A cruise ship leaving Sydney

I walked home from the city after seeing the movie "Sing, Sung Blue". On the way across The Harbour Bridge, I saw this enormous cruise ship leaving Sydney for Fuji.

Pure nostalgia: Acting in school plays at St Georges

One of my greatest joys in high school was acting.  Like my grandfather, I really liked to act on stage and I took part in several school plays.  Here are the ones I remember best.

Oliver!  (Aged 8)

I played the part of the one of the orphans in Oliver and various other roles I cannot remember. I loved the music, especially the song "Food, Glorious Food!"

A movie poster from the movie version of the musical "Oliver!"

Playing Huckleberry Finn in "Tom Sawyer" (Aged 12)

I played the part of Huckleberry Finn in the school stage production of Tom Sawyer. This was a major school production and it was many, many hours of work but I enjoyed every minute of it.  My most vivid memory was having to smoke a pipe on stage in one of the scenes.  I used my Gramp's pipe and he taught me how to smoke it!  Those were obviously the days when smoking had not yet been vilified.

Playing an elderly spinster in "Hijack" (Aged 15)

Because our school was male only, I did have to play a few female roles and I reluctantly admit I was pretty good at it.  My highlight in this regard was playing the part of an elderly, prim and proper spinster on a plane who foils a hijack attempt.  I studied my grandmother's mannerisms for hours to get inspiration and I really gave it my all.  I was really chuffed when I won an acting award for the role.

Playing Spokesperson A in "Us and Them" (Aged 16)

This was a play with a profound message and though I was worried it wasn't going to be good (so much so I asked mum and dad not to come), it turned out to be a triumph. It was directed by Graeme Allen, a student from the year above us (the son of my Sub-B teacher), and he did a great job.

Playing Pharaoh in "Joseph and his Technicolour Dream Coat"  (Aged 17)

I decided to leap out of my stereotype as a female "actress" with avengeance  in my final year.  I applied for the role of Pharaoh in Joseph and his Techni-coloured Dream Coat.  I had to cycle onto stage on a bicycle in a cycling suit with a padded crotch and grab a microphone and sing an Elvis Presley type song while gyrating my hips. I had a ball doing it and it made me popular through out the school which I hadn't experienced since Prep School.  The only embarrassment about the whole thing was having to perform on the 3rd night when my grandmother was in the 2nd row.  I made the gyration of my hips a little bit more subtle on that night.

Pure nostalgia: Playing table tennis as a kid

Oh how I loved table tennis!  Gramps took out English lottery tickets for Jo and I and one day, I won £ 200.  There was no question how to spend the money.  We promptly got a wonderful table tennis table that allowed one to raise the one side up so you could play against yourself.  We put the table in the outside room and I spent many happy hours playing myself and others.  To this day, I still play table tennis whenever I get the opportunity.

 

Pure nostalgia: UCT Ballroom Dancing

My favourite memories

• Joining in my 2nd or 3rd year of university.
• Maureen Shargey, our indomitable teacher, a live wire of wonderful energy. She was so awesome.
• All the fantastic dances we learned including Walz, Viennese Walz, Foxtrot, Quick Step, Rock n Roll, Jive, Cha Cha and Lambada (dirty dancing).
• Doing some private lessons with Maureen and two lovely fellow students ( whose names I can't remember). 
• Learning rock n roll throws where we had to throw up our partner and then bring her down onto the knee. "Bend from the knees" Maureen said!
• The wonderful socials that we had where we got to practice our steps.
• The Viennese Ball that was held in the main hall of UCT. I went to two balls; the first with the girl I did lessons with (a medical student who I was so attracted to!). And the second with Ally.
• Meeting Moira and going with her to a dance at Robben Island.
• Dancing with a girl in a sexy cat suit at a social and then discovering she was Rayburn's girlfriend!
• Nicola taking up ballroom dancing and becoming extremely good at it.
• After UCT, taking up Ceroc dancing, taught by Amanda and Johnathon.

Granny and Grandpa

Here are some wonderful scans of Granny and Grandpa.

With dad as a youngster

With me as a youngster

With Gran and Gramps