Elevated views..

In the city yesterday for lunch at 140THURSDAY.. couldn't have been a more perfect spring day. It's school hols here in Oz and 140Thursday is all about food and fun in the city without breaking the bank for mum and dad. It was business as usual in the many incroyable eateries in 140, but they were also running food stalls outside their venues selling mini meals for $5.00.  Probably not the best idea when one is determined to lose that extra ten five kilos, so I lifted my eyes heavenwards, took these shots and prayed for will-power :) 

All was going well, I had the tastiest mini burger from Ribs & Burgers, not so bad I hear you say.. until we espied Max & Sons, the blueberry and elder-flower donuts created by Chouchou cakes were unpassable :) the devil made me do it! Happy Friday, take care and stay safe...  p.s. you didn't really want to see pictures of many marvelous munchies did you :)

  

The grand old town of York..

Almost done with the country for a while. After driving for eight hours through the WA Wheatbelt (map), passing many small country towns, the last stop on the trip was York, 97km east of Perth, the oldest inland town in WA, first settled in 1831.. not quite as old as its English counterpart :) Just over an hour drive from Perth, York is definitely worth a day trip all of its own, so just a few teaser shots of the glorious heritage buildings along the main street until we return. The signage below made me smile 'Decorous accommodation. Befitting... RESPECTABLE COUPLES' ! I wonder what would define a 'respectable couple' then as to now.. I'm guessing now it would be all about the ability to pay the bill.. told you I'd be more cheerful today :) Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe...
 

The sweet smell of times past..

I can't even remember the name of the small country town, I'm not sure if there was an actual town anymore.. but there was a sign at the side of the road, 'Cemetery'.. and a gate! The smell of wild freesias growing en-mass around the perimeter of the graveyard and the one sad looking tree was overpoweringly beautiful and yet overwhelmingly melancholy at the same time. 

Many of the graves were well tended.. many more were simply stones laid around the burial spot.. to me it seemed a little forlorn and I was pleased to note that mother nature was doing her bit re the flowers to make it a more cheerful place.. it also re-enforced my wish to be cremated and scattered when I pass, the idea of being forgotten somewhere in the ground is not for me.. and on that happy note :) have a good Wednesday, take care and stay safe...   

WA.. The Wildflower State.

I could have shown you a vast yellow canola field but it just needed an extra touch of red to make it that bit more fabulous :) Yesterday we traveled roughly 430kms around the Wheatbelt region of WA, so many small country towns, some so small if you blinked you missed them! Along the way there were beautifully tarred roads, strip roads and sometimes dirt roads.. and many photo stops..

Shorn sheep giving me the 'eh city folk, haven't they seen a nekked 'ovine' before :)

Horses grazing in fields surrounded by purple..

Spring is the best time to take a trip like this, the weather is cool, the wild flowers are out in abundance and the fields are green..

We passed the Dowerin salt lakes below, shimmering pink after the rain..

Neatly rolled hay bales freshly harvested...

Below a  field of pink ever-lasting daises, Aimee was right in macro heaven :) Named 'the wildflower state', thousands of visitors from around the world visit WA at this time of the year expressly to view the huge expanses and many species of wildflowers around the state, these are just the tip of the wildflower ice-berg! Hope you enjoyed our trip to the country, it's possible there may be more tomorrow :) Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe... p.s. the sky changed from blue to grey so many times during the nine hour trip, a typical WA day! P.p.s failed to find the piano graveyard..next time!

The human condition II..

You may remember my post 'the human condition 1' from back in December last year. When we were in Maylands last week I was delighted to come across another work by Perth artist Jodee Knowles. I find her characters that 'tell a story of love and loss, heartbreak and death' incredibly appealing, I think we can all relate to the fragility of life situations that affect our emotional state of mind.. I know I can. After a sellout exhibition in LA a few years ago Jodee's work has gone international, deservedly so! Hope your weekend is going well, it's a holiday here in Perth today so we're heading off into the country, there may be a 'piano graveyard' to be snapped :) Happy Monday, take care and stay safe...

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140 degree learning curve......

Normally standing in this spot directly in front of Wesley Church in the city I would find it impossible to fit the whole height of the church into the frame but a few weeks ago I bought a 9mm fish eye body cap lens for my Olympus OM-D. A small lens and as lens go really reasonably priced at A$99. It has a 140 degree field of view as opposed to the full fish-eye 180 degrees so the fish-eye effect is not as strong but you still get the advantage of the wide angle view. Before I even think about buying a lens I always check to see what Robin Wong thinks about it, he does the best reviews, with images, for Olympus lenses. It's tricky focus wise so I'm still playing and learning but I think it's going to be a useful lens in those tight situations :)

Couldn't resist a quick shot of the train station below.. love the way it curves the overhead steel structure!  Hope your weekend is going well.. thanks to HRH the Queen we are having a long weekend here in WA, merci beaucoup and many happy returns :) Happy Sunday, take care and stay safe...

