In another world ... :)

Last day at work (for a while) was Wednesday. On Thursday I came straight to Amaroo and started organising the Internet Centre for the event with Maharaji next week. Took some colourful pictures from the walls to brighten the place up, and it's looking good. (Well, as good as an old demountable building can!!) Wendi and Jack have been staying with me for a few days, now Wendy and David and Vic have arrived too! A full house - lovely!

3 days later (Sunday) we had a staff training, and opened for business at midday. Already there have been quite a few people through - straight off the bus/plane from overseas and into the internet (!)

Vic went to the introductory event in Melbourne and ... Maharaji also spoke at Parliament House in Canberra (!!!!) - part of the United Nations anniversary celebrations. Somehow Vic got to be invited to this (he always gets to these things, don't know how!) He was just in awe about how beautiful and powerful M was ... just a couple more days and we'll all be sitting in front of him ... :)

I did manage to get to yoga yesterday afternoon. Probably the last class I'll get to before I get on the plane in 10 or so days' time (after which I'll be showing up at Hamish Hendry's shala in London for a few days). So I was determined to go.

I got a lift down to the front gate with some guys in a ute - and believe it or not as I got in and closed the door, I shut it on my hand! I just couldn't believe it - stop!! stop!! My hand's shut in the door!!! Luckily it didn't hurt too much - somewhat unbelievably. A Brazilian American guy gave me an ice pack to put on my hand and I drove into yoga with it balanced precariously on my hand. Difficult when you've got a manual car!

I was wondering how it would affect my practice, but down dogs were fine and everything except where I have to balance on my knuckles (because I can't quite get my hand flat to the ground yet). Felt a bit tender there. But this morning, I hardly know i did anything! Thank goodness ...

She died young but she burned pretty bright

Great article about Carol - says it all! So many funny stories I'd forgotten and/or never knew ... :)

http://www.echo.net.au/archives/20_18/pdf/p11.pdf

We both had nose-rings back in the early 70s when it was unheard of! (I got rid of mine and have only recently started wearing one again ... )

almost a hippy funeral

A week ago I heard a friend of mine who I've known for 30 years, had died. I was just shocked. We're the same age. We're far too young to die ... She'd had various health problems, and I suppose they finally caught up with her.

The funeral was on Friday. Another friend flew in for it and we drove down to the beautiful northern NSW countryside where Carol had lived for so many years. I was really glad to see her and have her company on the drive down. It was held in the grounds of a country hall, on a lovely spring morning. Amazingly the coffin was brought there by horse and cart. So many people came - from so many different walks of life and from all over the state. There was music and young children playing in the grass. We laughed and cried and laughed again as we said farewell to our friend/mother/sister ... and sang that old Neil Sedaka song "Oh Carol" over and over.

Among many other things, Carol worked for years at The Echo, which is the local newspaper in the Byron Shire in Northern NSW, and which has been at the forefront of the fight against developers there. Her death was front page news there.

Au revoir Carol ...

Sing for Water - wowww!

What a weekend! Technical rehearsal for the Sing for Water concert from 4pm to 9pm on Saturday, and concert rehearsals then performance from 1pm to about 9pm on Sunday!

Concert was fantastic - deadly!! (my new word - means GREAT!!!) Singing with 450 people is just such a buzz! And those African songs we sang - Dubala and O Sifone Mungo - were just awesome. Particularly Dubala. There's one bit in that song where the conductor had us altos singing it to the sopranos (and them back to us) like 'hey you, who do you think you are' and vice versa. It was - I'm running out of words but suffice to say I just loved it! I'm hoping the organisers are going to make the recording available to us.

Mind you, I was completely wiped out when I got home last night - not helped by my immediately turning on the TV to watch the cricket. :) Getting up to go to work this morning was not easy!!

My friends Wendi and Jack are here in Oz now - they're up in FNQ (Far North Queensland) Wendi rang me from Cape Tribulation a couple of days ago. You can see what Captain Cook thought of Australia when you hear all the names he gave to various bays and capes. Had a fair few problems I think!! Anyway, they're flying down here on Wednesday and I'm going to pick them up from the airport. They're staying till after the event with Maharaji (only 2 weeks again way - yeayy) And there's going to be another 3 people staying here for the event too - 6 of us! It'll certainly be cozy. :)

coming and going ...

Well, the binding is coming and going (on the right side) and nowhere on the left! But I guess it's all good (as they say!). In class on Monday Richard helped me with supta konasana - gave me a few pointers. I'm still finding it hard to come back over with straight legs, and also avoid that big crash down onto the floor!

While I'm in London I'm intending to go to Hamish Hendry's shala. It's only about 15 minutes on the tube from where I"ll be staying. Must email him next week to check it's OK ...

Went to a rehearsal for the Brisbane River Festival 'Sing for River' concert that I'm singing in (along with about 500 other choristers) on Sunday. We had a great time! We're singing 2 or African songs and I was a bit worried about trying to learn those words, but when there were about 300-400 people all singing, it somehow all worked!! The concert is this Sunday - and we've got to go to a tech rehearsal on Saturday from 5pm to 9pm!!!

And then there's the cricket! That concert is going to seriously interfere with my cricket-watching!! Even though I really want England to win, I can't help but be in awe of Shane Warne's bowling. His private life may be all up shit creek, but he is such an outstanding bowler. Quite possibly the best bowler alive at the moment.