140911 citynews

JOHN GRIFFITHS / JENNIFER DISCOVERS THE INTERNET’S NAKED

Brianna tests

Jeremy’s patience

MICHAEL MOORE

Faulks fields the power of tourism

ROBERT MACKLIN

Happy days of discovering food

MARK PARTON

Miracle Mum

How baby Maddox beat the odds

Denise and the miracle of baby Maddox

GAZING at her six-week-old baby, kidney transplant recipient Denise Bridges can’t stop saying how lucky she feels.

“It’s surreal – even after I’d had the baby and was holding him in my arms for the first time, I was in shock,” she says. “Maddox is the baby we never thought would be, so he’s much celebrated. I feel so blessed to have a child.”

Denise, 39, was diagnosed with renal failure and a disorder called branchio-oto-renal syndrome, which can also affect sinuses and hearing, when she was 11. She had a transplant at 14.

“I’d always been a healthy child, so it was a shock for the family when I became ill,” she says. “We then found out it’s a hereditary condition and was something I’d always been at risk of without knowing it.”

Denise will take part in the Canberra Big Kidney Walk on September 21, to help raise awareness of kidney health.

“The walk is great because it gets people thinking about kidney health and organ donation, but it needs to be on people’s minds all year round,” she says.

“I understand it’s a difficult thing, and I honestly don’t know how I’d feel

Kathryn Vukovljak reports

about it if we hadn’t gone through this, but so many people are waiting for transplants that I think it’s important to talk to your family about your wishes.”

Denise was on peritoneal dialysis for three years, and suffered two serious bouts of peritonitis before getting the call to say a kidney was available.

The compatibility of the organ was unusually high at 98.9 per cent, and Denise says this is most likely the reason her transplant was so successful.

“It was such an amazing, nervous time,” she says. “I had mixed feelings, feeling so lucky but at the same time acknowledging that someone had died in order for me to be able to receive this new lease on life.”

Denise says that after the surgery, she went from feeling exhausted, puffed and on a strict diet to being a normal teenager with a healthy life.

“I could even have sleepovers,” she says. “As I got older I travelled around India, Europe, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia, and I’ve also been able to have a successful career with no restrictions on my life.”

Denise says she focused on career and travel, but last year she met her

partner Matthew Brooks and everything changed.

“I grew up with the understanding that I wouldn’t be able to have kids,” she says. “The peritonitis had scarred

my fallopian tubes, and pregnancy would also put a lot of pressure on the kidney and my medication could damage the baby.

“When we found out about the pregnancy he was thrilled. It was a huge shock but I saw my renal specialist who said I’m his healthiest patient, and if others can do it, he was confident I would have no issues.

“I was carefully monitored throughout the pregnancy but everything went smoothly, and Maddox was born safely via caesarean weighing 2.4kg.”

Denise says that since having Maddox, she’s been doing a lot of reflecting on the person who donated their kidney.

“It’s been 25 years now since I got this second chance and an opportunity for a healthy life,” she says. “My way to show my appreciation is to live life to the fullest.”

Denise says Maddox has a mild form of the condition, but has perfect kidney function and has had the all-clear for his hearing, which has brought a huge sense of relief for the family.

“He’s such a good baby, a happy, healthy boy, and I’m so very lucky,” she says.

The Canberra Big Red Kidney Walk starts near the National Carillon. 11am, September 21. Register online at kidneyhealthaustralia.com.au

“Matthew and I talked about it and I gave him the option to proceed in the relationship or not, but he was fine with it – just upset for me.

Since 1993: Volume 20, Number 34

Arts & Entertainment 18-21

Canberra Confidential 14

Cinema 18

Dining 21

Garden 22

Horoscope 23

Letters 8

News 3-13

Politics 6 Puzzles 23

Socials 15-17

Maddox.

Gary Schafer. Story Page 3.

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Faulks fields the power of tourism

FULL marks to Business Council chief Chris Faulks for taking up the cudgels wielded by Federal Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese to get the Feds involved in promoting Canberra tourism. And she’s quite right about that awful “Feel the Power” campaign. It was counter-productive.

We reckon “Heart of the Nation” is the go. Happily, Floriade just keeps getting bigger. But as local gardeners pointed out, climate change means the blossoms are blooming two weeks earlier than they used to.

SPEAKING OF Albo, Labor pollster Rod Cameron this week warned that the party couldn’t win with Bill Shorten as leader, even with Tony Abbott’s popularity at rock bottom. Just shows how silly the new leadership rules are – 60 per cent of members wanted Albo trumped by the factions in Caucus.

Floriade just keeps getting bigger. But as local gardeners pointed out, climate change means the blossoms are blooming two weeks earlier than they used to.

PLEASING to see Lib leader Jeremy Hanson backing off the political imbroglio that surrounded Mr Fluffy victim and advocate Brianna Heseltine this week. “I will continue to work with [her] in a professional capacity as is appropriate,” he said. Her interview with Marcus Paul on 2CC – available through citynews.com. au – defending her right to join a political party showed just how effective she would be in the cut and thrust of parliamentary life. But for the moment the need to get proper compensation for the affected homeowners is the only priority. And the conciliatory attitude adopted by the Federal Minister Eric Abetz gives hope that a genuine solution is in the offing.

ABBOTT took his international statesmanship – and the Dancing

Shiva – to India after first giving the nod to the SAS to fly into Iraq with our resupply of the Kurdish fighters in their battle against “pure evil”. Plenty of that around: that massive international conspiracy of priestly paedophiles, for instance.

LOOKS like our former Deputy Chief Minister and Attorney-General Bernard Collaery could be headed for the Alexander Maconochie Centre if his Federal counterpart George Brandis has his way. Brandis sooled the AFP on to him this week and, if convicted, that could mean two years in the pokie. Bernard was acting for East Timor and an ASIS spy when he allegedly told the ABC how the spy inserted bugs to discover their tactics in a big oil and gas negotiation. What fun if it goes to trial.

ROBERT MACKLIN

THE Sydney ICAC hearings took a further toll of pollies on both sides of the aisle this week, mostly over illegal fundraising. The obvious solution: all election funding to come from the public purse and be set at a reasonable limit. That way no one is beholden to lobby groups, from trade unions to dodgy developers.

