Looking Up.....

There's no reason for me to post this pic other than I like it! Sitting in a cafe in Northbridge Piazza at the weekend almost under the arch that I told you all about here, not sure what made me look up, the sky was so blue, the arch so dramatic..I snapped, I'm glad I did. Don't let that blue sky fool you though, with one day to go before the official start of our winter, it's a wee bit chilly..top of 14C yesterday and 2C overnight brrr! I may have to break out the heat bag haha! Happy Friday, hope it's a good one, take care.....

I just had to share....!

After my 'rant' a few days ago I had a call from a friend (thanks Bill) who alerted me to a cartoon in yesterdays The West Australian by editorial cartoonist Dean Alston. What a coincidence, you can see why I had to share right! In fact I'm tres tempted to buy a copy and frame it haha! It's brilliant Mr. Alston, you nailed it, would be so funny if it tragically wasn't so true. OK that's it, no more vociferation's....until the next time :) Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe.....

A little bit of jazz & a whole lot of country rock.....!

Can you see it, who does he remind you of? He made me think of John Lennon and like JL he was incredibly charismatic. On a warm sunny Sunday afternoon we sat and listened to The Overflow Trio and Justin Walshe Folk Machine that's Justin above, one of many such free afternoons scheduled in the Northbridge Sunday Piazza Live Autumn Season 2013. They sang the saga of the ill fated Burke and Wills expedition way back in 1860, very entertaining, the crowd relaxing on bean bags loved it.. I wasn't the only person taking photos!

A little further down James Street at the Perth Cultural Centre and a bit more uptempo a very cool Salsa group, didn't get their name unfortunately but they had the crowd up and dancing at times, the artist in the collage was just off to the side painting in time to the beat! I have heard people say that Perth is a bit quiet, not much going on..what do you think? I say it's all out there, just get out and find it.  Mid way through the week already, happy Wednesday, take care.....

'Use Barrack Street'.....!

Really Mr. B, if you're going to dig up our foreshore from the Perth Convention Centre, down to the Bell Tower shouldn't you at least say PLEASE use Barrack Sreet!! I am trying to keep an open mind about the whole Elizabeth Quay project and yes I agree that something had to be done here, I'm not against change, Perth is growing and changing all the time but I know there is at least one 100 year old Morteton Bay Fig tree that agrees with me in thinking that this is way OTT! Seriously we were in the city on Sunday afternoon and Perth was fabulous, Salsa bands playing at the Perth Cultural Centre, Jazz bands in Northbridge, THAT'S Perth, not some hideous development with an 'artificial inlet', I know where that artificial inlet would fit juuust nicely, colonic irrigation anyone haha! Anyhow I took this shot a few weeks ago and it's been a year since Mr. B, pffft! put the first spade in, I forecast the estimated date of completion as 'highly unlikely'! Don't worry you'll hear all about it. Hope the week has started well, happy Tuesday, take care....

Photograpers & dog walkers.....

Well I must be feeling better..I picked up my camera for the first time in three days yesterday. Apart from feeling a bit perkier, thanks heaps for all the good wishes, I realized that it's less than a week until the CDP theme day the subject being 'the beauty of decay', a subject that takes a bit of reflection oui!. I pass the Yellagonga Regional Park, only ten minutes away from me regularly and often think about stopping to take some shots and as I didn't want to travel far this was the perfect opportunity. Although the decayed tree above would have been, and even now is, beautiful in the sunset light, there's something else just out of view that may be right for the theme.

The photographer above and below was at times using my 'possible' subject as a backdrop for some of the romantic shots he was taking and I see seven dogs between these two dog walkers below, even if one dog is not exactly walking :) In the half an hour we were there the light changes were tres dramatic, I wasn't the only one with camera in hand hoping for a good shot. I'm looking forward to catching up with what's been going on in your part of the world today and hope all is well. Happy Monday, take care.....

One man band.....

 well nobody sees the minstrel boy as he sings his tale of woe
nobody sees him coming
nobody see him go
so hey there mister don't you look so sad
don't look so ill at ease
well I can play you any song you like
to cheer up that life you lead

well I'm a one man band
nobody knows nor understands
is there anybody out there wanna lend me a hand
with my one man band

Go on I dare you to listen! Don't be too sad for him, he did attract a very nice audience, but you can feel sad for me, I'm a wee bit under the weather, I've caught the the dreaded 'change of season' flu bug that's rampant at the moment, so I'll be cosying up in bed for the next couple of days. Hope you feel better than I do, have a good Friday, take care.....

Almost worth getting wet.....

