Sydney gets its gay on...

with two different options on the one night: Scissor Sisters or Stephen Fry.

I opted for Scissor Sisters and am glad I did. The show was energy packed, however, it was not without it's flaws. The main problem I had with the night was the sound. And I guess that stems from the venue. Big Top at Luna Park is an ok venue for big parties or huge dinners, but as a concert venue it leaves a lot to be desired. The biggest desire is that of good sound. There were a number of occasions when a member of the Scissor Sisters was talking in between songs and it was virtually incomprehensible thanks to the acoustics of the venue. This I hate with a passion. When I go to see a live act I go to hear their music at a volume and quality I could never reproduce at home. I'm not a "performance" person. I really couldn't give a flying fig what the artists do on stage, it's the big sound and live renditions of their music I want to experience. So there is where my disappointment lies. I can only imagine it must be frustrating for the performers as well.

However, during two numbers I stood still and closed my eyes and just listened. The great thing was that I could hear every sound around me. I could hear the crowd singing along. I could hear the reverb from the back wall. I could feel the limited bass. I could feel the people moving around me. Their live renditions of their studio recordings were just fantastic and seem to take some of the tunes to a new level of intelligence.

So, the highlight for me was "Kiss You Off" and "Invisible Light". Both these songs showcased what fun, clever and innovative artists the Scissor Sisters really are.

Ummmm, I think the bear likes Kylie...

Now let me bore you with holiday snaps...

Yes, I've been on holiday. It was a well needed break too.

	It started out at the new Teneriffe Festival in Brisbane. The promise of good food and free live music was too much to pass by.
	The lads, Mark and Graeme, ordering a coffee to kick the morning off.
	Meeting the locals
	Watching Operator Please through a very sexy forearm. The other music highlight was Blue Juice. They were nuts, sounded great and very entertaining.
	So we move on to Far North Qld: Magnetic Island. We stayed here in a place called Bungalow Bay. The accommodation was basic but that was perfect. There was even a fridge in there to keep the milk cold for breakfast.
	This is the location of Bungalow Bay. It's called Horseshoe Bay. I loved it here and this was definitely the better side of the Island. It was quiet and more friendly here.
	What can I say?
	We had a few beaches all to ourselves at some time during our stay. The water was a beautiful 22 degrees and the daytime temps were about 27 out of the water. The good thing about this time of year is that there are very few, if any, stingers in the water.
	Oh geez Mark! Was that you? No, it was the smell of 2 or 3 day old coral spawn being washed up on the shores. It stunk!
	A highlight on the Thursday night was Coconut Bowls. The idea: You get two bowls of a coconut to knock down all the pins. Knock over the middle one to score a free beer. This is not as easy as it sounds. Coconuts rarely roll where you want them to. Even the crowd are warned about possible danger as they fly down towards the pins. Needless to say, out of the 86 bowlers that night, I tied first with one other. In the play off she beat me by two pins.
	Top of the world Ma!
	This is Shadow, the black cockatoo. He was a friendly old fellow and LOVED the camera.
	I love this pic of Mark and Shadow.
	You know you're not supposed to smile at these. This is Barbie. She was beautiful and surprisingly soft to touch. Her jaw was taped as, even at this size, her jaw is strong enough to rip your finger off with one clean bite... and I need my fingers for work.
	The coolest accessory on the island. A special scarf.
	Our local. After a full day of activities we would settle back and watch the sun set over the ocean. The bar manager here was great. One night we were watching a live band at Bungalow Bay and the Bar Manager turned up and spent the night chatting to us and letting us in on some of the Islands secrets. It was a great night and he even offered us a loan of his car for the day.
	Over on the mainland, in Townsville, we had a day of caching. While filling in time before the late night ferry we stopped in at one of the very few bars open. We were the only ones here apart from the staff. The music was, well, very gay... So I asked the barman if it was, and he seemed a little taken back and said "No", so I said "Oh, well I just wondered because of your music choice".
	This is an amazing piece of coral. I heart Coral.

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