2015 Thank You Lunch

Issue 68 Autumn 2016
HeadEast: Assisting individuals with an acquired brain injury
to be more independent and involved in their chosen community
2015 Thank You Lunch
By Pat Ledlin
The HeadEast Newsletter and Community Education Teams
How often do you sit on the
Northern end of Coogee Beach
enthralled at the rhythm of the
waves breaking on the sand? Here
we were, a group of HeadEast
friends celebrating our past
achievements in 2015 at our
annual Thank You Lunch on 9
February, 2016.
u n n e ro n g R d
re s s
Ad d
: S u i te
602a 152 B
E a s t g a rd e n
s NSW
2036
There is nothing like a picnic
together! Our chatter about our
Christmas holidays was loud and
cheerful. It is always good to see
each other after a long break. Fish
and chips by the sea are always
popular. The aroma was inviting.
Vashti and Greg arrived back laden
with our fish and chip requests
Ph : ( 0
2) 834
72033
Email: ma
[email protected] Web: w
east
ww.head
.a u
. o rg
Spinal Cord Injury
(SCI) an Overview
By Glenda Chapman
An accurate figure of statistics is
not known but it is estimated that
10,000 - 12,000 people sustain a
spinal cord injury in Australia each
year as reported by Spinal Cord
Injury Australia (SCIA). Worldwide
the figure is estimated to be over
400,000 people.
The spinal cord is a bundle of
nerves situated within the spine
from the local fish and chip shop.
(which consists of 24 vertebrae)
Scott clicked away with his
and runs from the base of the
camera. We all scrambled to look
brain to the coccyx (tail bone).
our best as we munched our fare. Any damage to the spinal cord will
cause profound effects as it links
In appreciation for last year’s 2015 directly to the brain. The damage
efforts by The Education and
is irreparable. The most common
Newsletter Teams members,
spinal cord injuries are from motor
HeadEast staff presented each a
vehicle accidents, falls, sports
Certificate of Appreciation and
injuries and diving in too shallow
small gift for their contributions
water. Consequently, in Australia it
and hard work. While Head East
is now illegal to ride a motorbike
staff thank us for our
or bicycle without head protection.
contributions, it is we who benefit In the USA, football teams must
from the opportunity to learn new wear head protection when
skills working as a team. Here,
playing.
friendships are forged and
“The spinal cord does not have to
cherished.
be severed in order for a loss of
functioning to occur. In fact, in
most people with spinal cord
injury, the spinal cord is intact, but
the damage due to compression or
bruising to it results in loss of
functioning” (SCIA).
Relaxing after lunch
Chatting with friends
2
One of the most famous people to
sustain SCI is probably Christopher
Reeve (who played Superman). He
became a quadriplegic in 1995
after being thrown from a
horse. He lobbied on behalf of
people with SCI and for human
embryonic stem cell research.
He died in 2004 of cardiac arrest.
Embryonic stem cells remain a
theoretically potential source for
regenerative medicine and tissue
regrowth after accident or disease
which might be beneficial to SCI
and Acquired Brain Injury victims.
Another famous SCI victim was
NSW rugby league player, Alex
McKinnon who became a
quadriplegic in 2014 when he
broke his neck, damaging his
spinal cord, during a game.
There are 7 cervical (neck), 12
thoracic (chest), 5 lumbar (back)
and 5 sacral (tail) vertebrae, which
are bones that protect the spinal
cord. Depending on which part of
the spinal cord was damaged, SCI
can render the victim either
paraplegic (loss of function in the
lower body) or quadriplegic which
causes loss of function in the
upper body as well. The loss of
function includes bodily processes
such as bowel and bladder,
breathing as well as the use of the
arms and legs.
Spinal cord injury is not the same
as back injury, which might result
from causes such as pinched
nerves or ruptured disks.
almost certainly confined to a
wheelchair for the remainder of
their lives, however researchers
are continually working on
advances to make life easier for
victims.
Spinal Cord Injuries Australia is an
organisation similar to HeadEast in
which they provide assistance and
community access services
promoting independence,
consumer based support and
exercise rehabilitation services to
people with physical disabilities.