SAD to see that even in enlightened Canberra we can’t escape the “concerned citizens” campaigning against the Gungahlin mosque. Their objection was thrown out by the courts and they missed the deadline for appeal. Still they persist.

robertmacklin.com

THE FACE THAT CHANGED GARDENS

“My goal for the project was to draw people out of their homes through the use of inspiring outdoor spaces that make outdoor living possible throughout the year.” – Jamie Durie, DURIE DESIGN

Designing the 6000sqm central gardens at Observatory was a task for only one person. A person with the experience, knowledge and international recognition to execute such a design. Breakout spaces, firepits for shared cooking, a training circuit and plantings, such as fruit trees and Australian natives that will thrive in the capital.

But that’s not where it ends. Jamie has gone that extra mile at the highest point in the garden by designing a spectacular iridescent red 25m lap pool that doubles as a water feature in the cooler months; giving Canberra a never seen before offering so carefully crafted, to perfectly redefine apartment living.

DID YOU KNOW?

A feature of the gardens is a Pear Grove – a space dedicated to relaxation, laying around, sharing a drink with friends and taking in the subtle sounds of the themed water garden.

politics Brianna tests Jeremy’s patience

JEREMY Hanson is right when he says it is going to be more difficult for him to work with Brianna Heseltine after she announced her intention to run for the Labor Party.

The Opposition Leader has made great mileage over the Mr Fluffy asbestos debacle. That’s his job.

Holding the government to account is a prime role of the alternate government. Mr Hanson knows that his role has just become more difficult.

More awkward is the revelation that Heseltine has been a member of the Labor Party for a number of months and had revealed this to her networks on social media.

people lobbying for better community outcomes rarely rely on one side of politics, but seek to get an agreed approach across the political spectrum. This is how the Fluffy Owners and Residents’ Action Group has operated.

Hanson’s response suggesting that this group would feel “misled and let down” may prove to be the case.

vigorous public campaign that she deserves recognition for that advocacy work. There is no suggestion that she was just doing this for a personal political agenda – that would put the cart before the horse.

There’s a flipside. There is often a catalyst that spurs someone into politics. People involved in the union movement, industry bodies and trying to rectify a range of social wrongs realise that there is only so far they can go without having a hand on the tiller of decision making.

It is not surprising that Heseltine has determined that she can play a role in making a better society by being involved in politics. At this level she should be congratulated for being prepared to put her hand up.

More awkward is the revelation that Heseltine has been a member of the Labor Party for a number of months and had revealed this to her networks on social media.

The leadership she has shown in bringing the Fluffy issue into the public eye has been exemplary. She has worked with Senators, Labor and Liberal and, at the same time as working with the government, she has kept the opposition briefed.

Senators and MLAs understand that

Under the Hare-Clark system, community profile is a key element in getting someone elected.

It may well be that the ability to vote for Heseltine is much more important than the fact that she is running for Labor.

Voters may well vote for her personally and then move their vote across to a Liberal or Green candidate. The ACT electoral system allows this to happen and it is quite common.

Favouring the best candidates over party preferences is an appropriate way to vote.

The Labor Party hates the approach with scrutineers and officials describing it as “undisciplined voting”.

The Liberal Party has a similar, although less publicly strident, view to voters moving across party lines.

Ordinary members of political parties are also community members. In my view they do not have to disclose their membership until such time as they seek election themselves.

There are many reasons why people join political parties without the intention of standing for that party in an election.

Jeremy Hanson has explained what he sees as the conflict of interest: “This now calls into question Heseltine’s recent statements in defence of (Chief Minister) Katy Gallagher’s past inaction on the issue”.

Heseltine has run such a

She explained in a public statement: “When this was first put to me, I was astounded that something that has brought my family so much devastation could possibly lead to a future in public life.

“I am asked by affected families on almost a daily basis whether I will go into politics after all of this. I think a lot of people can see that I actually care about them and the issue”.

No one can doubt Heseltine’s level of concern and care. It is a different issue now that she can see clearly how decisions that affect our community are made, that she has decided to take the next logical step to put her hand up for one of the 25 seats in the next Legislative Assembly.

Michael Moore was an independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly (1989 to 2001) and was minister for health.

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WE had a wonderful conversation on my radio show last week about the massive changes to Australia’s culinary landscape in the last 40 years. These are changes that are strikingly obvious in Canberra.

The discussion was inspired by my mate Mike Crowther who was chatting on Facebook about the distinct lack of international food outlets in western Sydney when he was growing up there in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

The first genuine Chinese restaurant to open in Canberra was Happy’s in the early ‘60s.

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Mike recalls that he didn’t eat garlic bread until he was 18 and didn’t sample Chinese food till he was 19.

“There were no ethnic restaurants in the western suburbs. Wogs ate with their families, not in restaurants, and it wasn’t till the late ‘70s that Australians from my part of the continent started to get game enough to try,” he wrote.

Mike’s experience is similar to mine.

Ours was a “meat-and-threeveg” household. My mother’s kitchen repertoire had about 12 main meals in it. She did them all very well, but variety was not on the agenda.

She did make a dish that she described as a curry… but in hindsight, it clearly wasn’t. She also served something that she referred to as spaghetti bolognaise, which we would smother in tomato sauce.

I can recall the first time we ate as a family at a dingy little Chinese restaurant in Northam in WA in the 70’s. I marvelled at the new exotic flavours unlike anything that came out of my mum’s kitchen.

I would have been 12 and it was the first time I’d ever laid eyes on a snow pea. And I can recall that

Apparently, the first genuine Chinese restaurant to open in Canberra was Happy’s in the early ‘60s. Happy’s is still trading in Garema Place, which I gather is the original location. They did takeaway back then, but you had to bring your own pot. How quaint.

Former Duntroon cadet Rod called the program with his memories of Happy’s.

“We’d go and have a big feed every few weeks,” he said. “It really was the place to be.”

He recalled a night when he and his friends were particularly rowdy and told to leave. As he was ordering them from the premises, the owner of Happy’s reportedly told Rod and his crew, “Me not happy no more”.

Aren’t we spoilt for international cuisine in Canberra now?

What was your first international food ex perience either in or out of Canberra ?

Mark Parton is the breakfast host on 2CC.

MARK PARTON

I WRITE in response to the opinion piece by Michael Moore (“Smoking out Big Tobacco’s toadies”, CN, September 3), which makes inaccurate and defamatory claims about our Association and seeks to discredit independent research without any basis in fact.

Firstly, to be clear: the Australasian Association of Convenience Stores is not an arm of, nor do we lobby for, the tobacco industry. While AACS does have tobacco companies amongst its members, the suggestion that AACS is merely a “front” for the tobacco industry is highly insulting.

