Light Show

each night during the summer they put on a light show at the paliament house here. its pretty impressive. it tells the story of canadas history and stuff, and they project images and words onto the parliament building itself.

Mr Rooter

well ladies, i know who im gonna call the next times my pipes need servicing......

ah dear, i guess these canadians have no idea of the international connotations involved. i have had to explain more than once the down under definition of root.

Gwendoline Maureen Muriel Ingleton - 29th November 1918 to 15th July 2006

Gwendoline was born in Edinburgh - she always insisted she was born under the Firth of Fourth Bridge- on 29^th November 1918, at the end of the great war. Her father, Bickford Hattam, an Australian, had met and married her mother, Helene ‘Nellie’ (or Nana as we knew her) McGinty, a native of Donegal, Ireland but who grew up in Scotland. Bickford was studying medicine, they married and had five children; John, Hal, Eileen, Ormond and Gwen. She was the baby. After 15 years in Scotland Bickford set sail for Melbourne, and his family home in Preston. Gwen’s grandfather was Honest John Hattam head of the then empire of Hattam Stores. Gwen arrived in Australia at the age of 2. She grew up in Northcote and later went to school at PLC in East Melbourne, which she hated but when, later, the family moved to Redcourt Avenue, Armadale she attended St Catherine’s where she was in seventh heaven. Junior tennis champion, fastest runner in the school, the most popular girl in school. She was no scholar and she left school early. She worked at Henri’s Beauty Salon in Myers which is where she first met John.

At 20 there was the trip to Europe with her sister, Eileen and her mother. If not for Eileen’s insistence she would not have gone. For both girls that journey opened her eyes to the bright world outside Australia. It was 1938. They went to London, to Paris, to Berlin, they waved flags as Hitler paraded down the Unter de Linden, they sat in nightclubs with telephones on each table, they danced, they laughed, they were beautiful, they were the most popular girls in the room but war loomed over Europe and Nellie gathered her girls to her and raced them home to Australia. Perhaps, if they had stayed in London as they wished, their lives would have changed but it was a different era, they obeyed their parents. They sailed home via America. They landed in New York and caught the greyhound bus across the States. They sailed back to Melbourne, across the Pacific Ocean on the S.S. Monterey. The entertainer on that voyage was Count Basie.

The war years were hard, the Hattam brothers went to war, not Ormond, for he was not well and the girls stayed home with their Mother. And the friends, the boys they had grown up with, marched away and some never returned. It was a time of turmoil and indecision.

John Ingleton was smitten. He loved Gwen with all of his heart. For her, he was a constant presence, a good friend, a good man, and his offer of marriage was accepted. They were wed at Melbourne Grammar Chapel in November of 1941, as war raged in Europe. Yes, she married him, but she was one who had had dreams of a Prince on a white charger, of a passion that would burst open in her heart and rescue her completely from the memories of her childhood. John was a good man but he was not her prince.

Her heart was opened by her mothering.

She had four children; Anthony and Suzanne then a big gap of 8 years and two more children, Michael and Sally. Almost like starting a new family. John worked harder and harder, there’s no denying he loved to work and he always seemed to find it easier to relate to animals, horses and dogs than to children.

Gwen and John lived in many places, Tamarama, near Bondi in Sydney. How Gwen loved Sydney! It was always her hearts desire to live there. ‘I could never be bored there‘, she would always say. After the war they moved back to Melbourne and lived in Booran, Road Caulfield, probably the smell of the horses planted in Dad his great love of those beautiful animals. There was the stint down at Cowes, Phillip Island where Dad had bought the Bayview Guest House. Tony and I were about 3 and 5 then. After the disaster of the fire which raised it to the ground we all came back to Melbourne, to live in Huntingtower Road, Malvern. Huntingtower Rd. was a rich time for Tony and I. Then we moved to Glen Iris into Allenby Avenue, their first home, and it was there that Michael and Sally were born.

