TV's Night of Nights

It's Logies night. Both boys are asleep so I've snuck out to the loungeroom to watch a little bit of the Logies. This is a fairly meaningless thing to do because these days I watch very little television. True, I was a committed viewer of Robin Hood (which ended last Sunday night - and how dare they kill off Marion?). But I gave up on East of Everything after episode 2 and I'm hoping that Underbelly will soon be available from the dvd shop otherwise I'll never see it. As for all those soapie regulars - Neighbours, Home and Away, Macleod's Daughters, Sea Patrol - some I've never seen and some I haven't watched for years and years and years.

I have discovered, however, that it's the fiftieth year of the Logies and they are doing quite a bit of 'memory lane' stuff. This at least means that there are some faces I recognise. And John Clarke is being inducted into the Hall of Fame as I type. A worthy recipient. Hamish and Andy are doing the green room interviews. And Adam Hills has made me smile. But who is Lincoln Lewis?

Once upon a time, I would have known most of the nominees in all the categories, except the ones about sport and maybe current affairs. I wouldn't have missed the Logies anymore than I'd have missed the Oscars and I'd watch it from beginning to end. This would be despite the fact that there wouldn't have been a single Australian actor staring down from my bedroom walls. That space was reserved for the 'teen idol' stars of The Hardy Boys, Eight is Enough and the like. I'd probably have bought TV Week the morning after to look again at the frocks and read the behind-the-scenes stories.

Now, though, I'm old, or older. I've become a serious viewer of the ABC. I don't have time in my hectic life to make the kind of commitment series television requires. I have never watched an episode of Grey's Anatomy. I saw part episodes of Ugly Betty but couldn't keep up. And not having access to satellite television, I have a sneaking suspicion that the really interesting Australian programming is happening elsewhere.

Still, love them or hate them, the Logies has provided some memorable moments. Will Susie Eleman ever live down the bald head? And who will ever forget Bert Newton calling Mohammed Ali 'nigger'? Even if we only saw it replayed twenty years later.

I'm Late, I'm Late

I think I have well and truly missed this week's deadline. And the only thing I can blame is 'Winter'. Since Sunday evening it has been bitterly cold at night in Canberra. We have finally turned on the heater. The hot water bottles have been taken out of the cupboard and are being used consistently. The car windscreen has been covered in a thin film of ice in the morning. Now, when Mr M asks 'Is it winter?', I have begun to say 'yes', instead of trying to explain what autumn is. And the result of all this is that I have been far more tempted to stay in bed with Mr M when I lie down with him to help him go to sleep (and probably that is something all the books tell you not to do - but it works), than I have been to get up again and spend a chilly hour in front of the computer.

Tonight, though, I have decided to put my middle-of-the-night wakefulness to use. Instead of lying in bed in the warmth, I'm up and at it. I have written my to-do list for tomorrow's/today's working day. I have folded the washing (the thing I really hate about winter is how difficult it can be to get the washing dry but I'm not going to give in and buy a clothes dryer. Not having one is the small thing I do to help the environment). I have sent an email I meant to send at 8pm. And I'm finally sitting down to blog. When I do go back to bed, which should be soon, I'll be doing so with a terrific sense of achievement.

Isn't it amazing what you can get done when the household sleeps?

PS If you are interested in the experience of the 2020 Summit, Alison Croggan has written a terrific piece about being a member of the 'Creatives' and posted it on Sarsaparilla. It's a great insider's view of the day. I'm sure the 2020 Summit was an event full of faults and a huge question remains as to what will happen to all the ideas, but I do think the summit was a very bold, very big idea itself and at the least it has signposted that the times are changing. (Maybe that's 2am optimism creeping in. Perhaps the times aren't changing, they are simply being dressed up in new clothes. I'm still hoping, though, that the Emperor won't be discovered wandering around in 'his all-together'.)