Going Down South to Bunker Bay

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For many West Australians, holidays means “going down south,” to swim, visit vineyards, eat local foods, go for beach or forest walks, meet friends and eat icecream. We like to flock down south, referring to the area south of Bunbury. This region abounds in beaches, vineyards, forests and interesting, small towns. There’s galleries and boutiques, restaurants and cafes, whales and wild flowers and beautiful coastal walks, plus unique animals. Lots of good fishing spots, plus, at the moment, sharks!

We have spent this week at a resort at Bunker Bay, a beautiful bay, quite close to more amazing beaches, wineries, galleries, restaurants and a lighthouse. The weather has be perfect, the resort lovely and the beaches are beautiful. I bought a new rashie, a long sleeved swimming top, to protect me from the sun after having basal cell carcenomas burnt off and cut out lately, only to find a seal colony on the peninsula is attracting sharks close to shore. There’s been several sightings of 3 – 5 metre sharks along the coast, so beach walks and pool swims, unfortunately. So no beach swimming.

After we’d checked into the resort we set off for the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse. Built in 1903, it was manned by a shift of three men until 1987, when it was automated. The three lighthouse keepers’ houses are now an entrance point to the precinct, an interpretive centre and a cafe.

There’s a viewing platform in front of the lighthouse. This is where you can see the migrating whales between September and December. We did, too, which was very exciting. We peered out into the ocean, sometimes locating white, disturbed areas and after about twenty minutes, saw a whale break the surface and then one appear out of the water! All happened too fast to take a photo.

There’s lots of information about several lovely walks around the coast of Cape Naturaliste National Park, some taking sixty minutes, some taking hours. Take water, a hat and beware of snakes on warm days.

Looking back across the bay to the resort.

We had coffee and cake on the trip down and stopped in Dunsborough for lunch so settled to a “bed picnic” for dinner. We often do this when we’re traveling and have had a big lunch. Some of these treats were part of a ‘welcome’ platter with additional tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries, goats’ cheese and more cold meats and crackers. This spread fed us for two nights!

Red and pink bottlebrush. Up close they were covered in bees. Endemic to Australia, bottlebrush are now widely cultivated throughout the world

White grevillea, also full of bees. Native to Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Sulawesi and some other Indonesian Islands.

The next day we went to the Vasse Felix vineyard in Cowaramup to visit the Holmes à Court Gallery. The exhibition was titled “Tracing the Swan” . The black swan is endemic to Western Australia and features in this exhibition, which aims to show how historically WA was presented as an ideal destination, although history reveals the harsh realities of this era were very different. The river going from Guildford, though Perth and on to the ocean at Fremantle is called the Swan River.

An etching from 1800 of the iconic black swan.

The swan was a significant creature in Indigenous folklore. Represented here by Deborah Bonar 2012.

An interesting exhibition focusing on aspects of our history not often described in terms of wildlife, in this case, the black swan.

Met this chap in the tasting room on the way out.

Gunyulgup Gallery and Little Fish Restaurant where we enjoyed a very good lunch. Simple ingredients, beautifully cooked and presented.

Fresh fillet of local fish, a rack of lamb and a trio of local icecream.

Walked along the beach later in the afternoon hoping for a pretty sunset, but it was too cloudy.

Another beautiful day and we set to do some jobs in Dunsborough. Met Craig Silvey in the local bookshop. He is the multiple award winning author of “Rhubarb”, 2004, “The World According to Warren”, 2007, “Jasper Jones” 2009, made into a film 2015 and his latest, “Honeybee”, just published.

Set off for another art gallery then a silver smith’s studio. Saw so many lovely things but we’re at a stage where we want less, not more! Besides, we have no wall room for more art, and I thought the silver smith’s work was very beautiful but I don’t wear the precious pieces I already have, so no more for me! Then we heading to a brewery where we’d booked for lunch.

The trimmed lavender hedge looks very pretty. Each block has a big cauldron like pot in the middle on a limestone plinth with contrasting red geraniums.

Hardy plantings needing little upkeep except regular trimming. Very big koi in the ponds under the walkway to the entrance.

More highly fragrant lavender swaying in the afternoon breeze plus contrasting foliage and clusters of seed pods hanging from the tree.

Two views of Gracetown, mainly a holiday house destination. The town is about 21 kilometres northwest of Margaret River, set on the Indian Ocean. Gracetown offers world class surfing breaks close to the town.

Gracetown was named after local heroine, Grace Bussel who, in 1876, rode into the surf in a terrible storm to rescue the crew of the SS Georgette which was sinking off the coast.

Two views of Meelup Beach. Protected in the bay with miles of white sand. So pretty.

Lush, cool forest in the Meelup Regional Park. Wish you could hear the birdsong, too.

Today we are on our way back to Perth. This has been a wonderful holiday, with beautiful weather, lots of lovely things to see and do and some great food. The resort was been very good, too, and we hope to return soon.