You can tell by the lady's hair that even though the sun is shining and the sky is blue there is a cooler autumn breeze blowing along the coast! What was that....? what lady did you say, haha! My fear of deep water and nasty swimmy things overrules the possibility of my ever being rescued by the able bodied young lifeguard from the Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club who would look quite at home on Baywatch right! Seriously these young men and women do a fantastic job every day keeping our beaches safe for the many thousands of folk who are mad enough to dive into the Indian Ocean :) They start training from as young as five and whenever I get a chance to watch the juniors I enjoy seeing how much energy and enthusiasm they put into every session. Hope your week is going well, have a good Thursday..take care..p.s. pretty hectic around here yesterday, catch up today.....

 

Crawley Boatshed encore.....!

I know I've shown the Crawley Edge Boatshed before but it's almost impossible when driving along Mounts Bay Road not stop and take just one or two more. Built in the early 1930's the boatshed is probably one of Perth's most well known and photographed landmarks. In the shot below you can see the UWA boatshed (University of WA) peeking out from around the bend in the road and to the left in the background the Royal Perth Yacht Club. It's all going on along the Swan River :) I really should have saved these for James' Weekend Reflections, ah well, will have to keep my eyes open! Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe.....

Discount shopping...eh!

Who doesn't love a bargain! I'm sure every city has a Harbour Town, the concept being to collocate factory outlets all in the one centre, that means for Perthites and visitors two floors and 120 possibilities of a bargain :) Perth's Harbour Town in West Perth opened in 2003, and has since been a major draw card for overseas visitors.. myself not so much! If retailers can offer you as much as 50 - 80% off in the sales (these were taken last weekend) what sort of markup must they be using on an every day basis, the mind boggles! Shopping is more like a military manoeuvre for me, I zoom in on my target, do the deal and get out as quickly as possible. How about you..do you spend hours cruising the shops, or are you an in and out like moi? Hope your week has started well, happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe.....

C'est une tragédie.....!

No not really, the only tragedy here is that I didn't think to hide the price tag hanging there from view, it does kind of spoil the whole Greek tragedy aura I was going for :) No matter, it wasn't a dramatic piece I was after although I did enjoy the grouping of these statues and couldn't help wondering what purpose they would fill in a suburban garden! After something much more friendly and welcoming plus a new letterbox, we made the trip over the river to the main branch of Soils ain't Soils possibly the biggest supplier of both in Perth, plus everything else you would ever need in the construction of a garden.....

What do you think, grrrrrr the angry gargoyle above left or the rather 'ho hum' bored by the whole looking scary thing gargoyle on the right! Either way it may put the wind up the postman..which might not be a bad idea, all I ever seem to get in the mail these days are bills :(  Loved the elephant and rhino below left, but the huge black gorillas..what's that all about! I inquired and was told that they are very popular, go figure! I did find a much friendlier statue, a postbox..and a blog post..oh yes, it's a hat trick! Hope you had (or are having) a super weekend, take care.....

Chinta..don't mind if I do ..ll

How is it possible that this quirky homewares plus cafe has been here for five years and this is the first time it's come to my attention! Scarborough Beach Road begins at the coast and passes through several suburbs before it peters out and changes name. Chinta (meaning love in Balinese) sits in a small block of shops on a busy stretch of the road in Doubleview (named because you can see back to the Indian Ocean and forward to the city). You'd think in this spot the parking would be horrendous but not so, turning off the main road behind the shops you'll find an enticing glimpse through the wooden door above. In the garden area under a canopy of umbrellas the most eclectic grouping of chairs and tables I've seen in a cafe..are you feeling a little chilly, do put a blanket over your legs, game of chess, why not!

Inside treasures galore! There was a white marble Buddha I might have bought if I'd had a spare $950.. not really :) Main thing pour moi, the coffee was good and the cake (shared) was très délicieux! I hope you find something delicious to enjoy this weekend, take care and stay safe.....

Chinta..don't mind if I do.....1

On our way home on Wednesday, driving along Scarborough Beach Rd. I 'espied with my little eye' :) a flash of vibrant colour! I felt it was my duty to investigate further..so glad I did, it was a veritable Aladdin's cave of treasures which I'll show you tomorrow. The reflections in the glass table are my contribution to Weekend Reflections Click here to view other participants. Did you notice.. one plate, two forks.. a cake shared is... not enough haha! Have a good weekend, take care and stay safe. P.s. the table itself was a work of art. P.p.s. catch up today.....!

Could it be.....?