For more information contact their
Eastern Suburbs Little Bay office
on 02 9661 8855 or their Sydney
City office on 02 9356 8201 or
online www.scia.org.au
Spinal Cord Injuries Australia, will
be showcasing an Independence
Expo on the 15 and 16 of April
2016 at Australian Technology Park
which is off Henderson Road,
Redfern (map @ www.tinyurl.com/
z6nh64b). All are welcome and the
event is totally free. Over two
days the Expo will touch on all
aspects of people’s daily lives,
including social life, relationships,
prevention and work etc. (see
advertisement this issue). Further
information can be found on their
website scia.org.au/expo.
Currently, there is no cure for
spinal cord injury and people with
the more severe diagnosis are
3
How Life Changes
It’s surprising how life can change
so much in a year. I remember
just 12 months ago, embarking on
a mountain bike option on the
world’s most dangerous road in
Bolivia whilst travelling in South
America. The 4-hour journey
started at about 4800 km above
sea level, plummeting down to
1200 km above sea level. Well, I
did ride the first 15 minutes of the
path and the last 30 minutes,
agreeing to partake only as they
told me I could ride the minibus
trailing the riders if I became fearful. As a result of surviving the
journey in one piece, we were all
presented our slogan t-shirts as a
momento.
By April, I was back working as a
graphic designer. By June 2015,
my life turned upside down when a
stroke occurred and I found myself
in hospital for four months. I had
problems moving and half my
body was numb and was in need
of an operation. My parents came
to my rescue and signed my rights
away in case surgery went haywire
4
By Eva Wong
and I became a vegetable.
Suddenly I was surrounded by
people who came out of the
woodwork and I was encased in
prayer for survival.
After much fasting, the operation
was successful but my balance,
reflexes and sensory nerves are
still affected so my current task at
hand is to relearn basic necessities
of how to function on a day-to-day
basis. I am very grateful to have
found HeadEast to help in this
process. Please, follow my journey
in the next issue.
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House became
a United Nations Educational
Scientific and Cultural Organisation
(UNESCO) World Heritage site on
the 28 June 2007.
The building and its surrounds
occupy the whole of Bennelong
Point in Sydney Harbour, between
Sydney Cove and Farm Cove
adjacent to the Sydney Central
Business District and the Royal
Botanic Gardens and close to the
Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The Opera House was designed by
Danish architect (Jorn Utzon) and
the building was formally opened
on 20 October, 1973 by Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I was
By Ed Mahony
there at the opening, with my
family and my cousins, as an uncle
of mine hired a room at a nearby
hotel. I was about five years old.
The Sydney Opera House includes
seven performance venues, which
are:
The Concert Hall
seats 2,679 and is home of the
Sydney Symphony Orchestra. It
contains The Sydney Opera House
Grand Organ which is the largest
mechanical action organ in the
world, with over 10,000 pipes.
The Joan Sutherland Theatre
seats 1,507 and is the home of
Opera Australia and the Australian
Ballet. Until 16 October 2012 it
5
More than 8.2 million people from
around Australia and the world
visit the Opera House each year
with approximately 300,000 people
taking a guided tour. When one
looks at Sydney with the Harbour
Bridge and Opera House, one sees
a beautiful global city. This view is
famous and forms the subject of
many postcards.
Architecture
Let’s now talk about the
architecture of the Opera House.
It features a modern expressionist
was known as the Opera Theatre.
design with a series of large
precast concrete shells. Sometimes
The Drama Theatre
these are referred to as the sails
seats 544 and is used by the
of the Opera House. Each shell is
Sydney Dance Company and other
composed of sections of a sphere
dance and theatrical presenters.
75.2 metres large, composing the
roofs of the structure. The Opera
The Play House
House covers 1.8 hectares or 4.4
is an end stage theatre with 398
acres of land and is 183 metres
seats.
long and 120 metres wide at its
widest point. The structure is
The Studio
supported by 588 concrete piers
is a flexible space with a minimum
capacity of 400 seats.
The Utzon Room
is a small multipurpose venue,
seating up to 210 people.