Did you know today is World Food Day? No, neither did I, but I’m willing to celebrate by eating whatever is necessary!

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Collie Art Gallery and Other Things This Week

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One day last week we drove two hours to Australind, where we picked up my Mother and then set off for Collie, about three quarters of an hour from her home. We drove through rolling green hilly farmland and bush. Our main goal was to visit the Collie Art Gallery and see their current exhibition,” A Glimpse of the Collie Art Collection”.

Collie was established in 1896 and named after the nearby Collie River. Coal mined from Collie traditionally supplied Western Australia with the energy to power railways, shipping and to generate electricity.

Karin Stein Sensational Southwest 2015 These grass trees are endemic to Western Australia.

Guy Grey-Smith Mount Clarence, Albany (Claude Hotchkin Bequest)

Old hotels I really enjoyed seeing some of the remaining old buildings.

The Collie Art Gallery, opened in 2015, holds a bi-annual art prize with a total prize pool of $69 000. The competition attracts works from all over Australia. The two winning pieces from the inaugural 2018 Collie Art Prize are both on display in the gallery.

The current exhibition involves work from the galleries own collection. We were particularly interested in seeing the works from the Claude Hotchkin Bequest. He bequeathed 36 pieces to Collie. Claude Hotchkin believed access to good paintings would inspire people, especially young people. He donated an estimated 2 000 pieces to West Australian galleries, town councils and other public institutions. He donated works by Hans Heysen, Rupert Bunny, Elizabeth Durack, Guy Grey-Smith, Norman Lindsay, Sir Arthur Streeton and my particular favourite, Kathleen O’Connor, to various collections. His bequest also consisted of many other Australian artists.

EATING

West Australia climatic zones range from tropical in the north to temperate, or Mediterranean climate in the south, so we still have fresh citrus fruit, a winter crop and also strawberries, a summer crop and everything in between.

My favourite treat at the moment is a thin rice cracker, with a wedge of blue vein goat cheese and half a strawberry on top. Delicious!

PLAYING

Mahjong was popular amongst the expats when we lived in China. I missed playing when we returned to Western Australia, so taught some friends the game and they gathered here, weekly, at my house to play. Then work intervened and I seldom played until I retired and joined a group who play each week at the local library. It requires concentration and well thought out strategies. I enjoy it and the company of the other players, enormously.

Although we play with a modern set my Husband has an old bamboo and ivory set his grandfather brought back from the China Station in he 1890’s. It is housed in silk lined drawers in a camphor wood box along with a set of ivory gambling tokens. Traditionally the Chinese loved to gamble playing mahjong and play much more quickly than we do.

GROWING

The first tomato to ripen on the voluntary plant. There are many more. It was sweet and firm and tasted very good. Picking lots of limes now, too.

The first iris has also bloomed. It is almost pure white! Not what I expected.

This week I have planted cos lettuces and petunias. The pruned rose bushes all have buds. Spring has arrived in the garden.

EXERCISING

My yoga group hasn’t returned since everything stopped in April due to CV-19. I tried Zoom sessions and Youtube but eventually gave up on both formats. I’ve been told Yoga will probably start again in a few weeks. Fingers crossed.

I still walk 14 000+ steps every day, but my new formal exercise routine involves pilates. So many people I know rave about pilates but it wasn’t until last week I really understood their enthusiasm. Now I’m a convert but it took a few weeks of one on one sessions to get there! Are you a pilates fan?

This weekend is Talk Like A Pirate Day. Yes, I missed it last year and will miss it again this year. The last well known “pirate” to visit Australia was Johnny Depp. He’ll always be remembered for smuggling his two Yorkshire Terriers into Australia, contravening Quarantine laws.

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Our Silo Art Trail Roadtrip

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Western Australia’s major agricultural crop is wheat, with about fifteen million tonnes produced annually. The grain production area, known as the Wheatbelt, covers seven million hectares ( about 17 million acres ). The area further south, the Great Southern region, produces grains, avocados, wine, strawberries, plus other berries and fruit.

Many towns in these regions have huge grain receival silos, often close to the town centre and always next to the train line. The grain is transported by rail from the silos to the ports of Fremantle, Bunbury, Albany and Esperance. Most of the grain is then shipped overseas in containers.

In March 2015 FORM, a West Australian not-for-profit art group, initiated The Silo Art program. The goal was to paint silos in the Wheatbelt and Great Southern regions. All the silos are at fully operational CBH Group grain receival sites. The first silo to be painted was in Northam in 2015 and is the first silo to be painted in Australia in mural form. The last, in Pingrup, was painted in September 2018. Much of the Wheatbelt is quite flat and the painted silos are visable from miles away.

We planned a four day trip to visit the silos and spend some time in the surrounding towns. When I first graduated as a teacher I was appointed to a very small town in the Wheatbelt but hadn’t visited the areas very often since then. Most of the roads were very good and the scenery was often spectacular.

