Partly cloudy with a chance of....!

Perfect running/walking conditions. Today we're walking in the biggest community fund raising event of the year the 40th City to Surf for ACTIV. Taking off from St. Georges Terrace in the city and walking 12 km to City Beach, check out the route here. I missed it last year.. dodgy knee, so wish me luck and I'll tell you all about my aches and pains tomorrow :) Hope your weekend is going well, take care...

To see more weekend reflections visit James this way!

Zzzzzzz! Counting... ?

Wonder what sheep count as they're dropping off to sleep..  perhaps she's dreaming about the handsome stud below. :) These wooly Merino sheep were only one of the attractions at Dowerin Field Day. Yup, this was the reason for the trip out to Dowerin 156km north-east of Perth in the wheatbelt region.. one of the biggest agricultural shows in Australia, this year celebrating it's 50th year...

No Australian agricultural show would be complete without a sheep shearing demonstration..  the somewhat startled 'don't look I'm naked' expression on the sheep peeking out from behind the shearer made me smile :)

Aussie men in Aussie Akubra hats checking out old engines!

Shiny Chevrolet hood adornments...

Farming equipment old and new.. I know nothing of these things :)

We city slickers don't get out to the country very often but whenever we do it's always an enjoyable experience.. perfect timing too, the weather was brilliant on Thursday, yesterday not so much, rain and storms, that could have been tricky! Did this week ziiiiip by as fast for you as it did for me? Have a wonderful weekend, take care and stay safe...

Seduced by the yellow!

We set off early yesterday morning for the small town of Dowerin 156km north-east of Perth in the central wheatbelt region of WA. Producing two thirds of the state's wheat the fields stretch out as far as the eye can see and at this time of the year, during and just after the rains, the colours of the canola side by side with the wheat are glorious. What is it about the colour yellow that is so enticing, it's hard to find that point where you have enough shots and need to stop! Will show you tomorrow the reason for the exodus to the country.. all that fresh air is exhausting :) catch up tomorrow, have a good Friday, take care....

The complexities of life...

.... always seem a little less intense when shared with a friend by the sea.. yesterday at Burns Beach. It's been a while since I was there last, not sure if I agree with the link which states 'Burns Beach has managed to maintain much of it's original character as a small coastal village'.. the suburban development is huge and hardly village-like. As Perth's population is expanding rapidly, prospective home buyers are lucky that there is still so much potential and relatively close to the city since the Freeway expanded north. Do you have a special spot where you contemplate your own and the world's problems :) Happy Thursday, take care. p.s. this city girl is heading into the country today.. yeehaw!

Sandstone Universities...

The top eight universities in Australia are called sandstone universities.. UWA is one of them.  Winthrop Hall above, completed in 1932, has many charming features, one of which is the 'reflection pool', it was a bit dull on the day we were there but when the sun shines the reflections are amazing.. not so happy with this one but you can see the possibilities oui! If you pull the shot above in closer you can see the glazed terracotta gryphon frieze that circles the building just under the roof eaves..

The Clock Tower is 150ft at it's tallest point..the clock itself has been upgraded four times since it was first installed, the last being in 1964 when it was replaced by an electric master clock. Personally the feature I find most charming is the small balcony on the clock tower.. must be the incorrigible romantic in me :) Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe...p.s. the link to Winthrop Hall is excellent for any university buffs out there!

Living sculptures.. in miniature.

It's been a while since I visited the Wanneroo Markets, there was a time I would go every Sunday morning to buy fresh flowers for the week. Fed up lately with the prices and the amount of fillers used in florist shop bunches I decided to head back and see if the flowers at the market were as good as remembered.. they were, I came home with a huge bunch of Ranunculus (no fillers) a certain sign that spring is almost here..

I couldn't leave without admiring the exquisite bonsai in Vina Horticulture, one of the best bonsai  nurseries in Perth, seriously these shots do not do justice to these miniature creations. I have two bonsai at home, a pink Azalea and a native 'I'm not sure what'.. both have been in their same shallow bowl for over 25 years with no change of soil, just a bit of a shape up now and then, they survive on love.. it's a miracle :) If you have three minutes take a look at these beauties. Happy 'adopt a bonsai' Tuesday, take care...

Kneading a Shrink!

'Extreme boredom can do strange things to the mind' so says Perth based Australian artist Shrink.. a valid point oui, although his work always makes me smile. This wasn't the post I had planned for today but looking through my FORMPublic shots for murals I recognized that googly eyed vision as the face that stared back at me from the mirror this morning.. minus the No.1 hair cut and hairy face thankfully :) A very late night can do that but I'm not as yet 'kneading a shrink', just an early night.. big catch up tomorrow. I hope you had/are having an excellent weekend, take care... p.s. did I mention that this piece is on the wall of the Secret Garden Cafe in Wolfe Lane, sounds like a fairy tale n'est pas :)

Click here to view all participants of Monday Mural

Well helloo there!

