Kathleen did a marvellous job of organizing Angela's Hens night. She chose a late night time for the Arty Party and then asked for our wonderful Belly Dancers to follow the art class. It all seemed rather mysterious as the chairs disapeared and the lights went out. Eastern music started, very loud, and then the dancers were there, the clapping started, and then everyone had belly dancing skirts that appeared out of nowhere and everyone was dancing, even the model.
There is sure a vey lucky guy out there, any man lucky enough to marry Hayley is blessed indeed. But first he has to wait his turn... Ken showed up at Hayley's Hens Party, and while he may be only only about 60cm tall and made of plastic, I am certain that his smile grew wider every time Hayley held him.
I have been very fortunate lately because there have been some wonderful groups come to the studio for drawing and to party. Last night it was Nicole Hoskins hens party and they were a particularly wonderful group of friends and family. They were very good at putting a big smile on me and our model. Of course the smiles started with Tiger Tamer, the blow up friend with the big smile. With so many beautiful women around him it is no wonder his smile was so large.
I love it when a party includes a wide range of age groups. The hens night art class and party that I host is elegant and tasteful and very suitable for all ages and for bringing family. Nicole has a wondeful mum and a gorgeous sister. Nicole is pretty gorgeous herself.
I loved the brightly colored boa's that the women brought. They suited the group - full of color, and full of fun. When they went off to eat Thai, it was like parting with old friends. BTW, the finger food here was enjoyed by all. I love it when people enjoy the food. The preparation starts the day before, so all that hard work deserves to be enjoyed.
Tell all your friends about the best place in Sydney for a hens night girl's. the phone number to pass on is 9368 0696. Hopefully I will see some of you back here some time soon.
Last night I went swimming again, the first time since May. It was so difficult forcing myself to the pool. It is about 10 minutes walk down William Street. It doesn't matter that it is a heated pool, the weather was wet and freezing. The whole psyche rebels at the thought of going swimming in that kind of weather.
I was surprised by how many people were there at the pool, it seemed just as busy as the middle of summer. Obviously they don't suffer the same struggles I do to get there. I suspect they mostly enjoy the process, at least those I talk to seem to. I, on the other hand simply never enjoy exercise at any time. I hate the time away from my work, I get bored moving through the water, and I intensely dislike the feeling of exertion and the feeling of muscular tiredness afterwards. Having said that i need to exercise, and swimming is the form of exercise I least detest. At least I don't have that horrible sweatiness to deal with.
I need to get back to swimming twice a week. I had allowed myself a break from swimming in order to get more work done. I hate that exercise takes away from working time. And afterwards I know I am not as efficioent in the mind as I normally am due to physical tiredness. I know people think I am odd, but I love working, and for something to take me away from that I must think it is very important indeed.
Afterwards I made a dinner for me and Pablo of salad. Salad is another thing I do not enjoy, except when i make the special dressing my mother made when I was a kid. It is really simple, but it is the only thing that can make a salad taste great. It is 2/3 fresh cream, 1/3 condensed milk, add pepper, and then brown vinegar to taste (around 2 teaspoons full for 300 ml of cream).
While we ate I was also making some caramel. It is an old country thing as well. Puncture a can of condensed milk, put it in boiling water then boil for a couple of hours. The milk gradually turns into a solid brown mass of pure caramel. It is a treat I make once in ten years or so. I made it once when I was 17 and sharing in a flat in Bundaberg. I forgot to check the water level, and it boiled dry. The can exploded and half caramelised milk was over the walls, the floor, and the ceiling. What a mess. It took ages to clean up. Now it is just a funny story to tell Pablo. I still remember the sound of the can going off, lucky no one was in the room at the time.
I make Pavlova with fresh cream and fresh fruit salad. There are special cheeses, salami, dips and lebanese bread, chocolates and Tim Tams. The finger food prompted someone from a recent hens party who had previously been to the Victoria Room, that we beat the Victoria Room by a mile. The food is good, and I love to hear the "ooohs" and "aaahhs" as people arrive. It takes a lot of time to prepare, but it is worth it.
I had the great pleasure of taking my boys and young men to lunch. We walked into the city to Hungry Jacks in Pitt Street. Pablo joined us there. Afterwards we went shopping at Woolworths supermarket. Luckily the rain had eased off a little for the walk.
My drinks shelf has good choice but no beer. I prefer wine, and I know the conventional thing is for wine drinkers to start with white wines and gradually gravitate to reds. I never did. I prefer white wines, particularly Australian and South African whites. My favorite is Verdello. When I do enjoy red it is usually a French red. I like the mellowness and subtlety of their red wines. I also love port.
My favorite drink of all, however, is Absinth. I squeeze a lime into a glass, add a shot of Absinth, and top up with Lemon Lime and Bitters. Divine.
I also enjoy Gin and Tonic, and love a Screwdriver, that is simply Vodka and orange juice.
I enjoy a drink but abhor the feeling of being too drunk. So I tend to be a moderate drinker. I never suffer hangovers as a result. Thus, drinking for me is a very enjoyable part of my life. At the end of a painting I usually paint with wine and loud music. For me wine is pure distilled creative juices.
Gustavo is an artist. His family has had a cafe in Kings Cross for many years called Cafe Hernandez. It is one of those all night places with the rich smells of coffee that is roasted on the premises in a gigantic roasting contraption that dominates the rear of the shop. Their coffees bring people from all over Sydney.
The bohemian atmosphere is enhanced by the many oil paintings that cover the walls, mostly painted by his mother, Paquita.
Paquita is the reason I know Gustavo. When I was a young artist newly arrived in Kings Cross she had a small gallery at the Kings Gate. She was kind to me and I never forgot. Gustavo was there but I didn't really know him so well then. It was many years later when I returned to Kings Cross that I discovered Cafe Hernandez by taking one of my late night cafe drawing groups there. When I saw the signature 'Paquita' on the paintings I told the barrista that I once knew an artist with that same name. He said "that was my mother". She was living back in Spain then.
I took these photos last week at the new cafe restaurant that Gustavo and his family has opened at the top of Burton Street near Taylor Square. Like the other cafe he has paintings on the wall, but it is more a larger restaurant style with tables under the trees and is very lovely. It is in the bottom and rear of an old stone building that fronts Oxford Street, 
but a curved stone railing and path leads one around back to the Darlinghurst Cafe Hernandez. Just a few steps away there is the noise and bustle of Taylor Square, yet these few short steps take one to an idyllic peace.
And while the big coffee roaster is still at the Kings Cross all night cafe, he does sell his famous coffees at the new place. He also tells me that Paquita is back in Sydney. I hope to get to say hello to her soon.
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