Secondly, the research we refer to in discussing the additional cost burdens forced on small retailers and consumer tobacco purchasing habits following the introduction of plain packaging is sourced from some of the most credible research organisations in Australia and internationally.

As well as data from our own retailers, we rely on and refer to real data from sources including Roy Morgan, Deloitte, KPMG, Nielsen and AZTEC. Collectively, these companies produce research that is widely valued for its independence and accuracy.

Regardless of who funds the research undertaken by these companies, for their work to be dismissed and mocked, and for their and AACS’ independence to be questioned without basis in fact, is inappropriate and again, insulting. The actual evidence to date concerning the retail implications of plain packaging is clear. It has had negative financial implications for small businesses, however sales continue to grow despite plain packaging. Obviously this evidence is inconvenient for the health lobby but we make no apology for this.

‘A

lowbrow Jennifer discovers the internet’s naked truth

Posing nude, in my experience, is one of the ultimate feminist acts.”

– Joan Smith, “The Guardian”, September 2

PRIVACY is a bit of a hot button topic this week.

On the international stage the winsome starlet Jennifer Lawrence (not to be confused with Canberra’s own Jennifer Lawrence who is entirely winsome but has yet to win an Academy Award) has joined the wider world in the desire to see herself naked, taking the pictures to fulfil that desire on her iPhone only to see them become public.

Due to, it seems, a bizarre combination of security flaws in Apple’s back-up system for iPhones her naked selfies have percolated through the sewers of the internet and, with a bunch of other celebrities, come into the broader public domain.

On the other hand, Canberra’s Queen of Mr Fluffy Victims, Brianna Heseltine, has posted unwisely to Facebook about her political ambitions, said a number of inconsistent things, and threatened to sue everybody.

Facebook privacy is, Brianna’s protestations aside, a relatively simple matter.

Unless one gains binding undertakings in advance, any information shared is the property of those it is shared with.

Let’s try and grasp how Brianna wants the world to work.

A figure engaged in a public advocacy campaign to enrich a small group of property investors who gambled badly on amosite asbestos deserve compensation (at least in terms of comparative disadvantage) at the expense of the homeless and mentally ill (I realise this is pushing the limits of debate, but Fluffy compensation money is going to come at the expense of many far worse off).

She wants to do this while planning a candidacy for the party of Government (as announced on her Facebook profile weeks before denying such plans on Radio 2CC), while claiming privacy and a right to sue everyone and anyone. (Deep breath).

Let us turn our thoughts back to Hollywood’s Ms Lawrence.

Celebrities, as loosely defined by regular appearances on late-night American television, tend to have

an innocuous email address through which they conduct their personal business.

In my travels, I’ve gained a couple of them and the unspoken contract is that the address will never be used trivially and will not be shared with anyone else.

But armed with such information it has until recently been possible to fire brute force password attacks at Apple’s iCloud service. Once one knows that Jlawr@ jenniferlawrence.com (as a hypothetical and imagined example) is the target ID, then robots can run potential passwords at the server until the deep booming voice says: “Open, sesame”.

Because Apple runs superb back-up services above and beyond any other IT company, those two data allow a person in possession to build themselves a perfect replica of the starlet’s iPhone, including any nude selfies. When the intricacies are beyond mighty Apple what hope the rest of us?

We start up a new phone to be bombarded by ill-defined messages asking us crucial questions. “Automatic backup?” Well that sounds good doesn’t it?

One would like to think feminism has more to aim at as an “ultimate goal” than women taking pictures of themselves naked.

But should that urge prove irresistible it might be best to make sure the image capturing device has a simple enough information technology stack to really understand what it’s doing.

Failing that, Polaroids.

Shake it like a polaroid picture.

John Griffiths in the online editor for citynews.com.au

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Trenton Morrissey

2014 Allhomes Salesperson of the Year

The Allhomes Salesperson of the Year Award is based on feedback directly from buyers and sellers. Trenton achieved the highest level of client satisfaction.

“Trenton’s professionalism, knowledge of the market and his enthusiasm for selling real estate ensured that the sale of both our properties well and truly exceeded our expectations”

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“I have absolutely no hesitation in referring my family and friends to Morrissey Property so they can experience the great service Trenton provides first hand!”

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Trenton has won this award for two years running

Sew-viving in a big, tough world

By Kathryn Vukovljak

QUILTING’S not a nanna’s game, says local quilter Crystal McGann, and at the moment it’s not for the fainthearted either, as she’s at the pointy end of an international online elimination sewing competition, “Sew-vivor”.

Run by US blogger Rachel, from Family Ever After, “Sewvivor” includes the requisite series of challenges and twists for brave sewists everywhere – although only 16 get past the initial audition process.

This is the third time it’s run, and as this is the “Quilter’s Edition”, Crystal – who’s made it to the final five – thought she’d give it a shot. She auditioned with her quilt “Modern Medallion”, which she says “most represents who she is and who she wants to be as a quilter”.

“I’m really excited to be in the final five. I think it’s a very big deal, and I’m the only Australian – and Canberran – left in the competition,” she says.

“It’s been amazing, but it’s hectic, it’s crazy, it’s stressful but

so much fun at the same time.

“My husband has been really supportive, particularly as we have two young children, but he’s also wondering when it will finish!”

Crystal says the themes so far have been to make something nautical, a bag, something with hexagons and for the final round, a lap quilt.

“You can interpret the theme however you want, so for nautical I made a quilt with an iceberg and a paper boat floating around, and my bag was a round design inspired by washi tape,” she says.

Although the competitors know the challenges ahead of time, Crystal has been making them as she goes along, which gives her two weeks to complete each project.

“Quilting is my creative outlet, although I wouldn’t say I always find it relaxing, sometimes it’s really difficult.

“But what I like about it is the complexity; you can make it as easy or as hard as you want, depending on your skill, so there’s always something new to learn and something different to try.”

Crystal is a member of the Canberra Modern Quilt Guild; 30 or so quilters who meet every

month in the Civic Library.

“We catch up, show and tell, share techniques, swap fabrics and troubleshoot in a pretty informal environment,” she says. “The social aspect is really lovely. The quilting community is quite massive and it was great to discover so many local people.”

“Sew-vivor” wraps up at the end of September, with a lot more frantic late-night quilting to come in the weeks ahead.

“For my hexagon design I’ve hand-quilted with linen and dress wool – I might not be able to feel my fingers by the end,” says Crystal.

Facing a combination of five judges and a public vote, the winner will receive a prize pack of tempting sewing goodies.

