I would like to introduce you to a series that was shot in 1994. Yes, that was the last millennium.

Sky Trackers

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-BTs7BzliU

had us reaching for the stars. It was directed by Mario Andreacchio, Steve Jodrell and Julian Mcswiney. Writing credits go to Robert Greenberg, Cameron Clarke, Tony Morphett, Jeff Peck, Deborah Cox, Jutta Goetze, Mac Gudgeon, Peter Hepworth, Sue Hore, Rick Maier, Jan Sardi and Steve J Spears. It was shot in both New South Wales and Victoria.

IMDB is a great resource, and normally I would be giving you their synopsis of the plot, but they only have one line… LUCKILY I managed to find this series on DVD and will now give you the blurb from the back… Sky Trackers follows the lives of Maggie, Mike and Nikki – three kids thrown together in the heart of Kaputar NSW. Maggie and Nikki are sisters whose mother, Marie is a senior CSIRO scientist responsible for environmental projects. Mike lives with his Dad, Tony, who is a famous astro physicist. Together, the group encounter a number of issues, sometimes with each other, sometimes out of this world. The one certainty is that Sky Trackers always come out on top.

Casting was important with this series. It looks to me like they were trying to find fresh blood to start a new chapter in Aussie TV: Steve Jacobs, from East West 101; Anna Maria Monticelli, The Girl From Tomorrow, Home and Away and White Collar Blue; Paul Sonkkila from The Girl from Tomorrow. Tomorrow’s End look to be the skeleton that allowed the fleshing out to happen with the young new actors to grace our screen: Petra Yared, Zbych Trofimiuk and Emily-Jane Romig.

This series really let you know it was more than okay to be a girl and know without a doubt what you wanted to do with the rest of your life, even if it was something most ‘normal’ girls wouldn’t want to be doing. Boys are okay, but only if they don’t get in the way of your plans. Hormones be damned.

The book of the same name, based on the series sucked me in just as much as it did on the TV screen.

I’ll continue on with my nostalgia in future instalments. Hope you don’t mind.

I would like to introduce you to a series that was shot in 1992 and a second series shot in 1993. Yes, that was the last millennium.

The Girl From Tomorrow

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVS376aIVqQ&feature=related

was ahead of its time for YA TV. Directed by Kathy Mueller and series writing credits go to Mark Shirrefs and John Thomson. It was shot, around areas in New South Wales.

IMDB is a great place to find stuff out and here’s their synopsis of The Girl From Tomorrow: Alana, a teen-aged girl from the year 3000, finds herself trapped in 1990 with a criminal from the year 2500. Alone, and confused, she befriends a spirited girl named Jenny Kelly. Together they attempt to track down the time capsule which brought her there, while evading Silverthorn, the villain into whose hands it appears to have fallen.

It was so good they brought it back in 1993 for a second season; anyway, as per the IMDB, here is the synopsis for The Girl From Tomorrow: Tomorrow’s End… Realizing that they have polluted the time stream with their experiments, the scientists from the year 3000 resolve to return Jenny and Silverthorn to their respective times and then destroy the capsule before it can do any more harm. Troubles in the year 2500, however, lead to Alana and her guardian, Tulista, returning to a devastated future. They must return to 2500 and change whatever it was that went wrong in order to cause The Great Disaster to reach Australia.

You probably thought the graphics and special effects were a little lame, and not worth jumping up and down about, but the simple fact was, nobody had that kind of technology in a YA program at the time. Budgets just didn’t stretch that far.

Not only was this groundbreaking for the special effects side of things, but the stories were intelligent. For what felt like the first time on Aussie TV  we were allowed to imagine stuff and we were encouraged to dream of future technologies. Liberation for the above-26-geek-crowd really got started here.

I’ll continue with my nostalgia in future instalments. Hope you don’t mind.

Continuing my Blasts from the Past, I would like to introduce you to a series that was shot in 1992. (Yes, that was the last millennium!)

Clowning Around httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWwG7bW5wpM&feature=related a drama that was made all the more poignant because the lead role was a boy, rather than a girl. It was directed by George Whaley and writing credits go to Shane Brennan, Tom Cavanaugh and David Martain. It was shot in both Western Australia and Paris.

IMDB is a great resource, here’s their synopsis of Clowning Around… In and out of foster homes for most of his life, 14-year old Sim wants nothing more than to be a professional circus clown. His new foster parents, however, have other plans for him. But Sim won’t let go of his dream and sets off on a series of exciting adventures taking him from Australia to Paris. With the support of friends collected on the way, Sim learns the art of clowning is more than just clowning around.

The names run thick and fast in this series. Practically TV royalty. Ernie Dingo from the great outdoors, Noni Hazlehurst, and Steve Jodrell from City Homicide. We also see the partnership from Elly and Jools of Rebecca Smart and Clayton Williamson again, but their chemistry is totally different in this series. As an added little gem in their crown was an uncredited appearance by one Heath Ledger.

Issues of abandonment and being shuffled around like you belong in the ‘too hard basket’ gave kids in similar situations something to identify with. There were such amazing moments of heartbreaking drama and old fashioned comedy that was innocent without treating the audience like they were stupid. It was really the first series that had us accepting that families came in many forms, and not every mother wants to be a mother.

I’ll continue with my nostalgia in future instalments. Hope you don’t mind.

