work, but Barbara and I slept in as much as possible. After a more proper meeting and reunion of all, we headed to the scrumptious Borough Markets, joined by Barbara’s other Aussie friend Skye, who works as a Nanny/carer in London, while her animator boyfriend works in Edinburgh with Len. We sampled many goodies, and gathered some with us to brunch by the Thames River. With wine, breads and cheeses, we had a very satisfying picnic despite the overcast and sporadically drizzly weather, and enjoyed a sight-seeing wander to walk it off, over the Tower bridge to the Tower of London…
After an afternoon siesta, we set out for a curry at Brick Lane, the Indian Quarter of London. Going out for a curry is an event that Kitty and Alex had never before experienced. There were 9 of us in total – Lawrence, Felicity, myself, Barbara, Skye, Alex and Kitty, flatmate Troy, and Lawrence’s mate Darren from work. We were lured into the Brick Lane Brasserie by the persuasive Indian salesperson on the street that offered us 2 free bottles of wine, and beers for the boys if we chose to dine in his restaurant. Felicity and Barbara also negotiated free poppadums for us all. It was delicious, and after a long and laughter-filled feasting, we moved on to a groovy bar around the corner, called The Big Chill, where we indulged in some raspberry caprahinas (how on earth do you spell that? But you know what I mean). We danced a bit. And drank some more. And arrived back home in the wee hours of the morn.
Sunday was a more touristy day- a mission with a mild hangover! We ventured through Green Park to Buckingham Palace, where we observed the guards strutting up and down in their large impractical-looking fluffy black hats, swinging their guns around like cheer-leaders swing pom-poms. Sort-of. And I thought my job at Christies was dull! Well, at least they weren’t wearing heels. Dodging scalpers of Aerosmith concert tickets, we headed to Oxford street, where Kitty and Alex wanted to Shop, starting at TopShop, where Kate Moss’ fashion line is apparently stocked, or some other significant fact. The more hungover (and impoverished) of us found a café for a cup of tea while they scoured the famous shopping district.
Sadly, Barbara had to leave in the afternoon, back to her beloved (!) home in Edinburgh. The rest of us, while we had planned an Aussie BBQ in the backyard, were forced indoors by the miserable rainy weather (for something new) for a big yummy meal, followed by strudel (for the German element). Altogether an extremely enjoyable weekend, and friends we are sure to keep and see again. Perhaps Germany next year?!!

This morning, I had my sonnet showing at RADA. I had been given sonnet 87 to perform:

Farewell, thou art too dear for my possessing.
And like enough thou know’st thy estimate;
The charter of thy worth gives thee releasing:
My bonds in thee are all determinate.
For how do I hold thee but by thy granting,
And for that riches where is my deserving?
The cause of this fair gift in me is wanting,
And so my patent back again is swerving.
Thy self thou gav’st, thy own worth then not knowing,
Or me, to whom thou gav’st it, else mistaking;
So thy great gift upon misprision growing,
Comes home again, on better judgement making.
Thus have I had thee as a dream doth flatter,
In sleep a king, but waking no such matter.

Full of feminine endings signifying a lack of resolution. Though I was largely given positive feedback, I still feel rather unresolved on the issue of sonnets. Treading that fine line between monologue and reflective poetry; not getting in the way of Shakespeare’s thoughts by indulging in character choices or making it one’s own, yet still connecting to the emotions and personalizing the delivery so it remains engaging… Tough. But boy do I love them. To spend the morning listening to almost thirty of Shakespeare’s sonnets performed was quite enjoyable