DAY 1 NORTHAM Painted March 2015 Eight silos painted, four on each end. Artists Phlegm, from the UK and HENSE, an artist from USA. It took 16 days to complete and silos here sit in bucolic farmland.

DAY 1 MERREDIN Four silos painted by Kyle Hughes-Odgers who grew up in the area. Each silo is 35m ( 115 ft ) high and the entire project took 14 days to complete. Painted August 2017 using colours typical of the local landscape.

Left Merredin heading for Hyden, most famous for Wave Rock, where we stayed overnight.

An amusing stretch of fence decorated by shoes, boots, slippers, sandals and thongs. Went on for a long way!

Too early to see many wildflowers but these were along the road heading to Hyden. Gorgeous colours.

Some local metalwork, Hyden.

DAY 2 NEWDEGATE via LAKE GRACE

DAY 2 NEWDEGATE Painted May 2018. The artist was Breton See and shows a mallee fowl, lizard, phascogale and tree frog. Silo height 20 metres (65ft).

DAY 2 PINGRUP

Painted September 2018 by Dominican born Evocal. It took 15 days. The silos are 25 metres (82ft) high and 15 metres (50ft) wide.

Day 2, heading for Albany. Canola crop with the Stirling Ranges behind.

Fully operational five storey Dutch windmill used to produce spelt flour. There were also two typically Dutch cottages offering accommodation.

Day 3, ALBANY. Painted March 2018 by Yok and Sheryo (USA) It took 17 days and shows a Ruby Seahorse dragon, only found in the local coastal area.

There are many service providers in Western Australia, but we soon discovered that we were out of range or only had flaky communications once we left Merredin until we arrived in Albany. Only one provider covers the areas in between and there’s still gaps in service. So phone and tablet unusable, but wrote every night in my journal. And the pebble? I’ve collected and labelled a pebble in most of the places I’ve visited in the last thirty odd years.

DAYS 3 and 4 ALBANY

Replica landlocked brig of the Amity, a ship which sailed from Sydney to Albany, then known as Frederick Town, to resupply the military settlement 1826.

This weather vane on a round about in Albany made us smile. Left Albany heading for Kojanup. We had beautiful sunny, winter days and very cold nights.

DAY 4 KATANNING

There’s no silos in Katanning but plenty of street art and painted transmission boxes on school sites. In 2017 FORM arranged for school transformer boxes and some street walls to be painted. These murals were painted by Brenton See, Chris Nixon, Darren Hutchens, Mel Mcvee and the calligraphy was done by Karim Jabbari.

The old Premier Flour Mill has been converted into a luxury hotel. We enjoyed a lovely lunch there.

From Katanning we went back to Kojanup, then headed back to Perth. During our road trip we’d traveled about 1600 kms (1000 miles), seen amazing silo and street art, interesting towns, eaten some good food, met some lovely people and bought a few mementos. The artwork we saw on the silos, buildings and transmission boxes was remarkable and worth the journey.

There’s many online sites to help you plan your journey, book accommodation and learn more about the towns throughout the regions and their artworks.

WORLD PETROLEUM DAY

Yesterday was World Petroleum Day. Petroleum isn’t just for cars. It is used in plastics, detergent, rubber, fertilizers, pesticides, photographic film, makeup, candles and some medicines.

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What Are You Reading, Watching and Doing?

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Apologies

I have been experiencing technical difficulties publishing the blog and it took a while to realise there was a problem and to rectify it. Well, I couldn’t rectify it but thanks to the techo-maestro in Kalgoorlie, our son, all is well again. I am sorry if this caused you any frustration and thank you for persisting.

It would be lovely to know what you are reading, watching and the jobs you are doing, so please comment. We’ve done home maintenance, gardening, read books and online watched “Unorthodox” and “Traitor” on Netflix. Both beautifully filmed and thought provoking. Also watched some very funny old Rowan Atkinson performances and the Mr Bean series. Our favourite serial now is “La Forêt”, “The Forest”, in French with subtitles. If you loved “Broadchurch” you’ll love this thriller, too.

Coco Chanel Photographs

Just before we pulled up the drawbridge and lowered the portcullis we really enjoyed this exhibition of Coco Chanel photographs taken over a period of three weeks in July 1962 by Douglas Kirkland. Now 85, Kirkland is famous for photographing famous people. He was sent to Paris to interview Coco Chanel after Jacqueline Kennedy appeared wearing Chanel suits in the White house.

Kirkland was 27, Chanel was 79. They developed a wonderful relationship, the respect and mutual admiration apparent in these photographs. Chanel was not known for being easy to work with, but these two gifted people obviously enjoyed working together and this exhibition displayed the resulting photographs from his book.

The very stylish Coco Chanel learnt to sew in an orphanage, before a short career in cabaret performance and training as a milliner. As a designer she modernised women’s clothing, using simple shapes, low heels and focusing on comfort and style. She championed trousers for women, swimsuits and bobbed hair. No more corsets and feathers.

