Bridge

Tonight, 41.30%, 11/12

Serene

A quick snap looking back to Akaroa Harbour from the bus trip we made from Akaroa to Christchurch on Christmas Day on our recent New Zealand cruise. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

If I were straight......

As a born and bred gay man for whom females make treasured friends but nothing more in the below the waist department I would have great difficulty in nominating some (any?) as a person I could fall in love with....if I were straight.

OK, as a pre-teenager there was...

....Donna Reed but that really was a puppy love. We watched her weekly family comedy series on television and I imagined her as my mother or even in a gay fantasy imagined myself as her. Well, as her character, that is. Of course I never disclosed those thoughts to anyone. I was a naive child but not that naive.

Then as a teenager I possessed non-feeling feelings for...

...Shirley MacLaine. I suspect I had an intuition that this pixie of a woman was gay friendly and in a reprise of my 'love' for Donna Reed I think I wished I was MacLaine.

And then I grew up. Sort of.

I no longer wished I was a woman, or rather no longer wished I was some woman's character that attracted my fancy as the type of spirit I wished to be. If that makes sense.

But now? Oh, if I were straight I think I might actually fall in love with...

...Robin Wright. Former wife of Sean Penn. Whether it be in House of Cards or the recent French/Aussie film Adoration whenever Wright is on screen I almost, yes almost, feel some manner of stirring in my gay loins. Not many females have done that for me. Actually I can't think of any others. Maybe it is the blonde, mannish hairstyle, but there is definitely, almost, something there.....if I were straight.

NZ cruise

(Click the photo to enlarge)

Sun Princess at the Bay of Islands

Bridge

(Tonight, 41.90%, 16/17)

Beware the 'bergs

I renewed my membership at Bondi Icebergs Club today. As clubs go it is a great one to impress your guests or visitors. Not because of its facilities or services which, frankly as clubs go, are quite modest. No, it is the location right alongside Bondi Beach with that fantastic view up the beach and out to the sea that makes a visit here for the uninitiated such a memorable experience. Provided it is not too crowded that is, because it doesn't take too many people to crowd this small establishment. I have had to abandon a visit to the club with guests previously when unable to find anywhere that we could sit to enjoy drinks, let alone our intended meal.

As you see from my card I am a social member. That is distinct from an alternative membership that requires you to swim in the club's pool many times through winter, an activity that gave the club it's name and fame. I'm not fit enough, nor active enough, nor motivated enough to endure that burden. However, I very much enjoy my meals sitting on the balcony overlooking those members as they plough their way up and down the sea filled pool shown in this year's membership card.

For those of you possessing hefty wallets there is always the separate Icebergs Dining Room and Bar located above the club. It is very fancy indeed - from reputation, not personal knowledge - and is frequented by many international celebrity visitors to the country.

I'll stick with the Club.

Lleyton

Lleyton Hewitt has been around in professional tennis for a long time yet I was surprised to realise he is the same age as Roger Federer; indeed Hewitt is six months older.

Federer has always seemed mature and well behaved although I have seen a documentary about him which showed he was very turbulent as a junior player. It is difficult to imagine nowadays.

Hewitt, on the other hand, who burst on the scene at a young age, for a longtime seemed to be poorly behaved and sadly a bit boorish at times. He appeared to reflect his youth.

Hewitt's determination as a player and his pride in doing his best for his country have never been in question and he has certainly outperformed a number of his contemporary compatriots who appeared more naturally gifted but seemingly have wasted their talents.

We've heard far less about Hewitt's behaviour in recent years which suggests that with age, experience, marriage and fatherhood he has matured and settled down. His slight build has always put him at a disadvantage against the very powerful top players but Hewitt has always punched above his weight. Repeated injuries have impeded him against those players.

In the past of couple of years I have thought that it might be time for Hewitt to call it a day but he has battled on and yesterday he won his first tournament in many a year and against his great nemesis Federer no less.

The look in Hewitt's eyes at the moment of victory indicates his delight and perhaps surprise at the achievement at this stage of his career.

