Happy Christmas, à bientôt...

Snow in London Court! It's not often we get snow in Perth but for once the forecast was correct, right down to the where and when, making it easier for Perthites et visitors to enjoy the experience.. which believe me was/is a little bizarre to say the least on a 39C day :) fun though! I'm going to take this opportunity to wish you a very happy Christmas, my son and his family arrive this morning from Sydney and I mean to enjoy every moment with my sweet granddaughter. So take care and stay safe and I'll catch you next week. Below a reflection for James weekend reflections.. 1928 meets 2011, the Wentworth Plaza Hotel side by side with the 23 levels of glass and chrome of Raine Square, I know which I prefer, et vous? See you later alligator :) p.s. thanks for being the best blog buddies ever!

Waiting and watching or.. watching while waiting :)

The Italian beauty above puts my petite Nespresso coffee machine in its place :) Madlilys has a well deserved reputation for good coffee, it's location in London Court the perfect place to people watch.. bonus!

On this early, quiet Sunday morning other things caught my eye. Spotted clustered around the security lights high up in the mock Tudor/Elizabethan eaves.. mass spider webs! Eeeeeew! I'm sure that whatever kind of freaky, horrid spider lives there you won't find them in actual 'ye olde England' :)

.. and below, kangaroo, crocodile, ostrich, emu or barramundi.. which do you prefer your accessories to made of? As for myself I prefer faux leather.. after all the photos I take of the kangaroos and joeys I don't think I could bring myself to wear one :) 

Below, who has the best ... hair :) As for the 'waiting' part of the title, show you tomorrow. Sorry I haven't been around much, guess who's coming to stay on Saturday? Yup my super gorgeous granddaughter all the way from Sydney, yay! Lot's to prepare, catch up today. TGIF, have a good one, take care and stay safe..

GPO details and Unexpected Things..

Although it may have taken ten years to complete due to shortages of building material during WW1, the General Post Office has been sitting solidly in the centre of the city since it's completion in 1923, glass skyscrapers rising up all around. Next door, although only eight floors, the Albert Facey building check here (super pic) reflects the PO above alongside a newbie behind.

I like that the Christmas decorations for this old beauty, one of my favourite buildings in the city, are not over the top.. a seasonal wreath in each of the arched windows..

... and angels, wings glinting in the Perth sunshine heralding in a joyeux Noël. I remember when we first came to Perth and I was working in the city, it was such a pleasure to go into the post office, the jarrah floors and fittings were tres grande.. the floors are still there, but the modern day post office takes up very little floor space now.. I wonder what happened to those solid jarrah counter-tops!

The only deer head I'd ever consider putting up on a wall.. designed in Italy, manufactured in Germany from recycled MDF and sold through MIHO Unexpected Things Home Decor.. I might have to find a spot :) More 'unexpected' things tomorrow, one in particular that I'm sure would not be found in 'ye olde England' :) Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe... p.s. you weren't expecting that were you :)

Things that made me smile..

When you go into the city these days surprises abound around every corner.. let's have a look. First up the Perth Firefighters calendar, raising money for Princess Margaret Hospital for Children burns unit. It's true what they say about firemen, dedicated and fit :) Bravo brave firefighters, you do an amazing job for which we are truly grateful and Mr. July, signing calendars below, maybe next time.. only kidding :) 

This talented young man riding a unicycle while at the same time playing the theme from 'Game of Thrones' .. made Aimee happy :)

A face on Albert Facey House.. that made me happy, lol...

A whimsical Christmas tree that made us both happy :)

The deck chairs are out.. the water feature on in Forrest Place, the kids are happy..

Mega shopping spree, making retailers happy. For Australia the last two days have not been happy, for two families Christmas will never be the same again, for me personally it was a tense day, precious members of my family were very much closer to the danger than I expected them to be and we were more than relieved when they arrived home safely.. wouldn't it be a wonderful world if we could all begin and end our day safely.  Hope you have a safe Wednesday, take care...

Naughty naughty Rudolf!

Heading back to the train station on Sunday we spotted this quirky triptych of nontraditional Christmas images on a wall in Brookfield Place. Kisses under the mistletoe from a naughty and slightly, dare I say, risque Rudolph.. oh la! The trio below look more like rascally imps than Santa's little helpers :)

... and below Santa looking a lot like moi when confronted by technical difficulties, coming to grips with his GPS.. happy to see Perth wasn't forgotten on his delivery route, there are a lot of people in Perth who have been very, very good this year :) Couldn't see any signatures which is a shame, I would have liked to acknowledge this fun threesome that made both Aimee and I smile :) Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe..
                                          See more Monday Murals here...

Slip sliding away down the terrace!