Chanel also popularised “junk” jewellery and wore lots of it, layered with real gems. She is probably best known for the first couture perfume, Chanel No.5 which is the most popular perfume ever made.

These photographs reveal a different side of Coco Chanel. She is beautifully captured by Douglas Kirkland, surrounded by her designs and models. Fabulous exhibition.

And Also Sculptures By The Sea

Already being careful and mindful of social distancing, we wandered around this annual exhibition of sculptures, arranged on the beach and grasslands above the beach at Cottesloe.

My apologies to the creators of these interesting works, but crowding, including masses of school groups, prevented me from safely reading or photographing the titles of theses sculptures or their creators. Looking forward to next years’ exhibition being back to normal.

A New Sphere For The Renovated Garden

I like spheres as decoration in the garden. This is a buoy, washed up years ago on the coast near our farm. I had already painted it pink about ten years ago, but wanted something more vibrant for this area under the clothesline.

Buoys are designed to float on water or just below, to mark a location. Traditionally made from iron they are now made of polyethylene.

The existing base was pale pink. It was bleached yellow when it was found. I drizzled it, a la Jackson Pollock, with four colours, using recycled chopsticks and paint sample pots. I placed it in a pot on an old tablecloth, my painting protective sheet and covered it all over by painting an area, letting it dry and then rotating it.

The colours remind me of my parents’ old atlas, which I poured over as a child. I’d love to sit on their bed, looking at the map of the world and then particular countries, many which I have now visited.

It adds a bit of colour to this reduced collection.

Random Jobs

Across the bottom of our steep drive there is a stormwater drain covered by a grate. It was full of compacted leaf litter. This meant rain coming down the drive was not running into the drain and going off to the soak well but actually going into the garage at the bottom of the drive. Not anymore! The grating was removed, the leaf litter dug out, the drain washed and the grating put back in place. Now we need rain to soak our sandy soil and start the seasonal growth cycle again.

My husband likes white bread so I decided to try making this French Loaf after reading about it on a blog. It was so easy to mix in the Kitchenaid and I could have done the second knead in the machine, too, but I wanted to feel the elasticity of the mix so I’d know when it was ready. This recipe made two lovely loaves of bread.

Always have chicken stock, now called bone broth, so made more immunity boosting chicken, vegetable, ginger and turmeric soup. This one has a lot of chicken in it, too, as I’d bought a big one and after three meals still had some meat, so added it to the soup.

Following the success of white bread made in the Kichenaid I mixed my normal 100% rye bread mix in it, too. I added some plain white flour to increase the gluten and expected it to rise more. It was a bigger loaf than my usual rye sourdough. Still quite dense but tastes very good, so I’ll continue using this method.

Always trying to avoid waste, so used leftover bread (bought, not bread I’d made!) for Bread and Butter pudding. Very nice.

Apples lost their crunch? Don’t throw them away! Use a core remover to de-core the apples, cut them in half then put them cut side down on the cutting board and lightly cut them closely but not all the way through. Place them cut flesh side down in a lightly oiled baking dish. Microwave 60gm brown sugar or caster sugar, 60gm butter and 1 tspn cinnamon for 25 seconds, mix, pour over the apples. Bake in a 200 degree C oven for about 30 minutes. Serve with icecream, yoghurt or just as they are and enjoy.

Pruned the hydrangeas and planted cuttings to propagate and then bulk up the existing bed. These are semi-sun tolerant hydrangeas and they also bloom for an extended period.

Set up my paints on the table and really enjoyed painting these flowers. Top one finished, lower one a work in progress.

Alternate Entertainments

As our lives change completely and movement outside the house becomes difficult each of us misses different aspects of our previous lives. For some it is eating out or visiting their favourite cafe, for others it is going to work, theatres, cinemas and beaches. Some people are missing shopping. I miss being able to visit my mother and seeing friends. I continue to paint at home and have found a yoga session on YouTube which leaves me feeling stretched and well. I am so impressed by the many online entertainments people have posted or watched! I hope you are comfortable and well in isolation.

Enjoy Easter whatever you have planned. It will be very different for many people this year. HAPPY EASTER!

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Mushrooms, Repairs and Sculpture at Bathers Beach

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Researching Mushrooms

I’d like to grow my own mushrooms. I bought a kit a while back and was disappointed with the yield. Inspired by a book*, I set off to buy some inoculated substrate to make my own mushroom farm.

I was told about a local Saturday morning market where a variety of mushrooms were sold and some seemed to be growing in kits. Found the grower and had a good chat! He sells already inoculated pink oyster and white oyster kits. I bought a tray of pink and white oysters and some king mushrooms.

Research dictated I cook and eat them, one type at a time, but quite quickly as they’re fresh and it is still very hot in Perth. I’ll be back at the market for one of his oyster kits next week. My husband will be back for the German sausage with onions and mustard in a bun.

The long mushroom on the left is the king mushrooms aka Erygii the KIng (genus Pleurotus erygii) The other two are pink (Pleurotus djamor) and white oyster mushrooms.