After the divorce, which was a shattering and painful time for her, she moved to Frankston, to Gweno Ave. with Michael and Sally and a whole new life. Tony was married and I had left home. Michael happily went to Peninsular Boys and Sally to Toorak College, and as Chubby fell into a kind of isolation from her Melbourne life she found herself more and more devoted to the children. Her constant visitor and her loyal friend George Grigg regularly made the journey down to see her. He loved her dearly, but for her he was just a good friend.

When Mike and Sally’s schooldays were over she moved back to Melbourne to eventually live in Rae Street, Nth Fitzroy and to build her wonderful little home at Flinders. Flinders was the paradise she shared with Michael and Sally and the dog, Mino, they had precious times there.

When eventually it became too hard for her to make the trip on her own, she sold it. Ah, the regret of that. Eventually after many moves she ended up back in Glen Iris in her beautiful unit that Sally found for her.

Chubby loved Norman Banks, Neil Mitchell and the Footy. Our whole family barracks for Carlton, for over 50 years we have been loyal. She saw the endless stream of greats in a personal way. Her boys in Blue. She sang the club song and went every Saturday, often on her own, to the Carlton ground, with her thermos, sandwich and trannie. She lost her voice many times!

She loved the radio. She listened to the radio her whole life. She loved Claudia, she loved it that Claudia actually spoke out about orgasms, a thing that remained such a mystery for so many women. Martha Gardner’s every word of advice was scribbled down on bits of paper, little notepads, 2 tablespoons of vinegar- chewing gum on carpet, etc. She was always writing recipes she heard on the radio, on pieces of paper, backs of envelopes, any surface she could find. Her handwriting never changed- it was lovely and loopy. She wrote down millions of recipes but never seemed to make any of them. Reading them, writing them down was as good as the making.

She did cook of course, she created lemon delicious pudding, roast lambs, steam golden puddings, and simple vegies most often a little bit soggy. She loved it when frozen peas were invented, sliced bread, instant coffee.

She was always fastidiously clean, she hated mice and blowflies and all their ghastly signs of visitation, she dressed well and her children always looked immaculate. She bought us clothes at Myers, very little for herself, the children always came first.. She wore aprons.

She drove for many, many years. Her first car was her little green Austin A40, it must’ve brought her the first feeling of freedom she had ever really had. Then there was a string of station wagons (which 16 YR old Tony loved to drive) and in all those years she only had a couple of bingles.

She was devastated to lose her licence when she was 85. Her independence disappeared before her eyes. In those later years she loved to just drive to Malvern Central, do her shopping, meet with Eileen for coffee and then come home.

Gwen’s whole life was her children.

She drove us, she picked us up, she came to every event known on the school calendar, she watched us practice sport, play music, perform, paint whatever!

Sure she smothered us a lot, what mother doesn’t, but she never ever stood in the way of our own decisions nor did she ever turn us away.

We have lost count of the many times she stood at airport gates or ship’s docks waving us goodbye, her heart breaking, her face smiling bravely... Eventually we all returned but Michael left for many years to live in Paris, and she missed him so terribly.

In these last three years of her life his return, to be with her, was her greatest reward. He has been a prince for her, his unconditional love for her and his caring, generous heart made it possible for us to keep her at home when she became unable to be alone.

We were so lucky to have Rick Delbridge and his co-workers, Roxanne and Pilli who gave Gwen compassionate and realistic caring, normalising her life for us all but also allowing us space to care for her too.

We have all done our best, each in our own way to look after our beloved mother.

Tony gave her the world and countless yum-chas. She was a real traveller, our Chub. She was amazingly fearless when it came to leaving home. Tony will tell you of her many trips to Disneyland with him. Her home is filled with countless postcards from Sally, our intrepid explorer and documentary film-maker. Michael’s drawings and paintings surrounded her.

And photos, so many photos of us all.

Chubby never threw out a Mother’s Day card or a birthday card, from us, or from her grandchildren whom she adored or from her friends. They are all there, stashed somewhere.

She loved music, fine music, opera, Puccini, La Boheme, Madam Butterfly, she loved the Beatles, The Seekers, she loved the music her children played. She sang along with us to Daddy Cool, she drove us to airports to scream at rock stars, she went to rock concerts with us.

