I'm sipping soup in-between sentences & enjoying a last supper in Australia before finally sealing Sebastian in his road case. I can't believe that by this time tomorrow we'll be half-way to London! But until I click that seatbelt in place & rest (in the peace that comes with knowing you are miles up in the air & therefore powerless to do anything about all that you've forgotten to attend to) I'm going to be running 'round in that particular last minute desperation known to international travellers everywhere.

The past couple of months have been quieter for us on the performance front as we focussed in on tour plans & had a rest from the road. We did however make a surprise appearance at the National Folk Festival wine bar late at night which turned out to be a crazy event with appearances from Andrew Clermont, Fred Smith, Damon Davies, Jasmin & others. It was such a pleasure to sing 'Stronger the Tree' with Damon onstage beside me - especially as this was his last National before retiring from the touring life. "Life on the road, my friend, is not as pretty as they think".

Last night we drove back from our final Aussie gig at the National Celtic Festival in Port Arlington & if England is going to be any colder than the inside of our Van at 1am this morning well I'm giving away my ticket right now. What a delightful picture of domesticity we made at a truck stop in Holbrook all sitting around aiming our sock-clad feet at the tiny gas heater in the restaurant! The wintry weather had started even before the festival itself, but it didn't cool the atmosphere of the music. In fact icy winds made the halls & marquees seem so much warmer - packed with jumper clad music fans & the best Celtic/Australian line-up I think I've ever seen at a festival. We were in the company of The Ploughboys, The Idle-Diddlies(fresh from Ned Kelly Movie fame), Trouble in the Kitchen, Tulca Mor, Claymore (with more dried herb jokes I'm afraid) Marcia Howard, Maria Forde & loads more. The festival came shortly after our last-minute 'Yes, this really is our last Sydney gig' fund-raiser at the Harp where we finally awarded the winner of the illustrious & long-running Goldfish competition. (You'll have to keep checking the site- the results will be published soon...) Thank you for all who attended & we'll we back before you've missed us.

Thanks also to all those audience members who sent me sms messages on my late-night trip home after our merry muse gig. As you can see I survived & lived to tell the tale! More thanks to those who travelled all the way to Richmond to support the first Hawkesbury Fiddle Festival at the new venue. Jamming with the Gypsy Hot Club on Misirlou has got to be the closest I've ever come to over-dosing on fiddles! A final thanks to the anonymous gift-giver out there. Whoever you are, your taste & generosity have been marvelled at & appreciated. I do however think I'll go crazy trying to work out if I know you or not!

Well the soup has gone cold & the hours race by. Gotta catch a plane... but not before Handy hint No.7: If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
ciao
~elisabeth