‘K! I’ve been having ‘when I was a young girl’ moments lately but I really think I’m justified.

I generally have stopped watching shows for Young Adults on TV because well, in my opinion, they suck.

There was a time when there were FANTASTIC shows for teens on the telly. Like, I mean, it was interesting, it was made in Australia and the acting was brilliant. The plotlines were imaginative and quite a few were of a sci fi fantasy nature, others dealt with striving for your dreams. Very important for all growing minds.

I would like to introduce you to a series that was shot in 1990. Yes, that was the last millennium.

Elly and Jools httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu5Q_JmhI9g&feature=related

was a fun and mildly spooky TV show.  It was directed by Karl Zwincky and shot in various locations around New South Wales.

IMDB is a great place to find stuff out and here’s their synopsis of Elly and Jools… Jools Traveller moves with his parents to a struggling farm they purchased in the countryside. Making it easier on the move is a ghost that reveals herself to him only, a girl named Elly Lockett, who died mysteriously in the 19th century. Also making life interesting are the wacky neighbors, the O’Farrell family.

The supernatural hadn’t really been handled in kids TV, other than “monsters under the bed” and parents telling us there was “no such things as ghosts”. This series was the very beginning of taking the usual stuff we were watching and turning it into a superb example of why Aussie-made TV was worth watching – even if you were under the age of twenty.

You may have seen quite a few of the actors in many, many series since this one. Some names are larger than life and others have fallen into obscurity. Rebecca Smart has been on Heartbreak High and Water Rats. Damon Herriman has since been in some big deal stuff: CSI, House of Wax and Breaking Bad. Anne Tenney, who will always live in many hearts as Molly Jones, has been on Always Greener and Headland.

The main thing for me was the fact it was a wonderful escape from the daily drudgery of life in 1990.  The kids weren’t always rude and there was an innocence between Elly and Jools that would be slaughtered if an attempt was made to ‘modernise’ the series. It was a snapshot of the year 1990 and it was beautiful.

I’ll continue with my nostalgia in future instalments. Hope you don’t mind.

It’s going to be a pretty crummy cold and rainy weekend. I’ve got go out and
get some stuff done, but while I’m out I’ll be on the hunt for some
things to make the days bearable. Here are some of my tips you may find
helpful.

Tea – Whatever your favourite variety is, tea is a wonderful way to
spend a few down time moments warming up.  The anti-oxidants and the
relaxing effect make tea a brilliant way to make those cruddy days
manageable.

I had the most beautiful tea experience on Mother’s day with blooming
tea from Cherry Blossoms flowering Teas (FB link)

“Flowering teas, also known as blooming teas, performance teas, and
display teas are hand-sewn individual tea leaves. When placed in hot
water, they bloom into flowers while infusing your beverage with
antioxidants and refreshing green tea.”

Use a glass tea pot or glass coffee carafe (or large glass cup) to be
impressed by just how enchanting tea can be.  See…
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAUz-lSuZL8&feature=related

Books – Pick a happy, uplifting, humorous, enlightening, and positive
book to make the day a little brighter. May I suggest Marianne
Delacourt’s Tara Sharp series?

Nutritious food – We get so caught up in the salty, sugary treats that
aren’t the best for us; we forget how delicious good, nutritious food
can be. I tried a fantastic roasted pumpkin and chick pea salad on
Saturday. This recipe sounds like it’s close to what I had; when I get
the proper one, I’ll post it.

Warm clothes – Wear colourful, bright layers to keep yourself warm.
Comfy socks, a blanket and add a beanie and scarf if you’re so
inclined. So what if you end up looking like an odd version of the
Michelin man? Happy and warm is far better than being cold and
miserable.

Lovely smells – One of my favourite things (apart from food) to get my
house smelling totally amazing is by using wax melts, and, though the
best ones may be a little difficult to find, they’re worth seeking
out… Time & Again‘s simmering waffle
bars are so true to their claims when it comes to perfume that you’ll
be grabbing them at any opportunity. My personal favourites are Clean
Linen and Fall Forest. The Christmas shop in Montville is where I
discovered just how freaking cool these things are. Whereas some other
brands of wax melts smell artificial and are so overpowering they can
give you a headache, these ones won’t.

Comfy place to sit – On cold rainy days it’s always nice to find
somewhere comfy to sit. If you have a favourite chair, see if you’re
able to move it closer to a window. Viewing the rain falling can be
really relaxing.

Fresh air –  Open the window to grab some fresh air. Stale air can’t
be that great for your health. The smell of rain is rather special.
Not to mention how relaxing the sound of rain falling on surfaces is.
If you’re rugged up, having the window open won’t matter too much.

Music – Throw on a great cd while you’re reading and snuggled up in
your favourite chair by an open window with a pot of blooming tea
beside you. Working with so many great things at once, it’s going to
be hard to not feel uplifted.

Light – Not getting enough light can be detrimental to your happiness
and wellbeing.  There may not be too much sun around on rainy days,
but try to catch as much as you can while you’re near that window.

Movies – If all else fails, pop some popcorn and chuck in a good
movie. My fail-safe movies are The Princess Bride, Willow, Labyrinth, and
Legally Blonde 1 & 2.

What are some ways you guys beat the cold rainy days?

MUSIC: Eruption – I Can’t Stand The Rain

The Beatles – The Rain