It came our way

Great show at The Civic Theatre in Newcastle on Saturday. 

It's wonderful to see some of the major shows are heading north to our regional city. I'll certainly be supporting the next two musicals that are coming our way later in the year

Thanks to my daughter for taking me to see "Come from Away", a simple but engaging show that doesn't rely on glitzy costumes or spectacular sets to tell a story. 

I first saw the show several years ago in London because I didn't think it would make its way to Australia. It did come downunder and has been a huge success.

I enjoyed it as much the second time around.

Come from Away set at The Civic

Big Night Out

When some family members were unable to attend a local venue Lizottes they offered us their tickets for dinner and a show with The Whitlams. We accepted readily as I wanted to check out the venue and I'm always up for a night out.

One of our cheeky offspring asked if we had heard of  The Whitlams, and I said I'd heard of our former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and his wife Margaret but didn't know much about this rock band.

On Tuesday evening we donned our glad rags and headed to Lizotte's, which is set up in an old theatre in Lambton, a suburb of Newcastle, NSW. It was a good venue for a live gig as it's small and most tables would afford a good view of the act up on stage. A much better option for seeing the Whitlams than a huge entertainment centre. We did feel a trifle overdressed as most of our fellow audience members were casually attired. Shorts and a tshirt for a dinner and show - really?

Lizottes - A former theatre

Music themed decor at Lizottes

Apparently our included dinner could be taken between 6pm and 8pm with the show starting at 9pm. We opted for a 7pm dinner; next time we will go later as we didn't need two hours for dinner. I was expecting rather ordinary fare so was delighted with the quality and presentation of our included main course and our shared entree (purchased), the wine we had was a decent drop and wasn't drastically overpriced.

Calamari Entree

Scotch Fillet Main course

We enjoyed the two hour show although we weren't familiar with most of the music and we couldn't understand the words due to poor diction (or sound quality). I was most, impressed with the vocalist/keyboard chap who appeared to be le leader of the band, I loved the energy, enthusiasm and energy of the drummer who put his heart and soul into every number. 

Keyboard/Vocalist

Drummer

I wouldn't know if the guitarists were good or not but the long-haired one was totally engaged and appeared to be enjoying himself. The other chap was a physical presence who just stood and played; I got the impression that this was just a job to him, there was no evidence of any passion or feeling.

Guitarist

Guitarist

And the verdict. We will be following the offerings from Lizottes and look forward to returning for future events. While we enjoyed The Whitlams they are not high on our list for a return gig.

Venturing out

14 November 2021

I have to admit that I am still CovidNervous and have been taking my re-entry into society slowly. 

Yesterday, however, I had to go somewhere where there were a lot of people and I was most concerned. 

Back in May one of the families gave me a ticket for a local performance  of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert which was postponed when we went into our last lockdown. The performance was rescheduled to yesterday so I went along with my daughter and granddaughter. I hadn't seen my granddaughter for a few months (blame Covid) so the outing was extra special. 

As we like to do the right thing we arrived the recommended 45 minutes prior to the show. It didn't take us long to be checked in so we looked around for a seat, luckily there was a fenced off area outside where we were able to sit in the open air and enjoy a pre-show drink. I was impressed when I visited the loo prior to entering the theatre that the other theatre goers were all observing the mask and distancing rules as we queued up. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Checking into the theatre was painless and there was no pushing and shoving. The girls let me have the aisle seat so that I wasn't sitting next to a stranger and had lots of space around me, they look after this old girl.

We had lots of giggles as I had trouble with my glasses fogging up. I eventually ditched my attractive koala mask for a disposable one that restored my sight. 

Safely in situ but all fogged up

As were were seated early (it ended up being a full house) I had plenty of time to enjoy the features of The Civic Theatre, a nice old venue in Newcastle. .

Soon it was on with the show and what a show it was. It wasn't a polished West End performance but a local production from The Metropolitan Players, there was a large lively cast with some excellent voices, some awkward dance moves, bright costumes and lots of laughs. It was a delightful evening's entertainment with lots of familiar songs for bopping and singing along, I will certainly be lining up for the next show from this group.

I was pleased that the exits from the theatre were orderly. As it was only my fourth time out the front gate in recent months I was pleased to witness the polite behaviour of those in attendance. It is reassuring to see fellow citizens taking the Covid threat seriously.

I may even hop on the internet and purchase some tickets for shows in Sydney. 

Musicians in the Family

Lovely afternoon watching two grandchildren perform.

Grandson on Patrol

Proud of our eldest Grandson who with his schoolmates volunteers for surf lifesaver duty on a local beach. Here are some pics of Patrol 14 in action at Cooks Hill Surf Club. 

The squad practiced boat launches and kept swimmers safe as they enjoyed the beach weather.

Home for Christmas

25th December 2017

We hit the ground running when we arrived home from Africa on Christmas Eve. Today we turned our attention to our nearest and dearest.

The 22 Balls/Bells/Seniors had a super Christmas day in Newcastle. Thanks Jennifer and David for hosting. Tomorrow we will be regrouping at Carey Bay for a Boxing Day BBQ.

We send our best wishes to you and your families and hope that you too were able to share time with those you love.

Sandy Stockton

One of our dear friends sailed into Newcastle, our regional city, yesterday on a mega cruise ship. We took the opportunity to pick him up from the ship and show him some of the local sights. As he had visited Newcastle and the Hunter Valley several times we had to think of some new places to visit.

The megaship which dominated the Harbour photographed from Stockton

As our visitor and I had never been to Stockton which is on the north side of Newcastle Harbour we started our explorations there. This suburb, which has water on three sides, is so close to Newcastle via a short ferry hop across the Harbour but is a 20km drive by road. 

The beach and sand dunes stretch for several miles north

A cargo ship entering th Harbour

The locals care for their environment

The local historical society is active

Stockton has a sheltered beach suitable for families

I was impressed by the natural beauty of the Stockton area and will put it on the itinerary for future visitors to our area. If the weather is kind we will take the ferry.

Dragged along

 It's well known among family and friends that I am not a fan of Thugby (oops Rugby) League however after many invitations to a local game I finally succumbed.

The Bubbles added to my enjoyment

I didn't pay much attention to what was going on on the field but, lubricated with a few glasses of bubbly and a nice hot lunch, I enjoyed  my afternoon sitting and chatting with some of the family. Thanks to my son-in-law for the entertainment.

Masquerading as a Newcastle Knights fan in a borrowed cap

Our Grandson the jockey

 Oops. Too late. I Didn't realise I wasn't supposed to take photos at Newcastle Grammar's "Into the Woods" last night. Our Grandson was dashing in his bright blue jacket as he rode his trusty steed across the stage.

Culture at the Cathedral

At Christchurch Cathedral in Newcastle for a spot of culture (and to watch two grandchildren perform).