Congratulations to Alice Chesser!  

Alice is the winner of the March Madness draw & has scored herself a $50 Mamayali Gift Voucher.

After a rough 18 months, culminating in the recent losses of 3 of my in-laws & ongoing dramas resulting from that, I've been struggling a little to find the joy & get that right balance in life.    

A few weeks ago, I was wandering through the loungeroom late one night, I caught the tail end of an ad on TV.  Instantly, I reverted to my teenage self & quite probably let out a bit of a squeal   OK – I was UBER excited.  One of my absolute favourite bands of all time, Go West, was coming to Hobart.  O….M….G….!!!!  They had their first hit, 'We Close Our Eyes' in 1985, when I was only just 11 years old.  I remember liking the song, but not loving it completely (although, I did like Peter Cox dancing around with a wrench – hello hormones!).  For me, the turning point was their next hit, 'Call Me'.  I was hooked!!!    I'm sure I drove Mum mad at the time, but she was in her early 30's, so I'm sure she didn't entirely mind  I used to cop grief from other kids at school who were into more alternative music than myself, but I didn't care.  I loved them!  I followed their career for years, but hadn't really heard much about them for over a decade.  Then, about 3 or 4 months ago, I figured I'd see if there was any recent news.  Turns out they were riding the wave of 80's revival concerts/festivals, particularly in the UK.  They'd released an album in 2008 & had just released the EP that made up the first third of their latest album.  On top of all of that, Peter had released solo albums I'd known nothing about.  I was excited to know they were still around and more importantly, making music.  However, I never expected to see them here.  Hobart is one of those places usually bypassed by international artists.

Hubby was in Sydney on the night I saw the ad, but he was logged on to Facebook.  I asked him if he wanted to come to a concert with me, he said "sure", and within minutes the tickets were booked.  I found out during the booking process that Go West was essentially a support act for Tony Hadley, formerly of another 80's supergroup, Spandau Ballet.  Sure, I liked some of Spandau Ballet's songs, but for me, it was all about Go West.  In the weeks leading up to the show, I'd been having vivid visions of myself meeting them & having a photo taken.  When we got there, we were informed there were spare seats in the first 4 rows (our tickets were for the 12th row, or about 15th if you take a walkway into consideration).  Of course I grabbed to chance to be closer to the stage & we sat in the second row.  After the first 3 or 4 songs, seating was irrelevant as I headed to the front of the stage & stayed there the rest of the night.  What an AWESOME show!!!!!!  I had an absolute blast listening to the old songs and some covers of newer songs like Sex on Fire, Black and Gold & Rolling In The Deep.

At the end of it, I rang my Mum's place, as she was babysitting our 6yo.  I was seriously hoping our daughter would be happy to sleep there the night, but was not so lucky.  I made that call from between the Green Room door & the bar where the boys were going to chat to fans, hoping that they would walk out any second & my prophecy would be fulfilled.  We walked out, with me looking back every few steps in the vain hope of seeing them walk through so I could turn back.  It didn't happen.  The next day, I found myself physically grieving that missed opportunity.  I was shocked at how intensely I was feeling it.  If we'd had the money to do so, I'd have travelled to Melbourne to see them there, but all our savings had gone on other recent trips interstate.  In the end, I had to be satisfied with the photos, videos & memories.  I connected with other 'Westies' online and was relieved to find others who understood how I was feeling.  Judging by the comments & adulation on various Go West/Peter Cox/Tony Hadley Facebook pages, people across the country were blown away by their performances, so I'm hoping Go West will return to Australia in the next year or two to do their own show.  Next time, I'll wait however long it takes to meet them & fulfil that missing piece of the puzzle.

So that was the first bit of excitement.  Then last week, we saw the latest Circus Oz production, Steampowered.  It was INCREDIBLE!!!!  Really the most entertaining show I've seen in a very long time.  We went to the Cirque du Soleil performance earlier in the year, but this made them seem like 'Cirque du So What' in comparison.  I completely admire & appreciate the talent & precision of Cirque du Soleil, but we all agreed that Circus Oz put on a supremely entertaining performance that better suited an Australian audience.  I particularly enjoyed the way they engaged with the audience before & during the show.  Our daughter has aspirations of becoming a circus performer & can't wait until she's old enough to start circus skills classes next year, so she has a blast.  I'd highly recommend it to anyone & everyone looking for a brilliant night out!

Finally, we went played mini golf as a family on the weekend.  I'd managed to pick up some heavily discounted tickets through Living Social and again, we had a ball (no pun intended).  It's all too easy to get caught up in life's dramas, especially when there are so many major events in a relatively short time frame, so I'm giving gratitude for these opportunities to inject some fun & excitement back into our lives.

What have you seen or done lately, either by yourself or with loved ones, for sheer fun & entertainment?  I'd love to know what makes your heart sing

But no fat pigs in sight

So yesterday was the inaugural Good Life Market.  We'd spent the few days leading up to it in Sydney for my father-in-law's funeral & we only got back the night before the market.  As such, I felt a little under-prepared & didn't get to finish some new pieces I had planned.  We woke to rain and it had been raining constantly through the night.  Just as we were getting ready to leave home, the rain stopped & we saw blue sky & sun.  I figured the Gods had heard the collective prayers of about 20 stall holders  When we arrived, we saw marquees going up in the carpark.  The paddock where the market was going to be held had turned into a swamp with all the rain.  

The weather alternated between rain & sun for the whole morning.  In spite of the rain, there were quite a few people there.  I was pleasantly surprised  The market had the nicest feel of any I've attended and if it had not been raining, I think it would have been really busy.  Alas, the weather won out in the end. Several stallholders packed up early as their shelters nearly blew away. We held in until about 12.30pm when the market coordinator decided to close the market due to the very black clouds heading our way.  We packed up in near cyclonic conditions as the front hit – and of course, the sun reappeared as soon as we had the last of our gear in the car.  

I'm really looking forward to the next market……and hoping for good weather!  And thanks to the heads up from another stallholder, Kim of Kim's Collections, I'll also be at the Bruny Island Craft Market on Sunday 27th November from 10.30am – 4.00pm.  This market only happens once a year & features lots of Tassie craftspeople – a great place to buy Christmas pressies and have a good feed whilst checking out a beautiful part of the country.