Kisses and gentle high fives....!

Patiently waiting to see the Fringe World Mermaids just one of the 450 strange and wonderful events going on in and around Perth during the Fringe World Festival. The mermaid tank in the Perth Cultural Centre is a big hit with children and the young at heart, with two shows every evening at 6 and 7pm until the festival closes on the 23rd February. There's a gasp from the front row as the door slides open to reveal a glimpse of the siren of the sea!

 ... there she is !

Every mermaid needs a merman....!

A flick of water from her tail scatters the youngsters shrieking and laughing......

 .... and finally, this is what they've been waiting for.. kisses and gentles 'high fives' with a beautiful mermaid. I have heard that the mermaids appear every now and then at the marina close to me, will have to try and catch them actually in the ocean, that would be so cool! Aimee and I were at the Twisted Vaudeville Circus last night, sooo many pics, will show you tomorrow.. it was fabulous :) Happy Friday, take care and stay safe.....

Perth lights up part II.. from the front!

If you have some time why not sit back with a cuppa and watch the Perth Australia Day fireworks.. the official link here with a soundtrack that includes ACDC, Yothu Yindi's 'Treaty' (excellent video), ending with the powerful You're the Voice by John Farnham one of my all time favourites, brings a tear every time :) Bill and my sister braved the heat and crowds to get the full on visual experience of the fireworks from the south side of the Swan River and he has kindly agreed to guest.. even letting me pick my favourites from his shots of the night, merci beaucoup Bill. J'adore the shot above just before it all kicked off, wonder how the bird life along the river feels about this noisy intrusion? In the shot below you can see the red lights of the barges in front of the city about to fire up.....

... and then, it's all on.....!

Ending with a crescendo below! There will be no shooting from inside a skyscraper for me next year, it will be 'full frontal' for sure :) We changed networks a few weeks ago and have had quite a few glitches since then.. not happy but hope that you'll bear with me! Happy Thursday, I'm off to the circus tonight, no animals of the four legged variety involved :) Take care and stay safe.....

 The February theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Entry."

Lot 20..coming soon!

As a 'sort of' artist :) I find it fascinating to watch the real deal at work, they make it look so easy! Aimee and I came across Perth artist Daek Williams, in the city over the weekend.. love the detail in his work, check out more here.. the mural above announcing the imminent arrival of Lot 20 Bar, a prime spot on the corner of James and William St. in Northbridge, and even though she doesn't drink Aimee is looking forward to it opening, hope they have an exciting range of 'Mocktails' on their drinks list :) Happy Tuesday, hope your week has started well, it's cooler this week here in Perth, 27C.. Je suis très happy!  Enjoy more Monday Murals here.

Perth lights up.. from behind!

I've often wondered what it would be like to take photos of Skyworks from behind the city skyscrapers instead of in front along the river. In past years we've always made the mad dash down to get a good spot along the foreshore amongst the many thousands of Perthites who have the same idea.. this year with the construction (?) of Elizabeth Quay space would be tight! Not a fan of tight space :) Aimee and I decided this was the year to try out the reverse option and these shots were taken from the 13th floor of One40William looking over Hay St. and St. Georges Terrace towards Riverside Drive and the Swan River. Not my best firework shots but I kind of like the 'deserted city' viewpoint and... no other people, that was niiiiice! Hope you're having a good weekend, it's a holiday today here in Australia, so big catch up :) Take care and stay safe.....

Happy Australia Day.....

Better late than never! Australia Day celebrates the arrival in Sydney Cove of Captain Aurthur Phillip in 1788... it also celebrates all that's great about Australia and being Australian. Off tonight to take some shots of the 30th Australia Day Skyworks from a different perspective, we'll see how that works :) I'm having monumental problems with the new network we've switched to and wondering why we changed, but hopefully kinks will be worked out without too much grrrrrrrrr! Have a wonderful weekend, take care....

Welcome to 'Fringe'... The Pleasure Garden!

'The Pleasure Garden'.. there's something very Adam and Eve about the sound of that n'est pas :) In fact it is the destination of some very entertaining times for Perthites and visitors over the next four weeks. Yesterday evening was the opening of Fringe World 2014, and the gorgeous ladies above will take part in some of the burlesque shows, they looked so fabulous in every shot I took that it was almost impossible to choose!  Since it's introduction to the WA arts and cultural scene back in 2011 'Fringe' has been such such a success that it gets bigger each year, with over 450 local, national and international entertainers in town.... 

Young man studying the Fringe World Festival magazine.. I know how he feels, so much to see , so little time! I'm determined to see more of the festival this year, for myself and for you.  I was a bit excited to be invited as a guest + one to the 'Twisted Vaudeville Circus, looking forward to that, also 'La Belle Epoque'.. So, busy times around Perth...again! Off to see mermaids swimming in a tank tomorrow....don't ask :) Have a great weekend, take care and stay safe.....

Sea of Salvia.....

Every year in Kings Park the gardeners choose an annual to plant en masse around the 'Flame of Remembrance' on the walk leading down to the State War Memorial . Anything from pansies to petunias.. this year it's Blue Salvia.. I love the way it leads the eye down towards the blue of the Swan River and the endless blue sky! Remember my favourite tree, here it is below providing much needed shade for the many visitors who keep coming despite the heat.....

I read somewhere that Kings Park has more memorials than any park in Australia.. it could be true.....

Sailing on the Swan.. the Darling Range in the background.....

