My mother doesn't love me enough

That explains everything! She told me that she didn't realise I was sick on video show day, so I confidently expected the videos to be amazing.
Well, they ARE amazing, thanks to SoundBitch our fab technician, even though it is him I am waving at in Perhaps to turn the music volume down, but honestly there is so much to manage the odd moment of disharmony is not worth getting one's sequins in a bunch over.
But, I sound like one of Bart Simpson's chain smoking aunties, Selma and Patty. HOW COULD SHE NOT NOTICE?

A voice like sandpaper!

That and the puffy face of the lurgy sufferer aside, I am pretty chuffed.

ONTO the VIDEO

Bored with 20,000 years of having to wear white and be wise, Lady Gladyournotreal lets us have it.

The downside of being a performer in her 50's - underwear. !

An oldie but a goodie.

So, maybe Mum loves me too much because she thinks everything I do is wonderful! I think that may be it as she is utterly fantastic. Daw :)

More pics of me!

Really, this is getting ridiculous! More photos of me! These from the Video show. Some signs of flueyness when I looked at these photos on my big work monitor, but on  my tablet and phone, not bad! ;-)
The show opened with my Lady Gladyournotreal The Elf act. I love this act - it's not a big belly laugh but it is fun. and I love this costume so much. I feel like a bride, daw.

 Oh this Lady Macbeth shot is fab isn't it? Clever timing on Ngahuia's part as I have no idea what I was doing. but the dress soon comes off thanks to popper tape, to reveal my true self - unicorn pjs and unicorn slippers.

Oh now, clearly I'm talking about the fish that got away! Goodness knows, but I love the way the peacocks in this costume seem to be crawling up me, possibly to nibble my pink hair!

 The sequin dress, looking a bit tamer, somehow. I think I was singing about Schmadonna

 How does bright green end up looking like gunmetal? Green is a hard colour to light because the colour light that would look good on it looks terrible on people, so it suffers. Oh well!

So there you go, more pictures of moi. I have some other projects that I need to progress, involving winter wardrobe plans. IF I get time between costuming!

A Quick Hello!

The Aussies have a saying - It's all on for young and old! How apt this is for my life right now. So much happening, some I can't share as yet (but soon!), but mostly I am trying to deal with it through a bleary fug of the Lurgie.
It's a horrible permutation. Unlike the usual "I'll just start in your head and move down to your chest in a couple of days" this one has taken my entire respiratory system by storm simultaneously. It was a gift from my lovely husband too, which is quite good really as he is already OK so I know I technically only have two more days of this to go!
Yesterday we had an afternoon cabaret which was about getting good video footage of the acts, with some audience for ambience. I was very moved that my mum and dad and dear friend Pam came to see it - Mum loves a good show but late nights are not her thing any more. Also excitingly my stepdaughter Sarah and her fiance and his parents all came to Wellington for the weekend and decided to come to the show as well, after a morning at Weta Cave. So really it was a family affair!

My makeup game was great yesterday and I had five costume changes, and two hair changes. I think I win the pro award too because my mother didn't realise I had the lurgie! She has such a radar for that kind of thing too. Ah, the slap that transformeth the face and fooleth the world.

Photos will be forthcoming as the ever amazing Ngahuia was present along with Andrew the video magician. He had cameras on tripods set up on tables all over the place. Should be interesting!

In closing here are two very bad selfies of my makeup mid application. Warning: eyes designed for huge lashes before lashes are applied look seriously weird!

The Outtakes from the 'Hood!

People I carefully selected the first round of photos, for glamour. This one I've selected because they are silly. And not always flattering. I love these kinds of photos.

 Bah, I'm getting cramp in my left leg!

 To know me in real life is to understand that my tongue is a mobile and offensive weapon.

 Our gate. I love this pic but not the way my bolero has parted company with my shoulders. So vain!

 An interior shot at the laundromat. Nga and I are both generous souls and we carefully thumped and leaned on this washing machine to make sure it was strong enough to take my weight. It coped very well.

 I just love this photo for its perspective. These old shops at the top end of Cuba St were all relocated from when the new bypass was put in, so it is charming in a new and 'put together' way that the original ramshackle hodge podge wasn't. I am a little sad about that, actually. But I am standing outside a wonderful jewellers, his name is Jeremy and he is a total sweetie.

 Another from inside Marthas. I call it "Pretending to be interested in hats" which from my hairdo, I clearly am not.

 Through the window of Marthas. I was actually pretending Nga was paparazzi and trying to shoo her off but I look like a prisoner trying to hail down a potential saviour!

