Category Archives: Australia

The Tramp launch

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The long awaited launch of ‘The Tramp’ took place on Sunday, 12th February at Burnie Regional Art Gallery. An enthusiastic crowd gathered to enjoy an afternoon of music and literary delights. The band assembled

1.tuning up

as Roger Jaensch, MP, became MC

2.Roger Jaensch

and, reading an excerpt from the novel, introduced the song, ‘Cottage By The Sea’.

3.Cottage By The Sea

Three more tracks from the CD were preceded with a reading by guests, each shared passage and song a tantalising tidbit of what lay within the pages of the novel.

4.Kathy reading

Michael related the story of how ‘The Tramp’ evolved from a dream he had and the journey of the last two years to the culmination on this afternoon.

Michael was supported by some amazing musicians who also appear on the CD. Julie Swain played the baby grand piano;

Neil Gray, lead guitar;

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Phil Tibbits, bass guitar; Nick Turner, lead guitar;

19.Phil, Gary, Nick

Gary Pine, harmonica

and Kane Wylie, drums.

22.Kane Wylie

Husband and wife team, Tony & Judi Swain, expertly synchronised backing vocals and harmonies.

23.Tony & Judi Swain

I nearly forgot to mention, Michael Cannon, acoustic guitar.

The final number, featuring the fabulous voice of Natasha Bakker, had the audience clapping, singing and dancing.

29.Natasha Bakker

The excited crowd called for encore and Michael obliged with a thought provoking ballad. The entertainment was over, the bar was still open and many were compelled to take home a copy of the book and CD. Our friend, Jude, came all the way from W.A., her help was invaluable.

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A big ‘Thank You’ to all who have believed in Michael, we really appreciate your support. Looking forward to the next project……

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Photography courtesy of Chris Swain and David Harvey. Thanks guys.

32.CD & novel

The paperback and Kindle are available online at Amazon.com, Kindle at Amazon.com.au and the CD at Bandcamp.com

https://michaelcannon.bandcamp.com

Both CD and paperback are in stock at Burnie Regional Art Gallery and ‘Not Just Books’, Burnie, Soon to be on shelves of bookshops around Tasmania and at tigerdreaming.com.au. Alternatively, you can use the contact form on this site for more information or to purchase a copy.

Meelup

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Our first morning at Dunsborough was overcast as we set off to discover the beautiful coastline of Geographe Bay. Nature has painted the rocks with her wondrous palette,

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a stunning contrast to the calm waters.

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Nestled in the next bay is Meelup Beach, a perfect swimming beach, sheltered from wind and waves with crystal clear water. Meelup means “Place of the Moon Rising” and is one of the few beaches in Western Australia where you can see the moon rising over the ocean.

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There is a phenomenon called “Staircase to the Moon” when, during summer, the silvery light of a full moon rising is reflected in the ripples of the water all the way to the horizon. I would love to witness that, it seems a return trip is in order.

Prickly Mo

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Last Sunday, we took Cooper for a drive off the beaten track to while away the afternoon at Prickly Mo.

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The vineyard was established twenty two years ago at Eugenana but the cellar door is a more recent evolution.

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The old shearing shed offers a unique tasting room experience and the comfy seating arrangements are irresistible.

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Wet weather and storms had been forecast so the main deck was enclosed, gas heaters poised for Tasmania’s unpredictable elements (no, I don’t mean the customers).

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We felt at home straight away, our philosophy obviously in tune with that of the establishment.

I’m sure there are a few stories to be told about this rustic ornament.

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The highlight of the afternoon was the live music Sunday Session, on this occasion starring the very talented Neil Gray.

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We savoured a lavish platter

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and a bottle of rosé

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while Neil entertained with masterful guitar work and smooth vocals, not to mention some nifty pedal shifting.

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The microphone stand accessory is now on Michael’s wish list.

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The storm clouds moved on, leaving nothing more than a few showers

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and by the time we departed

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the blue sky had broken through.

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We enjoyed a leisurely drive home with the top down, reflecting on our wonderful day, four bottles of Prickly Mo in the back seat.

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Toby’s Inlet

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The day after arriving in Perth we were whisked away to Dunsborough, our base to explore the Margaret River Region. The house of a friend of our friends was the perfect base for day trips.

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The front door was guarded by the most beautiful moss covered dog I have ever seen.

The garden hugged the banks of Toby’s Inlet,

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a small estuary that offered some magnificent morning reflections.

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The pontoon was a convenient perch for the gulls

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to observe the downstream drift of the pelicans

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who were sometimes accompanied by an entourage of ducks.

The home was a wonderful, peaceful place to return to each day after our explorations.

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spider surprise

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We all know that feeling of walking smack bang into the middle of an orb weavers web. These clever spiders spin their beautiful webs at night to catch unsuspecting flying insects, enjoy an early morning snack and retreat for the day leaving the web to catch unsuspecting humans. We had one residing in the veggie patch, just to the left of the door and we never failed to fall prey upon entering. The spider proved smarter than we are and moved to one of the beds where she wouldn’t be disturbed. Early one morning, she (or he) was resting in the middle of the web.

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As I watched, she woke up and moved toward a tasty morsel that had fallen foul during the night.

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She grabbed her breakfast

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and returned to the centre of the web to dine.

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She then curled up and went back to sleep.

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I am grateful to her for helping keep the insects from the succulent leaves of the veggies.