The Outdoor Forecourt
is a flexible open-air venue with a
wide range of configuration
options, including the possibility of
utilizing the monumental steps for
audience seating, used for a range
of community events and outdoor
performances.
6
sunk at a depth as much as 25
metres below sea level.
Many call the Opera House a
modern wonder of the world.
Scott from HeadEast and I visited
the Opera House in the middle of
February to have a look. One can
see a beautiful building with a host
of restaurants. I spoke with a man
on our ferry ride who was on a trip
from the U.S.A. He was most
impressed with the Opera House
and he was going to round off his
visit with lunch at Doyle’s seafood do run people with disability
restaurant at Watsons Bay
access friendly tours. The Opera
(another Sydney Institution).
House caters for people with
disabilities; not only for
Scott said he was amazed when
accessibility but also for the
we went up to the side of the
hearing impaired and have many
Opera House and touched the
other services and can
white tiles and they were cool to
accommodate most needs. The
the touch; it was 29 degrees in
Opera House asks that you let
the full mid day sun!
them know of any access
requirements when booking and
If you wish to take a guided tour
ask any questions at the Contact
of the building it costs $35. They
Centre on 02 9250 7777. You can
also get information online www.
sydneyoperahouse.com
I was very impressed by the Opera
House and we had a terrific day
out. I want to encourage everyone
to visit the Opera House; we are
lucky to have such an amazing
facility in our city.
7
The ABC of Mindfulness
By Jim Pescud
interpretation, rather than what is
actually happening in any given
moment.
Mindfulness, or awareness, is a
useful way to work with stress.
Mindfulness is the process of
recognising the reality of our
experience as we live it, but
without forming concepts from it.
Being mindful is about paying
attention to what is happening
right now. This includes being
aware of the content of our
thoughts about this present
moment arising in this present
moment, but not living from, or
We tend to live our lives through a believing in, those thoughts. Being
series of stories. These stories are aware in this way, we gain a more
the way we picture our life, past
realistic perspective on our
events, what is happening now
situation, rather than drowning in
and what might happen in the
a mind-made story.
future. We have done this since we
were little and so we believe this is The following is what I call the
the way things really are.
ABC of mindfulness. It shows how
There is, however, a difference
between a story about our life and
the life we are actually living. We
wouldn’t take a book or a movie
about someone’s life to be their
lived experience. A person’s life is
the activity of living as it unfolds
moment to moment. But we
believe that the stories that play
out in our minds are in fact our
lives. When we stop to think about
this, it seems quite strange.
Stress is the outcome of being
unaware that we are responding to
a mind made story, that is, an
8
we usually perceive and respond
to any given event or situation,
and the mindful alternative.
A) is an event B) are our thoughts
about the event (a mind-made
story) C) is our response to the
story.
So here we can see that we are
not responding to the event itself,
we are in fact responding to our
thoughts about the event. This is
how we usually create our version
of ‘reality’ and then live in it.
Here is an example of the ABC of
mindfulness in action. Imagine
running late for a meeting. You
see a parking spot, but someone
gets it just before you. Event ‘A’ is
missing the parking spot. ‘B’ is the
mind’s story about the event: “
Now I’m going to be late for the
meeting, the others at the meeting
will have to wait for me and will be
angry, my boss will be there so
this will reflect badly on me…. and
so on….and so on.” This is an
invention, but we live in it as if it
were real, and this is ‘C’. We
become stressed, maybe even
angry. The actual reality is that we
missed the parking spot, that’s all.
then let go of the story and simply
get on with looking for another
parking spot, or whatever the
issue is, but without the anger,
worry and stress.
Awareness sees each moment
unfolding. That is, each event,
each thought, each emotion,
sensation, sight, sound, taste.
However, awareness does not
identify itself as being any of these
things. When we come from
awareness we don’t live our life
within the story about the
unfolding of each moment, we
simply see it arise and subside,
I gave this example to a group at like watching a wave form and
the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
break. Coming from awareness is
Pain Clinic during a course I was
not an action, it is the allowing of
running there a few years back.
all that arises to simply be. We
One of the women in the course
can do this because we are not the
started to laugh. That morning she sensations, emotions, thoughts
had been running late for the
and so on - we are awareness.
session, driving frantically around
trying to find a parking spot near
Q:What do you call a fake noodle?
the hospital and all the while
imagining how the group was
An Impasta.
sitting around complaining about
Q:What do you call an alligator in
her lateness. When she walked
a vest?
into the room we were all having a An Investigator. lively chat and a laugh. No one
Q:What happens if you eat yeast
was upset and starting ten
and shoe polish?
minutes late was no big deal. She Every morning you’ll rise and
said that she’d had a first-hand
shine! lesson in the ABC of mindfulness.
