Sydney
20.9.67
Hullo,
me old friend,
Well,
things go along very slowly here –
everyone seems to think I’m here to stay and can afford to sit round and wait
for them all. Haven’t heard anymore from Krug and Co yet – they’re the slowest
of the lot.
Went to
see Robert Pikler yesterday; was supposed to have lunch with him, but he was
even too busy to do that; he was very kind and helpful – the way everyone is,
here (for a start, anyway), and he promised to ring one person at the University
who is a conductor there, and also to see the chief coach at the Con and also the Opera School Head, there. Since he’s
on the inside, he may be able to do something for me. He sez there are two
people there who do nothing but coaching of singers and he reckons they’re both
flat out. (They might like to stay that way – since neither is on a salary, but
a commission basis.) Anyway, I’ve got to ring him back, or he’ll ring me;
something or other, before the week’s out. This means I’ll have to stay till the
end of this week at least; awkward, isn’t it. I wouldn’t mind if I was assured of work, but this sitting around
waiting all the time rather gets me
down. But there’s little I can do, I think. [2018: There’s a considerable lack of gratitude here, considering how
generous all these people were. Perhaps Krug and even Pikler thought I wasn’t
interested enough in work and didn’t pursue things further.]
I’ve
spent most of this morning ironing shirts and hankies. Did a big wash
yesterday, now that I was able to get some soap powder. Used to wash me sox in
the hotel and leave them in the bathroom to dry – it was always so hot in
there, they’d generally dry overnight. Discovered yesterday that I still had
one of the keys to my hotel room! Dropped it into them while I was in seeing
Pikler.
Watched
an odd movie on TV last nite – All the Brothers were Valiant (felt as though I’d seen it before, too) – it had
Robert Taylor, Ann Blyth, Stewart Granger and Betta St John in it. (The latter
is the wife of the guy who came out to do Fledermaus
last year.) [Peter Grant, who also
appeared in a few movies.] It was a pretty weird story, but it did have one
very good sequence where they were catching a whale – though the whole thing
was done in the studio, it was extremely well done – certainly the best thing
in it.
It’s a
gorgeous day today – lovely warm sun – it’s in the 60s, I think.
I’m
still ploughing slowly through my German, but I think I’m progressing. Anne,
who spent a year in Vienna, asked me something in it last night – and I didn’t
understand a word – so I’m still very much a beginner.
That
seems to be all just now, so see ya, Love, Mike