This delicious plate of king mushrooms on buttered toast was a real surprise. The grower had said they’d taste a little like scallops and they do, cooked in butter and served on toast with a light sprinkling of Himalayan salt and fresh parsley.

Like the pink oyster mushrooms the white ones had a very delicate flavour. I am going to try growing the King Oyster mushrooms which have a distinctive flavour.( I have just discovered the kits are not available until it is cooler, maybe in May)

*MILKWOOD, Kirsten Bradley and Nick Ritar, Murdoch Books 2018

My Own Repair Shop

I watch a British program, The Repair Shop, on ABCtv every week day afternoon at the moment. Extremely talented crafts men and women repair and restore family treasures. The range of things which are repaired is amazing. Less landfill but mostly, these repaired pieces are of huge sentimental value to their owners.

My repairs are far more modest but I like maintaining the things we have in good shape. I wish I had paid more attention to my Father when he was working out in the shed as he seemed able to repair anything and had a huge stock of bits and pieces to do these jobs. He collected nails, screws, bolts, leather, rubber, glue, even bits of wire in various gauges plus useful bits of timber. The shed was a lovely place to poke around for a creative, crafty little girl.

So, this week I have re-glued the patch in my husband’s panama hat, originally intended to keep hair oil off the top of hats. He doesn’t use hair oil but I didn’t want to lose the patch. I gently peeled off the existing strip of glue, which had failed and squeezed another narrow stripe around the protective piece and held it back in place. Job done!

Collected my bag of glues and gently eased the old, spent glue from the patch.

Glued it and held it until it was secure.

My second job was repairing a hole in the kitchen floor tiles. Something had been dropped and chipped the porcelain. I cleaned the hole then over filled it with all purpose Polyfilla. Protected it with a faux witches hat while it cured! Later I saw Kirsten, the ceramics specialist on The Repair Shop, repairs ceramics with car/auto body compound, a flexible putty which dries to a strong mend. I’ll get some this week to try.

Next I sand papered it flush with the tile then painted it. I painted the repair with a layer of Dulux Antique USA , then I touched it up with some colours I mixed myself from sample pots. Now smooth and matching the surrounds and difficult for anyone else to see.

I know where the repairs is but it is hard to see….good!

The final repair was treating and re-painting a few rusty spots on an outside metal door frame. Firstly, a rust converter then two coats of paint to finish the job. Matching the white paint was the hardest bit as the existing white has discoloured with age. Took a couple of tries to get it right.

Sculpture at Bathers

This is the fourth event since 2013. The intention is to establish the presence of local sculptors and increase their opportunity to been seen and appreciated. There are 95 sculptors represented in this beach side exhibition.

Richie Kuhaupt Man of Steel

I can’t find the name of this very beautiful and textural sculpture which looked like an octopus. Swaying slightly in the sea breeze and the movement of people it was lovely to look at from the distance and close up.

Greg James Bolte and Co. These bronze Indian Runner Ducks are amusing.

A popular exhibition, it was difficult to see most of the pieces due to the number of people there, enjoying the works and the weather. The beach at this time of the year is an ideal setting for exhibitions, especially when the sea breeze comes in.

This is Bathers Beach in Fremantle. A beautiful stretch of beach easily accessed via public transport and private vehicles, there’s a lovely park nearby plus restaurants, coffee shops and bars. A very pleasant environment to visit the sculptures.

Later we meandered around Fremantle, enjoying the old buildings, the wharf and the ocean. A lovely afternoon.

Today is Friday 13th! Are you superstitious? Historically, the number 13 is considered unlucky, probably resulting from 13 people sitting down to the Last Supper. Actually, the Mayans considered it a very lucky number. Friday the 13th only happens once to three times a year. To be fearful of the number 13 is to experience triskaidekaphobia.

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Australind, Bunbury Regional Art Gallery, Summer Reading and Eating and Shopping The Sales

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VISITING AUSTRALIND

We’ve just spent a few days staying with my mother in Australind. Although the days were hot the sea breeze arrived in the afternoon and the nights were cool.

My mother is recovering from a broken wrist. She makes her own muesli so I chopped some apricots, dates and almonds and mixed them with pepitas before adding oatmeal. We made big three jars of muesli so they’ll last for a fortnight or so.

Enjoyed walking along Leschenault Estuary in the cool after dinner. Lots of people out crabbing. Beautiful sunset.

Visited family, shopped and spent a few hours at the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery (BRAG) We had arranged a tour of the gallery with the curator as part of the Summer School program.

BUNBURY REGIONAL ART GALLERY

The tour began in with the Modern Masters exhibition, featuring modern Australian landscape artists from the early 1900s to the present. The exhibition featured a mix of traditional paintings, Aboriginal works and some abstract paintings. Some of the Aboriginal paintings were obviously influenced by teachers demonstrating European style works in mission schools and some were painted in traditional styles. This is a spacious and light gallery, showing the paintings at their best. Having a detailed and well informed commentary by Caroline, the curator, added to this visit.

