A winter abstract..

Finally the last leaves on my Chinese Tallow tree have fallen. There was quite an impressive pile, so impressive in fact that I had to demonstrate much self control once raked into a mighty pile not to dive in :) I think I've mentioned before the importance of having deciduous trees in the garden here in Perth.. sometimes it can be the only way to recognize that it actually IS winter! Couldn't resist having a play with the shot.. don't you think the effect below would be a super design for wallpaper, china, quilt cover etc :) TGIF take care and stay safe.. P.s. both images look so much better embiggened..

A Mary Poppins moment..

When life gives you crumbs,

feed the birds...

Young lady surrounded by heritage buildings in the Perth Cultural Centre sharing her lunch with the pigeons and seagulls.. am I the only one who on coming across a scene like this immediately starts humming feed the birds tuppence a bag, tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag :) I know right tsk! tsk! tsk! Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe...

Comfort versus style!

Back in Art Gallery WA. Actually there is no 'versus' here, both are super stylish. As the designer and maker of fabulous furniture himself P is always attracted to the Craft and Design Gallery, this exhibition titled 'Resonant Objects'. The sofa to the left by Australian designer Christopher Robertson is described as 'over the top foyer luxury'.. I think I could quite happily sit on this elegant sofa while waiting in a foyer :) The sofa to the right by the late Australian designer Robert Forster, although incredible, might make the elegant getting on and off a little harder. I confess to preferring a big comfy squishy sofa at home :) Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe... 

Max & Hound..

More often than not life can be overly complicated so when you do come across something that is straightforward, what you see is what you get.. well, you'd be mad not to take a quick shot or two right! The inspiration for children's store Max & Hound on Beaufort Street in Mount Lawley is one that all grandparents will understand. After looking at their facebook page I can't believe I took the pics and didn't go in, will have to rectify that asap! Painted by Simon Sieradzki this mural couldn't be more perfectly positioned.. the shop next door made me lol though :) Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe..

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Sous le ciel de Paris.. Under Paris skies..

Yesterday we spent un très agréable afternoon listening to la musique française at Alliance Française Fete de la Musique. It was an indoor event making it a leetle bit tricky light-wise although I'm not too unhappy with the shot above. I thought M. Silvio couldn't possibly look more French, but.. he may be Italian :) minor detail, his rendition of  'Sous le ciel de Paris'.. si bon! If you would like to refresh your memory of this tune check out the version here by the super fabulous ZAZ.  incroyable! Happy Monday, take care and stay safe..

Shoes on the other feet!

It's always a pleasure to come across the WA Mounted Police in the city. Coming out from the Art Gallery WA into the bright sunlight it was wonderful to see the horses and riders interacting with the public in the Perth Cultural Centre. After seeing hundreds of pairs of fancy sneakers in the exhibition it was good to see down to earth hard working footwear in action :) Hope you're having a good weekend, happy Sunday, take care and stay safe...

Farrah Fawcett x two..

Couldn't resist a reflection shot of Farrah Fawcett (1947-2009) at the Rise of Sneaker Culture exhibition. Farrah Fawcett was the 'it' girl of the 70's, who doesn't remember the 'red swimsuit poster'. Asked why he thought the poster was the best selling poster of all time the photographer said "C'mon, who could resist the beautiful, all-American girl looking directly at you with a dazzling smile and a red suit that covered a lot but revealed a little.” Young women in the spotlight these days would do well to take some FF tips, cover up, leave something to the imagination! Gosh that made me sound so old :) Happy Saturday, take care and stay safe..

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The Rise of Sneaker Culture encore..

Back in Art Gallery WA following the kick trail upstairs to see a few more fabulous sneaker designs in the The Rise of Sneaker Culture exhibition.. who knew there could possibly be so many! Below a pair of Nike Zoom LeBron 6 inspired by Family Guy character Stewie Griffin. Never put into production only 24 pairs were made available to friends and family by invitation.. the dilemma for those 24 would be sentimental value or actual monetary value, I'd be tempted by the latter.. one more trip to Paris perhaps :)

Below a pair of Air Jordan VII Olympic Gold Medal presented by the Jordan Brand to Chris Paul when he won Olympic Gold in 2012.. no more than three pairs were manufactured making it 'exceptionally rare and sought after'.. an around the world trip for sure :)

I know a redhead.. not 'sporty' but tres cool :) who would be attracted by the glitter of the Puma X Undefeated  Clyde 'Gametime' 24k metallic gold sneakers below.. originally created 'in homage to the US gold medal winning Olympic basketball team'..

Below the 1994  'citron, red and black original colorway of the Reebok Insta Pump Fury is nearly as iconic as the design itself, immediately recognizable from a mile away'. As much as I enjoyed the exhibition I couldn't help wondering at what point did the sneaker morph from being a sports shoe to a modern day status symbol? Happy Friday, take care and stay safe.. P.s. one more from the exhibition tomorrow but it's not about the shoes :)

The Rise of Sneaker Culture.. then and now.

