The Mount Isa Gig - Part 2

On Tuesday, I flew with a quartet to Mt Isa for a gig.  We were a morale-boosting team, effectively, and played for one of the phosphate mine's regular theme nights.  The day after the gig, we were due to be flown by the mine to Townsville - another new place for me.  As breakfast finished at 7 and the bus to the airstrip didn't leave til 9:30, we had a few hours to look around.  The first thing I noticed was the safety record sign.  I don't know if 20 days is a long time in mine safety (can anyone tell me?) but it was definitely a reminder of the sort of environment in which we found ourselves. 

A couple of the miners offered us a look around the mine, but it turned out we needed a 4 hour induction...  The boss, though, organised for us to be driven out to the mine and have a look around, even though we wouldn't be allowed in. 

Cue very Australian scenery.  Tuesday's skies were nothing but blue, but Wednesday had a fair bit of cloud cover.  The sun peeking through made for some fabulous colours!  I kept my eyes peeled for wildlife, but only saw a kangaroo.

The mine itself was impressive - all solar powered too.  The gypsum stacks were so large, the cranes look tiny at the top.  And because of the layout of the land, and the location, as soon as there are lightning strikes as close as 50km they have to pack up.

One last shot of the town - love that red soil and blue sky!

So, mine visit = New Thing #1 for Wednesday.  New Thing #2 was flying in a Fokker 100 to Townsville.  Giggle.  This was much bigger than Tuesday's rubber band plane, this had about 100 seats.  With all these mine folk knocking off, effectively, I was still surprised by the amount of alcohol I saw being consumed on this flight.

Our flight arrived in Townsville about midday.  We all reconnected with the world and didn't talk until we picked up our bags (absolutely no phone service for a whole day).  Our flight to Brisbane wasn't until 8:10pm - the last for the day and obviously the cheapest flight.  Townsville airport doesn't have lockers.  Thankfully, Mikey was just going to study, so we caught a taxi to town, and parked ourselves inside the Townsville Brewery.

After lunch and a game of Scrabble, Viola Man and I set off for Castle Hill - after the obligatory "I'm in Townsville" photo.

Yes, it's winter, but Townsville in the early afternoon is not all that cold.  In the sun, and climbing a steep hill, it was actually quite warm.  Super skinny jeans, long socks, black top and converse were maybe not the greatest choice.  Some workmen we passed even laughed at us, saying "it's really steep!"  But it was worth it - a fabulous view of the water and islands.

We came down for a much-needed coffee, then walked along the Strand and back.

Our flight home...well, we knew we were in for not great treatment.  Jetstar has a reputation, and it is not good.  They are so picky about carry-on size!  Our violin cases were about 10cm too long (although much narrower).  Mikey took out his violin, showed that it was acceptable, and said he would take his violin on board like that.  Viola Man did the same.  I took a deep breath and trusted my case (knowing I'm a bit clumsy and would be likely to run into something).  I then chewed my lip for the entire waiting time and flight time.  The cello always has to be checked in, so Mikey and Viola Man had a jam session.  No one complained - in fact, while waiting at baggage claim, some other passengers started dancing.  Which was great, but if I'm flown somewhere for a gig again, I'll stipulate that I will not fly Jetstar.  Other than that though, this was a great 2nd day.  What an experience!

The Mount Isa Gig

Just before Easter, I received a text from someone I don't know.  "Looking for a violinist for a quartet gig in Mt Isa"... Ok...but I don't know who you are... "Flights, accommodation, food all paid for, plus [$$] for 3 hours playing"... Sounds great, but I don't know who you are!!!  A few more details, then he told me who gave him my number, so I calmed down a bit and checked my diary.  Normally I'm a little cautious about who's playing when I accept a gig, especially if it's a long one, and especially if traveling is involved.  I'm even pickier with travel companions.  But, in the spirit of trying new things, I told myself to just plug in my earphones if necessary and just play, enjoy going to somewhere new in the middle of a school week.  The next day I found out who else was playing and I breathed a sigh of relief, then did a little happy dance.  Tuesday morning found me then at the airport, bound for Mt Isa.