Authur Meric Bloomfield Boyd’s Wimmera Landscape

From there to the next exhibition, ” Machines and Makers: Displaying A Healthy Obsession For Sewing Machines”. Intriguing, multi media pieces. Intricate and fun to look at closely, this exhibition features the technology of the 19th century that changed the world. Although the focus is on the political, social and economic changes wrought by these inventions, the pieces were also witty, nostalgic and charming. I learnt to sew on a treadle machine before we had electricity at the farm and still admire their wrought iron frames, wooden tops and storage drawers.

Linda van der Merwe’s Maker’s Mind #2016

These parasols/umbrellas hanging down from outside walkways at the gallery add fun and colour.

CELEBRATING A BIRTHDAY

We’ve just celebrated my husband’s birthday. His favorite gift is always lots of books. He orders them and I wrap them and he enjoys them for months afterwards.

Our son cooked weisswurst German sausages, roasted potatoes and cabbage for the birthday lunch and then this delicious Schwäbischer Zwiebelkuchen, a German version of egg, bacon and onion pie! With a bread-like pastry base and a baked pie of onion, eggs and bacon plus yoghurt, this was a remarkable dinner. It lasted three days, too, as it was a big pie.

READING

My books come from the library. I like to read reviews and then reserve the interesting ones online. We have so many books and plan to sort and in some cases, dispose of some, when it is cooler. This is my plan, half halfheartedly supported by my husband. They are mostly his books.

The Maverick Soul is like a huge edition of the decorator magazine World of Interiors without the pages and pages of advertisements. Miv Watts book features twenty five homes decorated by people who surround themselves with what they love, not what matches or is fashionable this year. These are vibrant homes full of lovingly chosen artifacts and supported by brief histories of the owners. I keep going back to it, flicking from home to home, enjoying the stories of their owners and the colourful and thoughtful decorations.

The second book I’ve just read from the library is David Lebovitz’s L’Appart, The Delight and Disasters of Making My Paris Home. If you’re a fan of his luscious cooking books, especially about chocolate and desserts, you’ll really enjoy his well written story of putting down roots in Paris. If you’ve ever fantasized about buying and renovating in Paris, best you avoid this book, but if you’d like an insight into the French way of doing things, start reading. Previous books of his I’ve read are The Great Book of Chocolate, My Paris Kitchen and The Sweet Life in Paris.

NEW EMMA BRIDGEWATER CHINA

The big box from Emma Bridgewater. Arrived quickly and safely.

Boxing Day sales, post Christmas sales and New Year Sales are all intended to tempt consumers to buy and for sellers to off-load old stock. Lots of sensible people I know bought clothes, or all the family’s birthday gifts for this year or even things they’ll put away for next Christmas.

I bought more Emma Bridgewater china! I love this design and have collected pieces since 1997. I generally don’t open the emails when they’re headed “Emma Bridgewater Sale” as the shipping cost from the UK to Western Australia is frightening. This year I succumbed and these two beautiful bowls and the glasses case arrived safely in seven days and I love them! Not sensible like half price clothes or a years’ worth of gifts but I adore these pieces and have already used one of the bowls.

My much loved collection with the new additions.

Did you know January is Brain Teaser Month? There’s so much focus on keeping the body fit and healthy but during January you are encouraged to focus on brain health. To keep your brain healthy, stimulated and active do some puzzles, such as quizzes, crossword puzzles, sudoku or play Scrabble or mahjong. There’s lots of online strategy games which require concentration and considered choices so give those grey cells a good work out!

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Visiting Beautiful Brisbane

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Our last city on the eastern coast visit was Brisbane, the second best kept secret in Australia! ( Perth is Australia’s best kept secret) We flew instead of taking the train as we were still recovering from poor health. Off the plane at the Domestic Terminal and onto the Airtrain which delivered us in the centre of the city. Up two escalators and into the hotel reception area.

Well positioned hotel and a really lovely unexpected upgrade. So comfortable, delicious food and so easy to use public transport to explore Brisbane.

Our first day and off to the Queensland Art Gallery, part of the Cultural Centre. It was an easy train ride. Really enjoyed the QAG collection and spent some time talking to a guide about some of the Japanese art. This was very interesting as I’d just had a long conversation with a Japanese lady who was doing an ikebana arrangement near the entrance to the Gallery.

Chinese Art Collection Sculpture

Across the courtyard to the Gallery of Modern Art to see the Margaret Olley Exhibition: A Generous Life. It was fabulous! After I’d been around once, I watched the film about her life and then went around again. Passionate about her art, Olley’s vibrant use of colour and frequently repeated still-life themes was wonderful to see.

This is Danelle Bergstrom’s “Conversation with Margaret Olley”. It was a finalist in the 2003 Archibald Prize.

