Culture’n’City’n’Country Roads…
We have just returned from a whirlwind trip to the Big Smoke: Bris Vegas (‘Brisbane’ if you are actually looking on a map!). A weekend away. It was lovely – exhausting but lovely. We managed to sqeeze in two visits to rellies (hello Grandad and Gwen, hello cousins T,J and L!) a spot of shopping, movie viewing Mr I kindly took the kiddies to Bolt and left me to munch on popcorn while inhaling Australia *sigh*.
Oh look – Mr I at Granite Glen!
My heart actually belongs to the youngest member of the cast, Brandon Walters, who has the most incredible liquid brown eyes ever. Like Nicole’s character, I totally wanted to adopt him by scene two. The kid is amazing – and he can act too. A star is born…
So Dralion was booked and Voilet and Dash combed and primed (no, Dash, there are no elephants in the show!) for their Big Circus Encounter.
I insisted on taking my Nikon in with me and shot a couple of glances of the place but I am (as always) disappointed that I could not take photos of the show itself. Of course, I understand the no flash thing – distraction is the last thing these guys need!
But really, no words can possibly share the whirl of vivid colour, incredible action, amazing contortions and connections of the performers, interspersed with comedic relief by nonsense-babbling (non-red-nosed) funnymen.
Oh look – Mr I at Granite Glen! Jeez we need some rain!
What?
Oh, sorry, it’s Mr Jackman (aka the Drover) on Far Away Downs. On the big screen.
heh!
…
The sweeping epic was wonderfully sweeping. And epic. Mr Incredibles all-time favourite actor David Wendham plays the bad guy fabulously. Our Nicole’s brow moves, and she is perfect as the uptight Pommy aristocrat, and Hugh… well. What can one say? He just simmers and flexes and glowers … what more can a girl ask for?
My heart actually belongs to the youngest member of the cast, Brandon Walters, who has the most incredible liquid brown eyes ever. Like Nicole’s character, I totally wanted to adopt him by scene two. The kid is amazing – and he can act too. A star is born……
Can you tell I really enjoyed this movie? Although (don’t you hate a “but” in the middle of your movie review) I shall be sticking my hand up the next time Mr Luhrmann shoots a movie and needs a stock advisor. No-one gallops AT or THROUGH the cattle in real life, Baz. Not if they want the mob to stay together… a minor point I know, but one that jars if you have any experience in the saddle.
…
But then of course, Our Baz more than makes up for this little lapse with a bit of this…
(Mum, please look away now!)…
Just to keep us all engaged.
*wipes brow*
All is forgiven Baz. No, really…
All is forgiven Baz. No, really…
…
The real ‘excuse’ for the trip though, was my Christmas gift from Mr Incredible – tickets to the Cirque du Soleil. I adore the Cirque… we have seen every single show that has been to Australia since the first one (Alegria, I think) about five years ago. I was utterly blown away at that first experience. Mesmerised. We have taken the kids to one show previously (during which they hid in our coats for almost half the show) but decided to once again share the experience with them. It can be a little overwhelming sometimes, but the performances are so incredible and the costumes so breathtaking that I thought it cruel not to share it with them.
The real ‘excuse’ for the trip though, was my Christmas gift from Mr Incredible – tickets to the Cirque du Soleil. I adore the Cirque… we have seen every single show that has been to Australia since the first one (Alegria, I think) about five years ago. I was utterly blown away at that first experience. Mesmerised. We have taken the kids to one show previously (during which they hid in our coats for almost half the show) but decided to once again share the experience with them. It can be a little overwhelming sometimes, but the performances are so incredible and the costumes so breathtaking that I thought it cruel not to share it with them.
So Dralion was booked and Voilet and Dash combed and primed (no, Dash, there are no elephants in the show!) for their Big Circus Encounter.
The excitement built as we approached the blue-and-yellow tent (seen here from the Gateway Bridge) … the event was set up on the docks on the Brisbane River.
I insisted on taking my Nikon in with me and shot a couple of glances of the place but I am (as always) disappointed that I could not take photos of the show itself. Of course, I understand the no flash thing – distraction is the last thing these guys need! It could be disasterous!
But really, no words can possibly share the whirl of vivid colour, incredible action, amazing contortions and connections of the performers, interspersed with comedic relief by nonsense-babbling (non-red-nosed) funnymen. No TV show can do it either.
…
If you have never been to one, you MUST try to go. Honestly.
Make it a ‘bucket list’ thing to do.
It really takes you to another world.
An incredibly beautiful, haunting, uplifting, surreal, fabulous world. Or in two words:
Must.
See.
Warning#1:
A visit to Cirque du Soleil MAY wear you out!
…
And for other traffic-phobes out there:
Warning #2:
It involves a whole lotta this:
*Blah!*
I am so spoiled these days…
I am so spoiled these days…
with this view from behind the wheel instead…
The drives might be longer, but the scenery sure is better!
So now I am all “city-cultured out”… recovering from being on-the-move, driving for over 11 hours, shopping, movie-ing and cirque-ing.
