Review of park: Kesterton Park, North Sydney

Kesterton Park, North Sydney had recently been renovated with new fitness equipment, updated children's playground and new water-side access to the de-commissioned HMAS Platypus base.

It is a pleasant park that is hidden away at the end of High Street, North Sydney. Sydney Ferries Neutral Bay service stops at the North Sydney wharf adjoining the park.

The former HMAS Platypus buildings will be eventually released to business interests - restaurants, cafes, art galleries and the like. It will be a wonderful gentrification of the area. Some of the naval and submarine history has been preserved.

Fitness equipment

 There is a public bathroom, running water and an electric BBQ area.

Waterside walk entry to Sub Base Platypus - gate closed at a set time each night depending on season.

We enjoyed an hour's walk through the park and former naval base Platypus. There were educative signage and wonderful views across the water.

Electric BBQ area with children's playground at rear

 The area had few people - the park extension is probably not well known.

Bunting on fence between opened public area and a building that one day may be a café.

 The grass areas are neatly kept and the pathways are accessible to wheelchair and pram.

Updated playground equipment

We are hoping to have many happy return visits.


Shalom,
Ozhamada

Review of theatre: Seasons Greetings

TL:DR – A review of a Hunters Hill Theatre production – Seasons Greetings by Alan Ayckbourn. Flirtatious middle age woman in Hunters Hill!

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Hey fellows!, flirtatious middle age woman are running amok in Hunters Hill! Well, they are at least running amok in Hunters Hill Town Hall during performances of a play Seasons Greetings by Alan Ayckbourn. A male guest, a famous author, joins an extended family for Christmas celebrations, and receives much attention from all the women-folk. The hostess switches on her charms, delighting the male guest late in the evening wearing only a thin slip.

 

Image credit: http://www.huntershilltheatre.com.au/component/content/article/107-seasons-greetings

The play is about a dysfunctional British family and it covers four days of the Christmas period of the year 1990. Neville and Belinda Bunker have opened their home to other family members including a peculiar doctor; Bernard, who has little regard for his occupational success.

The play had a few slow moments – particularly in the middle of the first act. The pace of the later part of Act 1 and the whole of Act 2 was more to my liking. I was uncomfortable with the plot development. For instance, it took some time for it to dawn on me why the family had gravitated to Neville and Belinda Bunker’s house.

The cantankerous Uncle Harvey was a welcome addition to the mix: he bought back memories of Christmases past. No family Christmas is complete without an aged relative who is still living in yester-year! The author; Clive, has perhaps the toughest acting gig in that he has to cope with being both a guest in the house and an attraction of the ladies.

We were fortunate to attend on opening night. The play runs through to 17 June 2018. The venue is very suited to a play with the stage suitably elevated above viewers. Appropriately, a picture of Her Majesty gazed upon us subjects as we watched this British production.

Thank you to Ticket Wombat for the freebie double tixs. Parking was a breeze on the main road and the coffee at interval was hot. This was the second play for us in as many months – heady experience for us.

Shalom,
Ozhamada