Category Archive: LIFE
‘Stolen’ Towels and Sweet Revenge
Vines at Lyndoch: apart from its Barossa locale, they have nothing to do with this story
The Barossa Valley is justly beloved of wine buffs and travellers to South Australia, but from time to time, a local hostelry will just not come up to scratch. Best to shrug philosophical shoulders and move on, but we are all prone to cut up after particularly poor experiences, which stick like a bone in the throat. Many years ago, friends of The Varnished Culture suffered such an experience, having bought a couple of nights via an ill-advised travel auction. R felt compelled to write a letter of complaint. Redacted appropriately, this letter, dated 28 February, said as follows: “Dear__________ My…
Continue Reading →Faster and More Furious
"Just...be better."
1986 S.A.N.F.L GRAND FINAL – GLENELG v NORTH ADELAIDE This was to have been North’s revenge year. The Roosters had been put to the sword by the Tigers in 1985 and ahead of the Big Replay, the Roosters’ Coach Michael Nunan (a man popular with Bay fans as a bubonic plague) stated that “we want to level the scores.” The North fans settled in the Spring sunshine of bleak Football Park, licking their chops and rubbing their hands, channelling Madame DeFarge, wanting to be in at the kill. Glenelg was not quite the same team as 1985. One young fellow*, who…
Continue Reading →Glenelg Greats and Royal Glory
(Queen’s Birthday Weekend, June 2015) Glenelg, under the pump, hosted a glorious celebration of its brace of premierships in the mid 1980s, a gilded age when players could run through their opponents and the phrases were ‘goals’, not ‘structures’, ‘marks’, not ‘non-negotiables’, ‘winning’, not ‘point spread’ (OK, that’s gridiron). What a night! For a Glenelg supporter, it was Fan Heaven, a panoply of the very best of the recent past…Laurie Rosewarne received a special honour as a Great of Glenelg, joining 16 luminaries who have served the Club over its 95 years. Inductees to the Hall of Fame this year…
Continue Reading →Eurovision Song Contest
The Varnished Culture cites this as exhibit ‘A’ in our defence against a charge of snobbery. L introduced P to it some years ago and ever since, every late May, we settle down to score the finalists. TVC scores each song but has a separate scoring system we call The Euro Points System, in which extra points are given for: 1. Dry ice 2. Contortionists 3. Bad Dancing 4. Any item of Clothing being Torn Away 5. Dwarves 6. Angel Wings or Mock Flying 7. Clowns 8. Piano as Furniture 9. Bearded Ladies 10. Puffs of Smoke. Euro Drinking Game # 1: Every…
Continue Reading →Time Slip
"Let's Meet at Biba!"
I once thought I would like to wear a graceful chiton draped over one arm and ascend the shining steps to the Parthenon in Athens’ Golden Age. Certainly some of that sentiment has inspired my choice to learn Ancient Greek. However, when I thought a bit more about the role of women at that time I imagined that I might do better nibbling on pastries as I am fitted for wardrobe by Marie-Antoniette’s couturiers – but that time had its problems too. You will note that my historical imaginings are far more concerned with the fashion of the time than any…
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