Firstly, the wine!
Another one from the bottom of the cupboard, you generally can't go wrong with Henschke. One of the best wineries, not just in South Australia but Australia, it has a great number of wines. The one that is synonymous with Henschke is 'Hill of Grace' (don't expect a personal review on this one anytime soon by the way!).
There are a number of other, less costly wines in the Henschke range and this is one of them. That and you don't tend to get a bad Henschke either. It's a Shiraz that goes well with a nice marinated lamb shoulder from your butcher or the supermarket. Another Henschke I would highly recommend is the Keyneton Euphonium; it's a blend but one that has never disappointed either.
I have to say that I have wrestled as to what I should write about today. I didn't want to linger on the current situation we find ourselves. I also thought about writing about a positive memory from the not too recent past and that may still happen. Just not today.
When the Australian Government put in the first round of restrictions, I wrote a post on Linked In after the first week of an enforced work from home period, the link to which is below:
At the time, I did want it to be somewhat humorous and some of the observations that I wrote reflected that. Five weeks later, I figured that it was time to provide another set of my personal insights; none of which are intended to provide best practices or even recommended advice. More an airing of the cupboards of my soul (how's that for deep???)
I now find supermarket shopping being a strategic activity which in my wildest dreams I never thought would be the case. Being a student of marketing, I would enjoy moseying around the aisles, mentally reviewing labels, promotions, shelf placement. Now, I shop on a Friday morning (I figure my company wouldn't mind seeing the early morning conference calls & weekend work that happens) to avoid the weekend crowds. Not that I am worried about infection - just the hassle of a greater number of people, greater physical restrictions makes it just too much. That and the shopping list is far more thoroughly developed and on a suitable app on my phone. I now yearn for the days when the only grief supermarket shopping caused was those days when it became a swap meet for the latest series of collectables the supermarket chains were offering that month.
There are still some joys that can be found in the day to day. I start each working day listening to the increasing back catalogue of mini concerts that Neil Finn and his family have been doing out of his house in Los Angeles. He started these mid March when California started their series of lockdowns and if you are a fan of Split End, Crowded House, the Finn Brothers or Neil Finn, you will enjoy. It provides me with a sense of calmness and a smile as I start my day. Here is the link https://www.neilfinn.com/fangradio and scroll down to the archives if you are interested.
There is a lot of talk about the National Rugby League looking to re-start the competition on May 28th, when in all likelihood the majority of the country will still be restricted in it's movements. As some of you may know, I love my sports so you might be thinking that I am jumping out of my skin for the NRL to start. Actually, I'm not. To be honest, I am still undecided whether it is a good idea or not. I know it is a business and employs a great number of people; a lot of whom are not earning an income at the moment. I also know that it has the potential to provide entertainment/distraction to a lot of people. In the end, I worked out why I am so non-plussed and it is because of Peter V'Landys. His aggressive and in my opinion arrogant nature is one of the reasons that the NRL seems to be making progress in passing through all the gates required to get started. It is also the reason why I am not that enthusiastic about it either. His "An Australia without rugby league is not Australia" press conference when he suggested that the Government provide financial assistance, at a time when infection rates were increasing, people were losing their jobs and livelihoods...just didn't sit well with me. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/mar/15/nrl-will-ask-government-for-financial-assistance-if-season-is-suspended Again, I get it - I just don't have to like it.
I am not a fan of Scott Morrison. Never have and I dare say, I never will. But, I think he and the majority of our Federal & State Government leaders have done a good job at trying to navigate the way through all of this. There isn't a playbook to deal with this so you have to balance the data that is available versus the very real trade off of restricting infections and the potential impact on the health system and when do you get elements of society back functioning; schools, business, social engagement etc. I think any fair minded person would accept that our political leaders have done well so far and I think there will be some hard decisions that have to be made in the near future. And, as we all realise and have seen in other parts of the world, it could be a hell of a lot worse. That said, when Peter Dutton starts to criticise the WHO instead of providing any explanation around the Ruby Princess docking in Sydney...you know some things never change.
I know they mean well. I truly do. I just have had enough of those ads on nearly every TV station with celebrities telling me how they are thinking of me, that we are "all in this together" (Ben Lee must either be rolling in cash off the royalty fees or rolling in his metaphorical grave - he is alive and well by all accounts). Another reason to thankful of the era of Netflix, Stan & Amazon Prime.
Speaking of which, let me end with some of the shows that I think are worth a watch.
The latest season of 'Ozark' on Netflix. The first two have been brilliant and the third takes it to another level. Jason Bateman & Laura Linney lead a superb cast and one that has you invested in the fate of their characters. You can't ask for much more than that.
'Will & Grace' on Stan and the episode where they may homage to Lucille Ball will put a smile on your face; especially if you used to watch 'Here's Lucy' on Channel 9 during the school holidays in the 1980's. Debra Messing nails it.
'Formula 1-Drive to Survive' on Netflix. I have completed season 1 and am working my way through season 2. The thing I thought was pretty cool is that the first season didn't focus on Mercedes or Ferrari but how the other teams; especially the mid-tier and below progress or otherwise during the season. I am still undecided as to whether I am a fan of Christian Horner from Red Bull Racing or not. I find him quite entertaining...though I think he does have something against Australian drivers. Has to be an English thing!
'The Test' on Amazon Prime. No surprises I have listed this here I am sure but I was impressed with the honesty and willingness to show the highs and the lows. It changed my opinion of Justin Langer as coach of the Mens' team. I didn't think he was the right choice but this series changed my mind. It also proves why Tim Paine and Aaron Finch are still the right choices for Australian Captain across the three forms of the game.
'Stateless' on ABC iView. If you missed this on the ABC when it was on over the last month, you can catch up online. Inspired by true events, it provides the many different perspectives on mandatory detention of refugees by the Australian Government. If nothing else, it shows how complex this issue is and that it can't be summarised in simple social media posts.
Until next time, take care.
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