We're not in Sydney this weekend because APEC has made it a no go zone for everyone else but Asia-Pacific world leaders and their hangers on. Annabel Crabb summed the week's events up brilliantly in Saturday's Sydney Morning Herald September 8, 2007. I've copied it into the blog for Dayv's benefit in case it didn't get reported in the UK.
BEHIND THE FENCE
AND on the Friday there came a great confusion on the conference, and they spake in tongues. Thank God for the arrival of Vladimir Putin.
APEC was in dire need of a language as yet unmastered by the rampaging Kevin Rudd.
It was almost a relief to haul out the clunky headphones and embark upon the agonising choreography of simultaneous translation at the Putin/Howard news conference; the missed cues, the bungled allusions and the long stretches of everyone looking vaguely stupid while Viktor the blank-faced interpreter delivered a guttural account of what the Russian President had just said.
Howard never looks entirely graceful at these events. We cannot blame him for that - they are impossible - but this one brought a special clanger, when he enthusiastically endorsed the idea of a 2012 APEC in "convivial" St Petersburg, only to be reminded with Slavic chill by Putin that Russia favours Vladivostok.
If only APEC organisers had thought to chopper in some interpreters from Texas. The US President, for whom the English language is not a tool so much as a room full of baited mousetraps, started the day in great form at the Opera House, where he told business delegates that he thought John Howard was a terrific host "of the OPEC summit".
"I mean APEC summit", he corrected himself grinningly. "I've been invited to the OPEC summit next year." (Not true, in case the oil producers among you were wondering.)
The President plunged on, traps snapping to the left and right of him. He voiced his abhorrence of terrorist groups operating in the Asia-Pacific region, including the evil "Jenna Islaaanah Nia", who does indeed sound like quite an alarming young lady.
He congratulated Howard on his visit to Iraq last year, which had given hope and succour to "the Austrian troops there".
One could almost sense the craning CIA sharpshooters wearily exchanging their live rounds for tranquilliser darts. "Time to get the big guy out of there, Hank?"
"Roger that, Chuck."
Meanwhile, Rudd and China's President, Hu Jintao, nattered away animatedly in Mandarin, despite the general feeling of all that they should perhaps just get a room. The Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, grumped on ABC radio that it was no big deal to speak Chinese; he spoke French, actually, but he did not go on about it.
Hu should be careful. No sooner had his farewell endearments dispersed to the winds yesterday morning than Rudd was already two-timing him with a handsome Russian. The Labor leader popped up at Putin's official lunch and delivered an erudite speech sprinkled with humour and literary references to The Brothers Karamazov.
(So like Rudd to ignore the more obvious Dostoevsky text, Crime And Punishment, in favour of a lesser-known work, in a cosy hint that he has read further into the oeuvre than was mandated by the English curriculum at Nambour High.) Who can stop this man? In any language?
Who needs to be an Asia Pacific world leader when you can have Ella come for dinner? I took this sequence of startled expressions on Saturday late afternoon in between courses (for Ella).
Look very carefully at this shot. You can see Ella's first two teeth emerging. Jody saw the first one last Thursday morning and the second one became obvious that same afternoon. This is pretty early for teeth to be emerging but we all know Ella is very advanced. It also helps to explain her being a little less settled than usual lately.
We did get lots of smiles too!
Rob and I have spent some time organising more things for Coogee. We bought a TV & DVD at the opening of the new Dick Smith mega store in the Canberra Centre on Friday night. Far more interesting was our success in picking up 4 beautiful bentwood chairs from the Fyshwick Antique Centre that we think will be just perfect for the apartment. Also bought a small dot painting from the Central Desert region - very similar to the one I picked up in Alice Springs last year.
BEHIND THE FENCE
AND on the Friday there came a great confusion on the conference, and they spake in tongues. Thank God for the arrival of Vladimir Putin.
APEC was in dire need of a language as yet unmastered by the rampaging Kevin Rudd.
It was almost a relief to haul out the clunky headphones and embark upon the agonising choreography of simultaneous translation at the Putin/Howard news conference; the missed cues, the bungled allusions and the long stretches of everyone looking vaguely stupid while Viktor the blank-faced interpreter delivered a guttural account of what the Russian President had just said.
Howard never looks entirely graceful at these events. We cannot blame him for that - they are impossible - but this one brought a special clanger, when he enthusiastically endorsed the idea of a 2012 APEC in "convivial" St Petersburg, only to be reminded with Slavic chill by Putin that Russia favours Vladivostok.
If only APEC organisers had thought to chopper in some interpreters from Texas. The US President, for whom the English language is not a tool so much as a room full of baited mousetraps, started the day in great form at the Opera House, where he told business delegates that he thought John Howard was a terrific host "of the OPEC summit".
"I mean APEC summit", he corrected himself grinningly. "I've been invited to the OPEC summit next year." (Not true, in case the oil producers among you were wondering.)
The President plunged on, traps snapping to the left and right of him. He voiced his abhorrence of terrorist groups operating in the Asia-Pacific region, including the evil "Jenna Islaaanah Nia", who does indeed sound like quite an alarming young lady.
He congratulated Howard on his visit to Iraq last year, which had given hope and succour to "the Austrian troops there".
One could almost sense the craning CIA sharpshooters wearily exchanging their live rounds for tranquilliser darts. "Time to get the big guy out of there, Hank?"
"Roger that, Chuck."
Meanwhile, Rudd and China's President, Hu Jintao, nattered away animatedly in Mandarin, despite the general feeling of all that they should perhaps just get a room. The Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, grumped on ABC radio that it was no big deal to speak Chinese; he spoke French, actually, but he did not go on about it.
Hu should be careful. No sooner had his farewell endearments dispersed to the winds yesterday morning than Rudd was already two-timing him with a handsome Russian. The Labor leader popped up at Putin's official lunch and delivered an erudite speech sprinkled with humour and literary references to The Brothers Karamazov.
(So like Rudd to ignore the more obvious Dostoevsky text, Crime And Punishment, in favour of a lesser-known work, in a cosy hint that he has read further into the oeuvre than was mandated by the English curriculum at Nambour High.) Who can stop this man? In any language?
Who needs to be an Asia Pacific world leader when you can have Ella come for dinner? I took this sequence of startled expressions on Saturday late afternoon in between courses (for Ella).
Look very carefully at this shot. You can see Ella's first two teeth emerging. Jody saw the first one last Thursday morning and the second one became obvious that same afternoon. This is pretty early for teeth to be emerging but we all know Ella is very advanced. It also helps to explain her being a little less settled than usual lately.
We did get lots of smiles too!
Rob and I have spent some time organising more things for Coogee. We bought a TV & DVD at the opening of the new Dick Smith mega store in the Canberra Centre on Friday night. Far more interesting was our success in picking up 4 beautiful bentwood chairs from the Fyshwick Antique Centre that we think will be just perfect for the apartment. Also bought a small dot painting from the Central Desert region - very similar to the one I picked up in Alice Springs last year.
Rob is already sketching plans for how he is going to fit all this loot in the Mirage next Friday night when we will be trying to transport it all up to Sydney. Claire and Jeremy have booked into the Coogee Sands Hotel so we will be able to have some fun together next weekend. A trip to Taronga Zoo with the boys will be the highlight.
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