She sang her own songs to us, songs of Maurice Chevalier and Bing Crosby. She knew all the words. Even in these last years when she couldn’t remember the name of the person she had just met (who can?) she could always burst into song at the drop of a hat, word perfect, and her range? From the early thirties right up to Phantom of the Opera.

(Written and Read by Gwen's daughter -my mother- Suzanne Ingleton)

My darling chubby.

Thank you.

Always so young at heart, it was only last year I can remember staying at mums and the three of us giggling together like schoolgirls about one thing or another.

I have a childhood full of warm memories at Rae St. Thank you for your child-like spirit that brought me such unique treasures as Mr. Pixie, and endless bedtime stories about anything I could possibly request.

Thank you for tram-rides, and playing on swings, and trips to the zoo, and Heidy the elephant.

Thank you for all your love and cuddles.

Thank you for my mum.

I will always remember your giggles and your smile and your sparkling eyes.

(Written by me, read by my sister -Maudie -thanks Maud)

today i saw the first steering wheel lock i've seen since i left australia. i almost didnt know what it was.

today i forgot my mums birthday. ive never done that before. ive never forgotten any of my family members birthdays. i may have forgotten to get them presents, but ive never forgotten the actual day. i guess i have been thinking of her a lot because of my grandma, and the funeral, but i just plain forgot her birthday. im sorry mum.

a few days ago, this crazy old english guy i work with, norm, asked me how the new zealand national anthem goes. i told him i didnt know. he said he knew the australian anthem. i said oh yeah? sing it -and dont sing waltzing matilda, but hes pretty deaf and of course he started singing waltzing matilda. i just laughed, and somehow ended up singing advance australia fair for everyone.

im getting my hair cut tomorrow. finally. just had to do it. only $20.

thats all.

Och Aye

well, i finally have a chance to report on orillia's scottish festival. what a busy day. i didnt actually get to partake in the festival.

janaki and i arrived on friday at around lunch time and just relaxed for the afternoon. it was so bloody hot. then her friend ryan arrived in his pimp wheels, and we drove over to his place to pick up some stuff for the weekend. sitting in the back of this baby doing 120km down the hwy actualy gave me miniature dreadlocks, and a wonderful face massage.

we had a great dinner of bbq steak and sausages. later we went out for a drink and i met some more of janakis friends.

saturday was the day of the festival and we went down at around midday. janakis dad, viren, was dressed as he is every year, in his scottish beret. im sure theres more then a few people who recognise the crazy indian man every year. we watched the parade and then got put to work in the beer tent. for some crazy reason the beer was in bottles, that we had to decant into cups. it was being kept in big tubs of ice, and when it was busy the beer was coming out as soon as it went in. you can imagine what kind of head we were getting on warm beers out a bottle. most people were understanding, but there were a few real bitches. janaki was pulling bottles out of the bins and cut her finger pretty bad on a broken one. i managed to get pretty sunburnt even though we were under the tent. but we got to drink as much as we wanted for free, which resulted in all of us falling asleep straight after our bbq dinner.

we went out that night, but i piked early as i was so pooped. a whole week of bluesfest and too much sun, was really catching up with me.

on sunday morning i found out about my grandma, janaki let me call mum and i was on the phone to her for a while. then we headed out to ryans parents place on the lake and went swimming and had another bbq. i got more sunburnt. but it was a nice relaxing day. we didnt leave orillia til about 6 so got home at 11pm and crashed out.

Chubby

my dear grandmother passed away on saturday. its very sad, but not sudden.

i wish i could be with my mum right now. i love her so dearly and know she is feeling a great loss.

i cant imagine what i will do when the day comes that she is not there for me anymore.

What a Liberal Country

so after the live (the band, as in lightening crashes) concert the other night (i have been sneaking into the bluesfest with my white wristband coloured in with a yellow highlighter), joey and kell and i went out drinking had way too much fun, and cheap beer, and i was handed a $5 bill at the end of the night as my change. (kell and i paid $5 each on a $40 tab... joey is too nice)

as we were discussing the differences between australian money and canadian money i was examining my $5 bill, and lo and behold...... noticed something a little unusual.... can anybody spot it?


aside from that extremely amusing incident that had us laughing all the way home, it has been nice hangin with kel. new job was crazy busy on wednesday (15 tables in 2 hours), and this morning i am off to orillia for the weekend with janaki. we will swim in the lake and have bbqs and drink beer and go to work at the scottish festival!