Oh dear. The one setting I had planned was me draped seductively on the concrete couch outside Comfort Hotel. Made by Weta Workshop, it is heated and looks so comfy. IT IS CONCRETE. IT IS NOT COMFY. I could not find a position I could hold for more than 10 seconds without pain. This was the end result. It's the only one where I just look like Jabba the Hutt, instead of Jabba the Hutt giving birth.
But please don't take that a the voice of upset - I love it, it's the hilarious side of photo shoots and why I can be bothered with them, because that's what makes them fun!

Hanging in my neighbourhood.

On Sunday I got a bit Frida Kahlo sans monobrow, and headed out with my favourite photographer Ngahuia from Ataahua Photography, to get snapped in the Cuba St quarter of Wellington.

 This is in my building, on the exposed walkway. I cannot reach my foot, no surprises!

 At ground level, the very dark shape in the distance behind me is the rubbish skip. Such a glam life!

 One of the many muralled walls in the area. To my left and up a floor, some students were drinking tea in their flat and sending encouraging waves to us.

 I don't know who lives there, but I felt the need to get in!

 Perching on a working washing machine in the laundromat. Oh the shame of being caught!

 Taking a break in Martha's Pantry, a delightful tea shop en route. The staff were very enthused and lent me a fan and a tea service. Isn't the light in there just delicious!

 This is Doc. He turned up on his bike and asked to be in the photo with me. He used to live in this place and assumed I now did. Such a honey!

I love this shot. It is outside the Salvation Army's headquarters on Cuba, with these big pillars, so great to lean on. 

It was such a lovely afternoon. We got as far as the Comfort Hotel and stopped for coffee and noms before traipsing back the three blocks covered to my place.

I love my city! I mean this larger than life woman in a FULL ON sequin dress, on a super sunny day so totes dazzling, and crazy drag makeup just wandering around being photographed, and everyone is beaming and saying nice things! I felt like a star!

It's also nice to have some great photos of this dress. It has been a bit upstaged since I discovered the strapless dresses and the peacock thing, but really it is divine. Isn't it?

And my lovely friend Kate gave me these earrings, the last of several gifts of fantastic earrings by jewellery designer Colleen Toland, from the 90s. They are huge and showy and just perfect for Constance.

Pavlova Paradise

Happy Easter!! This evening we have family and friends coming for dinner - in New Zealand Easter dinner is traditionally roast lamb and a mighty leg of some poor wee fluff ball is roasting in the oven as I type, with sprigs of rosemary and slivers of garlic inserted into its flesh.
It is also an excuse to make a pavlova! Long term readers will know that I love making pavs. They are a teeny bit show offy, and very cheap to make so that's got to be a good combo.

 Here's an action shot of the Kenwood making light work of whipping up the pav mix.

 This is it just out of the oven. I must say it is one of my best - kept its height even after cooling.

 Here's the omega plums just out of the oven. Cut into eight slices each, sprinkled generously with coconut sugar and roasted. The delicious, thick jus I drained into some poached rhubarb to serve on the side.

And here it is! Cream on just over half of it, the plum slices now chilled, and blueberries. I love red and purple together as we all know, and in food as in life. ;-)
A smoked warehou pate for starters and we're all ready to go. Just waiting for the guests to arrive.
Happy Easter!

Je Suis une Rockstar

More show photos!  I am actually making a real dress for me and have several other projects on the sideline but it may be a couple of weeks before there's anything to show you. So, in the meantime, sequins it is.
At the March Burlesque Baby show, I was emcee again (did the March show last year) and I decided to get down with the cool kids and be a bit of a pop diva.
I love this look - hot pink fall and strapless dress - but the song really wasn't me (Get the party started). This show is a bit like an open mike though and the place to try new things. So, good choice eh!

 This dress is RTW!!! I stuck rhinestones all over the bodice to give it some more glitz. I love it though - the same cut as the LBD. 

 A Dusty Springfield moment.

 The skirt is draped at the sides and comes in at the bottom. This shape does wonders for me.

 Also wearing the black sequin bolero, because I like the line.

 Also breaking out the long gloves for a bit of audience participation

 Peeling gloves like a big ham to the delight of the audience.

 In the second half, I wore the dress that won the internet. And different hair.

 The curtain call - me, Miss Phoenix Rising, Courtney l'Amour our producer, Visha Vulpe, Penny Scott our stage momma, Amber de Luze, Victor Victorious and Kapi.
All photos were by Paradox Photography