Sunday night sees the return of Big Nelly to the cabaret stage after an absence of over a decade. Drawn back into the spotlight after several years of persuasion by my darling friend Mark Trevorrow (AKA Bob Downe, pictured) , I will sing an old favorite from the Patsy Cline songbook (no, not the one featured in Brokeback Mountain Bikes which also incidentally underscores a scene in Natural Born Killers).

Being a town and country girl at heart, I’m bringing a little bit of bush to the city this Sunday night for Retrogras, 6pm at the Beresford. Also on the bill is the divine Shauna Jensen who has the voice of a diva and a heart of gold. There’ll be drag queens and all sorts of hilarity – I believe Evita will also be making an appearance. So if you’re in gay old Sydney town come and have a hoot with us kooks.

Retrogras

Shot by the cast of two in a day for your consideration, this inaugural short film by Naughty Tent Productions has been free wheeling its way into people’s hearts all over the place, most recently scooping the Audience Choice award at the Queer Fruits Film Festival in Lismore. Following on from the Honorable Mention at Shockfest in Hollywood, this accolade has warmed the cockles of all the happy campers in the Naughty Tent.

And because we love carbon neutral dating, the next screening will be pedal operated at the Bicycle Powered Cinema, Sydney on Feb 24.  BBMB . Who knows where Glenys and Jaqui will end up next?There’s even been an enquiry from Germany! It’s amazing what a difference a day can make.

If you like manta rays then you might like to pencil in a date with a documentary that I narrated called ‘Manta Mystery’. It’s had several screenings already on National Geo Wild with the next one slated for Wednesday, 21st march at 8.30pm manta mystery It has already screened on this channel in the UK, Asia, Latin America and Japan and has picked up lots of awards along the way including the Award for Outstanding Achievement in a Feature Documentary at the Celebrate the Sea Festival 2011 and the Australian Cinematographers Society Silver Award, Wildlife and Nature Films, for Malcolm Ludgate (DOP).

The film is scheduled for a screening on ABCTV on Tuesday, March 6 at 8.30pm after which the DVD will be on sale. It’s a gorgeous piece of work by underwater addicts Gisela Kaufmann and her partner Carsten Orlt who also made ‘Cuttlefish, the brainy bunch’ which I also narrated. As with that doco, this one features a fabulous aquatic soundscape by Mr Antonio Dixon. So make a note and dive down into the seductive world of these amazing creatures – coming to a screen near you in March.

The Museum of Sydney is taking a nostalgic look at the surfing sub culture of Emerald City with its exhibition Surf City.  I was interviewed by them (along with several other salty sea dogs) about my recollections of Bondi back in the day and feature in a video component of the show.

Now they’re holding a surf film festival  screening some golden oldies including our beloved albatross Pubes. I think I’ve seen it enough times now so I wont be in attendance for that one but I will be hosting a couple of sessions including the ‘Gidget’/'Blue Hawaii’ double bill and ‘Bra Boys’ which they’ll be showing alongside Tracy Moffatt’s ‘Heaven’  -  audiences will also get a sneak peek at my response to that art video gem called  ’Hell’ (nipple rash) . And for International Women’s Day we’ll be taking a look at the role of women in surfing on March 10. So stay tuned for more deets!

surf city film festival

talking about sex is fine

Show true Puberty Blues, not whitewash

In its wake I was contacted by Simon Marnie at ABC 702 for yet another trip down memory lane and an opinion on the current state of play with regards to young women. I had to say that I’m still very much in the minority out in the waves and that the issues that confronted us as young women are still around today. Unprotected sex can still result in pregnancy and with the rise of HIV AIDS since the book and film were made, can even lead to serious illness if not death. So in lieu of the Pope coming out with any rational statements on the matter, I made a public plea for guys to wear condoms. Who knows, it might have just got through to someone out there in radio land. Let’s hope so!