Jade

done. just like that. jade asian kitchen and sushi bar. tues-wed, 11-2. not great money, but hopefully it will pick up. only $20 in tips today, but that was only 4 tables.

im having a visitor tomorrow. kellyanne is coming to stay. should be interesting... though i have to work work work...

Ottawa Bluesfest 2006 : Full Throttle

well family, i have to say this is was your birthday present to me. i spent half a weeks wages on a weekend pass to the ottawa bluesfest and i wouldnt have been able to do that with out everybody's gifts of money!

it was friday night, i had just finished work and my boss told me i should go and see if i can hear any of the blues fest (without buying a ticket). i called up les and janks, but janaki was still working and lesley couldnt be bothered. so i was making my way to the parliament pube, when i ran into josie on her way to the bluesfest to meet joey. i wandered down with her and said i would come and see how much the tickets were. it was $30 for the night, $70 for the weekend and $110 for the whole 10 days (yes, 10 days). i checked out the line-up for the weekend, and i was sold. saturday had keb' mo' and bonnie raitt head-lining, and then on sunday ani difranco and michael franti + spearhead.

that night, joey wanted to see broken social scene, who i could probably get into but a bit difficult when your first exposure is a live gig -know what i mean? acquired taste. so josie and i ditched it and went to hang out at the cuban dance party. fun.

saturday i checked out the line up and headed down in the afternoon to catch the brazillian girls and matt costa. then keb' mo', bonnie raitt and the end of the bell ochestre (think dirty three with french horns and other bits and pieces as well as strings).

yesterday i got down there pretty early for meredith luce. and im so glad i did. unfortunately i missed half her set, but she was great. only 17, just her and her guitar (or mandolin as the case may be). she is a bit like missy higgins, and really sweet. she was so happy to be playing the bluesfest -her biggest stage yet.

after meredith, i discovered the detroit women. WOW. what an absolute powerhouse. 7 women, each one with the most amazing set of lungs. seriously, they belted like nothing i have ever heard. not to mention their band, motor city, with a SHIT HOT guitarist. it was so much fun. every woman had a go at being up front, and as it says in their bio -no competition at all, they were in perfect collaboration with each other. just amazing. and such an entertaining show too. they were so colorful and fun.

after that i caught the tail end of the electric ukelele playing jake shimabukuro, not as exciting as i had hoped. at around 5.30 i met up with josie and joey and laura and a little bit of quarter life. then over to the main stage for ani and michael.

michael was of course fantastic. joey and i went down the front for a bit, we broke the rules by standing in the 'lawn chair area'. (see pic: left standing, right lawn chairs)

ok, this is a phenomenon i have never seen before, i hope it never hits australia. people and their lawn chairs. (camping chairs). especially for keb mo and bonnie raitt as the audience was generally a decade older, there was a sea of chairs. i cannot fathom the mentality of this. it is an OUTDOOR concert, bring a blanket or stand up. so, this year at the bluesfest they have a special lawn chair section, however, that doesnt stop the lawn chairs from being everywhere else as well. joey and i tried to make a stand (literally, ha ha), and met a pretty cool security dude, who agreed with us that it was fairly ridculous, and that the stupid woman complaining about us standing in the lawn chair area should get a life, but we still had to go. grrrrr.

anyhoo, we were down there for a good 20 minutes, then back to the lawn, where i had a good boogie with a 3 year old boy (so cute), to 'all the freaky people'. basically i danced my tush off, and had a great time. go michael.

today i am working a shadow shift for a marketing company. tomorrow i am working a shift at a retaurant. i want to work the restaurant and my current job, but i will probably still be getting pitiful money, but we shall see. but then the marketing job is not guaranteed steady income either, and its 10 hours a day 5 days a week. urgh -not exactly a working holiday job....

