The bits of stuff that fall in the cracks between Life, Music and outrageous fortune.         March   Close this window to return to Mike Rudd & Bill Putt's Stop Press   1) Carmel Eagan and the Robbos stay upwind of Mike 2) Alan Howe relates another spine-chilling story 3) Mike Brady plays his guitar burger 4) Mike's daughter Daisy 5) Hayley plays the chromatic harp 6) Alice has a crack at the harp with some help 7) Alan and Hayley trudge back up the hill after a rock inspection Mike does smoked ham in Sunbury 28.3.11 - Spectrum wasn't invited to the Backroad Festival this year, but the festival nevertheless prompted The Sunday Sun Herald's Alan Howe (pic 2) to get in touch and invite Bill, the Robbos and me to a barbie at his and Carmel Eagan's Sunbury hacienda yesterday afternoon. Bill was unable to make it, which disappointed him as he would've enjoyed catching up with the 'beans', Hayley and Alice, but the Robbos and I happily flew the Spectrum flag in his stead. I arrived on time - that is to say, early - and after being shown round the house, helped Carmel (pic 1) get the in-ground barbie started, which of course meant I smelt like a smoked ham for the rest of the day, only to have Alan fetch the gas-fired barbie and conspicuously ignore all my resolute incendiary work. Mike Brady, (pic 3) his daughter Daisy, (pic 4) (whom I hadn't seen since she was that high), and his long-time friend Wayne Wood arrived and we spent a lovely afternoon in the sun eating, drinking and chatting with the Melbourne CBD rearing up like an apparition of Gotham City on the horizon. Alan took us down the gully to inspect their array of impressively large boulders and we spotted several bunnies brazenly dashing about - they're becoming quite a problem again apparently. The Bradys eventually took their leave and the Robbos and I were entertained by Alan's ever more spooky stories, most of which will never be published, while Carmel dragged a brush through Alice's tangle of long blonde hair. Finally it was time to go and as I drove circumspectly down the long bumpy driveway to the safety of the bitumen road I was aware that the bush was seething with rabbits with the occasional more befuddled bunnies dashing out in front of the van every few yards. Red backs, rabbits, snakes - paradise always comes at a price.   The other Chris, Margaret, Jenny and Chris Kay Life after Whispering Hills 22.3.11 - Chris Kay had barely extended the invitation to pop round to his place after the gig on Saturday before I'd accepted. He's a fine host and cook as I have mentioned before and so no encouragement was needed, and in any case, musical melancholia was setting in and needed to be nurtured with a red or two. And so it was that I settled down on the Kay verandah with three of Chris' friends, Margaret, Jenny and the other Chris (pic) nursing a Whispering Hills' pinot and savouring the balmy autumn sunset while Chris sweated over a hot oven and occasionally popped out to join in the conversation. Then we ate and chatted and laughed and I heard a bit of Thorpie's Tangier in the background. Does life much better get?   Live at Yering Gorge Cottages.. 1) Aunty Margaret elicits a sweet smile from Chris 2) Uncles Fester and Sylvester with the quietly urbane Tim Mallon 3) Flick and her mum swish proudly towards the.. 4) pagoda where the vows were exchanged 5) Suze, Melissa, Danni and Nicole Sullivan pose 6) Jason and Michelle made the trip all the way down from Brissie 7) Chris looks desperately for more sensible father The wedding of the decade (and ten days) 14.3.11 - Matt Cafarella and Flick (pic 4) have been an hot item ever since they first met, ten years and ten days ago on Saturday the 13th last and so it was I received in invitation to their wedding being celebrated on that day. Spectrum wasn't working and so Chris and I rolled up to the Yering Gorge Cottages just this side of Lilydale right on time at 4.45 to find a large crowd of family and friends already assembled around a pagoda overlooking a green valley with a jazz band providing a musical backdrop from the verandah of the function room. After quite a long wait in the uncomfortably hot late afternoon sun, the bride and her mother (pic 5) swished down the rose-lined path to the pagoda where Matt and we were waiting - and the ceremony was under way. After the ceremony there was a group photo at the foot of the function room steps and then Flick's mum, Flick and Matt, the bridesmaids, Syl, Nick and Rick all spoke entertainingly about each other and then we ate and drank and mingled and danced till it was time to go - well, those that had gigs at St Andrews the next day did anyway. The setting, the ceremony and the reception were very special and I'm sure it'll be a day that will be remembered and treasured by everybody that was there - not least the happy couple.     back to the top