The Australian Open 2014 commences next Monday. Hewitt will be there giving his all, as usual. Perhaps luck will favour him in the draw and we can yet again admire his never say die spirit deep into the second week.

Philomena

A cynical journalist reluctantly assists an elderly Irishwoman to track down the 50 years old son forcibly taken from her in a single mothers' home when the boy was just three. The search takes them to the United States and a few surprises.

'Philomena' is based on real events. I've heard the stories that have emerged from these horror homes and the treatment of the single mothers by the Nuns who ran the establishments like prisons is distressing. This film balances the distress of the treatment with considerable humour.

Judi Dench is as on song as ever as the mother who never forgot.

★★★★

The Gilded Cage (La Cage Doree)

Anyone who is a first or second generation member of an immigrant family will most likely have an affinity for 'The Gilded Cage'; the story of a Portuguese family in France. A family death leads to an inheritance that requires their return to Portugal but other family members, friends and associates all have an interest in preventing their departure.

This is a gentle, delightful comedy of cultures, manners and family behaviour. There are some lovely images and humorous set pieces mostly set around food and the eating thereof.

★★★1/2

Getting lucky

SKIP THIS POST IF YOU HAVE NO INTEREST IN THE SEX LIVES OF PROMISCUOUS GAY MEN

Fireworks in Sydney NYE 2014

Andrew's post about the celebration of New Years Eve in simpler times reminded me of a succession of New Years I enjoyed in the late 1970s and the 1980s. The days when sex was not just a daily preoccupation but an essential daily activity. And there was no day - or should I say early morning - better for a memorable encounter than NYE.

You see it is a little discussed fact that there is no day of the year when cute tipsy straight young men are more amenable to a one off encounter - even if it is a gay one - than early morning New Years Day especially if their overnight expectation of scoring with a favoured lady failed to eventuate.

In those days of high sexual activity for me, a frolic in the bushes with a desperately horny good looking young straight man was a delightful way to celebrate the new year. I stress that no rape, coercion or other pressure was involved. These were straight men keen to bring, shall I say, a climax to their NYE celebrations with anyone, even another man.

Those were the days.

2014

Happy New Year from Sydney

Home

Sailing up Sydney Harbour around 4.30am.

One final titillation - avert your eyes - I took the above photo standing buck naked on my balcony. Don't tell anyone!

At sea again

The final two full days of our cruise were spent on the Tasman Sea headed for home.

There were many onboard activities. We continued to perform well at Trivia with numerous 2nd and 3rd placings but never the winners.

I attended an interesting Q&A and back stage tour with the singers and dancers who performed in the nightly shows. They were disbanding as a group at cruise end after completing a 17 months' contract with Princess Line.

The performers' Q&A

There was 'Liar's Gameshow' where passengers had to guess which of three 'celebrities' was giving the truthful definition of obscure words.

Liar's Gameshow

The last day at sea was the roughest sailing of the cruise. Not rough enough to be scary but sufficient to make walking in a straight line difficult.

Bouncy seas

Walking the long corridor to my State Room on the last night

Fiordland

Fiordland sounds like the name of a theme park but is in fact the Fiordland National Park in New Zealand which if I understand correctly contains 14 'Fiords' or 'Sounds'.

Today's activity was a majestically slow scenic cruise through three of those sounds each of which was more spectacular to the eye than its predecessor. The third sound we visited was Milford Sound, a justifiably renowned scenic location. Some of its mountains, jutting straight from the water were said to be the tallest of their type in the world.

Here are some shots of Milford Sound.

Approaching the concealed entry to Milford Sound

Entering Milford Sound

Milford Sound

Snow capped mountains

The Lido Deck and Milford Sound

Other tourist vessels on Milford Sound

Dunny Din

I heard a news broadcaster on the esteemed BBC pronounce the New Zealand city of Dunedin precisely as in the post title back in 1974.

