Early bird special.....!

With the sun rising at 6.36 setting at 6.16 and the temperature ranging from 15C in the evening to 32C max, that's pretty much a week of perfect weather n'est pas! So keep that in mind when you plan your trip to Perth :) Truly, apart from a few stinkers, (did I complain?) we are one of only five Mediterranean zones in the world, you can check out here season by season to see which suits you best. I took these shots in the back garden very early yesterday morning.. look at all the delicious dew on the grass, that dew alone can be the saving of a garden. The white Corella's were dominant, but Mr. Grumpy Galah' flew in for breakfast anyway! Perfect weather for rolling boiled Easter eggs down grassy slopes with the grand nieces and nephews! Hope that you're enjoying your Easter break, take care and stay safe.....

An Easter celebration.....

The question was posed yesterday by Ciel in Versailles 'should I really be showing chocolate on Good Friday', the resounding response was yes.. because chocolate is a universally acceptable food group and an everyday necessity (or is that just me :). Seriously the deeper meaning of Easter is not lessened by the presence of chocolate, rather the giving of Easter eggs is a token and a way of bringing families together to celebrate, surely that can only be seen as a positive. Aimee took the above shot of these little beauties that are only available here in Australia at this time of the year, as a self confessed chocoholic I stay away from temptation as much as possible :( The Cadbury Creme Egg (read it and drool!) manufactured in UK and Canada are widely available but not apparently in the USA because there Hershey rule the market, oh la! you don't know what you're missing! Whether you indulge or not, I hope your Easter is all that you hope for, take care and stay safe.....

Laboratory Reflections.....

Unlike the marine research facility on the West Coast Road, I've seen busloads of school children many times disappearing into the Naturaliste Marine Discovery Centre  at Hillarys Boat Harbour but it was only on Monday that I decided to have a peek for myself. The centre incorporates an interactive exhibition area and viewing areas into research facilities. One of the key activities undertaken at these 'state of the art' laboratories is the annual stock assessment of WA's most important fisheries, through surveys, sampling and analysis of trends in catch and fishing activity. It's good to know that such a close watch is being kept on securing the safety of the marine life along our beautiful coast. Good Friday tomorrow, here's wishing you a very happy and safe Easter, take care.....p.s. that slippery little sucker stuck to the glass really creeped me out yeeeeps!

Can I help you ma'am....?

Without scrolling down, just looking at the photo above..do you see it?  Well I didn't, for two reasons..according to the guide pamphlet this 'ethereal' sculpture was in Florence Hummerston Reserve on St. Georges Terrace. The first time I went in search, camera and pamphlet in hand, apparently looking very much like a tourist as an American gentleman asked 'can I help you ma'am?', we chatted, he'd been in Perth for a month, moi forty years :) The second reason we couldn't find it was because we didn't think to look up, golden rule ..look up now and then to see what you might be missing. There she was high up in the tree, this sculpture by Australian artist Simon Gilby is untitled, but I call it 'not easy to find' haha! A little bit 'eh!' in the daylight but if you click on the artist link above and on the first thumbnail Female Figure, you can see how she glows at night. Artist's depiction..'she is no-one and everyone, living and gone, a presence and a memory', I like it enough to go back and try and get that shot, would you? We're on the wind down to the Easter weekend, happy Thursday, take care.....

Not even a little bit country .....!

Buskers have been entertaining us for centuries in one way or another and mostly I think they're fantastic, one of the things I enjoy most about going into the city is checking out who's busking along the Hay Street Mall that day. I'm guessing most cities have their regulars, we have a guy who Aimee calls 'interpretive dance guy' (?), he's very cool and good looking too which is a bonus :) I've seen this young man below before and he was there again on Friday evening playing a little bit of funky jazz, a little bit of rock & roll, he was brilliant! I found this super informative site Buskerworld which tells you everything you could possibly want to know (do you?) about busking, including the essential  'busker etiquette'. I think it's about $25 per month for a buskers license here in Perth, do buskers have to have a license in your city? We had heaps of rain on Monday, Perth is looking 'refreshed'..nice! Hope your week is progressing well, happy Wednesday, take care.....

The sun going down on sculptures by the sea.....