Back in the 30s the gangsters of Kings Cross used to slash each others body parts with cut throat razors until Roslyn street run with blood, or so the legend goes. Later it was known as the home of ‘Baron’s', an infamous dive where you could go for that final night-cap long after everywhere else had refused stragglers entry. Locals bemoaned the passing of the old neighbourhood when they pulled down that musty landmark and erected a shiny white Gaudiesque flat-iron building in which a restaurant called ‘Blanco’ initially operated. But for those who could afford it, the prow-like dining room provided a privileged porthole onto the same irrespressible street life outside, thrumming with people hell-bent on getting their slice of this seedy sexy city centre.

The venue is now called Gastro Park and the current dining experience provided by ex Pier chef Grant King is nothing short of sensational. Naturally opting for the degustation, we were handed heaven on a plate beginning with carpaccio of crystal bay prawns followed by  a crazy ‘putanesca wafter’ sculpted from parmesan cheese and other delectable ingredients. The liquid butternut gnocchi was a knockout, melting in our mouths like the most delicate egg yolks imaginable all floating in a mushroom consomme. We were also presented with slow cooked jurassic quail breast which sent us swooning – how could this sort of food exist?

But it was King’s signature dish of crispy scaled snapper that sealed his reputation as one of the most imaginative chef’s working in our gastronomically obsessed city today. The scales of said poisson were drawn back and, according to our friendly young waiter, hand-held over the pan until they were heated just enough to be crunchy. It’s a novel and delicious way to cook fish and it was accompanied by smoked potato puree and calamari crackling all painted with squid ink sauce. This wonder from the deep is one of the few dishes that King brought with him from Pier and will deservedly stay on the menu for a long time to come.

Another catch from Pier is M’aitre de Martijn de Boer who works the floor like a pro, making sure that everything cruises along smoothly  even when anxious customers like myself insist on popping out every few hours to check the dreaded parking meters. But all such pedestrian cares soon dissolve in the face of the eye-popping deserts which include a ‘nitro pavlova’ with mango, pineapple and coconut, and a delicate sphere of white chocolate topped encrusted with mandarin and honeycomb which when cracked reveals the inner workings of cookies and cream ice cream. Mirroring the full moon rising behind the crusted on 1940s apartment buildings flanking the nearby laneways, this sphere of joy seems to encapsulate all the fabulous feats of gastronomy that emerge from King’s kitchen.

Many have criticised the name of this remarkable restaurant but to my mind, their witty logo with a swing hanging fro the ‘A’ and ‘S’ conjurs up exactly the right playful experience of dining here. A more egocentric chef might have gone for the obvious ‘King’s Cross’ but not Grant. While the vision from the prow reveals the same urgent mix of pulsating humanity outside, the cuisine in here now is something altogether superior.  The team proudly proclaim  the venue to be ‘the playground of good food’ and their uninhibited, confident approach to busting down the doors of the establishment gives us gastronauts an experience that’s very hard to come down from.

Gastro Park, 5-9 Roslyn Street, Kings Cross Sydney

(02) 8068 1017

On the beach (no, not that one) came a new wave – until the tide went out

It’s going to get even more air time in 2012 with the announcement of the TV drama adaptation by channel 10. I’m still waiting for someone to call and offer me a part! A surfing elder perhaps?

In the meantime, I continue to enjoy a wonderful painting of that awesome landscape by the late Lucy Yukenbarri who is seen carrying a huge freshly painted canvas into the art centre in this video of the trip (you can also see my swag on the roof of the car!):

Here’s another story on Aboriginal Art posted by Paige on her vimeo channel:

State of My Country: Aboriginal Art from paige livingston on Vimeo.

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And here’s a kooky one on the ’1968′ exhibition at the National Gallery:

And another on Prince’s collaboration with New York’s Joffrey Ballet:

Whilst pounding the pavements of Wellington on a recent window shopping spree, my eye caught sight of a gorgeous little red merino wool dress on an old fashioned mannequin in a quaint shopfront on the corner of Willis St and Te Aru. Upon venturing in to Good Score, I noticed that all the labels had my name on them! It was also stamped on a selection of nifty colourful leather wallets.

The creator of these fab wares was hard at work at her cutting table behind the shopfront and I soon got to talking with her about her label. Nell Winton is an up and coming New Zealand designer who also sells her products through the online site goodscore.co.nz.