…
So…how was your weekend?
17 Comments
Kate
Ok so Cirque du Soleil is amazing. I really love it but can i just say THANK YOU for that last pic of Hugh. WHEW!!!! I’m certainly okay with that being the last thing i see before i head off to bed. He is really is just so beautiful. I haven’t seen the film yet (yes i know, i’m working on it) but i’m very excited to. There is of course the normal yank obsession with all thing Aussie and then on top of that you get Baz, a darling little boy that steals your heart AND HUGH!!!! Ok, i’ll stop now. Sorry. Good night. (oh and the traffic pic gave me a little panic attack. i am a traffic-phobe too)
Mom L
OH. Wow. OK – I am definitely going to see “Australia” now! And how does Mr. Incredible deal with your drooling over Hugh? Oh, right, he’s content because he knows he’s the ONLY Mr. Incredible in your life! Great pictures!
Debby
Oh, Mom L! Have you seen Mr. Incredible with a beard? Incredible…
Anyway, once I saw a television reporter standing in the middle of a pasture, talking about farms. He was standing next to a bleached cow’s skull. It just about drove me nuts. Everyone realizes you can’t leave a cow to decompose in the pasture, for the good Lord’s sake! It would bring coyotes. Out in the desert, that’s one thing, but on someone’s property, with other cows…NEVER. I couldn’t even listen to him talk. He’d lost all credibility.
rhubarbwhine
I didn’t even know Circque was here until I spied the big top when crossing the gateway on the w’end! I rang today for tickets – guess when the show finished? Grrr!
Lydia
Oh my, now I know why we got all those steamy stories from the spurs! Putting a man like that on my computer in the morning is more than a girl can take…. I guess I’ll be watching Australia, oh, and I may just have to check out Daniel Craig in Defiance…. He is not shabby by any means.
Thanks for sharing the Circque — I will have to see it! However, I think I will need to travel something like 1000 miles to get near one. They don’t come to South Dakota for some reason. Wonder why? I guess we don’t have enough people here to muster up any traffic.
Jenni
I’ve never been to Cirque du Soleil, but I have seen Australia. Mmmm…yummy. Thank you for making my morning coffee time:o)
Dawna Drake
My weekend was fine but as it did not involve seeing hugh jackman in any film it was obviously not as good as yours!
A Novel Woman
Well, you get Hugh, Baz and Nic, but I get Cirque du Soleil which is headquartered in my town of Montreal. Go Cirque!
I once found myself beside the Cirque’s Australian head honcho on a flight from Vancouver to Montreal. After introducing himself, he promptly fell into a deep semi-comatose slumber, blocking my exit as he was in the aisle seat. There was a problem with my tray and I had to switch seats, however the flight attendant said he wasn’t allowed to wake a passenger. I could “climb over him” using the arm rests if I really wanted to get out, he advised.
Which is how this middle-aged, less than limber woman found herself leaping over the Cirque du Soleil’s artistic director and landing with a red face in the first class aisle of an Air Canada jet.
Pam
Gem
Wow, what a weekend you had. I loved Australia. I have only seen Cirque on telly so I am very envious of you having seen all the shows live! You lucky girl. Bumper to bumper traffic sends shivers down my spine – I hate it.
Thanks for the comment on my photo – I had several different answers to the comment that was left but decided I needed to be gracious and take the good with the bad, and yes it was just how I wanted it – but I will try it some different ways!
I will let you know my order today when I get five minutes to myself. It will happen, it will happen, it will happen.
Jayne
Lovely pics, I’ll take Hugh Jackman and you can keep Nicole 😛
I'm Julie
Oh MY, I thought this was a G-rated site – not that I mind. You go on and publish pictures of Hugh any day you want…
I had NO IDEA of the cattle problems and terrible errors in that movie. Honestly – doesn’t anyone care for the FACTS?? NO??!! I’d better got see it again. And again. And again.
WHAT?? I am NOT drooling over the Drover…
Bush Babe
Kate – I should have done two posts. It’s hard to get past Hugh, isn’t it?
Mom L – Mr I gets more than enough feedback on his Incredible-ness (not least from my readers!) to be secure that I will not leave him for Hugh. Like that’s even a real possibility. Heh.
Deb – coyotes? I guess we have dingoes who behave similarly. What do your farmers do with the carcasses? (Hope there are no queasy vegetarians reading this!)
RW – how could you NOT know CIrque was in town? We saw the second last show in Brissy. Next time, girl!!!
Lydia – sorry. Should’ve had a warning at the top of this one! A bit racy I know… but I needed to make sure you were all awake!! And don’t get me started on Daniel Craig… mmmmmm.
Jenni – you are most welcome.
Dawna – do yourself a favour! (This is a bad Aussie saying, usually referring to music, but I’m stretching it to movies!)
Pam (ANW) – that’s a great story!! Trust you. You have some great brushes-with-fame sagas!!
Gem – you are welcome. Look forward to your email (whenever you get a chance, no dramas!)