First New Thing: traveling Qantas for the first time in years and years.  More than that though was the commuter feel of the flight.  No-one seemed to be going on holidays, Mt Isa is pretty much a working town.  And I've never had to catch 2 planes to a gig before!

New Thing #2: hitching a ride on a rubber-band plane.  This was a slightly larger one than they would normally use - ours was a 10-seater instead of the usual 5-seater.  I loved it.  Felt much more like real flying.  From reading a detective book a long time ago, I was prepared for the "how much does your luggage weigh?" and "how much do you weigh?" questions.

The pilot, our co-passengers, the miners and everyone else we came across - they were all so friendly, warm, and welcoming.  I felt not quite like a part of the family, not quite an honoured guest, but somewhere in between.

It was about a 20 minute flight to the mine.  The airstrip is about halfway between the actual mine and the village.  We found out those are 20km apart because they know if there's an acid explosion it can travel up to 19km.  The village used to be an actual town named Monument (there's an Aboriginal sacred site visible from most of the town), and it's mostly blocks of 4 rooms and 2 bathrooms, with some houses.  It's basic, but people are there to work.  There is a big emphasis on health and safety.  Health facilities (a gym, pool, tennis courts, lumpy football field) as well as nutritional advice and self-test breathalysers surrounded us.  Rules are strict and enforced - failing to wear a seat belt, driving over the speed limit, and turning up to a shift over the limit are all instant-sacking offences. 

The gig itself was in 2 bits, a set for those just waking up for the night shift, then a longer set for those coming off a shift.  The idea was a black-tie theme night, and we were the first live band they've flown in.  I wasn't really sure what to expect.  We definitely weren't doing the 'oh my special day must be perfect and I just want classy strings playing just classical music' thing.  We played a mix of classical and not - like tangos, ACDC, Beatles, jazz, Billy Joel, Queen.  And they seemed to love it!  We were warned the first crew would probably be not so enthusiastic - they would have just woken up and knew they were missing out on the 'real' party, and were just about to work - but I got a nice vibe from them, some took photos and some hung around to listen.  The second crew were definitely enthusiastic.  The black-tie idea was embraced by some, and given a nod by others.  Most there were just coming in from working, were still in their fluoro work gear but added a bow-tie.  A few sparkles, a few broken glasses, nice food.  Many people came up and complimented us.

We went to the bar area afterwards and had some drinks, played ping pong, foosball (for one goal - then the ball was lost and a very Aussie scene ensued), and pool.  Standing around gossiping about other musos, we were then approached by a miner in a yellow, acid-resistant suit.  A bit of chat later, and it came out that most of the miners were out in the beer garden and thought we were too posh to have a party.  Acid Suit Man said, he was pretty sure we would have gone to uni, so we'd be fine for a bit of drinking.  And so we got to know the miners a little better.

I must admit, I was quite anti-mine before this.  The destruction of our country is not something I can readily support.  However, from the first plane flight onwards, I started to realise that this is life for so many people.  It's not an easy life - the work is dangerous, the locations are isolated, you're away from your family and friends for stretches of time - so the mines try to make it as bearable as possible.  There was a real vibe of trying to look after the workers in body and soul.

Aside from that, I felt so much a part of the Real Australia.  The red soil, big blue skies, flies, that feeling of being so far in the middle of the country (relative to Brisbane anyway!), the silence, emus and kangaroos and all sorts of birds, and the people.  Greetings are standard and often sound like Carl Barron's "Owzitgarn".  People work out how to do things without a shopping centre down the street - like Luke's cufflinks made from nuts and bolts.  Acid Suit Man's suit he'd stapled together that afternoon - I wish I'd got a photo before it was ripped off him (he only just avoided a face plant - yes, this was a tame night).  Interesting fact: you have to be clean-shaven to work.  You can tell if someone's going home the next day as they won't have shaved.

Ooh, New Thing # whatever we're up to - I don't normally do drinks with lots of people I don't know.  Our other violinist had an early night so he could study, but photos were taken of me, Viola Man, Dani (our cellist), Luke (cufflinks) and Acid Suit Man (Tyson).