Her workroom and retail store is a hub of creativity, pulsating with the hot and happening sounds of Fat Freddy’s Drop, a local group that Nell has strong affiliations with, printing some of their more stylish merchandise. There is also alluring jewellery on sale, created by Nell’s siblings Kirsty and Craig. And highly desirable outdoorsey bags made from old canvas by Al Brown who co-hosts a local TV series called ‘Hunger for the Wild’.

I was thrilled to have stumbled upon the store which she calls “an evolution of the of a business that was established three years ago on the Parade in Island Bay’s old Post Office”. I was also stoked to find such a lovely new outfit for my trip. Nell was so amazed to meet another Nell, the first one that she’d encountered in her entire life, that she gave me a Nell discount on the little red frock!

I wore it the other night to the opening of the Sydney Dance Company’s new show ‘the Land of Yes and the Land of No’ where it was admired by another Nell…. but more about her next time.

Naughty Tent Productions are pleased to announce the world premiere of its short film ‘Brokeback Mountain Bikes’ screening tonight at the Sydney Opera House as part of the Bicycle Film Festival.

Starring Glenys del Marvellous and Jacqui Twister this is the story of two cowgirls who ride their folding bikes through the wild west and fall into the naughty tent, boots and all!

Made by the guerilla art collective The Stoked, the film will also screen at the Queer Fruits Film Festival in Lismore later this year.

In the meantime, check out another cycling film by The Stoked, ‘I♥ NYC Cycleways’

Our experience of Hobart’s hottest new wine bar/restaurant was so overwhelmingly wonderful earlier this year that we put it at the top of our ‘to-do’ list when we ventured south last week. We were devastated to discover, however, that the incomparable Garagistes is closed for annual holidays until October 11!

Pining for it has prompted me to revisit that lush lunch we had there one fine Sunday back in April with our tribe of lovely lady friends from Dykesart House. It was after our third visit to MONA that we ventured through those heavy black metal doors into the chic industrial space that once had been a mechanic’s garage. We were seated at a high shared table in the middle of the room illuminated by smart skylights. Red and black, raw was the look. And after a glass of sparkling wine we settled right in.

Sunday Lunch is a set menu at $65 per head which for us kicked off with striped trumpeter and elderflower mayonnaise sandwich with heirloom radishes, caraway salt and marcona almond butter. Next came the stand out dish of the day – poached calamari, glazed red top turnip, salsify (cooked in squid ink), quail egg, wild olive and lemon puree. More striped trumpeter followed steamed with creamed jerusalem artichoke, pangrattato and pickled young garlic heads.

By this stage, we were deep in food heaven. Not to mention wine bliss. With a 46 page wine list to choose from and 75ml tasting glasses starting from $6, several of our party were starting to glaze over. The smiling sommelier and co-owner Katrina Birchmeier indulged us with a bottle of Blewitt Springs “Ascension” 2010 Dry Grown Grenache from South Australia which, for a first vintage, was absolutely delicious and beautifully complimented the wood roasted boer goat, smoked yogurt, bagnet vert, radicchio and ortiz anchovy dish.

Suddenly we realised we were sitting right in the middle of a hotbed of gourmet delight. Food guru Tetsuya Wakuda was seated nearby table with a clutch of friends sampling the wares with much focus. He had mentored chef Luke Burgess, who has now been crowned “Best New Talent” by the Australian Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards 2012 and must have been proud of his protege. Could things get much better?

After our parsnip ice cream with autumn fig, puff pastry, buckwheat and whey caramel I wanted to settle in for the long haul but the ladies were on a mission to see an installation by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota so we exited, elated one and all. That fresh locally sourced largely organic produce had lifted our vibrational field to a higher level. And, like a drug, it left us wanting more. But not until after Oct 11, I’m afraid.

Finally, those boring old black clone wetsuits are a thing of the past thanks to American fashion designer Cynthia Rowley. Not only has she just dragged Lindsay Lohan out of hiding for her recent New York Fashion Week show but she’s also designed a fabulous range of Roxy wetsuits for chicks who care about looking their best, both in and out of the water.

