WATCHING

I went to see Fiona O’Loughlin last night. She’s the comedian who survived alcoholism, a two week coma from not realising, in her drunken state, that the heater in the dive she was living in was leaking carbon monoxide.  Then went on to spend five weeks in an African jungle with a variety of celebrities, including David Oldfield, before beating off all comers to become Queen of the Jungle in I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.

All this happened AFTER establishing an international comedy career from Alice Springs where she was mother to five kids.

I’ve been a fan for a long time. During the stay-at-home-mum years her routines about been a slack mum resonated (perhaps a little too strongly).

The show was funny, deeply personal and left me wanting more.

I admire enormously her courage in coming back from rock bottom to rebuild her life and career.

Fiona’s touring at the moment, including a number of regional areas, you can check out the dates here.

Here’s a little of what she does.

LOOKING

We went to see the 2017 Archibald entries at the Glasshouse today.  It was great to see this Ahn Doh painting of Jack Charles having watched him paint it on Brush with Fame. It was so much more intricate in real life.

But it was upstairs at the Art Express, the exhibition of 2017 HSC art students, that things got a bit emotional.

The thing about grief is the tiniest things can set you off. So far this week, it was seeing a blogger’s photo of herself in her 20’s with her dad, the sort of photo my daughters will never get to have and a tiny steelwork statute of a golfer in a gift shop, Simon loved steel and was a poor but passionate golfer.

Then there was the work of Emily Thomas from Pittwater Highschool.

In her artist statement Emily says,

FOR DAD, NAVIGATION OF THE UNKNOWN

My collection of drawings is dedicated to my father, who passed away in late 2016. The nautical charts that I used to draw upon belonged to him and his father before him. I have many memories of him labouring over them, navigating the seas and adding his own notes to the charts in pen and pencil, which can still be seen under my own markings. I hoped to create something beautiful from a medium that is representative of my Dad, choosing the eagle to symbolise life and transience, as we all attempt to navigate our way through life.

Apologies Emily, for my crappy photography that doesn’t do your work justice.

Oh Emily, we know how much went into that work. Well done.

So there you have it, my weekend, laughter and tears. How was yours?