Crystal says that while the competition started out with everyone being friendly and supportive, things have changed now.

“We used to chat online all the time, and there was no real competition between us,” she says. “It’s not like that now! But that’s okay, it was pretty full-on. It’s getting competitive.”

Visit familyeverafterblog.com to follow Crystal in her quilting quest.

Helping Helen

HELEN Rimanic is staging “The Great Pretenders – Tribute to the Stars” to fundraise for a prosthetic leg for her friend, Liz Woodhead, who has been suffering from cancer in her leg and lung. The theme of the night is to “Get Liz Back on Her Feet Again”. At the Vikings Auditorium, Erindale, 1.30pm, September 14. Tickets at $30 from 6253 1454.

Help for anxiety

A FREE 12-week Canberra anxiety self-help group course starts on Monday, September 15. Facilitated by Mental Health Australia, the course consists of 12 weekly meetings of small supportive groups led by two facilitators providing a “supportive, non-judgmental and enjoyable environment”. Intending participants should call the Mental Health Association on 9339 6093.

Going for a song

THE Woden View Club will celebrate Woden’s 44th birthday at its monthly lunch on September 23 at the Southern Cross Club. The Canberra Girls’ Grammar Choir will perform and the theme is “music”. The cost is $24 and intending visitors and interested ladies should call 6281 2022 to book.

Opal insights

Quilter Crystal McGann with her audition quilt, “Modern Medallion” and the bag that got her through... “The competition has been amazing, but it’s hectic, it’s crazy, it’s stressful but so much fun at the same time.”

by Gary Schafer

AND at the Tuggeranong Evening View Club, opal miner Lloyd Hall will be the guest speaker at the dinner at the Town Centre Club, corner of Rowland Rees Crescent and Athllon Drive, Greenway on September 24. RSVP to tuggeven@gmail.com or call 6286 7526.

www.facebook.com/canberrababyexpo

Canberra Confidential

Mama makes the finals

CANBERRA mum Amy Luttrell, pictured, designer of the Mama Chic Do Not Disturb (DND) pram sleep cover, is “absolutely bursting with pride” to be a finalist in the jaw-trembling AusMumpreneur Awards.

“I’m still in shock that I made it to the finals and am just so proud,” she says.

Amy is one of 10 finalists in the Product Innovation category for her pram sleep cover, which creates a dark, peaceful sleeping environment for baby.

The winners will be announced at a gala event on October 11 in Melbourne.

Vote online at surveymonkey.com/s/ausmumpreneurproduct. Voting closes at midnight on Monday, October 6.

Tina to the rescue

LAST week’s cover gal, singer Tina Arena , captivated her audience with a powerful performance at Llewellyn Hall on Saturday night and left the stage in what appeared to be a sincerely tearful state of gratitude for the warm, standing ovation she received in Canberra.

As CC sat grumpily amid an irritating array of flickering smartphone screens thoughtlessly photographing and recording her performance, Tina sarkily asked one fan with an iPad in the front rows if everything was okay at home and if it was, perhaps they could sit back and enjoy the show! Love you, Tina!

Punished by Facebook

HERE’S a teapot-calling-the-kettle-black moment as a would-be marketing “spammer” complains that Facebook won’t let him, but Twitter will…

“As the Facebook algorithm continues to play havoc on organisation’s (sic) audiences, we have done a complete flip from Facebook to Twitter as the most dominant social media platform for us,” writes local PR spinner Jamie Bradnam

And if you wondered why your social media world is becoming sullied by marketing messages, Jamie cheerfully explains: “The beauty of Twitter is that you are able to repeat a message multiple times at different times of the day to reach different audiences. If I ever post the same thing on Facebook twice, I’m certain that Facebook punishes it the second time around and audiences pick up on it.”

Gone to the dogs?

THERE is the old joke that Assembly members in our small community would turn up to the opening of an envelope if you let them. So CC is unsurprised to see the media resources of the Chief Minister’s office used to announce

(“Former public servants follow their dreams”) that Katy Gallagher would launch a dog walking and minding service at the Yarralumla dog park.

Save your money

SELLING your home? Here’s some advice on not wasting your money on real estate print advertising embedded in the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s decision to bless the buyout of real estate website Allhomes by Fairfax’s Domain entity.

“Market inquiries indicated that aggregating Fairfax’s print and online assets with Allhomes was unlikely to change the current competitive dynamics. This is due to the dominant position of Allhomes in the ACT and the decrease in circulation of ‘The Canberra Times’,” ACCC Commissioner Dr Jill Walker said.

“The ACCC noted that in comparison to its presence in other States, Domain was a weak competitor in the ACT and its market position was unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.”

Sir Angus it may be

THE shadowy Braddon Punters Club, which for a couple of years has made consistently accurate albeit anonymous political predictions (though the downfall of Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson is eluding their scoreboard), has turned up with its “Spring Carnival Political Update”.

They are suggesting odds of 5/4 on that former Defence chief Angus Houston will get a knighthood, former Liberal senator Gary Humphries is a 3/1 chance of being appointed a Territory administrator (Christmas Island post Jon Stanhope CC wonders?), Katy Gallagher is 2/1 chance for the Senate (succeeding Kate Lundy?) and former Chief Minister Kate Carnell is an improbable 2/1 punt on her returning to the Assembly.

SKI AUSTRIA

with the Lech & Zurs snow tour specialists

January 2015

There are still a few spots left in January for our Austrian ski trip, wonderful skiing and fine dining in one of the worlds top ski resorts Lech am Arlberg.

14 nights in on-snow accommodation , guided skiing, transfers to and from Zurich airport, ski pass, all breakfasts and dinners and a moonlit horse and sleigh ride. If you have a partner who doesn’t ski there is always lots to do in the beautiful village of Lech.

Join Hans and Tina owners of Arlberg Ski Centre on this prestige trip, nothing else compares.

“TONE, Colour and Space”, an annual festival of performing and visual arts by Lake Tuggeranong College, was opened by Arts Minister Joy Burch at the Tuggeranong Arts Centre last night. It’s a new approach to give students the chance to perform and exhibit in a community space and is an ideal partnership with the Art Centre and a valuable opportunity to experience the transition from school to community.

And it would seem these students are doing just fine. Their enthusiasm well nurtured and harnessed with some exceptional work in the art exhibition with drama, music and singing on show and the most fascinating and thought provoking display of “book reconstruction”. It probably has a special name as an art form and, let’s be honest, it would be difficult to display around the family home, but I loved the detail and thought behind the de/ reconstruction.