Q:Did you hear about the hungry
clock?
When we are mindful, we can act
It went back for seconds. from an awareness of this ABC
Q:What do you get from a
process. We can experience the
pampered cow?
‘event’ and respond from this
direct experience, that is, ‘C’ is a
Spoiled milk. direct response to ‘A’, as opposed
Q:What do lawyers wear to court?
to responding to a thought-based
Lawsuits! Jokes found at jokes4u.com
story about the event. We can
A Few Jokes
9
Editorial: The Adventures of Disability Man
Best read using the hushed, excited tones of a David
Attenborough voice…
Here, we find Disabled Man, roaming the streets of this, our “normal” outside world but due to his
brain injury, living a parallel and
quite separate life.
Wider society treats him with a
sort of benign neglect, a passing
oddity: seen and soon forgotten:
for one group, however, he presents a target of whom to be particularly wary: the young female.
By Russell Potter
lives entirely in a cave, knowing
nothing else, and the heads of
whom are fixed so as to look at
only one of its walls.
A rear light source illuminates a
raised walk-way on which figures
walk back and forth, and these
shadowy silhouettes, over time,
come to form the “reality” of these
cave-dwellers.
When one of these people escapes
This sub-species, invariably attired into the outside world, the much
in black Lycra active wear, she will brighter conditions at first damagoften quickly grab a mobile phone, es his eye-sight, but later he
on which she will pretend to chat- comes to appreciate the world as
ter, as soon as she sees Disability it actually exists.
Man swing into view, so as to
avoid any possibility of interaction. But when he returns to the cave
and attempts to explain what he
When he approaches and arrives
had seen, they see only his eye
at a bus shelter, the seat of which damage, assume it to be too danshe is already sitting and on which gerous and recoil from an environhe proceeds to himself sit while
ment beyond their comprehension.
waiting for the bus, she will then
relinquish the seat and stand next Disability Man smiles because he
to the shelter at a safe distance,
understands the relevance of the
even in the rain if necessary, then story for him, that it is he, due to
re-assumes the seat once
the searing experiences (which
Disability Man leaves the shelter.
might, however, be better characterised as “in-speriences”) of his
Disability Man, however, realising
brain injury, who in fact, sees the
all this, just smiles to himself: he
real world and those around him,
doesn’t really mind. It reminds
still living in a world of step-classhim, in fact (and not just because es and lattes, as still hiding in
he is given to flights of pretentious their metaphorical caves, too
irrelevancy), of a story from Plato’s afraid to break out.
Republic named “The Allegory of
the Cave”, in which a group of
So he smiles on and lives happily
people are imagined who live their ever after.
10
Every Now and Zen Wisdom For Today
By Brett Hall
Meditation is
more a way of
being, than a
doctrinal
religion,
empowering
and enriching
the mind and
soul. Simple to
say, yet
challenging to
practise, the
benefits are rewarding.
We need to understand first there
are happiness and contentment
lacking in our life and other times,
the symptoms of physical illness.
The calm we feel in meditation is
the balm to heal the pain.
meditator to begin with will feel as
if they are not suited to meditation
because of its difficulties. Concepts
of good, bad and in between are
impossible to predict or value, nor
are they static.
Therefore those meditations
peppered by interruptions, noises
and distractions are mostly caused
by the self or ego. These
interrupted meditations are most
beneficial because even though
interrupted they add to the
experience of meditating.
Cumulative meditation sessions,
including the interrupted ones, are
like the beads on a necklace, each
session of practise leading to the
addition of a bead. To have a
Turning to meditation with a
complete necklace of wholehearted
wholehearted approach guarantees experience and to practise daily is
a meditator experiencing changes an empowering achievement,
for the better in attitude and
opposed to infrequent sparsely
lifestyle.
scattered sessions regardless of
the length of these sessions.