I think I like this less-composed photo better!

Kitchen Appliance Reorganisation

A few months ago, Viola Man hosted a quartet night and I discovered we had matching coffee grinders and coffee machines.  His were side by side, which is nice and logical.  Mine were not.  My grinder was to the left of the sink, in the corner next to the stove.  My coffee machine was to the right of the sink, next to the microwave.  This irregularity has been on my mind ever since that quartet night.  This morning, I decided enough was enough.  I would move the microwave to the left of the sink, and the coffee grinder next to the coffee machine. 

After today's gig (playing for the official opening of the North Lakes Day Hospital), I had a snack and a cup of tea, then got to work.  The coffee grinder I moved to the bit of bench in front of the microwave.  The microwave is huge (the reason, in fact, I have it - my old neighbour redid her kitchen and it wouldn't fit in the new one), and it is heavy, so I kind of slid it along past the sink.  There I remembered why it's been where it's been.  It takes up almost the entire corner between the stove and the sink.  Hmm.  Plan B: keep the microwave in its corner, move the coffee machine to the left of the sink (keeping the grinder there, obviously).  This has the added benefit of not dripping water over clean dishes in the drying rack.  The drawback is, if it's to look all neat and symmetrical, it's a long reach to get to the switch on the grinder, but I think I can deal with it.

Yes, I bought a 'cappuccino shaker' about a week ago.  I love it.

Today's Daily Photo:

3 parts of this photo.  1 - it's at a gig (it's Saturday, after all), during the speeches.  2 - I'm wearing my new leopard print stockings, purchased yesterday, and feeling rather daring.  3 - I have my violin back!  Just before the staff concert, the fingerboard started coming off.  Yes, that was 2 months ago and I only just got him repaired (not by my regular violin repairer, who's on leave for a while).  I love having my violin back.  The other violin I play is lovely and I am so fortunate to be able to play her, but she's not mine, and I'm very conscious of her story when playing.  But my violin is my violin, and it feels so right playing him again.  And yes, the other violin is female (a 'strong woman' according to her maker), and mine is male.  A very French male.

Mexican Baked Fish

This coming Thursday (May 3), Viola Man and I are performing in the cathedral.  We are playing some duets for violin and viola, and he's also playing some duets with a double bass player.  We had a play-through last week, and thought another rehearsal would probably be a good idea.  I also owed him dinner, so last night he came to my place, I cooked him dinner and we practiced our duets.

A few weeks ago I was flipping through some recipe books for inspiration and came across this dish - as yet uncooked by me.  As Viola Man is originally from Mexico, this dish seemed an obvious choice for dinner last night.  I halved the quantities so I wouldn't be eating this for a week, but the quantities below are the original, which serves 4, from Jill Dupleix's Good Cooking: the New Essentials.

Recipe:
Heat the oven to 200C.  Rub 4 thick, firm white fish fillets (180g each, skinned), with 1 tablespoon lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and set aside.

Finely slice an onion into rings.  Cut a sweet red pepper into strips, discarding the core and seeds.  heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan and cook the onion for about 10 minutes until soft and pale.  Add 1 garlic clove, finely sliced and cook for a minute.

Add a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes, the red pepper, and 150mL water, stirring.  Add 10 pitted green olives, 1 tablespoon salted capers (rinsed), 1 tablespoon pickled jalapeno chillies, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and 1 bay leaf.  Cook gently for 10 - 15 minutes until the sweet red pepper is tender.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan and sear the fish fillets for a minute on each side, then transfer to an oiled baking pan.  Spoon the sauce on top and bake for 15 - 20 minutes until the fish is cooked through, depending on thickness.  Scatter with coriander leaves and serve with rice.

I forgot the coriander leaves for garnish and don't usually eat rice... and I forgot to turn off the oven (youch! expecting a massive power bill now).  But the flavour was good (although not as much kick as I expected), it's really easy, and we didn't need to resort to calling the local pizza place.  Phew.

For those Brisbane readers: free concert, Thursday May 3, 11:30 am, St John's Cathedral.  Duets by Halvorsen, Beethoven, Piazzola and more.