Amy Collins found a book from Hawaii in the 1920s called “Blood and Orchids” by Norman Katkov.

“Not very well written,” according to Amy, but with a South Seas décor, a bottle of gin and some playing cards hidden inside – it was Prohibition time – it becomes a funky edition of a forgotten book.

Until September 13.

arts & entertainment / cinema

Who can you trust?

“Bethlehem” (M)

IN writer/director Yuval Adler’s feature debut, Israeli secret-service officer Razi (Tsahi Halevi) is running a mole in an extremist group – Hamas, Palestinians, whatever; the film from its outset presents difficulties understanding exactly which group is which in the conflict on the streets of Tel Aviv.

Playing both sides of the fence, teenager Sanfur’s (Shadi Mar’i) current task is to locate his brother Ibrahim, the terrorist leader whom Razi has been pursuing for a year.

“Bethlehem”, so significant in the Christian faith, is a battlefield where fighters from all sides openly carry short arms. The film’s structure presents awkward contrasts between non-belligerents and fighters for whom life has scant value. Alliances between rival groups don’t last. Two members of different groups seem to be co-operating; one disposes of the other with as little concern as flushing a toilet.

Hollywood filmmakers could learn useful lessons from the energy, brio, verisimilitude and style with which Adler stages his quasi-military streetfighting. The inner workings of characters’ souls provide him and co-author Ali Wakad (who also plays a journalist) with fertile fields for exploration, cultivation and manipulation. The film’s bottom line is, who can you trust? For how long? And for what reason?

At Capitol 6

“Boyhood” (M)

RICHARD Linklater’s cinematic observation of Mason (Ellar Coltrane) between ages six and 18 has garnered praise for its content and admiration for how cast and crew assembled one week in each of 12 years to film it.

For several years Linklater was fixated on telling the story of “a parent-child relationship that follows a boy from the first through the 12th grade and ends with him going off to college”.

Beginning that process in 2001 was an act of more than a little courage and optimism (fortunately, all the main players were still available to film the closing sequences.)

It’s about life middle-America style. Mason’s parents (Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke) are divorced. Samantha (Lorelei Linklater) is Mason’s older sister from hell (with some prospect over the years of amelioration of her attitude but you have to wait for it). Mother leaves second husband Bill (Marco Perella) also from hell, a bullying alcoholic psychology lecturer. She takes a degree and becomes a high-school teacher.

These people are the foundation environment for Mason’s development. The film presents less a plot than a beginner’s guide to growing up. In the single-digit years, his development complexities are relatively simple. Puberty brings the challenges confronting all boys. Adolescence brings the delights of dishy Sheena (Zoe Graham). Mason leaves home for university perhaps wiser, happier and a little optimistic.

Already winning industry awards, “Boyhood” runs for 165 minutes, improving as it goes.

At Capitol 6 and Dendy

“Into the Storm” (M)

STEVEN Quayle’s second feature (in 2011, I gave half a star to his first, “Final Destination”) “Into the Storm” cost $US50million and Americans have already paid twice that to see it.

Others have described it as a “found-footage disaster film”. Every frame of it has been carefully staged. However, “disaster” hits the mark well enough.

High-school deputy principal Gary (Richard Armitage) takes his younger son to school while the older one goes off to shoot footage for a class assignment. Down the track, tornado hunters driving a van packed with weather-sensing and comms gear and a supposedly tornado-proof custom-built vehicle carrying a camera team, are desperate to get up close and personal with a tornado so that they can sell the footage for big bucks.

Today’s their day. But the footage will cost big bucks. Every buck they have, in fact.

Directing the school population and the tornado hunters through not one, nor two but four tornadoes that obligingly enter town along main roads before veering into buildings that Quayle wants them to demolish, John Swetnam’s screenplay runs on trite cliché dialogue and exaggerated situations. The CG disaster footage looks great (one star for that). The plot might have made better sense had it tried harder to respect viewers’ intelligence by offering even slim consistency and credibility.

At Capitol 6, Palace Electric, Dendy, Hoyts and Limelight

DOUGAL MACDONALD

By Helen Musa

CURATOR Deborah Hart has been grappling with “agony and ecstasy” for the past three years putting together a show about one of Australia’s greatest painters.

Dr Hart, senior curator of Australian painting and sculptor at the National Gallery of Australia, insists “Arthur Boyd: Agony and Ecstasy” is most definitely not a retrospective, but it does look at more than 120 works across the media of painting, tapestry, print and ceramics, examining the work of “one of our most accomplished arts artists in terms of stylistic matters”.

Placing a strong emphasis on figures rather than landscapes, she has enjoyed the rare opportunity of being able to look at groups of Boyd’s work to see the interconnections in works completed over a 40-year period.

We will see his disturbing “Nebuchadnezzar” series, hinting at the Vietnam War, and his “The Lady and the Unicorn” series, painted in collaboration with the poet Peter Porter and sometimes reversing the roles of hunter and the hunted.

Of special interest to Canberrans, she believes, will be Boyd’s “Caged painter” series, conceived during a residency at the ANU from 1971 to 1972 and reflecting the brilliant sunlight so long missed while he was in England.

Among the many works never exhibited before and revealing the human condition is “The Prodigal Son”, a large, preserved fragment of a mural painted for his uncle, novelist,

Martin Boyd, while the artist played Beethoven’s 7th Symphony – agony and ecstasy together.

Hart tells me that the title was intended “to try and get across Arthur Boyd’s experience, and his personality”. To her, we see the agony in his struggle in being an artist and the ecstasy in his ideas that transcend that struggle.

One thing that impressed her during the course of curating the exhibition was the profound element of compassion in Boyd’s works in the first room of the show, where we’ll see reference to the human suffering in World War II. In his biblical and mythical works too, she notes, he brings the suffering of the past and the present together.

By happy chance, Hart met Boyd during the 1980s and Boyd’s extraordinary energy and his activity struck her so much that she couldn’t imagine he ever took any time off.

“Yet he came across as the most gentle, reticent man, very humble when you consider the amount of work he had done,” she says.

Gentle and unassuming perhaps, Hart says, “but there must have been something going on inside”.

“Arthur Boyd: Agony and Ecstasy”, National Gallery of Australia, until November 9.

By Helen Musa

TOBIAS Cole seems like a man with a mission – two missions, in fact.

Fresh from playing the title role in State Opera SA’s August production of Philip Glass’s opera “Akhnaten”, where director Leigh Warren had him moving among his dancers, Cole has come to respect works where movement plays an important role.

