Elf~Fin Leaks & Peeks 14

And now for something a little more dramatic!

Elf~Fin Leaks & Peeks 13

Here's some new work from the upcoming Elf~Fin to whet your appetites in 2010!

Graphic Novel Adapted Into Theatrical Production

If some of the theatre stills are anything to go by, the stage adaptation of Shaun Tan's award winning graphic novel The Arrival will be wondrous. New Zealand's Red Leap Theatre has brought the wordless story to life in a wordless theatrical piece – now showing at the Sydney Festival.

The story is about an immigrant who journeys to a new land and strange culture in search of a better life for his family. The production runs for one hour and fifteen minutes and incorporates puppetry, shadow play, dance and music. The season runs from 10 to 17 January 2010 at the CarriageWorks in Eveleigh, Sydney NSW Australia. For further information about the show and booking information, visit the CarriageWorks website.

Logos and Pie Charts and How to Dump Clients Who Don't Pay You

Follow this link for a good belly laugh. Read this on Colleen Doran's must read comics blog and couldn't resist reposting it. It's hilarious but quite typical. I wonder if we all have the gonads to respond as this graphic artist did to a familiar predicament ... when clients don't pay for delivered commissioned work.

New Years Eve Aussie Style

No city does NYE fireworks like Sydney does. Here's a glimpse of 2010. Oh ... and tee hee ... see you all here at the end of the year!

Post-Xmas Post 3

Just downloaded some Xmas pics – thought you might like to see. Our family doesn't use a real tree – nobody wants to cut down and kill a young pine just for the sake of a few weeks so we recycle a fake tree every year and spend our money on ornaments. My sister and I have a tradition of buying an ornament each for our departed Babushka (grandmother) who loved Christmas and cherished beautiful baubles. The flower you see in the table centrepiece is a white protea – an Australian indigenous plant (although I am not quite sure if this variety also grows in Africa). I had a conversation with an American friend (and Black Mermaid blog reader) Cat who may be visiting our shores this time next year. One of the things we talked about was the difference in plant species between our two continents and the protea is a good example of that. I look forward to showing her our waratahs, wattles, grevilleas and bottle brushes – oh and mustn't forget the kangaroo paws.

Here's the Xmas menu which I also posted on my FaceBook page so you may be able to make a game out of spotting which dish is which on the table: Chilled pea soup with mint gelato; Maple glazed ham; Mushroom and goat cheese gallette (vegetarian option); Salad of dried pears, prosciutto and blue cheese; Peach, BBQ duck and pecan salad; Lacy parmesan biscuits. Dessert: Sour cherry and ricotta strudel. Drink: Lime and mango tropicano.

We had a wonderful Xmas although there was so much congestion on the mobile phone networks that I didn't receive Jozef's sms greeting and good wishes for about three days.

Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns and Mermaids Exhibition

Got to love some of the wonderful exhibitions that come to Sydney!

The Australian National Maritime Museum is hosting the Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns and Mermaids Exhibition until 23 May 2010 – on tour from the American Museum of Natural History.

Mythic creatures give shape to humankind's greatest hopes, fears and dreams. For thousands of years, humans everywhere – sometimes inspired by living animals or even fossils – have brought mythic creatures to life in stories, songs and works of art... [this exhibition] traces the cultural and natural history roots of some of the world's most enduring mythological creatures, bringing to light the ways in which people have been inspired by nature to envision and depict these strange and wonderful creatures.

LOTS OF MERMAIDS plus sea monsters, rainbow serpents and water dragons!

The Australian National Maritime Museum is located at 2 Murray Street, Darling Harbour, Sydney, Australia.

General Enquiries: +61 2 9298 3777 (Mon-Fri) or +61 2 9298 3777 (weekends).

We've put it into our diaries – we'll make a day of it with lunch at the fish markets down the road. How apt.