Following my Mother’s suggestion, we took the train to the Roma Street Parklands. What a surprise! This 16 hectare garden is in the middle of urban development and next to a train line. In fact the garden is created on what was the old railways goods yard, built up from soil removed to create a more efficient and modern rail system. Lush, cool gardens with wild dashes of colour and water crossed by bridges, it also featured works by local artists. Lots of families playing and picnicking and other people enjoying the garden. We enjoyed it, too!

Friends drove us to the Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre to see several reconstructed rooms of Margaret Olley’s house. Gorgeous views, nice lunch, interesting art on display and, of course, the exactly replicated rooms from Margaret Olleys house, a former hat factory, which was also her studio. She liked a lot of colour and a lot of ornaments!

The next day our lovely friends took us north to see the Glasshouse Mountains and the Sunshine Coast. Particularly liked Marleny but every little town was interesting. I loved the Working Harbour at Mooloolah River. I could sit watching the movements on the river all day. So many interesting little towns.

Glasshouse Mountains. Bit hazy due to recent bush fires.

Water Dragon at The Spirit House, Yandina, where we had lunch.

Mooloolah River

Train back to the City from Landsborough, well, train, bus, train due to an incident on the line. By the time we got moving again after waiting for the buses it was too dark to see anything but we’d like to return to Brisbane and explore more of the state.

The City Hopper ferry was a great way enjoy to Southbank and the skyline. The little red dot just above the bridge is the new moon.

Our room overlooked ANZAC Square, a town square and war memorial commemorating the men and women who participated in the armed services. Very peaceful and very moving.

Also enjoyed hotel flowers and room picnics.

Launched in Milan in 2015, INTERNATIONAL COFFEE DAY is celebrated on the first of October. It marks the global celebration of coffee’s journey from the farm to your cup and is an opportunity to recognize the men and women who grow and harvest the beans.

This is an easy day to celebrate. Enjoy!

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A Week in Sydney

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We left Melbourne on the train, arriving late in the evening in Sydney and glad to get to our hotel and relax. We had many plans and were keen to start. After breakfast the next morning we set off across the park to the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Our first plan was to see the Archibald Art Prize portraits. This annual exhibition, begun in 1921, is judged by the Trustees of the gallery. The first part is the Young Archie Prize featuring paintings by children of a relative. They were so expressive and well done! Many of the entries in the Archibald Prize seemed painted to startle or shock, not intrigue and please, unlike the junior artists.

Then to the main event. The Archibald Prize was won by Tony Costa for his portrait of artist Lindy Lee but the real attraction was the Packing Room Prize. Chosen annually by the staff who receive, unpack and hang the works, Perth artist Tessa MacKay’s portrait of David Wenham was so popular it was difficult to see. It shows him looking out of a cafe window with the buildings opposite reflected in the cafe windows.

Apart from the fabulous art I was amazed by the picture window overlooking Woolloomooloo Bay and the Garden Island Naval Dockyard. Such a view; we sat and admired it, along with many other visitors. Also did a lap of the Gallery Shop and bought a scarf.

After the rain and cold weather in Melbourne I found Sydney warm and sunny so went next door to an arcade for a pedicure. Then I could wear sandals! Also realised I often have a photo of my feet when we are traveling, so it’s pretty obvious I only have pedicures when we’re away!

That night we had the pleasure of being joined for dinner by a cousin and spent a really enjoyable evening.

To Circular Quay the next morning. My husband’s company was in Goldfields House for years, but now it’s just a hole in the ground! Waited for our ferry then set off for the Maritime Museum and some sight seeing. Caught the light rail back to Martin Place then walked to our hotel.

Headed down Elizabeth Street to David Jones Department Store to see the floral installations and window displays. This event has been running for 34 years and attracts a crowd every year. Each featured different coloured blooms and they were all gorgeous!

Ate dinner locally and wished we hadn’t as I woke in the early morning really ill and my husband followed soon after. We spent the next three days recovering and that really curtailed our holiday in Sydney.

The last afternoon in Sydney I was well enough to walk around parts of the Royal Botanical Gardens.

The honey from these beehives is sold in the garden shop to help fund future projects in the garden.

The garden is close to the thriving business area of Sydney but is calm and quiet and full of birds and insects. Such a lovely garden.

Still not feeling really well we decided to fly to Brisbane rather than face the rigours of long train travel. Sad about all the things we’d planned to do in Sydney and didn’t do due to illness, but we will return one day to compete our planned day trips.

If your birthday is on the 26th of September, Happy Birthday for yesterday. You were born on the most common day of the year for a birthday in the UK, NZ, USA and Australia. Count back nine months and you might understand why this happens! My Mother, who has a birth date close to the 26th, will party for the next two weeks as so many people she knows share similar birth dates, too.

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A Great Week in Melbourne

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We live in Western Australia and we’re closer to Bali or Singapore than most eastern states capitals. We decided it was time to fly to east, starting at Melbourne and then do train trips to get to know more about the state. Later, we went to Sydney and Brisbane, too.