That links nicely, Cole says, to his newest plan, to set up what he calls a “body and voice” company.

“It’s high time we had a company that encourages the use of every faculty available for expression – it’s the way to go,” he tells me.

The other big thing in Cole’s life at the moment is the coming Canberra Choral Society production of Handel’s “Alexander Balus”, which depicts King Ptolemy of Egypt manoeuvring and using his own daughter Cleopatra to get Alexander Balus off the Syrian throne.

“The music in it is up there with his best and the final aria by Cleopatra is one of most glorious arias in Handel’s writing,” Cole enthuses.

He’s being careful to call it neither an opera nor an oratorio, just Handel’s “Alexander Balus”, so not to turn people off.

He’ll be staging the work in two carefully-trimmed segments of 55 minutes each, with one interval. In

the first two acts of “Alexander Balus” nothing much happens, but Act III has “action galore”, he says.

Taking Handel to The Playhouse, with its “possibility of intimacy”, was a canny move.

“I think musicians tend to rely too heavily on reverberant conditions,” he says.

“You have to work a little harder in a drier space like The Playhouse, but it’s worth it.”

Cole will sing the title role of Alexander. His opposite number, Jonathan, the brother of Judas Maccabeus, will be sung by Australian tenor Christopher Saunders. They first met in 1993 when both were finalists in the Marianne Mathy singing competition.

Cleopatra will be played by Melbourne soprano Jacqueline Porter, known for her work with Victorian Opera.

Conductor Brett Weymark will lead the Canberra Choral Society augmented by some of the ANU Chamber Choir and 11 players performing on baroque instruments. Erin Helyard will play harpsichord and Peter Young the organ.

And what will next year’s Handel be? – it’s always a Handel – Cole can’t/won’t say, but says: “Don’t worry, Handel is going to keep us all very busy for the next 20 years.”

Handel’s “Alexander Balus”, Canberra Choral Society, The Playhouse, Saturday, September 20, bookings to 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre.com.au

The many roles of Tobias Cole Glass artist breathes easy

CONGRATULATIONS to Queanbeyan glass artist Harriet Schwarzrock, winner of the Sculpture and Objects prize in the ever-fascinating Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize recently announced at the SA Museum and coming to the National Archives on September 26. Schwarzrock has used tinted, blown glass to create plant-like fronds that trace the word “breathe.”

THE inaugural Matt Withers Young Australian Music Composition Competition aims to generate new Australian music and support emerging composers. First-place winner Jack Frerer, of Sydney, has won $500 for “House Away From Home”. Canberra’s Chloë Jay came second with “Insect Reflection” and third is Clare Johnston, from Melbourne, for “Leaving”. All three composers win a live recording opportunity and a performance at the National Arboretum in November.

THE Griffyn Ensemble has joined forces with Canberra pop-duo Alison Oakleigh and Pete Lyons of The Cashews, to put together “House on Fire”, new music to match the Boyd exhibition at the National Gallery. Hosted by Clancy the Cockatoo, the program features songs about bogong moths, mountain tops

Helen Musa arts in the city

and the local landscape, and includes a special event inside James Turrell’s “Skyspace”. At the NGA, 2pm, September 13 and 14, bookings via iwannaticket.com.au

“QUEEN – It’s A Kinda Magic” will be at Canberra Theatre on September 14. The show recreates Queen’s 1986 world tour concert, featuring more than 20 hits, including “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions”. Canadian performer and instrumentalist Giles Taylor plays Freddie Mercury. Bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

WE hear there’ll be lots of “stitchy goodness” at the annual exhibition of the ACT Embroiderers’ Guild in Albert Hall. The show will be opened at 7.30pm on September 18 by Brendan Nelson, director of the Australian War Memorial, and it’s open to the public, 10am-4pm, September 19-21. One highlight will be a commemoration called “Stitching Love and Hope”, featuring members’ work re-interpreting World War I silk postcards.

Give a Pre Christnas Gift for someone special SAT 13th DECEMBER.

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CONTACT: Coralie Wood Publicity on 0418 249 658 for further information and bookings Bookings must be finalised by 8 October

Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of his birth A Solo Exhibition by Ted Lewis

September – 14th October

Opening Friday 19th September 5.30-7.30pm with performance by Max Cullen RSVP by 14th September (limited spaces available)

Time to get busy in the garden

THE arrival of Floriade on September 13 heralds spring and that means it’s time to get busy in the garden, says horticulturist

Don Franklin, owner of The Garden Plant Nursery in Belconnen.

“It’s still a bit early to plant our frost-tender favourites, but we can certainly prepare our garden beds,” Don says. “If you have compost brewing, now’s the time to start using it. Remove the top layer, find that rich black compost lower down and spread it over your garden bed.

“Fork it into the soil nice and deep to help aerate and loosen the soil, then rake over to level the soil and apply mulch to the top.”

It’s time to think about mulch too, he says, which helps to keep the soil warmer with the warm days but still cool nights.

“It won’t protect frost-tender plants, but will keep plant root systems happier,” he says.

“Warmer soil creates faster root development and this in turn will promote faster growth and larger plants, as well as less water requirements.”

Don and his wife Lisa run the nursery together, and offer a range of products and services to enhance every customer’s gardening experience, including a new gift shop and plant nursery.

New to the nursery is Dianthus “Memories”, which has been bred to support Alzheimer’s research with reference to the link between

scent and memory, says Don.

“Long flowering pure white blooms on sturdy stems, dry tolerance, delightful fragrance and exceptional hardiness are features of this gorgeous plant, which will perform equally well in garden beds, containers or long-lasting cut flower displays,” he says.

“A dollar from the sale of each plant will go directly to the Alzheimer’s Australia Dementia Research Foundation.”

The Garden Plant Nursery, 148 Parkwood Road, Macgregor. Call 6254 6726.

Abstract in natural tones

MARGARET Dimoff is an abstract impressionist, having painted extensively for 15 years.

Her work is on display and available for sale at the Margaret Dimoff Art Gallery in Deakin.

“I paint predominantly abstract works mostly using acrylic on canvas or paper,” she says.

“My work is particularly suited to large scale canvases with my works on paper of a smaller scale, usually framed under glass.”

While still producing some works on paper, Margaret says she has focused in recent times on large scale canvases.

Margaret graduated from ANU in ceramics in 1983 and sculpture in 1992. She turned to painting in the 1990s and says she now focuses all her energies to painting.

