After a few days in the centre, a trip to Bondi Beach was a must - but with rain forecast, was Sunday a good idea? We wanted to go on a weekend when it would be busy...
Fortunately Australian weather forecasters as as good as English ones - you wouldn't think it would be that hard here, would you? (I'm reminded of Steve Martin's film LA Story.) The day alternated blazing sun and cooling white clouds - ideal - until just before we left and a large rainbow formed over the bay, which seemed strange... And then it spotted with rain.
Anyway, first we followed Angela's tip for the Bondi Sunday market. Angela has a lot to answer for. This was Lilly's favourite market ever, full of quirky clothes and jewellery and art. "I could have bought something from every other stall," she said, so I quickly changed the subject before she could add "If you weren't standing behind me frowning and occasionally dragging me away."
The beach itself is nice but not exceptional - fairly long and fairly conveniently situated for Sydney, I guess, with some decent waves for surfing and a swimming area (perhaps a bit rough for swimming), small cliffs at either end, and soft white sand. Lilly swam, but I only went down to the sea for a look - the beach slopes quite steeply into the water and the reach and height of the waves is madly variable. We saw some fairly impressive surfing further down the beach. So: it's a nice beach, but hardly what I was expecting, and much quieter on a sunny weekend than it should have been. I also felt sorry for the lifeguards, who have had to abandon their traditional strip and are now sponsored by DHL.
For the evening, we thought we would try to see something at the Sydney Opera House, partly to see the interior. I know there's a long history behind the design and especially the interior, but it was a bit disappointing - nothing iconic or memorable, though as you would hope the sound quality was exceptional even right at the top of the main performance hall.
We took a punt on Amanda Palmer - I know of her, mainly because she's engaged to one of my favourite authors, but don't think I've ever heard any music by her or the band that made her name, the Dresden Dolls. It turned out to be a really excellent show, with support from a charismatic Croatian chap called Mikelangelo singing Country & Western. Both support and main were great entertainers, singing and playing well but appearing to choose what they felt like playing and also full of asides to the crowd -- rather than just turning up, ticking off greatest hits and going home. I found Palmer's music impossible to categorise, but there's something rewarding about seeing a singer who's managed to go from a punk duo to playing ditties on a ukelele or hammering away on a Steinway grand while singing witty lyrics. (Apparently Palmer normally plays an electronic keyboard but the grand was on stage when she turned up for a sound check. It worked out very well, even though her dress got caught in the stool every time she stood up. I'm going to do all my concerts on grand pianos from now on.)
A cover of John Cage's classical piece 4'33" with ukeleles and accordion didn't go down too well with a noisy and otherwise appreciative crowd - it is a bit of an overlong piece, especially the second movement - but otherwise it was great. We went from not knowing a note of Palmer's music to feeling like part of the gang. You should definitely catch her live if you get the chance.
(Um, sorry this turned into a gig review. I have just eaten a brilliant pork roll and I have to digest it while Lilly swims, so I have time to kill and I've gone on too long - as usual.)
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