We were lucky enough to get back down to Cottesloe on Saturday evening just before the sun went down to take some last shots of  Sculpture by the Sea.. I had heard that 'transparent sea' by WA artist Vaughn Bisschops was particularly fabulous in the sunset so I was pretty keen for that shot..what do you think? I'm pretty happy with it, more so because I took it with a sweet little lense that I bought for my Pentax at the last camera market, I don't think it's actually designed for this type of shot, more for close up work, but it did just fine on this and 'look this way' by NSW artist Ken Unsworth below, and to end off the sculptures for this year WA artist Ayad Alqaragholli's 'habibi' and my favourite of the many, many silhouette shots I took after the sun had disappeared below the horizon. Hope you've enjoyed them as much as I did taking them. Short week this week and next, have a good Tuesday, take care.....

 

'7 Walks' ..in Yanchep and Two Rocks.....

Such a busy weekend with the Twilight Hawkers Markets on Friday evening and back down to Cottesloe on Saturday evening to take sunset shots of  Sculpture by the Sea (show you tomorrow), by the time I arrived home and downloaded the images I just couldn't seem to make choices, so I shut down the computer and went to bed, désolé! The highlight of the weekend was driving up to Yanchep, 56 kms north of Perth's CBD yesterday morning to meet fellow blogger who many of you know already as Angie in Yanchep and inaugural 'artist in residence' at Capricorn Community House Kirsten Biven who was working with the local community for the last month on a series of  'explorative art walks' which culminated in a community exhibition called '7 Walks'. Made up of 'discoveries' along the Yanchep and Two Rocks beaches, some in their rightful place but too many others only there because of the human tendency to treat the world like one big dustbin, grrrrr! my pet hate!

The exhibition is made up of collages, sketches and paintings, I suspect a few of the tops in the bottle top collage would have been there for a very long time, good job to whoever found them..the 'fruit' of the Banksia tree with the follicles opened to release the seeds, fascinating and slightly bizarre at the same time!

Kirsten also worked with the students at the Two Rocks Primary School, while we were there young James was showing his proud parents his contribution (above, bottom right), it really was very good. Encouraging young people in artistic endeavors can only be a positive thing oui!

Angie's artistic accreditation's are way too long to list here, but believe me they are impressive, a huge fan of digital manipulation Angie has 'created' many fabulous images including the two 'pop culture' and 'terraspheres' above, below left her innovative method of displaying some of her beach finds, including a snake skin, nice one!

Above, Angie on the right with Kirsten, and far right Capricorn Community House. You might recognize the painted sneakers above right, a little thing Angie likes to do to jazz up and individualize très ordinaire white sand shoes. Thanks Angie and Kirsten for the invite, I really enjoyed coming to visit..I hope that you've had, or are still having :) a good weekend, take care and stay safe.....

Twilight Hawkers markets.....

Yesterday evening we caught the train (yes again!), that's twice in two weeks, more than in the last two years! Meeting up with Aimee after work we had dinner at the last of the Twilight Hawkers Markets for 2012/13 held every Friday Night during that period in Forrest Place the town centre. The  General Post Office building in the background is a splendid backdrop for the many events held here. The food was as multi cultural as the crowds eager to partake, everything from huge steaming pans of seafood jambalaya and chicken gumbo below....

 .....to Indian cuisine, I saw no sign of '2 Fat Indians', there were however a few 'portly' customers :)

Who me.? Not sure if the lady on the Vietnamese stand was happy to see me...moving right along....!

Meanwhile the crew from El Asador were keeping the meat lovers happy... smokin'..!

Even though it was a slightly cooler evening, the very retro Delish Ice did a roaring trade.. from the cutest little powder blue caravan stand, definitely our favourite..... 

and yes..that cute redhead was enjoying the tastes and sights also. Hope you enjoy something 'tasty' this weekend, have fun..take care and stay safe. p.s. late night, catch up today.....

Marine research.....