Set aside an indoor meditation
space with a cushion and shrine
TO BEGIN A MEDITATION...
(table) to place items of
Arrive calmly. Prepare the shrine.
encouraging significance upon:
Such as candles which equal light Read aloud inspirational thought,
an inspirational verse, reading or
and enlightenment, flowers
prayer.
representing new growth and
photos of inspiring people, friends Assume the posture of meditation.
and family, living and passed on.
If able, sit on floor with legs
crossed, if not one can sit in a
Have an inspirational reading to
chair with one leg crossed over the
start your practise with.
other.
Set a time to regularly practise a
1. Back
formal meditation that has a
beginning, middle and end. The
Maintaining a straight back which
11
allows free flow of energy by
straightening of the channels
through which run fluids and
signals which the body’s function
operate. Thereby, maintaining
wakefulness and alertness,
essential qualities for unifying
body and mind in mindfulness and
awareness.
positive and negative. This posture
binds the legs and the action of
“going”.
If you choose to try sitting on the
floor, here are a few tips to aid
sitting with legs crossed. Sit on a
cushion or two. If you sit on the
edge of the cushion so the pelvis
is pushed forward, it supports and
maintains an upright and straight
2. Hands
back. One doesn’t have to adopt a
Place the back of the left hand in
“proper” lotus posture either.
the palm of right hand which
Simply bring the left heel into the
represents balance and harmony,
groin and the right heel near the
equanimity and the unification of
left knee cap while right leg lies in
extremes. The two thumbs upright front of the left leg, both knees as
and gently touching remind us of a low to the ground as possible.
flame. This flame situated near the Gradually they will get lower to
navel chakra, allowing the two
the ground as you become more
hands to be slightly elevated and
acquainted with sitting in the first
to not be supported by the lap.
posture we adopted before we
The significance of the navel
began to walk.
chakra reminding the meditator of
4. Shoulders
the qualities we are awakening
within ourselves. This posture is at
The shoulders are neither forced
the centre and represents “the
middle path”. It is advised to keep downward nor pushed backwards
but allowed to fall in a relaxed
the elbows out away from the
manner relative to the straightness
body allowing the free flow of air.
of the back and the position of the
This prevents overheating which
induces “drowsiness”. The posture arms and elbows which aren’t
binds the hands and the action of tucked into the lap or torso.
Slightly pushing the chest forwards
“doing”.
allows the shoulders to be pulled
back slightly. This opens the rib
3. Legs
cage, facilitating ease of breathing.
Sitting with legs crossed signifies
5. Neck and Head
our commitment and promise to
stay put and remain here till we
have finished our practise. Like the The neck is bent forward. The
previous mentioned postures of
hands we are unifying left and
hands, arms, back and shoulders
right, female and male energies,
12
have a relative supportive action in
conjunction with each other. The
head itself is heavy. Slightly
allowing the neck to bend forward
allows the gaze of the eyes to fall
on the objects just in front of the
meditator. When the neck is
postured with a slight bend
forward it also is relative with the
previous postures. They
collectively induce a physical
calmness. A beginner experiences
much discomfort and pain when
adopting the unfamiliar postures of
meditation. By and large though
they aren’t all that unfamiliar but
forgotten.
Whether it be an insect passing
through the gaze, sunlight shining
through window onto face or
visualisations. The open eyes
signify that openness, not shutting
things out. Seeing things for what
they really are, one arouses
insight and the wisdom eye.
Upon my introduction to
meditation I was taken to a guided
meditation at Ulladulla Civic Centre
in 2003, whilst the Tibetan monks
from Geelong were touring
throughout NSW, Victoria and
constructing their sand mandorlas
as part of the Sacred Footsteps
from the “Rooftop of the World
Tour”, Geshe-la Sonam (a monk)
6. Mouth
began with a brief talk about
The posture of the mouth is where Buddhist principles.
mindfulness of speech (before and
“There are five Poison minds and
after) and binding of tongue
five Antidotes. First Poison mind is
(silence) during meditation is
Anger, antidote is Patience.”
achieved. The tip of the tongue is
placed behind the upper two front
That was enough information for
teeth. Salivation if it occurs will
drain down the oesophagus, which me to commence on my four year
may prevent drooling. The lips are Buddhist experience post accident,
postured in a pre-smile by upward post near death experience and
post acquired brain injury.
curling of the corners.
