Bali Hai's blog

Even the palms seem to be swaying.

It has been some time since I have posted here but I am back.  Hurrah! 

I was daydreaming today (imagine!) at my new desk, which is under a large window overlooking a couple of plum trees in full bloom, sipping tea.  My thoughts wondered to a place far away where the warm breeze rustles the palms and the sea gently laps the white sands.  It's funny really how cliched that is, yet so irresistible.  I looked through some of my recent additions to my photo collection and found this lucky fellow:

Yes, that is where I want to be!   What, standing on a palm tree in madras on an Hawaiian beach in the 1940s?  Why, sure! 

I won't be going back in time, not this week anyway, but I will be looking for a short sleeved madras shirt for summer and maybe some crystal framed sunglasses.  I'll be there in spirit, at least!

As I continued to sip my tea, I realised that even my mug was telling me to find Bali Hai.  This was a gift from my best friend and it comes from an etsy seller, YogaGoat in the US:

My reverie complete, I got back down to work.  And, I'm sure I could smell gardenias.

(photo from my collection)

Don't Bring Lulu

Digging around in one of my boxes of old photographs the other day I came across this endearing snap:

It reminded me of myself.

It would drive my brother nuts when I was a kid and insisted on listening to old records.  He was appalled when I set our lounge room up as a 'nightclub' and charged my parents 5c to come in and relax and listen to some carefully selected Andy Williams on the hifi.  Mood lighting, sweet music, a snack; I'd pay 100 times that now to go to such a place!  He didn't get it.

So imagine his disgust when I purchased a 1925 Rexonola gramophone with money I had saved (another bugbear of his) and started collecting old 78 records.  It was the start of my life-long love of popular music from the 20s through to the 50s as well as igniting my interest in jazz.

There's nothing like the cosy crackling sound of a gramophone, the slightly tinny voices and fast tunes.  I'm glad now that when I drag it out and play "Don't Bring Lulu" I have an appreciative audience.  We had some fun with it over the Christmas break.

Happy New Year to any readers out there.  Take it easy and enjoy.

Breezin' Along on a Breeze

It's a lovely summer's day today.  Warm, with a gentle breeze.  In my youth, on a day like today, I would head for the hills on my Vespa.  Despite the giant lollipop-like helmet perched atop my scrawny body, I could feel the rush of the air on my face and smell the irresistible scent of dried grass being watered by giant sprinklers in the fields (pre-water restriction days, obviously).  I'm not a speed freak, but I felt exhilarated by the ride.  I miss those times.  Everyone should have a scooter at some stage in their life; there's nothing that says breezy like whizzing along on a Vespa with a bunch of flowers jammed down the front of your jacket and your groceries in a box tied behind you on the seat.  Here's to being young and breezy:

From the cover of "The New Target Book for Girls".

Technicolor Swoon

Here's a treat: Juanita Hall as Bloody Mary in the 1958 film of South Pacific (vocals dubbed over by Muriel Smith, apparently):

Catball

This cracks me up.

IKEA $4.95.

Bali Hai is about temptation, distraction. longing and desire. For me, anyway. It’s about the things I think of when I gaze out of the second storey window of my dull grey office. It’s about the things that inspire me and make me happy. So, to kick off, I want to say ‘cheers’ with a favourite cocktail:

1 part Noilly Prat dry vermouth
2 parts Hendrick’s gin
1 slice cucumber
1 happy fellow