Where did that year go?
It seems a long time since last putting fingertips to keyboard, September and October have come and gone. Lots of good things have happened since then. For starters, the anniversary of my retirement slipped past without any fuss although not sure I have this new phase of life down pat. I am still unsure of the ramifications of adopting an “either it will get done or not done” philosophy. I did get an occasional buzz after efforts in the garden seemed to produce the desired effect. Other achievements include - conquering the waistline to fit into ancient clothes, becoming proficient at household duties, understanding the environment around the P.A., RBH and Prince Charles hospitals, and hitting a few excellent golf shots. It was great to have the freedom of spending as much time as needed with members of my family when it looked as if they needed me.
Since last post
I was given first hand a good example of someone who is doing their bit to make the world a better place. This person noticed that I did not park particularly well so took the time to write me a note viz. “ learn how to park dimwit. Where’d ya get ya licence from ..... a cereal box?” I was very pleased to get this note rather than my paint scratched or tyres slashed. Now I am more conscious of how my parking effects others so will take more care. More people should take the time to right the wrongs they see in this world.
Swimming
Swimming is becoming a regular habit. The warm start to spring has helped convince me to take the plunge and do the lot rather than rely on a token effort early in the month. I even managed to get back on track with 80 laps on 1st of October, not long after my September effort. Have recently being popping in each week to soften up my toe-growth prior to trip to podiatrist - almost getting into a routine.
Walking
In watching Jeff learn to walk again, I have gained an appreciation of how hard it is to get your muscles back working if you have not used them for a couple of months. It is amazing how many different muscles are required for the simple act of walking - that song line “you don’t know what you’ve got till its gone” rings very true.
Which sport is that
Footy is over and cricket is spent a month in Sydney - it was enough to drive a man to not drink and join in Octsober which has passed without succumbing to many temptations. Maybe golf is the go. Speaking of golf, how easy is that game? All you need are good partners and good luck to win competitions. When playing socially, the mystery of golf remains - whether the ball will go where you want it or off on its own path is indeterminate from day to day and shot to shot. Even the trees are unpredictable - sometimes they put your ball out of bounds or in an unplayable lie and other times simply correct the wayward tendencies of the ball and bring it back to the fairway or the green.
Closer living
Our household is looking to be full again at least for a short time with the return of the travelling vegan. A couple go foreign friends are likely to join us for a little. With the increase of mouths from five to eight, I hope the dishwasher and fridge can cope. Just was well fridge capacity has recently increased courtesy of a hand-me-down.
Designs for Living detonates demands for laughing
It is a whole new world and social conventions are out the window in Noel Coward’s “Design for Living” as put on by the Queensland Theatre Company. Humour adeptly coats the outrageous situations and brilliant acting fulfils the exquisite words. When this play was written in the 1930’s, it pushed the limits of societal acceptance - no doubt the clever script and quality of the actors at that time helped gain approval.
The story of the infatuation of the central trio with each other questions the conventional need to restrict one’s love affections to a single person. Leo, Otto and Guilda all love each other. Their older colleague Earnest enjoys their company as well as being attracted to Guilda. The storyline in a few short sentences could be summarised as follows:
Otto and Guilda live together in Paris. Leo becomes successful. Guilda sleeps with Leo when Otto is away. Otto finds out as they go to little pains to hide their liaison. Leo and Guilda live together in London. Otto sleeps with Guilda when Leo is away. Guilda leaves and marries Earnest and they live in New York. Otto and Leo track down Guilda who then leaves Earnest to be reunited with her true loves.
The play is in three acts with time breaks of 18 months and two years. Having the two intervals reinforced the temporal discontinuity. Moving from a Paris studio to a London apartment then to a New York penthouse reflects the rise in affluence and the progression of success.
There are four other actors in this play. While their time on stage is very short, they add immeasurably to the humour.
Throughout the play the acting is first class. The scene where Otto and Leo get drunk on realising that Guilda has left them is a classic which had me almost in tears of laughter. I wonder how much of what we saw on that night was reproducible or whether each performance had an individual twist for for this scene. It is hard to imagine those intricate physical movements being choreographed.
Noel Coward provides a commentary on the tensions between our inner passions and our reliance on conformity with the extra tidbits that success can bring.
How much do we give away of our souls to satisfy our bodies?
How much of an aphrodisiac is success?
How easily does the playwright and director portray outlandish behaviour as a normal design for living?
A wonderful show and a fitting end to QTC’s 2013 season - the perfect mixture of laughter, pointed questions, clever words and exquisite acting.
