Old bricks dipped in gold..

I'm not sure how many times I've walked over the Horseshoe Bridge from Northbridge into the city, or why on this particular occasion I noticed the bridge, built in 1904, dazzlingly reflected in the gold 'internal staircase' (check it out) of the State Theatre Centre opened in 2011, but I'm happy that I did :) We will be looking for ways to keep cool here in Perth this weekend, how about sharing a wee bit of that snow over there in the Northern Hemisphere! Bon weekend, take care and stay safe...

  Visit James to see more WEEK-END REFLECTIONS from around the world..

 The question for CDP'ers on February 1st theme day is this..  If you had to leave forever the city 

from which you usually post, what would you miss most?

 

In 'Vino Veritas'..

You never know what treats are in store when out and about in Perth these days. Walking through the Fremantle Markets on Sunday we followed the gypsy jazz beat that led us to Brisbane band Vino Veritas..very cool, if you want to see how cool check them out here.. Blogging is a constant source of new information don't you agree.  I was unaware that buskers at the Fremantle Markets don't need a license, but check out the busking do's and don'ts. I guess rule number 7 means the guys above have to move about a bit.. wonder what the time limit for bagpipes would be :) Happy Friday, take care and stay safe..

The question for CDP'ers on February 1st theme day is this..  If you had to leave forever the city 
from which you usually post, what would you miss most?

Wendy Binks.. it starts with a nose!

What a treat we had on Sunday! I knew Perth 'artiste extraordinaire' Wendy Binks, creator of Stunned Emu Designs would be painting 'pet portraits' outside her studio on South Terrace in Fremantle and had the brilliant idea of having my sister's two dogs painted as a birthday surprise for her. Pretty cool idea right!

I had no idea exactly how cool until I stood and watched her in action using a mobile phone picture below.. if you pull the image in a bit you'll see how perfectly she captured 'Casey's' expression, starting with just a nose on a blank sheet of paper..

My turn now with a photo of Lulu and Tammy.. again starting with Tammy's nose!

Work in progress! Do you see the 'stunned emu' peeking around the corner :) I wouldn't mind betting that many of you already know some of Wendy's 'quirky critters'..

Adding in a bit of colour and getting the 'seal' of approval :)

 ... and there we have the finished 'pet portrait' signed and dated by Wendy.. blooming brilliant, check it out a bit closer. My sister was thrilled! The fact that her birthday is in May, pfft! a minor detail! Here's the good bit, if you would like an original portrait of your pet, and who doesn't :) all that's required is a photo and $AU20.00 yup that's right twenty dollars, plus postage and there you have it.. and no, I'm not getting a commission :) I just know if I had a pet I'd definitely want one! Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe..

Skyworks 2015.. Perth lights up!

Overload of pics alert :) City of Perth Skyworks was more spectacular than ever this year, I'm so glad that despite the heat we made the effort to go into the city.. but here's the thing, I didn't take my tripod, knew any shots would be rubbish without one.. so, I improvised! Sitting on the grass by the edge of the river I sat the camera on my knees and positioned the lens with the city centre stage, I'm pretty happy with the results. Check out the short video here.. did you see me :)

I'm not sure why but the one below is my favourite.. Aimee said it made her think galactic :)

Reflections of the colour above in the water below..

Coming up for the big finale..

...and then pfffff! it was all over, leaving the city looking très mystérieux behind a veil of smoke! What do you think.. did the knees work for me :) Hope you're having a good week, happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe..

   The question for CDP'ers on February 1st theme day is this..  If you had to leave forever the city 
from which you usually post, what would you miss most?

Before the fireworks..

One word for the City of Perth Australia Day Skyworks last night..spectacular! We arrived early to get a good spot to watch and to take photos. Below the view that we had from south of the river looking over towards the city...

Below the boat owners lined up ready to watch from the water.. I've been lucky enough to do this a few times but these days I'm more than happy with the landlubber's view :)

Entertaining the crowd.. not such a good shot, the sun was going down by this time..

The three amigos had the right idea on how to keep cool, cheers!

The aerial displays over the city were astounding.. but tricky to snap..

A hint of what's to come as the first fireworks soar into the Perth night sky and reflect in the water below.. By the time we got home it was too late to edit all the firework shots so will post tomorrow and catch up with your news then.. it's been a busy weekend but I have some exciting things to share. Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe..

Count down to the big bang!

Many festivities around the country today to celebrate Australia Day. It's going to be hot, very hot.. c'est la vie, it's summer! We will be heading down to the south side of the Swan river to watch and take shots of the City of Perth Skyworks. I might concentrate more on the audience rather than the show this year, love to watch people's faces light up when the fireworks go off. You can see the barges set out along the river above.. merci beaucoup Bill for letting me use this shot taken just before it all went off last year. Happy Sunday/Monday, take care and stay safe..

The biggest birthday cake.. happy birthday Tricia!

Aimee and I went to a special birthday party yesterday.. at the zoo! It was Tricia's 58th birthday. Tricia the elephant arrived at our zoo in 1963 and immediately won the hearts of all visitors to the zoo.. now matriarch, she celebrated with a jumbo sized multi-tiered cake full of elephant treats that required a mini-loader to lift the main section onto the lovingly decorated cake stand. Below the keepers and docents putting the finishing touches to the cake before the birthday girl arrives :)

Looking very pleased with themselves and rightly so, the docents who created Tricia's cake..

Tricia arrived with 25 year old Permai (Pretty) to share the fun.. they both waited so patiently while Tricia's adoring fans sang happy birthday and of course they had mind their manners and say a big merci beaucoup to the docents..

Then it was all on with Permai making the first inroads into the cake...

Eventually Tricia put a protective trunk around the cake as if to say 'that's enough young lady' :)

Happy birthday Tricia and many, many more! 

Below.. this is what was left of the cake when Tricia ambled off.. but Permai returned later to demolish the pinyata and Aimee was lucky enough to catch it.. me, I missed it :) You can see it on  Daily Detail

tomorrow. Hope you're having a happy and safe weekend, take care...

Hot air rising!

Reach for the sky and the tax office will be waiting to bring you back down to earth with a thhhhud! It's a little ironic that the building reflecting blue sky and fluffy white clouds, all pristine white and innocent looking :) is the tax office. If you're wondering why a 20.2mtr high Romanesque bell tower originally built in 1937 is sitting sweet on the corner of William and Francis in Northbridge check the story here.. as 'air-vent' covers go it's pretty grand.. lol, now you have to check it out right! It's a long weekend here, lots going on to celebrate Australia Day on Monday.. will be exhausted by Tuesday :) Bon weekend, take care and stay safe..

 Visit James to see more Weekend Reflections

'''