Margaret says she has an affinity with natural tones and the more subtle colour ranges using texture and layering to create form and substance.

“Each work is a new experience and remains in the studio for many weeks or months until a resolution is gained,” she says.

“The surface may be reworked many times before it reaches its conclusion. Despite the sometimes labour intensive approach, the work remains fresh, vibrant and emotive.

“The images are complex but subtle, strong yet at times delicate and rarely fail in achieving a satisfying level of sophistication.”

Margaret Dimoff Art Gallery, 38 Grey Street, Deakin. Call 4473 8193.

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arts & entertainment / dining

Ristorante doing something right

I DID my first review of Tosolini’s around a decade ago. Fast forward to 2014 and I found myself at Tosolini’s again, this time for lunch on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Tosolini’s is going strong in a market where new places to dine appear so fast it makes your head spin. This means they’re doing something right. Tosolini’s knows what it is and what its customers like. And so this Canberra institution, in a prominent position in Bailey’s Corner, continues to dish up Italian food at its ristorante, with its food-to-go operation and

Tosolini’s is going strong in a market where new places to dine appear so fast it makes your head spin.

through its catering service.

Mama Tosolini, who started making her own pasta and sauces when she was young and living on the coast of Lignano, a peninsula between Venice and Trieste, still makes her presence known, including with her decadent tiramisu recipe (arguably one of the best in town). And son Carlo remains in charge and is regularly onsite.

Tosolini’s offers great antipasti dishes to share. We started with Gamberi alla Diavola, which we agreed packed a punch with flavour. The prawns were marinated with chili and garlic and chargrilled ($3.90 each). We regretted not ordering more than one each. The oysters, with their fresh sea smell, were just the right temperature… another regret that we didn’t order more.

finish it.

Entrees are from $17.90 to $19.90 and include a handmade butternutpumpkin and goat’s cheese ravioli and pan-seared sardine fillets with a salad, which we’d like to try. Instead, we moved straight to the pasta line-up (all $24.90 except for the seafood which is $26.90).

La Scala Italian Restaurant

Celebrating 25 years of excellence and welcomed as an accredited member restaurant to The Academy of Italian Cuisine for accurately displaying Italian culinary traditions and innovations.

Centre Cinema Building, Garema Place, Canberra City 6248 8338

www.lascala.net.au

We weren’t thrilled with the roasted garlic and balsamic pull-apart bread ($9). It didn’t come warm as promised, which affected the taste so we didn’t

My friend instantly selected a pasta she had enjoyed previously – the Pappardelle con agnello, which featured generous chunks of slow-roasted lamb shoulder tossed with thick pasta ribbons and fresh herbs. In the mood for chili, I selected the penne amatriciana with salty bacon, plump kalamata olives, garlic, aromatic basil and a fulsome tomato Napoletana sauce.

The dishes came out after quite a wait, and they were cold. Hmmm. We decided to venture inside to find a staff member and flag the problem. We were kindly offered options and decided to wait another 10 minutes while the chef made us fresh dishes.

We were glad we did. The new dish of lamb pasta had lovely roasting juices and was piping hot with magnificent flavours. And I finished every bit of my dish. We agreed Tosolini’s handled the situation well and with concern. Trust me, not all restaurants do.

Tosolini’s, London Circuit and East Row. Open seven days for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Fully licensed with BYO bottled wine. Call 6247 4317.

Man with classical sax appeal

By Helen Musa

CLASSICAL saxophone player Nick Russoniello is an unusual figure on the Australian scene – master of an instrument most people associate with jazz and he is about to perform in Canberra for the first time.

Originally from Wollongong, Russoniello studied sax at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, winning firsts, then studying at the European Summer Saxophone University and completing his postgraduate diploma at the Milan Conservatory.

In 2011 he became ABC Young Performer of the Year, then in 2013 a Fine Music Kruger Scholar.

“Between Worlds” is Russoniello’s

debut solo album, performed in what he assures “CityNews” is an “unlikely marriage” of saxophone with the respected string group, the Acacia Quartet, with whom he explores music from tango to ragtime to rock “and everything between”.

Russoniello has commissioned, arranged and composed music for the project, which also features works by Australians Elena Kats-Chernin, Jeremy Rose and Barry Cockcroft.

As one critic says: “Russoniello sings, slaps, scoops and slides” in this virtuosic new soundscape of sonorous strings.

“Between Worlds”, at Wesley Music Centre, 4pm, Sunday, September 14, bookings via eventbrite.com.au tickets at the door.

figure.

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We grow them hardy so you can watch them grow

gardening Local plants get a

THE government nursery at Yarralumla is mounting a display of Australian plants at Floriade – and about time!

I cannot understand why Tourism Minister Andrew Barr isn’t insisting that every year there is a substantial area of the wonderful range of our plants, especially with the influx of interstate and overseas visitors to the spring festival.

This would be an ideal opportunity to link the display with the Australian National Botanic Gardens.

AS the days warm I encourage a wander round the Botanic Gardens, which are bursting with every shade of yellow, being wattle time, and almost every day other plants are coming into bloom.

Start the tour at the Visitor Centre to collect the “In Flower This Week” brochure. With this in hand, simply follow the bright purple and green numbered signs through the gardens. And the bird population at the gardens is unbelievable.

BARBARA Daly, a remarkable volunteer with the Friends of the Gardens, is retiring after writing the “In Flower This Week” brochure for an amazing 26 years.

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To Barbara, this has been a joy and complete devotion to Aussie plants. Considered the longestserving volunteer in the garden’s history, she was awarded a life membership of the Friends after 25 years of service to the gardens.

Other volunteers are now continuing “In Flower This Week”, which is also available digitally via the Botanical Gardens website.

THERE are at least a dozen Acacia in flower from the palest to the deepest yellow in the wattle garden. My favourite is Acacia covenyi, commonly known as the Blue Bush, now a rare plant in the wild.

It has a stunning contrast between the silver-grey foliage, so useful for flower arranging, and brilliant golden flower balls. Another endangered wattle is Acacia gordonii, a compact bush now restricted to the north-west of Sydney. Another favourite that I sneak into gardens where the owners have requested exotic plants is Philotheca myoporoides, or native wax flower. Now a mass of pink flowers, the added attraction is the fragrance of the leaves. A wonderful contrast pictured here of the rich purple of Hardenbergia violacea with a wattle in the background seen at the entrance of the Heritage Nursery in Yarralumla.