I was six years post coma and had
7. The Eyes
made many improvements in
function. Still slightly impulsive,
The eyes are not wide open nor
likely to perseverate frequently
are they tightly shut. Rather half
and prone to outbursts of anger, I
open enabling the meditator to
commenced my first, Shamatha,
gaze at a point in front of them
an eight week meditation course. I
which is determined also by the
slight bend in the neck. This open missed the first class but I was
determined to overcome anger and
eye meditation allows the
meditator to achieve ability to not be in charge as the author of “The
Life and Times of Brett”.
be distracted by appearances.
13
Movie Review: Hail Caesar
By Pat Ledlin
fixer. And so, there are numerous
problems to fix. In spite of this,
the movie is bright and good
humoured. There are engaging
musical sequences, synchronised
swimming, a singing cowboy and
his horse of many talents and a
kidnapping of the key star (George
Clooney) in this epic film, “Hail
Caesar: The Story of Christ”. Even
a ransom was demanded!
One reviewer of this movie
described the setting and stories
as “glitzy, ditzy splendour” And
here, I would agree.
I do enjoy comedies. However, be
prepared to feel confused about
the storyline and many characters.
The film is more like a history of
the movie industry of that era with
This movie has a four star rating
frequently changing moods and
and was directed by the Coen
stories. Expect to come away with
Brothers, Ethan and Joel. It has
your thinking cap on. I would call
been long coming to the screen.
it “ Time with the “stars” in
An idea emerged in 2004, a
Hollywood Land.” What did the
comedy about a troupe of actors in Coen Brothers intend to portray?
the 1920’s putting on a play about You be the judge...
ancient Rome.
Instead the setting is a major
studio “Capital Pictures” with
many films in the making. The
final production includes a line up
of well known stars: George
Clooney, Ralph Fiennes, Josh Brolin
and Tilda Swinton to name a few.
It is the early 1950’s, the Golden
Age of Hollywood. It follows a
single day in the life of a studio
14
Famous Quotes:
“The best and most beautiful things in
the world cannot be seen or even
touched - they must be felt with the
heart.” Helen Keller
“I can’t change the direction of the wind,
but I can adjust my sails to always
reach my destination.” Jimmy Dean
“Nothing is impossible, the word itself
says ‘I’m possible’!” Audrey Hepburn
www.brainyquote.com
Poet's Corner:
By Robert Downie
A Man of Letters
Changing Things
Phone calls can go short
And nothing really said
So I turn to letters
For what is in my heart and head.
People you remember
May not remember you
And things you once did
May not be there to do.
S.M.S. the way to go
So it’s often said
But messages are briefer still
And translations lost or dead.
For time changes things,
Things you once found.
Now may be lost
You may find no longer on solid
ground.
For not all are understood
The abbreviation
No answer to be made
It kills the conversation.
So I write a letter,
So you can write one too
For in many words
The feeling may come through.
And you may read again,
For its something you may keep
It can cause you to smile
Or it may make you weep.
I hope it makes you smile
To think upon the words
For I ‘m a man of letters
And they are not for the birds.
Even rocks change
They seem to erode
They fall apart
And seem to explode.
I looked to them one day
How can it be?
The things that I saw
I cannot see.
Time changes things
As it surely must
From earth to earth
From dust to dust.
Words for the dying
For the living too
Change things this day
It is up to you.
15
Healthy Recipe: Apple Mustard Brussels
By Eirene Gibbs
Sprouts
blemished leaves, then cut in half
long ways and rinse.
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan
allowing the pan to get very hot
but not smoking. Place the sprouts
in the pan cut side down allowing
them to cook 1 to 2 minutes until
they are browned and have some
colour.
This is a different but really
yummy and delicious dish. It is
sweet and zesty with the flavours
really complimenting each other.