>>>i just returned from the marketing job, i didnt go shadowing. it was door to door. and comission only.

The Tech Wall

joey showed me this on the way home the other night. its in the park across from my apartment building. its called the tech wall cos its opposite ottawa tech.

yesterday i met the artist when i was taking these photos. he told me i should keep coming back to take pictures cos he is still working on it.


earlier that night, when joey teased me for not having gotten any "canadian action" yet, i complained that all the guys i met had girlfriends.

he told me i wasnt trying hard enough.

Another Birthday

joeys party was fun. well, for the most part it was just me and joey and laura (his girlfriend) and josie (from parliament pub also) and joeys sister lisa, and joeys cousins and grandmas and aunts and uncles and mum and dad, and their dogs.

it took me a very long time to get in the pool because josies dog charlie had been swimming in there. charlie is the most enormous brown labrador, who loves to swim and got very upset when he wasnt allowed. he also has incredibly thick fur that sheds like you wouldnt believe. i just couldnt bring myself to get into what looked like a giant dog bath. eventually most of the hair was scooped out, and i jumped in for a bit.

we ate the 8 foot sandwich. it was so delicious, and so big. it all got eaten, well, except for the part from the first sitting that was binned, after it sat outside for too long. it was so good, it had al these roasted veges and tandoori chicken, and proscuitto and pancetta, and ham or something. im not sure, but there were 4 different kinds of meat, and then cheese and pesto. it was great.

then there was the cake. after japan, the cake i have eaten here is so rich. they put this buttery caramel sauce in the middle of the sponge and then the frosting is so creamy and buttery. so much fat involved it makes it pretty hard to wash it off your face and hands.

joeys cousin kathy thought it would be really funny if i (why me?) got a big scoop of icing and wiped it on joeys face... yeah, i thought it would be funny too... and it was, until joey slammed me in the face with a whole piece of cake....

i dont have pictures, but i promise i am going to get a copy. my first cake in the face.

while i was washing it off in the bathroom, joey came up all like, gee its pretty greasy and hard to get off hey? i had no weapons but the water, so he copped a big handful of it in the face.

then we had some more sandwich. at about 7 some more people started showing up. we lit a fire, and eventually all the people that should have been there were there -for about an hour then joey kicked everyone out. it was his parents place and i guess they wanted to go to bed.

poor joey. he says that every year no one comes to his birthday cos theyre too tired and hung over from canada day. oh well, i hope he had a fun birthday.

oh, and by special request, this is my room. pretty dodgy stiching, but you get the idea...

Happy Birthday Canada

well, congratualtions canada on your birthday.

canada day is certainly an experience.

people everywhere, from all over. wearing crazy costumes -lots of red and white. i dont know haw many girls i saw in tiny red tops and tiny white shorts. i saw 6 girls spell out canada in white letters on their red t-shirts. so many people wearing flags in one fashion or another -as a cape or a boob tube. there were crazy hats and stickers and temporary tattoos and facepainting and tshirts and big flags and little flags. i walked down rideau st and it was pretty crazy. this street has 4 or 5 lanes in each direction. it was just full of people, and street performers and people selling buttons and flags and stickers and water and ice cream and hot dogs and poutine.

after that i went to hang at the parliament pub and waited for lesley (for a long time...) . we had a few drinks then went home for a while, met back up with the gang at janakis apartment and headed out again at 9. the fireworks started at around 10.30.

when we got back to the pub, joey said i had missed out on a 'flag run'. he had this huge flag, like 10 feet long, and traditionaly they run up the street with it. so when we got kicked off our table for the dj to use it, we went on another flag run.

it was quite an experience. everyone you pass starts screaming and whooping and yeehawing, and they run underneath and they grab at it and take pictures and generally get really really excited.

we ended up on the other side of parliament, by the locks, and stayed there to watch the fireworks. well, me and joey and laura did, the others went off with the flag.

the fireworks were fireworks. pretty. after japan, im a little fireworked out.

at around 11, it started to rain -pretty heavily. i walked home in a garbage bag. then sat with my new roomies and watched the lightening from our 21st floor view.....