Billy Elliot the Musical

Billy Elliot    Nov. 2019

I know this is not a new play. But then I am behind the times in many things.

The Story...

The Story Continued

I am OK with that; we had a fine time driving to Stratford, ON to see the play.

We even visited the Pork Store in Shakespeare, ON for some goodies to take home. Yum!

And the theater we were in had all the latest gizmos, lighting, props, etc. to make the performance spectacular. 

We timed our travels perfectly, arrived about 1 hour before the performance started and we had our lunch sitting in the car, in the parking lot. We made our sandwiches at home and brought them along in a cooler, which we left in the car after we ate.

11 Years Old and So Talented

I liked the play; I loved the dancers and the young 11-year old boy Nolan Dubuc acted, danced and sang outstandingly as Billy Elliot.  

Music By Elton John

The play flowed well; the action in general was very good and pulled the audience into the play.

The dancing was fantastic as were the costumes and sets.

If you have a chance to see this play near you… go and see it.

But, be forewarned… the language is a bit rough (I wish they could clean this up) and we had actors that all spoke with a Liverpool, England accent… tough on my ear … hard to follow when they speak very fast… 

 I hope your performance will be a bit better in that respect… but I give this an 8 or 9 out of 10.

What is YOUR rating?

Winter 2019, OZ - 30 Geelong and the End

2019 OZ - 30   Geelong and the End

Walking Trail Up to Mariners Lookout

We are close to Melbourne now; we timed our trip fairly well. Tonight we stay in Geelong to say so long to Oz. Well, it was not really our last day but close enough.

Holy Bushes with Berries

We climbed a steep hill near just outside Apollo Bay called Mariners Lookout, to get a bird’s eye view of Apollo Bay. First we had to drive a twisty road up, 
then get out of the car and do the last 30 minutes on foot.

Quite a Few Lambs But Got Close to This One

  
It was worth it, an impressive spot, a bit idyllic with sheep nearby just grazing in pastoral peace. 

Pointing to Apollo Bay From the Lookout

We stopped for a break in the town of Lorne. We had a friendly cockatoo sit right next to us, begging for food.

A Friendly Cockatoo

He Let Us Get Very Close

 

Main Street, Lorne, Restaurants, Motels, Shops

The town itself has many, many shops. I could easily spend a few weeks right here, living as an Australian. We just wandered around the town, had coffee at an outside café, visited the beach and watched a surfer school teach young people to use the boards. 

We were slow, lazy tourists.

Learning the Basics

More Practice + Better Waves Needed

 

End of the Great Ocean Road

Carol mailed her paper work (brochures, envelopes, maps and entrance ticket stubs, etc) via the postal system to her house. This way she did not have to carry it all in her luggage. 

We gave our trip a lazy ending; we just relaxed from here on out.

Tonight's Best Western Hotel in Geelong had ants in the kitchen and Carol was told the Pest Control guy would come in the morning to take care of it, but… well; we will not be here then.

The Mantra Hotel in Tullamarine, Vic, near the airport in Melbourne was our last Motel before our flight out but it’s all the same from here on in.

Getting Close to Melbourne

After our last dinner with wine and desserts, we slept well.

After waiting and repacking, after resetting our phones, putting in the normal sim we were awakened at 4.45 AM by the phone… someone called and had hung up, but we were awake.

The alarm went off at 5 am, we had breakfast at 6 am, took the shuttle to the airport at 6.35 AM for the long flight home. 

There were 500 plus people on the plane, the flight was totally sold out. Boarding started at 9.15 am and it took forever to get all the folks on board.  

 

Now For the Long Trek Home

Phew! This was a long trip for us, 3 months of being on the move, constantly getting new impressions, we now deserve a few months off, doing…. Nothing?

Hah, you don’t know Carol very well, do you?

Winter 2019, OZ - 29 Apollo Bay (Shipwreck Coast)

2019, OZ - 29   Apollo Bay (Shipwreck Coast)

Rocky Shoreline Due to Pieces Falling Off the Clifffs

Many, many a ship sank along the Southern Coast of Australia; especially around the area of Apollo Bay. The Shipwreck Coast is an appropriate description. The limestone walls of the Australian Continent are what greet you when you arrive by sea. The cliffs are high and seemingly endless, lots of split-off rocks, boulders and older wall sections are below the water line and if you come too close to shore, in a section that looks so inviting after so many months at sea… bam, your ship slams into these hidden obstacles and your trip, no your life, ends right here. 

The Jetty Near Where the Napier Sank

About the Napier

 

I told you about the Loch Ard in the last blog, but there were many other ships that met their demise. Some ships like the Napier, who tried to help the Loch Ard, also sank. The water off the coast, even today, is still a very dangerous place for ships.

Some of the 12 Apostles

The 12 Apostles:  is a collection of limestone stacks formed by the erosion of the cliffs along one section of the Great Ocean Road in Australia. Today these sections of eroded cliffs are photo ops for tourists like us, but hazards for the sailors who are unprepared for these traps.

2 More Apostles In the Other Direction

The Gibson Steps Down to the Beach

We stopped at some areas like the Gibson Steps, but did not get down to sea level. There were just too many sections to gawk at, too many special configurations of the same disheveled limestone wall that forms the coastline here.

Another Tingle Tree at Maits Rest

The Rain Forest of Maits Rest

We continued driving and stopped a bit further on to stretch our legs at the Maits Rest.

What a wonderful walk this was. I took dozens of pictures, I felt like I was in a wonderland. This is the Australian Rain Forest, I love it. There are ferns everywhere; Impossible to walk through without the walk-way that was installed. I could just imagine the first settlers who came to this area, how the heck did they even walk through here. I thought Dinosaurs would show up at any moment, that’s how old this area looked. It looked millions of years old. 

 

A 'Shedding' Eucalyptus Tree

It was like finding a jewel, while walking. This was a short walk but it left a powerful impression. I have walked through ‘jungle’ before, but this was dense, full of nooks and crannies of old, half rotten foliage, yet very fertile soil. I wondered how a rain forest like that could exist in the normally dry Australia… but then there are many mini climates in OZ, I believe anything is possible when it comes to growing flora here.  I felt like an explorer. Myrtle bush, Blackwood and other rare species grew within this enclave. 

This Pretty Thing Hung Around Awhile

A Strange Fungus

The room we had in the town of Apollo was not great. But we had no choice, there were not many rooms available. Carol killed 4 flies as soon as she went into the room. We only had one chair to sit on; one of us had to sit on the bed. At 11.00 PM the garbage truck came to empty the dumpsters at the side of the hotel, what a racket. I even went outside and complained…but of course, it did not help.

I know, I know, we are just guests in this place, but really… do not use the Apollo Bay Motel if at all possible.  Not Good!