Jottings…

• NATIVE plants need to be fed, watered and pruned just the same as any other plant, at least in spring and autumn. Make sure the nutrients are low in phosphorus and preferably certified organic.

• IF you don’t have a birdbath in your garden, now’s the time to install one before summer. Also a ground-level water container for native fauna such as blue tongue lizards.

I FREQUENTLY hear people say you must plant Aussie plants to attract native birds. This is another garden myth. If the food/nectar tastes good, the birds don’t mind where the flowers are from. For example, honeyeaters love the nectar from camellias. I recommend a healthy mixture of Aussie and exotic plants to provide year-round food. Parrots get their daily fill from the emerging seeds of silver birch.

• AUTHOR Simon Rickard will discuss his new book on heirloom vegetables at the Horticultural Society of Canberra’s meeting at Wesley Church Centre, National Circuit, Forrest, 7.30pm, on September 15. All welcome.

I HAVE often mentioned the winter flowering iris, Iris unguicularis with its rich blue flowers and delicious fragrance. But few are familiar with the white variety, I. unguicularis “Alba”.

In April I purchased a few from Lambley Nursery in Victoria, and to our delight these have just come into flower in our garden.

CEDRIC BRYANT

puzzles page

Joanne Madeline Moore

your week in the stars – September 15-21, 2014

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Rambunctious Rams - you’re keen to call the shots but there’s a big difference between leading others and just being plain bossy. Domineering behaviour will lead to dramas so slip on your humility hat this week, as Venus encourages you to be a consultative Lamb, especially at work. Are you single and looking for love? Expect a fated meeting with a mercurial type who is a good talker.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)

Romantic relationships, professional partnerships and money matters are favoured so make the most of the auspicious stars. It’s also a wonderful week to mix business with pleasure. Emotional connections are intensified, as Pluto deepens your affection for loved ones. You’ll also gain profound psychological insights into the previously hidden motivations of a child, teenager, lover or friend.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)

Twins - are you making the most of your Mercurial talents? Strive to showcase your marvellous mind this week. It’s also time to talk things through with a trusted family member, as Venus enhances cozy communication and domestic harmony. The weekend stars suit study, travel, community connections and stimulating conversation so get ready to talk, text and tweet up a storm.

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

A close relationship has the potential to develop and deepen, as long as you can let go of the past and learn to trust again. Expect a surge of Crab creativity on the weekend, as Venus and Saturn help you turn an abstract idea into a productive long-term project. Draw inspiration from movie legend Lauren Bacall (born on September 16): “Imagination is the highest kite one can fly.”

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)

Are you having problems? With Jupiter jumping through your sign, learn to put a positive spin on a perceived failure. With energy and enthusiasm, you can turn a pig’s ear into a beautiful silk purse! You’re keen to help others but promising more than you can deliver is a danger this weekend Lions. If you pace yourself and take baby steps, then you’ll get things done without undue stress.

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)

With the Sun and Venus visiting Virgo (and a boost from Pluto and Saturn) it’s your time to shine! Teaching and public speaking are favoured, as you display your leadership skills and creative talents for all to see. Opportunities for advancement come via connections within your local community, but it will take meticulous research and sustained effort to turn them into long-term success.

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)

This week Saturn boosts your business skills, and Pluto power helps you get to the bottom of a complicated domestic problem. Plus destiny surrounds a personal project, as you finally jump off the fence and decide which direction to take. If you want to get others onside then tap into your natural diplomatic talents as you answer queries, clarify concerns and smooth furrowed brows.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)

Are you smack-bang in the middle of a major Scorpio stuff-up and feeling super stressed? With Saturn moving slowly through your sign (until September 2015) don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and learn from them. Be inspired by birthday great Sophia Loren: “It’s better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe. Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life”.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

Spontaneous Sagittarius - you have a natural knack for putting your foot firmly in your mouth. With Venus visiting your career zone, patching up problems with work colleagues will be easier now than at other times. You have more tact and diplomacy than usual, so make sure you’re using it. It’s also time to articulate your goals and dreams for the future. You can’t hit a target if you haven’t got one!

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

Don’t come on too strong Capricorn! Pluto boosts your persuasive powers this week, as you encourage someone over to your point of view with a sound and convincing argument. It’s a wonderful weekend for work, business and social networking, as Venus and Saturn increase your creativity and concentration. So make sure you capitalise on the lucky opportunities that come your way.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

Avoid taking short cuts this week Aquarius, especially at work. A slap-dash attitude only means you’ll have to do things twice. A pinch of patience and a dash of discipline sees you tick all the boxes. Then get out of the house or office and into the great outdoors so you can tune into the world around you. Have you lost contact with an overseas friend? Fate steps in and they are ready to re-connect.

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

General knowledge crossword No. 469

Solution next week

Across

1 What do we call that which is supposed to bring good luck? (6)

7 To force by unfair means is to do what? (8)

8 Which term describes that which is indigenous? (6)

9 What expression applies to a short narrative of a particular incident? (8)

10 What are potatoes also known as? (6)

11 Which portable shade offers protection from rain? (8)

14 What is a particular military unit of ground forces? (8)

18 What do we call a wide street, lined with trees? (6)

19 Name the French general who was defeated at Waterloo (8)

21 When a car is ticking over, it is said to be doing what? (6)

22 What, in computers, are one million bits? (8)

23 Which other term describes a dinner jacket? (6)

Perceptive Pisces - your intuition helps you find appropriate ways to handle a delicate situation with a worried loved one or a frazzled friend. Don’t underestimate your ability to advise and console. Attached Fish – the Sun and Venus are visiting your relationship zone, so it’s time to zero in on your partner and their needs. Singles – look for love with a tender Taurus or a virtuous Virgo. Daily astrology updates at www.twitter.com/JoMadelineMoore Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2014 Sudoku hard No. 134

Down

1 Name the mythical monster that was killed by Theseus, with the help of Ariadne (8)

2 In which country did the war take place in 1853-56? (6)

3 Which term is applicable to riches stored, especially in the form of precious metals or money? (8)

4 What is a high-pitched flute? (4)

5 Which little cot, for an infant, is usually built on rockers? (6)

6 Name an alternative word for a collusive syndicate (6)

12 What was the profession of Sir Joseph Banks? (8)

13 What is the sounding of the notes of a chord separately? (8)

15 Which glossy substance is applied to metal, pottery, etc, for protection? (6)

16 What is a line drawn on a weather map? (6)

17 What is an immediate response to a stimulus? (6)

20 Which more readily known term describes a way out? (4)

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