My new model was inspired by longboard star Kassia Meador and I’m loving it sick. It even seems to make me surf better! It’s made out of fiber-lite neoprene nyon jersey infused with anti-microbial bamboo charcoal “for less stink”. And it even has ectoflex kneepads, whatever they are.

So I’m now poised for a ripper of a season. And when I get round to waxing up my new fish, it’ll be all systems full tilt a-go-go.

Popped in to Monstrosity Gallery last night to deliver two art works by The Stoked for the exhibition ‘Fur’. The show, which opens tonight, is a group exhibition by “some of Sydney’s most dynamic and talented contemporary artists” responding to the theme of fur. Curated by West, who has a particular penchant for fur herself, the show features some fabulous works including a delicate painting of a cat skeleton with a wee bell around its neck. The absence of fur in this case is key. Other works celebrate fake fur by sticking it on all manner of objects like cups and frames, and another has painted it wrapped around a dark mask figure. One digitally manipulated photograph depicts the scene of a road kill where the dead animal has been dragged off, presumably by a wild dog, leaving in its place a man with a furry animal head. Strange and provocative responses abound.

The Stoked presents two photographic works; ‘Vulnerable @ Invincible’ and ‘Laying it on the Line’, both featuring a nude female body. The nude is a classical art tradition however, the exposition of human fur specifically in the form of a pubic pelt, remains one of the most confronting acts in contemporary western society. Stripped bare in a public space, the otherwise furless human body is a primal scream, a call from the wild that rattles so-called ‘civilisation’. It is with this intent that the naked body is exposed here in two specific locations intrinsically connected with coal extraction.

Highlighting the significant role that Australia’s coal industry plays in the species extinguishing phenomenon of global warming, a nude woman is artfully tied to a tree with red rope in front of a coal mine in New South Wales, and later to train tracks linking another of the state’s coal mines to an anonymous international coal-fired power station. Laid bare in the harsh sunlight, the single body acts as a metaphor for an entire species struggling to survive in the face of climate chaos.

These photographs document two chapters in an ongoing protest performance art work responding to climate change. ‘Vulnerable @ Invincible’ was performed at the Invincible Colliery to coincide with the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change in Dec 2009. ‘Laying it on the Line’ was performed in January 2011 on railway tracks connecting the Charbon Colliery to the export port of Woollongong. The final chapter in this triptych, ‘Xtinct’, will take place later this year at one of the most polluting power stations in the country. Neither of the images have been exhibited previously and there is also a video component in development for this work. Watch this space.

‘Fur’ at Monstrosity Gallery, 93 Bourke St Woolloomooloo, Sydney
until Sept 15, 2011

But getting there can prove difficult. Hooning up Bellbird Hill to the familiar bell-like calls of the local bellbirds, Peachy Pops and I smelt a strange odour emanating from beneath Ravina’s bonnet. When a weird flapping noise ensued, we pulled over to investigate. The manifold was glowing orange and the whole engine looked set to explode. So we called NRMA road side assistance who were there in a flash. The mechanic pulled out his standard issue cardboard mat and slid under the vehicle for an inspection. He popped back out clutching a ragged piece of belting and asked how far we had to go. Luckily we were within 500 metres of Lochiel House which he assured us we could drive to safely.

So with Ravina’s manifold cooling in the fresh mountain air outside and our appetites stimulated by the averted catastrophe, we swooped in like a couple of seagulls and ravaged the menu with gusto.

First up, we devoured the restaurant’s signature dish of Steamed Dashi Custard with Smoked Eel, Scallops and Avruga Tartare, Sea Vegetable, Freshly Grated Truffle and Mushroom Soy – a dish fit for a High Lama if not the Dalai himself! The Celariac Souffle looked tempting too but we opted instead for A Series of Things, those things being warmed baby beetroot, housemade kefir cheese, organic chickpeas, chia carrots, coriander and cardamon Zhoug oil – wholesome but not quite as naughty and nice as the souffle would’ve been on such a winter’s night.

We took our paper thin concertinaed celariac in the main course roasted with Heidi Tilsit Cheese and sauteed exotic mushrooms. And shared a pan-seared organic Duck breast with smokey eggplant puree, fresh figs and roasted Jerusalem artichokes – scrumptious!!