When I first saw this 'restricted entry' building sitting out on the edge of the coastline I was intrigued, imagining all sorts of weird things going on there :) Glass windows give researchers panoramic views of the Indian Ocean in all it's spectacular beauty (I wonder if they need a tea lady!). This research facility known now as Watermans Bay Marine Centre is due for refurbishment this year, it really needs it, being assaulted by the weather 24/7 takes it's toll, when it re-opens in 2014 as the Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre it will 'be able to address greater challenges, risks and opportunities in the sustainable and safe use of marine resources, and in the conservation of the Indian Ocean's biodiversity and will build Australia's potential for international competitiveness through stimulating innovative research and the teaching and training of next generation researchers and will be the largest collaborative marine research partnership in the Southern Hemisphere and the largest marine research capability in the Indian Ocean Rim'. I'm hoping that when it reopens there may be a small window of opportunity for a public viewing, I would love to get in there and have a sticky beak! Hope you have a good Friday, take care. p.s. we pass this on our walk along the coast road.....

Sandy feet and thongs welcome.....

Could this possibly be the most customer friendly sign ever! Once known as Costa Azurra (perfect description), now known simply as The Kiosk, it has a more formal sit down area inside but for a casual meal and coffee the adjoining cafe is funky and fabulous. There aren't many places where you can walk up off the beach and be made so welcome. I just wish I'd found this spot before the 'cafe chairs' theme day, I counted at least seven different styles, including my 'French lace', see it there.. I think a mix of chairs in a cafe creates a much friendlier ambiance oui? The reviews on the food vary from really bad to excellent, I can say the coffee was very good, will have to return to make my own judgement about the fare... Lovely and cool in Perth these last few days (25C), enjoying very much..hope that you're having a good week, take care.....

Before, and after.....

I have to confess I didn't get out and about yesterday, so I'm delving back into the photos I took last Sunday at Sculpture by the Sea. Aimee and I arrived in Cottesloe at 7am in an attempt to beat the crowds, the heat ..and find a car park! Above shot taken standing on the mole looking up towards Indiana Tea House and below a few hours later when things started to 'busy up' a bit, speaking of which..I'm hoping for a less hectic day today, hope yours is too, take care and stay safe.....

Sculptures of a different 'genus'.....

It struck me that after a week of showing 'man made' sculptures Mother Nature is pretty astounding in this department herself. Walking through Hepburn Heights bushlands yesterday it was fascinating to see the complete life-cycle of the Banksia (native to WA) happening in all it's various stages on the one tree. In the top shot you can see the flower spike covered in tightly packed flowers ready to burst forth, and at the back a very old hairy spike. Below left in a blaze of full bloom colour, an important source of food for nectivorous birds and small mammals who play a big part in pollinating the Banksia. To the right the fruit of the Banksia, a woody follicle imbedded in the axis of the spike which usually only open after stimulated by bushfire. Below, this particular tree is the  Banskia prionotes, they can look a little 'shabby chic' with all this activity going on at the same time, but it is a typically WA bush and kerbside tree that we enjoy every day. Hope your week has started well, still hot and humid here in Perth, but hopefully not for much longer, take care.....

Festival of the Equinox.....

CDP have set us a mid month challenge, thanks Julie :) that is somewhat more challenging than the monthly theme. After thinking about it (read wracking my brains!) the subject that seems to come up most regularly on my favourite blogs around the world are the climatic extremes experienced as each year passes. Despite world conflict and man's determination to push resources to the limits, there is one thing that remains constant, as evidenced here via Mo in London (hope you're feeling better Mo) that as the Northern hemisphere grudgingly awakens from it's winter slumber, here in the Southern half the leaves of the Plane trees are beginning to turn gold heralding the beginning throes of winter..can't wait! It's a fact that I'm technically challenged so my image here is simply a spring flowering freesia superimposed over a picture I took last week at Sorrento Quay of above mentiioned trees. Click to view other City Daily Photo Community.....

Sculpture by the Sea IV.....

These are the last few shots from Sculpture by the Sea...in the day, but I am going to get back and take a few as the sun goes down, I've never seen them at sunset and have heard that it's really special. These are both very red and both created with a sense of fun. Recognised as one of the top ten contemporary sculptors in China, Chen Wenling has exhibited world wide and it's always a visual treat to see his work here in this fantastic setting. Sculpted in bronze and coloured with automotive paint this work titled 'games' is one of the artist's 'Red Boy' series. In his own words Chen Wenling says he was a playful child, “always monkeying around”. His parents were so poor that he had to make his own toys—of which his sculptures are, in a sense, grown-up versions. You might have seen some of his work around your city, once seen, not easily forgotten.....