Well today's port was that very city. Unfortunately, like Wellington, the weather was wet. Very wet. Very, very wet so that we did little other than wander around the town centre, an area named the Octagon for obvious reasons. We also took a circuit on the Hop on, Hop off bus tour without actually doing the on/off part; except at one point. Most of what was described to us was obscured by wet window and misty skies. A pity.

Hence an absence of photos.

The one exception to our on/off 'ban' was at Dunedin's former railway station, an exotically grand old building now used for other purposes.

Here are two photos of what looks like the former ticket hall.

The port for Dunedin is Port Chalmers where we berthed alongside a sister ship, Dawn Princess. The passengers and crew of that ship gave us a rousing farewell as we departed shortly ahead of their own departure.

Ice and Quakes

Christmas Day, our visit is to Akaroa, the port for the nearby city of Christchurch devastated by earthquakes in 2010/11.

The drive to the city from the port is about one and three quarter hours through very scenic countryside including mountainous territory.

First stop was to the International Antarctic Centre where you can learn much about that continent and experience life there without actually setting foot there. A very enjoyable experience.

International Antarctic Centre

We had an extremely rough and tumble trip in these sled vehicles to replicate local travel in the Antarctic.

We spent time in this chill room where the temperature was lowered to -18ºc.

Christchurch remains a site of major destruction with empty lots where buildings once stood, other buildings abandoned and boarded up and others still, like its Cathedral, still bearing its damage.

Christchurch Cathedral

We travelled on a couple of trams that run on a limited track of what remains of the former city loop.

The view towards Akaroa;

WWW

Wet and Windy is the reputation of Wellington, New Zealand's capital and that is exactly what greeted us in today's visit to that city.

The poor weather constrained us from the wider range of available activities and we confined ourselves first to a trip on the Wellington Cable Car ( or funicular, if Andrew prefers).

Wellington Cable Car

Apart from the terminus at each end, the cable car has two intermediate stops, one of which is at the local University. The entire trip, with stops, lasts about three and a half minutes.

The view from the top station

Later we walked around in the wind and rain to the National Museum, Te Papa, which is very interesting, brilliantly presented and highly recommended.

Art decor life

Today's port is Napier, destroyed by earthquake in 1931 and rebuilt in art deco style with its claimed 'largest collection of authentic 1930s building styles in the world'.

Local newspaper building

The port was very welcoming to the ship's visit with guides everywhere many dressed in period costume.

A small fleet of 1930s (or thereabouts?) cars was available for short drives and photo opportunities.

A Dixieland band, residents in period costume and the cars then appeared dockside to farewell us in the evening.

All things great and beautiful

Today we are in Tauranga. One of the main reasons the cruise stops here is that the town is a gateway to Rotorua but as I had visited there on my only previous visit to New Zealand I, and three of my travelling companions, chose alternative activities.

First we were taken by shuttle bus to the main shopping precinct which turned out to be one of those centres of the Westfield style with no other tourism interests in the vicinity; this being a Sunday. We made an almost immediate decision to return to the ship on the next shuttle and pursue another tour option but were thwarted by Ae who managed somehow to lose herself in the centre as we three others searched for her. That cost us an hour.

The alternative we chose, on return to the dock, was a walk around the base of Mount Mauganui a deceptively simple activity which took us about an hour to complete and exposed us to spectacularly beautiful scenery.

Mount Mauganui

The evening's 'Movie Under the Stars' (outdoor screening on the Lido deck) was 'The Great Gatsby'. Starting at 10.00pm and finishing at 12.30am this was always going to be an activity for the more dedicated cruiser. That didn't include me but I took a peek on that deck around 10.40pm and found about six hardy souls buried deep under blankets in cold and windy conditions intently viewing the film.

The Great Gatsby under the stars

Recovery

The evening shows have improved substantially from that awful opening. Still performing strongly at trivia but some new shipboard pals are proving a worry with a startling lack of knowledge. The younger Queens are not a patch on our generation!

Spent the day in Auckland mostly visiting Devonport followed by an afternoon of bus touring. Found time late in the day to purchase a new Canon SLR to replace the drowned predecessor and it got an immediate testing on departure from the city.

Departure from Auckland