Heartened by a lovely Mudgee red, we rolled on in to the valley of deserts with an amazingly fabulous warm chocolate mousse tinged with peanut pate, salted peanuts, a caramel chocolate wafer and peanut pebbles! And a quat of cum in the form of Cumquat cake, cheesecake ice cream, cumquat jam, poached cumquat and a cumquat glass followed hot on its heels – oh, joy!

Filled with this fabulous food, all made with true heart and soul, Peachy Pops and I left with our bodies aglow. The manifold, thankfully, was not so we confidently ventured forth with a promise to return at least seasonally, if not much more frequently.

Lochiel House‎
1259 Bells Line Of Road
Kurrajong Heights NSW 2758
(02) 4567 7754

The faithful quince tree, located quincidently at #555, is just starting to blossom again now so another crop is on its way. If anyone has any hitherto untried recipes that they might like to share please comment!

Nell shows at Oxley’s too and has one of her pieces in the collection at MONA – a chrome cast turd entitled ‘I Make Shit’. She has also just had her works transposed onto fabric for a collection of desirable frocks created by the wonderful label ‘Romance Was Born’ who recently made a splash with their design of the STC production of ‘Edward Gantz’s Amazing Feats of Lonliness’. So much talent! So much fun! Can’t wait to try one on for size.

There are 130 works by 134 artists from 20 countries, each one focusing on reinventing traditional notions of lace using both old and new technologies. It’s a knockout show with pieces ranging from a ‘Lacie Lorry’ cut out of metal to futuristic laser-cut fabrics. There’s even an ‘Untitled (Urinary Uterus)’ knitted together by Helen Pynor using human hair.

The display of these ingenious items was designed by Derebac Bloc Jaeger and is in itself something of a masterstroke. Who would’ve thought that lace could be so fascinating? Curator Lindie Ward defines lace as “any openwork structure whose pattern of spaces is as important as the solid areas”. So often the shadows cast by the negative spaces are as vital as the positive works.

There’s a digital image of a work by American artist Janet Echelman that will be woven from a material which is 15 times stronger than steel by weight. This ‘Tsunami’ sculpture is a 3D model of last year’s tsunami off Chile which was caused by an earthquake that shortened the actual day by 1.26 microseconds. It’s a monument to the forces of nature and it will be suspended mid air outside Sydney’s Town Hall next month for the annual ‘Art and About’ festival. One can only imagine the sort of shadows that it’s going to throw over that busy intersection. And what sort of responses it’s going to get. The street will be blocked off on Friday and Saturday nights giving city slickers a taste of what the proposed Sustainable Sydney might be like – a place where culture and community are prioritised ahead of cars and pollution.

On my way to the Powerhouse I walked along the Ultimo Pedestrian Network which is currently featuring a display by Concrete Jungle. One of the signs posted there reads; “Waste is a product of bad design”. Now there’s a good reason to back good design for the term of your natural life.

The lights went down and a pin spot snapped on to reveal a giant glinting ring on a finger clicking in perfect time to the intro of one of the most recognisable songs in showbiz. The spotlight widened to reveal the owner of the hand and Peggy slipped into what would’ve been the gazillionth rendition of her signature tune ‘Fever’. But for us it felt like a world premiere.

She wheeled around the stage in a most surreal manner and the hits kept coming. Our booth at the Hilton Hotel was bathed in a wonderful aura of joy. Those lush lyrics delivered up with Ms Lee’s legendary phrasing was like drinking a magical elixir.

After the show we went backstage to express our appreciation and the fabulous Fran Moore snapped this classic pic. The deed accomplished and the moment recorded we floated out into the street where Al hailed a cab. Being the New York legend that he is, he had the taxi driver eating out of his hand all the way home.

Sadly two of that party are no longer with us – Stephen died in 2006, four years after Peggy. But at least we have their songs, films and writing to comfort, regale and move us in equal measures.

