2016
Ubud Now and Then
14 October 2016
Our little ménage has returned to its quiet ways after Jessica's departures for the Gili Islands where she will be meeting up with our new Danish friends. Sad to see her go - made quite an impact on our lives during her short stay - a remarkable young woman whom we very much want to cross paths with again somewhere in the world. She spent her last day, among other things, visiting Jasmin's school. Josh and I will be attending the end of term school assembly there tomorrow. Jasmin has a three-line role in explaining heart attacks in relation to the current class focus on the human body!
Bigger things are happening. Tomorrow I have to front up to the Indonesian police! Turns out the Black Armada exhibition (on Australia's role in supporting Indonesia's Independence Movement in 1946) to be held at the Agung Rai Museum (ARMA) coinciding with but not officially part of the Writers Festival, requires an official permit from the police. The exhibition is from the Australian National Maritime Museum but no one from the museum is here in Ubud yet, so on the strength of my having sat in on the preliminary meeting with Ian Burnet at ARMA a few weeks ago, I have been asked to be the one to obtain the permit. I will go to the local police station tomorrow with one of the ARMA people to support me! Otherwise I would not have a clue how to go about this! Dozens of emails have flown backwards and forwards about this business and who will get the permit without which the police will not let the exhibition opening go ahead on 27 October. Compulsory police security has to be arranged and paid for too. As Josh says, no one goes near the police in Indonesia unless under extreme duress!
Just back from a pre-festival cocktail party at Indus to thank the sponsors of the festival. Did not actually know many people but caught up with the few I did. Magda Szubanski was there - here early for the festival on a holiday. It was so hot today - I sat out on the balcony the whole evening and watched from the sidelines. Masses of dainty canapés set up on tables but was too hot and weary to move to go get them.
This afternoon I met up with Anoushka, ex-student from Sydney Girls High over 25 years ago. I brought her to Bali on two school trips back then, staying at Puri Saraswati - and staying there now too - still much loved by the Saraswati owner and staff. She is now Qantas' leading Indonesian-speaking flight attendant. I have been part of her life all these years, but now she lives in Queensland with her family I don't get to see her often. Jazz has met her gorgeous girls, Aisha and Amira on Christmas visits to Sydney so today was a lovely reunion for them. They will come to Jazz's school assembly tomorrow too and visit us at the house on Saturday.
Bigger things are happening. Tomorrow I have to front up to the Indonesian police! Turns out the Black Armada exhibition (on Australia's role in supporting Indonesia's Independence Movement in 1946) to be held at the Agung Rai Museum (ARMA) coinciding with but not officially part of the Writers Festival, requires an official permit from the police. The exhibition is from the Australian National Maritime Museum but no one from the museum is here in Ubud yet, so on the strength of my having sat in on the preliminary meeting with Ian Burnet at ARMA a few weeks ago, I have been asked to be the one to obtain the permit. I will go to the local police station tomorrow with one of the ARMA people to support me! Otherwise I would not have a clue how to go about this! Dozens of emails have flown backwards and forwards about this business and who will get the permit without which the police will not let the exhibition opening go ahead on 27 October. Compulsory police security has to be arranged and paid for too. As Josh says, no one goes near the police in Indonesia unless under extreme duress!
Just back from a pre-festival cocktail party at Indus to thank the sponsors of the festival. Did not actually know many people but caught up with the few I did. Magda Szubanski was there - here early for the festival on a holiday. It was so hot today - I sat out on the balcony the whole evening and watched from the sidelines. Masses of dainty canapés set up on tables but was too hot and weary to move to go get them.
This afternoon I met up with Anoushka, ex-student from Sydney Girls High over 25 years ago. I brought her to Bali on two school trips back then, staying at Puri Saraswati - and staying there now too - still much loved by the Saraswati owner and staff. She is now Qantas' leading Indonesian-speaking flight attendant. I have been part of her life all these years, but now she lives in Queensland with her family I don't get to see her often. Jazz has met her gorgeous girls, Aisha and Amira on Christmas visits to Sydney so today was a lovely reunion for them. They will come to Jazz's school assembly tomorrow too and visit us at the house on Saturday.
And while we are at it with the nostalgia pics, here is Josh on the same school trip. Great dress up session at one of the places we stayed. These are Cathy's photos which I copied from her album recently onto my iPad.
Back to the present day - A rare granny and granddaughter pic taken by Jessica. It took about eight clicks before she got one where Jazz was not making silly faces!
Pretty exhausted in this heat so it is Selamat malam from me at 9pm!