Another day in paradise

Had lunch with Peter Martin frae Leith today. Good to hear an Edinburgh accent and industry gossip from back home.

Unfortunately nothing seems to have changed much and the Drum awards are still crap.

He gave me a copy of his film short and I scurried back to my office to watch it - Brilliant! Beautiful cinematography and it had me completely engrossed!

Some fantastic cameo roles of people I recognise and whose talents have been wasted over the years as suits and marketeers when really they should have been treading the boards!

Although the shopkeeper looked slightly weird and I definately wouldn’t have bought anything from him!

I’m going to enter it into the Sydney Short film award and see what happens - all the ex-pats out here will love it!

I had dinner with Rupert the other week.

I found myself invited to a private dinner in a private room in a swanky Sydney Restaurant, along with Rupert Murdoch, our Australian chairman, our MD, the editor-in chief and me.

It has to be the most surreal experience of my life.

Stting at a wee round table drinking fantastic wines, eating extrordinary food and listening to Rupert talk about foreign policy, the future of media and the Australian political landscape in such an intimate setting was gob smacking.

It was also the worlds greatest natural laxative as he kept asking me questions on the commercial direction of our paper. 

But it would appear I answered his interogation successfully as I still have a job.

I just had to keep pinching myself for 4 hours - As well as drink copious amounts of wine!

 From Musselburgh to Murdoch.

Ain’t life strange.

Mollie turned 14 on Monday 12th November.

We had a fabulous day climbing bridges and having picnics.

On Monday Mollie turned into a grumpy teenager. Someone obviously has crept into her room overnight and injected her with some serum that radically alters your behaviour from compliant and happy girl to surly arguementative teenager.

And don’t you just love it when all those middle aged people with adult children tell you the worse is yet to come. Smug Bastards.

Anyway, we’re in the process of trying to manage this unruly creature through various methods of cajouling, encouragement to death threats. Mainly from me I may add.

I don’t have the patience for this. Lifes tough get a crash helmet.

As you can imagine Tee has a job trying to navigate us all through this traumatic period of Mollie growing up and me wanting to put her over my knee. But apparently thats illegal according to Mollie and I could get charged. Only if theres a witness I retort.

But needless to say she always has the last word and Tee has to rugby tackle me to stop me leaping over the table.

Anyway, I was watching this obscure comedy prgramme last night and it made me laugh - cause it’s just Mollie over the back.

However she did sore 85% inher French exam so it’s not exactly like her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p62jW71zGKo

Bloody Hell - 45 today.

Where have all the years gone - The last 20 years have just zoomed past.

How scary - I hope the next 20 sort of slow down a bit so I can enjoy it a bit more.

I reckon I took the last 20 for granted.

There’s a saying that youth is wasted on the young. How true.

If only I knew then what I knew now.

 Took Mollie for a wee wander up Sydney Harbour Bridge to celebrate her birthday.

Jeez - its bloody high.

I must be getting too old or just more aware of my own mortality.

My legs were still shaking for about an hour after it - but she reckoned it was one of the best moments of her life - standing on top looking over the harbour and the opera house.

The things we do for our kids!