As the Sun rose with Sirius I began to feel inspired. I wrote 15 pages of a new kids book called ‘The Fantastic Feats of Fungus Foot and her Funchkin Friends’ then I met up with the White Resonant Mirror for a stroll along the headland. We had already paid a visit to the site of our eventful outing on this day last year yesterday so we were up for something new. The Bilgola headland walk proved just the ticket. Later on at the lookout I spied a rainbow trying to burst out over the ocean. A pod of dolphins were frolicking in the swell rolling in to Avalon and as I sat on the cliff, a humpback whale leapt out of the water and smashed back down with a whopping great splash. It was heading north with a couple of others and I watched them cruise across towards Avoca but none of them breached like that again. It was a pleasant one off.

So we’re spinning off into the year of the White Rhythmic Wizard, the penultimate year of the ancient Mayan calendar. May it be a beauty!

Consultant Lynette MacDonald brought one over and showed us how it grinds whole wheat into flour, kneads dough, peels garlic, grates parmesan, weighs food, steams and cooks within seconds and washes itself clean with leftover eggshells. It also makes cosmetics, but that’s another story.

As the dough was rising the following six dishes were made:
Hummus (adding ice cubes makes it nice and pale – Lynette was taught this by locals in Dubai)
Fennel & cashew salad (3 seconds on speed #4)
Pumpkin soup (peel, seeds and all – 4 secs on #10 speed chops it then 10 mins @ 80 degrees cooks it)
Porcini mushroom risotto (16 mins @ 100 degrees then thickened in the thermo bowl)
Lemon Custard (7.5 mins @ speed #3)
Strawberry sorbet (frozen strawberries smashed on turbo mode with raw sugar ground to icing sugar – amazement!)

The only thing this little beauty doesn’t do is bake, make toast and deep fry so you’ll need an oven, a kitchen sink … and Lynette (they don’t let you operate these things without thorough training).

Professional chefs are in awe of this compact machine and usually assign it for a single task such making perfect Hollandaise sauce, or sorbets in seconds. Hygiene conscious Indian cooks are particularly enamored of it because unlike plastic which tends to scratch and catch food, the jug/bowl is made of hospital grade stainless steel. And there’s no doubt that its time saving capabilities make it supremely energy efficient.

But what about the simple joy of slow cooking and making food with love? The prep with friends around the kitchen table? The aroma that wafts from your pot as the lamb shanks stew for five hours? This, it seems, will soon be a thing of the past. In the meantime Lynette’s got her work cut out for her spruiking the Thermomix. And she’s got a special deal going for this month only – interest free for 9 months. If we were seriously in the food business rather than simply gastronauts, we’d jump at it! The future is here.

Lynette can be contacted on 0419004488

The play by Joanna Erskine is a punchy little piece about four soldiers on duty at some undisclosed frontline who get busted at the scene of the above mentioned graffiti after tagging it with the first letter of each of their names; K.I.J.E. This KIJE ‘character’ becomes their imaginary scapegoat and they concoct an elaborate story about him for their commanding officer. Before too long this harmless lie drags them all down to more sinister acts including the rape of a terrified local woman. And it’s this sombre episode that is at the corrupted heart of the play.

All the young actors are strong and committed, especially Wade Briggs whose character has a penchant for Presley and sings a series of his songs with a tender voice. The costume and set design by Charlotte Lane is also impressive, transforming the venue into an oppressive prison of the mind. Lighting Designer Verity Hampson turns up the tension with zaps of interrogatory strobe lighting and Sarah Giles does a great job in directing the show from its comic start to its debased conclusion.

Referencing a 1927 novella by the Russian writer Yury Tynyanov, K.I.J.E. is well worth an hour of your time.

K.I.J.E. @ the Old Fitzroy Theatre, Woolloomooloo Sydney until July 30.

Near the front door of the Hall Kirsty Stegwazi was displaying her irresistible range of handmade caps and stockings featuring crazy prints of dancing skeletons and around the corner was a mad potter from the tiny town of Clandulla who was showcasing her kooky jugs and pots made out of clay from her own backyard.