Have I mentioned  lately how much I love my new camera :) the zoom lens is fabulosa! Oh and also these photos are SOC the sky really was that blue, the only reason I can think of for the variance in the blue is directional. I was so excited to see this unusual bird. At first high on a lamp post, then swooping over my head landing on a roof to drink water out of the gutter, was even more excited that I had my zoom lens in my bag. When checking my bird guide later, from the pictures I was pretty sure it was an immature Black Tailed Gull, the red tip and black ring around the bill and white crescents around the eyes (which turn paler as it gets older) seemed pretty convincing to me. I know there are some brilliant birders out there, Chris and Andrew come to mind but there are many more of you. I've been told it's a Pacific Gull, but am not convinced, what do you think? Can it be a Black Tailed Gull just because I want it to be haha! Exciting stuff! Hope your Thursday is a good one, take care and stay safe.....

More blue.....!

On the way home from Kings Park on Sunday we stopped off to see how the surf was shaping up at Trigg Beach.  Not sure if the surf was 'cranking' :) (awesome), or just ok, but there sure were a lot of stand ups and body boarders out there jockeying for position..surfing over rocks (sign below) strikes me as a bit 'gnarly' (dangerous). This video clip I came across while googling 'surf talk' cracked me up, seriously dude! You're going to have to have a closer look at the collages, spotted heading out into the waves a female surfer wearing a body suit guaranteed to attract sharks, of the human kind haha! Happy Wednesday, take care...p.s. considering I took these from way up in the car park I'm pretty happy..p.p.s. did you find her :)

North and South.....

There are two ways to cross from the South side of the Swan River to get to the city, you can drive on the Kwinana Freeway over the Narrows Bridge where it then changes to the Mitchell Freeway and heads off to the Northern suburbs and beaches. Looking down from Kings Park, to the right above and below is South Perth and the Coode St Jetty the alternative and more enjoyable (although I've never tried it in the peak time) way for Perthites to get to work in the CBD.

Looking to the left, city side and the bigger and very much busier Barrack St. Jetty. It was along Riverside Drive (lined with trees below) that I'd hoped to catch the walkers/runners in the Mothers Day Classic, I was going to say ah! well next year, but next year I hope to be IN it, unless any other parts of my body fall apart :) If you look down in the right hand corner you can see the colourful Cirque du Soleil tents in Langley Park. OMG if you follow all the links today you are going to know Perth so well before you even get here haha! Hope your week has started well, take care.....

Roasted Red Pepper Risotto & Banoffee Pie.....

We set off for Kings Park yesterday morning in the hope of catching some shots of the walkers in the annual fundraising Mother's Day Classic. I wanted to test my new 75 - 300mm and see what it could pick up from the top of King's Park looking way down to Riverside Drive along the river. Alas we were too late, the race was over.. but I did get some good riverside shots which I'll show you tomorrow. As you know there are some magnificent old trees in Kings Park and on the way back to the car P spotted this pair of Rainbow Lorikeets almost at the top of a 30 metre high Lemon Scented Gum Tree, just look at the girth of those branches! Speaking of girth, nice segue Grace :) mine after a Mother's Day dinner of 'that explains the title' surely must be a little wider :) One day of excess must be followed by two of abstinence according to 'French Women Don't Get Fat'..peut-il être vrai? We'll see! Hope you had, or are having a super Mother's Day, catch up today, take care and stay safe.....

Happy Mother's Day.....

Most of you know I don't usually get too personal on my blog, but I really wanted to share a few memories of my lovely Mum with you. Here she is above with Aimee, pre red hair :) on Graduation Ball night and with Dave, I think it was on one of my birthday celebrations. She was adored by all of her grandchildren and thankfully got to meet her first great grandchild before she passed. She was a tiny dynamo with a huge heart, miss you Mum. If you're lucky enough to still have your Mum with you, treasure her and give her a big hug from your Aussie blog mate :) Have a wonderful Mother's Day, take care and stay safe...p.s. Aimee's making me a special dinner for MD, yum,can't wait.....

Weekend reflections.....

Some of the older buildings along Milligan Street above... and below I can almost hear him say 'don't look now, but she's there again' haha!.....

 “Pick a coffee shop that suits you and keep going back.

Your barista will remember what you drink”

I read that somewhere and it's so true.. Cafe 34 is mine, where on a Friday, not only do they know my coffee preference but what I have for breakfast..extra hot skinny flat white, poached eggs on multi grain toast...so good, so healthy :) Where's your coffee spot? Hope you have a great weekend, there's something 'arty' happening around my place, I'll show you when it's fini :) Take care...Click here to view all participants of Weekend Reflections