Old buildings and Lego ships..

Reflections of the heritage listed buildings on the city side of Wellington Street reflected in one of the new glass buildings that are part of the Perth City Link which will join the CBD and Northbridge. Both sides of the link are having a bit of a facelift.. the project due to be completed next year. Not 100% sure but I think this new building below is an oil exploration company and the huge ship in the window made with Lego a model of a mobile oil rig, I could be wrong :) Happy weekend, take care and stay safe...

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RAC Intellibus.. look ma, no hands!

All the way from France the RAC Driverless Shuttle arrives in Perth! Oh the peculiar things you see when you get out and about :) Spotted in South Perth the RAC Intellibus, (tres informative link) 'Australia's very first automated vehicle trial happening right here in WA'. Hands up my first reaction was why driver-less, but after reading the link the concept does have its merits, according to stats 90% of crashes are caused by human error, sadly my family know that to be a fact. Running up and down this quiet stretch of road in South Perth seems a million miles away from mass use, but hey I'm sure that same thought crossed minds when Sputnik1 was launched in 1957 and now there is Virgin Galactic.. as crazy as the world is right now I'll take my chances down here :) how about you? Happy Friday, take care and stay safe...

BamBamBoo.. window number two!

On the windows of BamBamBoo, this is the second of the windows adorned during Windows of the City 2016.. (the first here). Having always had a fascination with the east since reading James Clavell's Tai-Pan years ago I was drawn to the colour and soft lines used here by artist Joseph Lee, particularly the beauty above and seen enticingly through the two gentlemen around the corner below. Work days for Aimee must be like walking the 'fabulous food gauntlet', BamBamBoo is just one of the temptations she has to pass on her way to her office in 140William, she does love a good dim sum :) What do you think of this one, très belle oui? Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe... 

The Duyfken sails in to Hillarys Boat Harbour..

Unfortunately I missed the arrival of the Duyfken as it sailed into Hillarys Boat Harbour last Thursday.. I'm determined not to miss it sailing out of the harbour next week! The tall ship is on a journey up the WA coast (super link for anyone who loves tall ships, and who doesn't) to celebrate the Dirk Hartog 400th anniversay (1616 - 2016), the trip ending with the official ceremony on Dirk Hartog Island,the most western point of Australia. I've seen the replica Duyfken in Fremantle Harbour, where it was built and later launched in 1999, many times, but it was pretty cool to see the tall ship berthed next to the Breakwater tavern in the harbour five minutes from where I live...

Some of the shots were taken in the afternoon and some later when I went back with Aimee in the evening.  Interesting to see the complexity of the tall ship sails beside the modern yachts. As we were standing on the boat slips on the other side of the harbour about fifty paddle boarders came around the corner straight towards us.. blimey they breed them tough in Oz.. it was freezing :) I enjoyed the comparison between old and new below, the sail ship and the ferry! I couldn't decide which shots to use so I've probably used too many, don't hate me :) Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe...

Never stop dreaming...

Dreams are only thoughts you didn't have time 
to think about during the day...
 

What do you do on those nights when you're trying to get to sleep and your mind refuses to co-operate.. when it would be so good to have an off  button :) I think of a 'white space' and concentrate on keeping everything out of that space, sometimes it works, sometimes not so much! I was thrilled last weekend to find this large scale work by Perth mural and installation artist Daek William on the wall of Gemma's Health & Beauty Salon in Maylands. Breakfast at Chapels, so good.. followed by a visual feast, I call that an across the board win :) Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe.. 
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The Baigup Wetland..

As much as I love the city sometimes it's good to have a change and appreciate areas like the Baigup Wetland, a 200 metre wide crescent of Swan River flood plain 7km east of the CBD, an important feeding area for birds in the middle and lower regions of the river. Glimpses of the Garratt Road Bridge through the fascinatingly spooky :) paperbark trees

are a clue that the city is just a stone's throw away.. not literally speaking! 

Did I mention that the bird life around the wetlands is big :) Well here we are at the beginning of a new week, let's hope it's a good one. Happy Monday, take care and stay safe...

Tickling the ivories..

I've seen many an impromptu performance bashed out played on this old piano in the Fremantle Markets but this has to be the most delightful! A future concert pianist this wee one was tickling up a storm, charming passers-by.. as seen below :) Having a hectic weekend, how about you? Happy Sunday, take care and stay safe...

Mirror mirror on the wall...

This amazingly complex, yet fragile window design, created by one of my favourite Perth artists Robert Jenkins, whose work you have seen here many times, is on the window of Bar Lafayette in Brookfield Place. It is just one of the many windows created during Windows of the City 2016 . It was the first time I've been inside Bar Lafayette I loved the 'classic old world charm' of the decor, I mean, just look at those sumptuous Chesterfields :) Many more windows to explore but of the few I saw yesterday, this was right up there! Bon weekend, take care and stay safe...p.s. what do you think, better in black & white?

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