As we were walking back to the car we burst out laughing at what we saw up ahead. Typifying the irrepressible Aussie sense of humour hanging over one of the balconies of the Cottesloe Beach Hotel, the last of the exhibits by SA artist Philip 'Harry' Koch fittingly called 'budgie'...'Speedos, budgies, sluggoes and other less flattering names..every surf club icon', we call them 'budgie smugglers' and heartily discourage the wearing of them in our pool haha! only kidding..maybe! Hope you're having a good weekend, take care.....

Sculpture by the Sea III.....

I hope that you're not getting fed up with the Sculpture by the Sea shots, I won't show them all, only the exhibits that really appealed to me, which doesn't mean that the others are without merit, only that there were way too many to show here, next year you'll all have to visit Perth and see them for yourself..come on, you know you want to! Above, appropriately displayed over the side of the mole we have 'Casting Around' by NSW artists Ruth Downes and Geoff Webster made up of fishing rods and rod holders, 'this gestural interpretation dissects the arc and sweep of a common occurrence along the Cottesloe shore', simple but so effective....
I think what attracts me to the work of WA artist Ayad Alqaragholli below is the feeling of gay abandon he creates, it makes me happy and inspires me to think 'wheeeeeee', sometimes even out loud!

Coming back down along the mole facing down towards Fremantle a work by WA artist Fiona Gavino called 'tolerance, change, difference' which 'explores these notions not just as concepts, but as strong tools for improved social change'..you've just got to love the artistic imagination.....

Back now to the grassed area a work by WA artist Mikaela Castledine made with crocheted polypropylene and steel called 'Tokyo Crows' the artist feels that 'crows are intelligent, creative, amusing and great survivors, but still we are frightened of them, demonize them and in some places wage war against them'..Alfred Hitchcock has a lot to answer for!

It was impossible to miss the 'happy floating dream cloud' by WA artist Kathy Allam high up in the trees, this work 'reflects on our childhood desires and the pleasure of reveling in the unabashed, exuberant colour of plastic toys', if you click to enlarge I bet you'll find something familiar there.....

Although at first 'The Rolling Pin' by Danish artist Keld Moseholm seemed a little gruesome the artist's interpretation that 'a well-known utensil is transformed into an overwhelming power by an imaginary force, turning life into a decoration' made it less so...er, no it didn't, people are still trying to escape being squished haha!

Last one today up on the hill looking down on the beach is Japanese artist Eiji Hayakawa's 'Space', this work is 'a representation of space using the historical figure of fowls from paintings during the Edo period in Japan', there are two of them, you can see the other here on the World in Black &White. Only two left for tomorrow, both very red, one that made me laugh out loud it's so typically Australian. Hope you have a wonderful weekend, take care and stay safe.....       

Sculptures by the Sea encore.....

This was one of my favourite exhibits at Sculpture by the Sea in Cottesloe. The grouping of bulbous skittles created by Queensland artists Suzanne Bosanquet and Sarah Foley succinctly called 'Skittles' depicting Australian characters such as lifesavers and swimmers,was not only fun and colourful but also encouraged lively interaction.....
Below the wind driven sound installation of 222 bamboo 'bird scarers' tuned to D-minor began as a reflection on the 222 lives lost in the Bali bombings, walking through the feather topped bamboo it did inspire a feeling of melancholy at such a waste of young lives.....

Artist at work.. I'm not sure if this actually was Melbourne artist Ben Fasham polishing his jewel (?), but I should imagine this wonderfully curved piece titled 'Jewel de la Mer' in stainless steel and bronze would not be happy covered in salty sea spray.....

Out on the rocks of the mole sat a very big crayfish constructed by WA artist Lewis Horne using cane, steel rod, rope and cray pot floats, a whimsical tribute to the humble crayfish and the dwindling art of cane pot making. Apart from the beautiful beach location itself I love that the Indiana Tea House appears so often in the background of these images.....

Norwegian Hilde A. Danielsen, an artist who 'loves to play and make surprising situations' created the exhibit below called 'Upside Down Again' using pinewood and metal fasteners. I really couldn't resist the 'Bond, James Bond OO7' opportunity below, Aimee was shooting..just not with a gun haha! I have a few more for you tomorrow, until then happy Friday, take care.....