Yesterday morning St. Georges Terrace went from big business to big fun! One side of the road was closed off and beginning at the top end of the terrace across from Barracks Arch young and old went whizzing down the 315 metre long bright yellow slippery slide having loads of fun along the way.. check out the action here (hope the link works this time, let me know). An early Christmas present from Perth City.. for those worried about the water used when restrictions are already in place, it was recycled somehow (?) and used by local councils! Below, looking up the terrace..

 Waiting.. if you're wondering why I didn't slip-slide, this could be it :)

My super fav pic of the day.. spunky little super-hero :)

Playing around with effects, the swim tubes look like jumbo coloured polo mints don't you think?

 Thumbs up!

 ... and as always at big outdoor activities there was sunscreen provided and the brilliant St. John's Ambulance crew were present to attend to any slippery slide emergencies :) Apart from a glitch early in the morning the day was a big success.. 27C perfect! Hope you're having or have had a super weekend, take care and stay safe..

11th Battalion Cheops Project..

On Sunday January 10th 1915, 703 men of the 11th Battalion 'were marched up to the pyramid, Old Cheops, and had their photo taken, most of the men were unidentified and it is likely that it is the last photograph of many of them'. I find everything about this iconic image by photographer unknown compelling.. I wanted to cut in a bit closer to show detail but found it impossible to even think about cropping any of these men out of the picture and although some are partly hidden by the reflection at the top, they are still there! To see more detail and you really should, pull the image in closer..

The hope of the 11th Battalion Cheop Project is that by dividing the image into grid sections, each soldier having a cropped and zoomed image, to be able to identify as many of the men as is possible by the 10th of January 2015 the centenary of the day the photograph was taken. If you look at the grid picture here it shows WHITE 'unidentified soldiers.. YELLOW  'identified but yet to be 100% verified..  GREEN 'identified and verified'.. soldiers who died in action, through wounds or sickness are marked with a poppy. It moves me to see this group of young men posing here unknowing the fate that awaits them.. Happy Sunday, take care and stay safe.. p.s. isn't it the most amazing image!

See more weekend Reflections here..

Nessun Dorma.. 'none shall sleep' x two!

Nessun Dorma twice in two days, I'm happy! One of the best known tenor arias in opera and possibly my favourite. I had not heard it performed by a female before but Fiona Mariah (Thursday's post) smashed it out of the ballpark, soaring the high notes unflinchingly. Last night I went out for dinner with my skin and blisters sisters and was wonderfully entertained by Perth artist Jay Weston, his 'Popera' repertoire including a variety of vocal genres.. the finale Nessun Dorma was more than a bit of alright :) have a listen to un petit moment by clicking here.. how are they not terrified of fluffing those insane highs!

... and take a look below, no one can say I don't support local talent :) So much happening in Perth this weekend.. just for a change! What are you up to? Enjoy and have a fab weekend, take care and stay safe.. p.s. catch up today.

First nod to Christmas.. seasonal reference point!

It had to happen, I can't ignore it anymore.. it's just too big! The last few visits into the city my camera refused to play the 'tis the season to be jolly' game, but on Wednesday resistance was low :) I do like a tree decked out in traditional red, green and gold, c'est très beau oui? Standing in Forrest Place it makes a seasonal reference point when meeting in the city and makes a change from 'meet me under 'the cactus'! Can you even believe it's Friday again, crazy! Have a good one, take care and stay safe..

Many marsupials..

It's been a little while since I visited Mum and Dad in Pinnaroo Valley Memorial Park, this week seemed like a good time. The kangaroos here in the park have a lovely life, the grass is sweet and the eucalyptus leaves juicy!

Whatever time of the year I visit there are joeys in pouches. That's quite a load below, and is that a head and hoofs (hooves?) coming out at the same time.. flexible much  :)

Following dad!

Female and joey watching as the males face-off below, it didn't amount to much :)

... and the sweet little joey below rolled over with gay abandon to enjoy the warm afternoon sun! I hope you enjoyed my marsupial meanderings :) Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe..

Fintan Magee.. The Migration.

Driving through Leederville last week I saw Australian artist Fintan Magee at work on the above mural sponsored by the City of Vincent for the Light Up Leederville Carnival this past Sunday.. you might recognize some of his other work here in your city. I didn't have time to stop then but knew I'd be back to see the finished work. To be honest I'm not sure if my photos do it justice. On the wall of Luna Palace Cinema the enormity and complexity of the 30 x 15m piece is stunning!

The motivation is 'about movement and immigration."Perth is a new city and it seems that every third person I meet is English or Irish or has some kind of accent. But I like people to draw their own meanings too," he said.. I'm gushing a bit I know :) but this is seriously good stuff, merci beaucoup Mr. Magee! Hope your week is off to a good start, take care and stay safe..

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