Jayne – good luck! 🙂
Julie – yup. Definitely need a warning system here! And join the drooling queue!!
Debby
We hauled them away (far away) from the pasture area with a tractor and buried them. If they were newly dead, there was a man who collected them for a company that made pet food. We did not leave them to rot in the middle of the pasture to attract ‘critters’. What do you do with yours? There’s a push on here to teach farmers how to compost large animals and use them to fertilize the field.
Tracey
You’re the second person to give Cirque a big rap. Now I will have to keep an eye out for it next time it is in Brisbane.
As for Australia.. Hmmm… This Aussie would give it just 3 stars. Thought it was a bit cliched, the plot a bit thin, and the characters had no depth. Perhaps without the hype, and with a different title, I might have enjoyed it a bit more. (A really bad choice of title… why call it “Australia” ?) I know ‘overboard’ is Baz’s thing, but I think he was trying to make it too many things. Eye candy it definitely is – both Hugh and the scenery. But there are other Aussie films I have enjoyed much much more. [We too are David Wenham fans – he went to same school as my husband, a year or two behind him. Have you seen him in Gettin’ Square? Brilliant. (swearing alert though…)
Bush Babe
Deb – we don’t lose too many here, and sometimes we burn the carcases (depending on the dryness of the season) but often they are left to the elements. We don’t have anyone (business for pet food etc) to take them elsewhere really. Just too far away. The dingoes have whoopee. That’s life.
Trace – I agree it’s not a make-you-think-and-change-your-life movie. I guess I look for a bit of escapism in my movies these days – and this provided that for me. I also disliked the name (something I addressed in a previous post when it was first released). Have a great day!
Reddirt Woman
I so want to see ‘Australia’ because I like Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman, but it will have t be an awesome movie to beat out ‘Sundowners’ with Robert Mitchum for this oldie!!!
Also the first Cirque I saw was ‘Alegria’ when I was in Florida about 5 years. I was in awe.
Great post. Thanks.
Helen
sexy
A片,A片,A片,A片,A片,A片情趣商品,情趣用品,情趣用品,情趣,情趣,情趣用品,情趣商品,情趣用品,情趣,情趣,情趣用品,情趣商品,情趣用品,情趣,情趣,情趣用品,,情趣,情趣用品,情趣用品,情趣用品,情趣用品.情趣,情趣,情趣,情趣,視訊聊天室,情趣,情趣用品,情趣,情趣用品,情趣用品,情趣麻將,台灣彩卷,六合彩開獎號碼,運動彩卷,六合彩,遊戲,線上遊戲,cs online,搓麻將,矽谷麻將,明星三缺一, 橘子町,麻將大悶鍋,台客麻將,公博,game,淘,中華職棒,麗的線上小遊戲,國士無雙麻將,麻將館,賭博遊戲,威力彩,威力彩開獎號碼,龍龍運動網,史萊姆,史萊姆好玩遊戲,史萊姆第一個家,史萊姆好玩遊戲區,樂透彩開獎號碼,遊戲天堂,天堂,好玩遊戲,遊戲基地,無料遊戲王,好玩遊戲區,麻將遊戲,好玩遊戲區,小遊戲,電玩快打情趣用品,情趣,A片,AIO,AV,AV女優,A漫,免費A片,情色,情色貼圖,色情小說,情色文學,色情,寄情竹園小遊戲,色情遊戲,AIO交友愛情館,色情影片,情趣內衣,情趣睡衣,性感睡衣,情趣商品,微風成人,嘟嘟成人網,成人,18成人,成人影城,成人圖片,成人貼圖,成人圖片區,UT聊天室,聊天室,豆豆聊天室 ,哈啦聊天室,尋夢園聊天室,聊天室尋夢園,080苗栗人聊天室,080聊天室,視訊交友網,視訊借錢,黃金,黃金回收,黃金價格,黃金買賣,當舖,中古車,二手車A片,A片,成人網站,成人影片,色情,情色網,情色,AV,AV女優,成人影城,成人,色情A片,日本AV,免費成人影片,成人影片,SEX,免費A片,A片下載,免費A片下載,做愛,情色A片,色情影片,H漫,A漫,18成人,情色電影,自拍,成人電影a片,色情影片,情色電影,a片,色情,情色網,情色,av,av女優,成人影城,成人,色情a片,日本av,免費成人影片,成人影片,情色a片,sex,免費a片,a片下載,免費a片下載,成人網站,做愛,自拍A片,A片,A片下載,做愛,成人電影,18成人,日本A片,情色小說,情色電影,成人影城,自拍,情色論壇,成人論壇,情色貼圖,情色,免費A片,成人,成人光碟18成人,成人聊天室,成人電影,成人圖片,成人貼圖,成人圖片區,成人影片,成人文章,成人小說,微風成人區,成人交友,成人文學,成人漫畫,成人遊戲,免費成人影片 ,成人論壇,愛情公寓,情色,色情網站,情色A片,色情小說,情色文學