game & little girl

I was in a large hall with many other people. We were playing a game much like volleyball but without a net and instead of two teams, everyone had formed a circle and hit the ball up into the air, across the circle. Somehow I had been shunted out of the circle and had no real way of hitting the ball unless it fell behind the players. Only once, the ball came to me and I punched it to another player standing in the circle, to my left, so that she hit it across to the other side. I called out and asked everyone to move around and make room for me in the circle. They did so and the game went on.
Next, a little girl was next to me and I felt protective of her. I moved outside the game, lay down between a couple of friends that I have not seen since school, and the girl lay on my belly. We pulled a quilt over us and all lay quietly for a while, just resting. When the little girl was ready to move again, she kissed me on the cheek and went away.

labyrinth

I was walking through the hallways of the Sydney Opera House which were, in my dream, a labyrinth of tunnels and passages, staircases and alcoves. I was with a close friend who was a different friend at various times in the dream ... sometimes A and sometimes someone else. I saw my friend C walking down one of the halls with a group of glamorous people, heading toward a theatre venue where we were to see a performance. I was happy to see her and walked with her a while. At one stage, deep in the bowels of the complex building, we travelled up and down stairs and, fully clothed, waded through a pool of water to cross to the other side. Finally, we were waiting outside the particular theatre in which the show was about to begin. Whilst we waited, A and I sat on a bench seat and an Indigenous performer began to recite a powerful poem. Toward the end of the poem, I covered my face with my scarf and the performer bent down and rubbed his nose against mine. I then uncovered my face and he committed my face to memory. We entered the theatre and chose seats. A and I wanted to visit the toilet but apparently the line was long and there was no time. We took our seats and waited. I felt uncomfortable, lumbered by my bulky woolen clothing, so I shed a few layers. The theatre filled with sawdust and the noise of machinery, and we realised that they had to build the set before the performance could begin. I was concerned about the air pollution and the time it would take. We considered leaving. Finally, the group began to perform and it was awful. The performance was disjointed and made very little sense. I whispered to A and we decided to leave. We did our best to exit discreetly, but the performer who I had connected with earlier, recognised me and began to chase us. We ran and A made it out the door. I remembered that I had left my shoes back at my seat so I had to retreat, collect them, and run fast, back through the exit door. I made it outside but I couldn't see my friend. I was very unsure about which way to go as there were numerous hallways and doors to choose from. I took a punt on one and walked through the maze. I saw an actor I know, sitting outside another venue and she directed me to the bathroom. Inside the toilet cubicles, toilets were either missing or out of order. Back in the hallways, I continued searching for my friend and noticed the signs hanging above doors and pointing toward theatres and bars as I went.

panther & PM

I was in a vast room, perhaps a warehouse space. Prowling around the room was a black panther. At times, the panther morphed into a domestic cat, at other times, he was huge and wild. He wanted to eat something and rather than eat me, he decided to eat my dear friend A. I was not worried as I knew that she would be alright in the end. He ate her and thanked me for his meal by winding around my legs, rubbing himself against me. It was now night time and I could hear someone vomiting in the toilet. A reappeared in one piece. She peeked under the door and said that it was a former Prime Minister of Australia, throwing up in the toilet. We went into the next room where his wife was making tea, dressed in her dressing gown. I wondered if the PM was going to be in trouble as it was evident that he had been out very late and had had too much to drink, but his wife seemed calm and quite used to it. I sat down on an enormous bed with A and the PM. We began to talk about opportunities for women and women's groups. Another politician came in and asked how old I was. When I told him, he was surprised. He joined us on the bed, along with the PM's wife and a few others. We had a picnic, passing around biscuits, cups of tea and cold drinks. I was struck by how handsome the PM was, with his bright blue eyes and roughly hewn face.

family house

It was Christmas and I was at home with my family, in the house that we built. Though the exterior of the house was the same, the interior was very different. We were gathered on the lower level, setting tables and preparing food for our celebratory lunch. There were about twenty of us and not all were family; there were friends as well as people I barely know. On another level of the house, another group was gathered, also preparing a Christmas lunch. There were perhaps even more of them, squashed around the table they had set up. Downstairs, I decided to go outside to get some candles for the tables which were dressed in buttercup coloured cloths. I opened the door, stepped outside, and closed it behind me, feeling a wonderful rush of cool air on my face. I wondered why we were sitting inside with the doors closed when it was so fresh out here. Then I noticed that yet another family group outside, seated around a large table. A woman approached me and said that she wished that they were sitting inside where it was warmer, but I assured her that each space had its comforts. I collected a couple of tea light candles and some flowers, went back inside. We ate and drank and talked about things. At some stage, I was sitting on the ground on some cushions in the corner of the room where the roof sloped down very low. I was trying to get up with some difficulty, when a man offered to help, stretching out his hand. I could see that he was wearing surgical gloves and suspected they may be soiled, but I accepted his hand anyway. He helped me to my feet whilst he balanced by holding onto the exposed roof beams, and once I was out of the corner, he suggested that I wash my hands as his gloves were dirty with human waste. I thanked him and found my way down to a below-ground level where there were rooms devoted to bathing - a bath house of sorts. I skated across the wet floor searching for the soap which I found on a shelf along with many other bathing items: bubble baths, oils, brushes, cloths, pumice stones and more. In these rooms was another family group. They were bathing and they were also cleaning their natural sea sponges and scrubbing brushes which were piled up in the centre of the steaming room. I waved hello, washed my hands, and left them in peace. I went back outside, into the yard, where people were talking about a beautiful woman who had returned to the house after many years away, hoping to reconcile with a long lost love - Jon Stevens. They said that she would be surprised for whilst she was still youthful though mature, he had continued to smoke and drink and was greatly aged.