...and of course I couldn't not take a progress (?) shot of my least favourite project going on in Perth right now, Elizabeth Quay, if for no other reason than it's interesting to keep a visual record of the devastation changes on the foreshore :) I can say TGIF with much relief this week, it's been exhaustingly hot and a cool change is afoot! Happy Friday, take care and stay safe.....p.s. I'm guessing we're all in the same boat with blogger.. from SLOW to stop!

Opposite extremes....!

I don't like the taste of beer and I hardly ever drink sodas.. but when it's hot, hot, hot there's nothing quite as thirst quenching as a 'shandy'... which includes both! I was surprised when I googled 'shandy' to find so many sites with recipes.. I was under the impression that we invented it when we lived in Africa :) Take an ice cold glass, add beer.. strength depending on your taste, top it with lemonade or ginger beer, a dash of lime and there you have it, so good! Thoughts go out to all in the path of the 'polar vortex part two', the footage on the news is mind boggling.. I'm guessing it's a bit like here at the moment, for opposite reasons, if you don't have to go out.. don't. Have a good Thursday, take care and stay safe.....

Ay Caramba! Eees hot......!

Straight out of the camera.. the sky really was that blue.. not even the hint of a cloud! On the way home yesterday I stopped at Trigg Beach to see if there was anyone crazy enough to be down there on a 39C day.. it was around 2.30pm and yes there was a scattering of swimmers.. Trigg has a 5/10 (moderately hazardous) rating so it's always good to see the reassuring presence of the Trigg Island Lifesavers. If you want to warm up your 'cockles' and chill like a beach bum :) check out the action here for five minutes and transport yourself onto Trigg Beach.. maybe next week when it'll be a little cooler. I only lasted five minutes before I hot footed it back to the air conditioned car! Send me some rain p l e a s e!! Have a fab Wednesday, take care.....

Beautiful views and banoffee pie.....!

Thanks so much for the 'be gone headache' :) wishes yesterday.. not enough water and too much action in this horribly hot weather we're having.. a recipe for disaster! As I haven't been out and about for a few days here are a few shots from our visit to The Old Brewery last week.  Above and below the view from the terrace, looking out over the Swan River to the city and the Narrows Bridge which links Perth's northern and southern suburbs, that view must be magic in the evening....

The brewery has been beautifully restored, this passage leading down to Zafferano restaurant, the walls lined with amazing old photographs of the brewery c18/1900. Last two shots of the Grill & Bar where we sat out on the terrace and had coffee.. using supreme willpower I managed to resist the Banoffee pie.. and now it's all I can think about :) check out the dessert menu! Loved the use of old distilling vats for tables, last shot. Here's a question for you,  if you have wooden floors what do you clean them with to get them super shiny? I hope that you've had a much better start to the week than I, happy Tuesday.. take care and stay safe.....

Angels and demons.....

Sorry I haven't been around much this weekend.. I popped my head out this morning to take these shots (out of focus of course) and back into bed with a migraine from 'the dark side' :) With a bit of luck and a few pills all will be well tomorrow.. Hope you've had or are having a super weekend, so hot in Perth I can't think straight, or at all actually! Take care and catch you tomorrow.....

My favourite shot.. this year!

Do you ever take a shot hoping that when you download it will translate into the image that you saw in the frame? That's how it was with this one for me. It's a reflection of the new Old Brewery (?) in the old Swan Brewery.. are you confused :) I think it's worth enlarging to see the details. The painting is by Scottish born John Campbell sometime between 1896/1924, his way with colour is exceptional don't you think.. and then there's a bit of an arch 'thing' going on.. I don't say it often about my own shots but I really like this one, hope you do too. Have a fab weekend, we're in for a hottie here in Perth so will look forward to seeing some snow scenes please :) Click here to see more reflections from around the world.....

Come in No. 9.....!

I was beyond chuffed when Bob from St. Louis gave me the heads up that Perth had made it into the New York Times list of  '52 Places To Go In 2014', what's more we were in the top ten.. No. 9 to be exact, check it out!  I think a lot of the credit goes to Perth's first female Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi elected  in 2007, if she ever decides to run for Premier she has my vote! For anyone interested 'How we chose our list of....' Above a shot taken from the crossover bridge to The Old Brewery over Mounts Bay Road looking up to the Federation Walkway in Kings Park.. below looking right up MB Rd along the Swan River and left towards the city. It's been an excellent week for me so far, hope it has been for you also.. happy Friday, take care..... Click here to see more skies from around the world and here for bridges.....

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A posthumous thank you.....

Overload of pictures alert! This post is for anyone who is fascinated by and appreciates old photographs as much as I do, give me a c18'anything and I'm hooked :) it was impossible to choose only one or two to put up, we've all been there right! Yesterday we had coffee at The Old Brewery which in years gone by was The Swan Brewery. Now a sleek and modern functions/restaurant venue with fabulous views over the Swan River to the city, the walls were laden with reminders of it's rich heritage and past life. I've started with my favourite shot of 'Dandy and Star' on the way to the Perth Royal Show, and below.. my what a big vat of brew :)

Absolutely adore the images below showing the first Perthites cooling off in the river on quite possibly a 42C day exactly like we've been experiencing over the last few weeks.. you can see the beginning of what is now Mounts Bay Road at the bottom of Mount Eliza which is part of Kings Park..

Below the 'carters' trucks loaded up and ready to deliver! Producing images has been going on since the pinhole camera was used as a drawing aide ... but I do believe we owe George Eastman a huge posthumous thank you for giving us the first Kodak and the roll of film to put in it :) I hope you enjoy these images and links to early Perth as much as I did.. I'll show you what the brewery looks like after it's restoration next week. Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe.....p.s. catch up today!