Ol' blue eyes and the gang were in fine form yesterday morning.. you have met them before I know but they were looking particularly gorgeous, be(screeching) me for food attention and impossible to ignore :) The Long Billed Corella's, Rainbow Lorikeets and Galahs are so familiar with my camera now that I'm sure these expressions translate to 'smile nicely and she'll buzz off'! I can get close enough to reach out and touch if I wanted to.. I don't :) Happy Sunday from moi and the 'crew', take care and stay safe...

Winter residence..

Often the trees are the only way to tell that it actually is winter in Perth.. the plane trees and buildings along Hay St. reflected in the glass facade of the Central Park building. Can you see the nest high up on the right, the advert in 'nests to lease' would read something like this.. 'built to withstand high winds, spacious, prime location offering expansive city views, reservations essential'. It seems to be occupied all year round and I did catch sight of tail feathers but pffft no long lens.. how did that happen :) Have a great weekend, be prepared! Take care and stay safe...

See more Weekend Reflection here..

Où est la merde?

It really is true.. everything does sounds better in French :) I love to see the Mounted Police patrolling the city, the officers keeping their eyes open for any trouble. The horses, usually Clydesdale or Clydesdale cross are fabulous in their official footwear, tails swishing.. and although I've seen them many times I have never seen any 'evidence' of their presence, also no poopy bags, no following scooper upper.. can't help wondering, où est la merde? How does your city deal with it? On that delightful (?) note I wish you a good Friday, take care...

Ristretto or Dulsao do Brasil?

Whenever I visit the Nespresso shop in the city to stock up with tiny colourful and addictive capsules.. oh, that didn't sound good did it :) I can't resist a sneaky peek into the 'Club Room' to see if any Perth personalities are doing the same thing..  ok I don't expect to see Heath Ledger (top of the list). I did hear a rumour that David Bowie has a home here, now that would be cool.. way cooler than George :) Do you nespresso and if so how strong do you go? I'm a mild 4, Dulsao do Brasil but a friend is a Ristretto, a strong 10. When you can't get a coffee out for under $4.50, a home brewed nespresso for around 68c is good value oui! Happy Thursday, take care...

What the wattlebird saw...

Winter is having a last hurrah here in Perth! With only a few weeks of official winter left the last few days have been wild and stormy. I'd like to say cold also but feel northern hemisphere readers would scoff at the idea of daytime tops of 20C being worthy winter weather.. am I right :) Wattlebird above looking out over the city from Kings Park & Botanic Garden.. this was the view, there was so much rain in those skies it was brilliant! Hope all is well in your part of the world, happy Wednesday, take care...

Dearest B.J. I love you, enjoy ....!

Written on inside page of 'Flights of Love' a collection of love stories.. did it influence my decision to buy the book, hell yes! what can I say, I'm a sucker for romance :) We finally made it to the HUGE book sale yesterday at UWA, an annual event raising money for Save the Children Australia, held in the Undercroft of Winthrop Hall.. a book lover's utopian dream, if you are in Perth the dream continues until Wednesday evening...

Antique volumes with their well worn binders alongside shiny new hardback covers...

My final selection...

The only other way to raise money that's as enjoyable as books is cupcakes, I can eat many cupcakes in the name of a good cause :) Did I mention we're having stormy weather.. at last, here in Perth, perfect for perusing through thousands of books oui! Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe...

JAZ .. creating tension!

I found this mural by Argentinian artist Franco Fasoli aka JAZ a little menacing.. tigers and leopards coming together in what looks like the big cat version of West Side Story :) Not so according to the artist who said in an interview with Crist Espiritu 'the tigers and lions are an ideological reflection of good. I use these animals to represent tension in a public space'.. mission accomplished.. part of the FORMPublic project you can feel the tension in a small car park off William St. :) Hope you had or are still having a fab weekend, take care and stay safe...

Click here to view more Monday Murals..

City Farm..

All hyped up from a week of market shopping in Sydney, Aimee was reluctant to 'super'market shop for fresh fruit and veg yesterday.. determined to remind her that Perth has equally fab markets we set off for City Farm in East Perth. Once a scrap metal yard City Farm is now a vibrant garden market only five minutes from the city. First up, breakfast in the City Farm Cafe.. coffee et croissant, parfait!

Reminders of scrap metal days and a field of dreams greens!

... and there it is, that backward glance as we were heading to the car.. mission accomplished :) Hope that your weekend is just as fruitful, take care.. p.s. HUGE book fair today, yes I do have the correct date this time!

The Black Swan Effect!

In Felicity Dale's book The Black Swan Effect she states 'the term 'black swan' was common in 16th century London, everyone knew swans were white and black swans presumably did not exist, so the term came to mean something farfetched, not real. However, in 1636 a Dutch explorer discovered nomadic, red-billed black swans in Western Australia. All of a sudden, black swans were no longer an impossibility, and the meaning of the term changed from something farfetched to something once thought of as farfetched, but now known as reality'. WA, unique even way back then :)

The black swan here was so close to shore it didn't have to 

dip too deep to find a tasty morsel of algae..

Not surprisingly when he came up a winner, he was surrounded by 'well wishers' :) Bon weekend, have fun.. take care and stay safe...

Click here to see more Weekend Reflections