leaving and dogs

I was standing inside a house that I was leaving. Other people had also left. They had gathered in the hills surrounding the house, camping there, preparing for a journey ahead. I could see their tents from the window where I stood, about to jump out and join them. I realised that I needed more provisions: warmer clothing, toiletries and money. I was also worried about which shoes to wear, thinking that I needed something suitable for walking long distances. I went back into the bedroom to collect more of my things. A family of about eight or ten people walked into the room and I did my best to deal with their children touching and interfering with my things. Whilst I answered their questions, I saw, out of the corner of my eye, the father steal money from my wallet. I went to him and asked for it, telling him that I needed it. He immediately returned it. I also noticed that one of the younger family members had taken my shampoo. I told the father and asked if he could get it back for me, saying that my hair would fall out without it. I knew that it wouldn't, but I felt that I needed to exaggerate to convince him. They left and I waited awhile but no one returned with the shampoo. I decided to follow them, finding them in an apartment like a small room, overcrowded by the large family. I sat down with them on cushions on the floor, and asked for what was mine. I was very careful not to sound as though I doubted their honesty. To my left sat the mother of the family. She was very beautiful with blue eyes and a dark complexion; mixed race but with an Indian parent. I liked her and we began to talk, but her two dogs sat either side of me, nuzzling against my legs, and attempting to chew my hands. I had my hands tucked under my thighs, uncomfortable as I tried to listen to what the woman said, but also trying to protect my hands from the dogs. I felt self-conscious and hoped she wouldn't notice how her dogs were treating me. At one stage, the dogs ran across the room and I realised that they were half the size I thought they were, but then they returned to try to maul my hands, and they felt bigger again. I knew that they were not vicious, they were only playing, but I felt powerless against them.

books & dance

I was back in West End, staying in one of the houses in which I used to live. I had borrowed lots of books and it was time to return them. The sun was setting and the darkness encroached. I sorted through the books and selected the ones that were to be returned, packed them in the car, and drove across town. Up in the hills of a close-by suburb, I visited a bar where I stopped for a while. I cannot remember what I had or who I spoke to, but soon it was time to go. I had a sense that my mother was urging me home.

Next, I was with a friend and we were dancing. We were in the middle of a basic dance floor and there were people casually observing us - not a formal audience, just passers by. I placed both my little fingers gently on the outer edges of his hands as we moved about the space. He said it was time to sing a particular song and I initially objected as I didn't know it at all. He assured me that when the music started, we would find our way. He turned on the music and I began to sing, following a word sheet that appeared before my eyes. I wondered why he didn't sing but I continued none-the-less. I noticed that the people who had been watching had drifted away and I laughed that we must not have been very entertaining. The space in which we were dancing shrank and we found ourselves in the garage of my family home. I bowed out from the dance and went upstairs.

lipstick & japan

I was staying in a huge house with many other people. I went upstairs to get dressed for an outing. After showering, I applied some luscious melony lipstick - it was glossy and fragrant. A male friend who had come upstairs with his girlfriend who was also dressing, borrowed the lipstick and applied it to his own lips. I slipped into some clothing and was surprised by my choices: a black skirt that skimmed just above my knees and a filmy ivory top. My legs were bare and golden. I found a pair of strappy, high sandals that I put on. I took my time criss-crossing the long laces around my ankles. Finally, I was ready to go back downstairs.

Next, I was staying in a Japanese apartment. I woke in a beautiful room with brown and green upholstery and exquisite fittings. I straightened the bed, folding back the crisp sheets and a felt blanket, but a young woman who worked there quickly stopped me doing more and encouraged me to enjoy rather than work. Over the course of the next few hours we became firm friends and planned to spend time together. She showed me where she lived and told me about her routine, where she ate, what she ate and where she worked and studied. We realised that I lived many, many miles away, in another country, so we would not see each other often.