JULY 2024 – IN REVIEW
‘A Man of Potential’ –
Having joined the Friendly Street Poets society earlier this year, I only managed to attend the meeting held on the first Monday in March, and then medical issues intervened. I missed the April and May meetings due to problems with the intensity of my peripheral neuropathic illness, and then I missed the June meeting due to CoViD-19! But, on 1st July, the first Monday in July, I managed to make my return visit. I had written a new poem called ‘A Man of Potential’, and I read the poem at the meeting. You may find both the poem itself and a recitation download on my personal website using the link here. I shall optimistically assume that I shall be alright come the first Monday in August and get to work on a new poem for that evening. It will be the 50th anniversary of the society, so a big evening is being planned.
Steve Vickers for Lunch –
On Wednesday, 3rd July, my long-time mate Steve Vickers came for lunch.
VALE, LILY!
Lily died just after 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, 4th July 2024, from an aggressive gastric lymphoma, aged 9 years.
A significant piece of both of us died too.
Lily – from healthier times in 2022
Lily's ashes, paw print, and fur clippings have been added to the Cat Altar
Our younger cat, Juliana, a calico domestic-short-haired aged 2 years, is now the Queen of Il Palazzo del Gatto.
Lily is on the left. This photograph was taken only 16 days before her death, while she was on palliative steroid treatment
Juliana is on the right
Adelaide Wind Orchestra presents ‘Journey to Korea’ –
The Adelaide Wind Orchestra (AWO) was among a very limited number of ensembles worldwide to be selected to perform at the 20th International Conference of the World Association of Symphonic Bands & Ensembles in Gwangju, South Korea, in July 2024. The AWO held a concert preview performance on Saturday, 6th July at the Elder Hall, University of Adelaide.
Works by four composers were performed. Holly Harrison, a young Australian composer based in Western Sydney, composed ‘Splinter’ in 2020. ‘Korean Folksongs from Jeju Island’ (2013) by the established American composer, Frank Ticheli, provided a connection to the rich musical history and folksongs of South Korea. David John Lang, an Adelaide-based, young composer, wrote in 2020 a wind band version of his musical portrait of his younger brother, Stephen. Finally, Connor Fogarty’s Symphony Number 1 completed the program.
Our motivation for attending was a possible meeting with Connor Fogarty and the opportunity to hear a piece of his music performed. I have recently commissioned two works from Connor Fogarty, and I am active in trying to put together a consortium to commission a third work. I shall tell you about the two works I have commissioned … eventually! 😀
Two New Fur Balls
Juliana (the calico) now basks in her glory as the queen of the household. Her two new ladies-in-waiting are Alice (the tabby) and Margaret (the tortoiseshell) pictured below.
The Cenosilicaphobic Club
Our favourite winery is d'Arenberg, based in the McLaren Vale only a short distance south of Greater Metropolitan Adelaide. Back in the days when I could indulge in the fruit of the vine, I frequently visited the cellar door and loaded a selection of wines in the car. This earned me a place in their Cenosilicaphobic Club. The delightful, and delightfully difficult to pronounce, word “cenosilicaphobia” is the fear of an empty glass! Even though I no longer bring home crates of wine bottles, with the distinctive d'Arenberg red stripe across the label, my name remains on the Cenosilicaphobic Club list.
So, Nam and I were delighted to receive an exclusive invitation to the launch of their release of the 2019 The Dead Arm Shiraz. The event was a four-course meal with matched tasting wines, including of course the 2019 The Dead Arm Shiraz. The evening was hosted by a wonderful restaurant called George’s on Weymouth. I am so out of circulation these days that I had never heard of it, but the food was magnificent!
Chief Winemaker, Chester Osborn, spoke about the wines before each course, and the winery in general. The Osborn family have run the winery for multiple generations. Chester is quite a character, and he was the principal visionary behind the function centre at the winery called the d'Arenberg Cube. This centre defies description; you simply have to go see it sometime in your life. (The gentlemen’s toilet is legendary, and Chester asked who had seen it. All of the men and most of the women raised their hands!)
Chester is a fellow Old Red (student of Prince Alfred College) although we would have barely overlapped in our times there, I being a few years his senior. But is does help explain some of the madness!
Chester Osborn, Chief Winemaker, d'Arenberg Winery
More Birthdays
What remains of the Branford family all have birthdays clustered in this part of the year. My mother, Joan, was mentioned last month, Nam was on the 7th and my sister, Judith, was on the 26th of this month. Both birthdays this month were subdued affairs at home. Next month, yours truly turns 66 years old on the 14th of August. Until then, gentle reader, …