Turn down the heat to medium/
low then add the cup of apple
juice and place lid on pan. Cook
the Brussels sprouts for
approximately 4 minutes or until
just tender. A knife should be able
to go into the stem with a little
resistance and the sprouts should
be bright green.
It can be served as a main with
some brown rice or served on the Remove the sprouts from the pan
side with some roast chicken or a
with a slotted spoon placing them
nice piece of fish. It serves four as in a large bowl. Leave the liquid in
a side dish and two large servings
as a main.
Ingredients
600g (roughly) Brussels sprouts,
trimmed and halved
3 tbls vegetable oil
1 cup apple juice
4 tbls margarine
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ to ½ tsp salt
1 tbls plain flour (we used gluten
free)
Method:
Trim the ends off the Brussels
sprouts, remove loose and
16
Eirene preparing the Brussels Sprouts
Cut sprouts length ways
Eirene whisking the sauce
the pan, a few stray leaves left
behind is ok. Turn the heat down a
little more then add the
margarine, mustard and salt then
whisk until the margarine is
melted. Next, turn the heat back
up to medium and sprinkle the
flour into the mixture (we sifted
the flour) and whisk until smooth.
Continue to whisk as the sauce
cooks and thickens another
minute. Pour the sauce over the
Brussels sprouts immediately then
toss and serve.
You will need
A large sauté pan with lid, cutting
board, measuring spoon, cup
measurer, sharp knife, mixing/
serving bowl, slotted spoon, whisk,
oven mitt and tea towel, sifter
optional.
Please be careful while cutting the
Brussels sprouts, they can roll
around. Also, take care with the
hot pans and lids not to burn
yourself.
Recipe found in Vegan Yum Yum
cook book by Lauren Ulm
The cooked sprouts out of the apple
juice
17
How Music Works by David Byrne
By Tony Wilmers
Book Review:
Some of you might know and have
met my Tuesday and Wednesday
carer Marlon. What you might not
know is he is a full on muso, which
means we have plenty in common,
especially for the love of free form
blues, improvisational jazz and all
things musical. He suggested I
read How Music Works by David
Byrne and loaned me a copy. I
would say that it’s a must read for
any contemporary music buff or
aficionado.
funky, for caucasians, ‘music
scene’ and many of the intricacies
of the group: Talking Heads, whom
I’d say were dedicated to a white
version of funk, with a new wave
twist!
The list of chapter headings below
gives good insight into Byrne’s
mind and how the book is laid out.
I hope you enjoy this book. I did.
The book is a detailed opinion of
what David Byrne the lead singer, song writer and guitarist in the
legendary post punk,
contemporary music group: Talking Heads, has thought about for a life time.
Because I owned four of the
Talking Heads vinyl albums/LP’s:
‘Remain In Light’, ‘Stop Making
Sense’, ‘Speaking In Tongues’ and
‘More Songs About Buildings and
Food’ I found Byrne’s stories and
insights very interesting. As I think
any Talking Heads fans would. I
really liked reading and learning
about Byrne’s contemporarys
music scene, predominantly from
the U.S.
The writing at the outset of
reading straight away greatly
impressed me as being both
erudite and with an exemplary use
of language. I learned endless and
incredible insights into a hip and
18
Creation in Reverse
My Life In Performance
Technology Shapes Music: Analog
Technology Shapes Music: Digital
In the Recording Studio
Collaborations
Business and Finances
How to make a scene
Amateurs!
Harmonia Mundi
Acknowledgements
Appendices
FREE
ENT
RY
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15–16 April, 2016 | Australian Technology Park, Sydney
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19
Art and Culture
Mirror Image
By Tony Wilmers
©Tony Wilmers 82
The above scene was seen in Barcelona circa 1982, on my
way to or from the Antoni Gaudi Museum. I think of that city
as an unadorned world capital of ‘culture’!
I’d been watching the above misguided guy for near a minute
taunting that cop. Then following my all time favourite
photographers* statement of: ‘The Decisive Moment’ it called
out for exquisite timing of capturing the man mirroring that
mannequin's gesture. * Hénri Cartier-Bresson.