Jumped on a tram to do a loop of the city blocks to familiarise ourselves with the area. Off at the Queen Victoria Market and bought strawberries, goats cheese, some brie, a Portuguese tart a vanilla slice and nougat. This was our bed picnic for the night.

We visited the National Gallery of Victoria and enjoyed 16th-18th century British and European paintings, their International Collection of 19th and 20th century works,Australian Impressionists, fabulous glassware and also Japanese ceramics. Great exhibitions. We took trains and trams almost everywhere; not something you can easily do in Perth. The tram system is very efficient at moving masses of people and it is very cheap. In fact, the central city area is free.

Wandered around the Alexandria Garden after a long lunch.

Set off for Bendigo on the train. A booming gold town from 1850-1900, it became for a while the world’s richest city thanks to gold. The architecture remaining from this era is wonderful to see. The Chinese also arrived with the gold rush and there’s gardens and buildings remaining in the Chinese precinct. There’s lovely old buildings along the main streets and well established parkland but we were there mainly to visit the Bendigo Art Gallery.

We went for the Balenciaga Exhibition, curated by the V and A. Cristobal Balenciaga, a Spaniard, was an influential and innovative 20th century designer. His designs were sculptural and focused on the silhouette and fitting shapes to the fabric. His exquisite craftsmanship is apparent in all the clothes on display. He wanted women to be bold, striking and interesting.

The exhibition included sketches, photographs, fabric samples and catwalk footage, plus modern technological demonstrations of pattern making. All fabulous.

This Balenciaga piece could be worn as a skirt or a cape. I am wearing it as a cape, the most luxurious piece of clothing I have ever worn! It was intended to be worn over a very straight, fitted dress, not my traveling top and trousers with boots made for walking, not glamorous nights at the opera! This exhibition showed how Balenciaga often designed his clothes after he’d chosen the fabric.

To the Old Treasury Building in Melbourne to see the Wayward Woman exhibition, Fascinating history of women in the early settlement of Victoria. Also interesting was the history of the building and the development of this area of Melbourne.

Melbourne is all about food. This restaurant, di Stasio, advertises in the Weekend Australian magazine so we booked before the trip and were delighted with our lunch. Old fashioned service and decor, fresh, carefully prepared food. Worth waiting years to eat here.

The next day we ate at their new restaurant, Citta, and really enjoyed it, too. Different decor but the same carefully selected and presented food. Finished off with a long walk in the Fitzroy Gardens.

Melbourne is all about food. There’s amazing food everywhere and it is generally well priced. Almost every laneway bulged with interesting cafes and bars spilling out from the buildings.

The Royal Botanic Gardens are accessible and beautiful. We had only allowed two hours including the tour we’d rung and confirmed the previous day. When we arrived we were told the tours were off for the rest of the day, no reason, bad luck. The couple behind us, also tourists, had pre-paid, so not at all pleased. It was such a shame as there’s so much to see but we didn’t have enough time.

The next day we took the train from Melbourne to Sydney. We’d decided to do this to see the countryside, but it was exhausting. The train was late, stopped frequently waiting for clearances, the food limited and way too hot. Relieved to arrive in Sydney. although quite sad to leave Melbourne. There’s so much to see and do and I’m sure we will be returning one day.

Today is CONCUSSION AWARENESS DAY. Now recognised as having serious long term consequences we need to ask the person who is possibly concussed these questions. Do they have a headache, did they lose consciousness, decide if they appear confused or are they slow processing information? If you see any of these symptoms, seek professional advice.

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West Australian Wildflowers: Philippa Nikulinsky

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There are more than 12 000 species of wild flowers identified in Western Australia and 60 % of these are endemic to WA. From about June onwards we are surrounded by beautiful wild flowers in parks, home gardens and bushland.

These amazing botanical works are created by Philippa Nikulinsky AM, an internationally recognized botanical and wildlife artist. She is currently exhibiting works from the 1970s until now in the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery at the University of Western Australia.

Philippa Nikulinsky has traveled throughout Western Australia for more than 50 years recording, drawing and painting its natural history.

Nikulinsky also designed artworks for the Australian Fine China Company for their crockery.

For many years. Nikulinsky illustrated the cover of the Landscope Magazine, which focuses on conservation, wildlife and parks. There were copies of many of these illustrations as part of the exhibition and they were fabulous!

In 2016, she was awarded an AM in the general order of Australian awards for “significant service to the visual arts as a botanical painter and illustrator, to professional organizations and as a painter.”

At the bottom of the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery gallery stairs, just before the Sunken Garden, are these wildflowers, all blooming. This bottlebrush is one of many forms of this plant.

These pretty blooms are Hakea laurina.

One of hundreds of types of Grevillea.

Today is the 21st of June, the Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, so it will be the shortest day and the longest night of the year. Of course, it is the reverse in the Northern Hemisphere, the Summer Solstice.

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