Once over the threshold we were greeted by a tribe of spinners and knitters pumping out all sorts of wondrous items like wacky scarves and beanies and mittens. The temperature plummets to sub freezing in these here parts so we poured over each and every item with much interest. While deciding which of the brightly colored pieces to purchase, the Hall erupted with squeals of delight from children and adults alike. A possum was galumphing through the aisles, trying to find a safe place to hide. It finally clawed it’s way up the red velvet curtain beside the stage and took cover in the rafters providing an extra touch of country charm.

With our arms full of treasures we headed off for lunch at 29Nine99 where we had one of the best wonton soups ever invented. Tired of the local western fare, artist and chef Na Lan has established what has to be one of the very best rural eateries in the Mid-Western Region. Located in the heritage Bridge View Inn (built cira 1870), the kitchen serves up steaming plates of home made yum-cha delights with a peking duck wrap option.

Na Lan is one of many wonderful locals helping to transform Rylstone from a sleepy little backwater to a must visit tourist stop. Also leading the charge are the folks at Number 47, a cafe and gallery where you can get delicious coffee and assorted treats while checking out the latest local art exhibition.

It’s a real thrill to find such a thriving scene in a place like this but, like many other towns across New South Wales, Rylstone is currently being besieged by coal mining companies eager to rip the guts out of not only the surrounding landscape but the community as well. The rise of these sorts of creative industries in the face of this onslaught gives us a real demonstration of how an alternative and much more sustainable path can be trod for the benefit of current and future generations. All power to them!

Some sacred sites were already recorded by National Parks and Wildlife but others were fresh finds and their co-ordinates had to be logged along with descriptions and photos. One newly discovered cave was 65 metres long with lots of red ochre stencils of hands belonging to previous male custodians. Others were sprayed with yellow ochre, the colour of women.

It was a real privilege to walk this spectacular country with Uncle John and the A team and to feel the ancestors all around us. Our finds help us to understand the history of this remarkable area but there are still many missing pieces in the jigsaw puzzle. Some landowners are fearful that such expeditions will jeopardise their tenure and have refused entry but this is simply not true. Maybe one day they’ll see the light and help this professional Parks mob complete the picture of this important part of New South Wales formerly known as Wiradjuri country.

We often hit the town in our latest fashion statements and chew the fat over some of life’s more pressing matters, often choosing a restaurant that neither of us have previously experienced. Last week, feeling a little nutty with the sudden onset of winter, we headed for ‘Mad Cow’ at Ivy where the menu features items from “the cow” and “not the cow”. Had we been privy to the ABCTV’s ’4 Corners’ program on the live meat export trade to Indonesia we might have gone elsewhere but it hadn’t yet screened so we merrily cowed down on Grain Fed Eye Fillet and Minute Steak of Black Angus with Cafe de Paris butter. All Cow dishes come with a bowl of irresistible shoestring fries and a fresh garden salad. And to top it all off we shared a dessert of Five Textures of Mandarin – jelly, curd, brulee, biscuit and fresh.

As the place thinned we made ourselves even more comfortable in our chirpy little white leather booth with canary yellow decor touches and enjoyed a glass of Moscato D’Asti – a favourite post meal digestif of ours. Not that we needed much encouragement but the atmosphere was condusive to indulgence. More like a winter conservatory than an old fashioned steak house, the restaurant has been part of this living, breathing, al fresco, plant-filled establishment since it opened back in 2008 so it’s happily entrenched in its tasty ways. My 200 grams of flesh was cooked to perfection as was MVA’s. However, her portion proved to be just a bit large for her slight frame and she politely asked the waiter to pack it up for some lucky creature. There was a time when her beloved cat Tiger would have devoured the treat with glee but having passed on, it was now up to me to find a recipient.

The morsel came packed in an alfoil bracelet which I wore home as a cutting edge fashion accessory. I unwrapped it, cut it into meat-eating bird sized pieces and placed them strategically around the birdbath. The sulphur-crested cockies were disgusted and made several fly-bys shrieking in horror at the medium rare sight. Even the kookaburras seemed to turn their beaks up at it. Finally the magpies came a calling and demolished the lot in one fell swoop. Now the cheeky buggers expect that kind of service every day! Let them eat worms, I say.

Mad Cow 330 George St. Sydney

Lunch and dinner Mon – Fri Dinner only Sat (fixed menu)