 In the city earlier this week we popped in to see what was new at the Art Gallery WA.. there's always something weird and wonderful to see and I suspect that the many school groups coming in below were here to see the Rise of Sneaker Culture exhibition. It has always fascinated me the importance of wearing the right brand of sneakers, it was almost a cult thing at one stage.. is it still I wonder.. surely not! The sneakers above were made in 1915.. I think they're pretty cool, but totally unsuitable for the level of competition these days..

Below, perfect if you need that extra bit of height.. and I do :) 

I'm saving the really speccy sneakers for tomorrow..incroyable! Are you into the 'wearing the right sneaker' mentality? Maybe it's my Scots blood, but my top price would be around the $120 mark and not a cent more.. I know right I'm a cheapskate :) Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe...

Crown and ‘De Parel Van Vuren’..

Yesterdays views were looking out over the Swan river to the city in Burswood Park and today looking in towards the Crown resort and casino. Is it just me or do you think the design of the casino, centre below, looks a little like the bow of a cruise ship? I had spotted the ginormous 'De Parel Van Vuren' (The Pearl of Fire) Perth's very own Spiegeltent from city side and wanted to have a closer look. I wasn't expecting...

... to see Shrek peering over the fence at me but maybe I should have been as he is one of the central characters in Lights by Dreamworks, showing here from 23rd June to 23rd July.. just in time for the school holidays! I don't remember school hols being quite so razzamatazz, but then again my school days were a really long time ago :) Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe..

Fishing with dad or, caught and bowled!

In Burswood Park on Sunday to take photos of something so completely different I couldn't walk by without taking a quickie shot of the sweet father/daughter scene above. A different view of the city looking across from the southern side of the Swan River. If you are a cricket enthusiast the stadium lights seen a bit closer below light up the WACA Ground (Western Australian Cricket Assoc), the pitch regarded as 'one of the quickest and bounciest in the world. As of February 2016 four of the nine fastest Test centuries have been scored here' but as host to international games it's 'all out' for the WACA.. fascinating stuff right :) Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe.. P.s. to see similar above shot in b & w with a touch of colour have a peek here!

 

Superheroes down the lane..

It's all about superheroes these days. So many movies depicting the hero swooping in at the last moment to save the day.. or even the world! I confess it's not my favourite movie genre, I'm more of a foreign movie addict so you'll have to help me here. Starting from the top Captain America? Spider Man, that's a long-shot, the Hulk and maybe Thor? How did I do? Aimee would know in a 'Flash' :) This situation saving foursome found down a lane in Highgate. Happy Monday, take care and stay safe..

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WA Day leftovers!

There was no time to get out and about with the camera yesterday.. thank heavens for the archives! A few shots here from WA Day a few weeks back. The parrot and black swan emblematic to WA is on the other side of the mural shown here.

Celebration balloons disappearing down London Court...

One of my favourite shots of the day, the city reflected in a certain red head about town's sunnies from the Perth Cultural Centre. Hoping to get out and about today. Happy Sunday, take care and stay safe...

Weekend 'nautical' reflections..

Yesterday I had lunch with my SIL's and niece at Hillarys Boat Harbour five minutes from home. I find it impossible not to take a few more nautical reflection shots whenever walking past the marina, I must have thousands on file! As you can see it was another harsh winter day in Perth :)

The royal crest below intrigued me :) 

Couldn't resist playing with the shot below when I spotted it's name :) Hope you have a good weekend, take care and most of all stay safe...

 

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Looking for owls...

Owls have to be one of the hardest birds to spot, they blend so well with their habitat. Relying on a tip-off from a local who informed me that Boobook owls could often be found in a particular spot around 'you are here', below, on Riverside Drive. Arriving just after sun-up although we failed with the owl spotting, sitting on a bench looking out across the Swan River taking in the early morning sounds, looking to the left the city...

 ... and to the right under the Narrows Bridge to the old Swan Brewery bathed in very early morning sunlight, it didn't in any way feel like a wasted trip. Watching the start of a brand new day is always an enlightening experience, I really should do it more often :) Happy Friday, take care and stay safe... 

 

Firemen.. 'indispensable foot soldiers'.

 The funny thing about firemen is,

night and day they are always firemen.. Gregory Widen.

  

Is there a rule in the fireman's handbook that apart from being brave and dedicated they must also be fit and good looking.. you might remember my last encounter with a fireman in the city, hot stuff! Much more seriously, seeing the horrific scenes of the fire in a residential tower in London yesterday highlights the ferocious danger men and women firefighters around the world put their lives in every day. In the words of Maya Angelou 'how important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes'! Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe..

Unforgettable..

They really are! I did try to walk past them.. they look delicate, fragile, not in the plan for my new robust, easy care Aussie weather garden, but I couldn't do it! The moment I imagined looking at them in the garden outside my window while writing the blog the struggle was over :) It's not often I get so excited about a new plant but just look at the variegated colour, even the leaves, above, are gorgeous. Looking at the care instructions for 'calla lilies' here I think I may have planted at the wrong time seeing as we're into winter now.. but it's all relative, it was 23C today, perhaps they will survive after all, will show you when they have multiplied into many.. positive thinking :) Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe.. P.s. you might know them as California lilies!

The Blue Flamingo.. 'good times and cold liquor.'.

Spotted in the inner city suburb of Leederville adorning the walls of the tres cool Blue Flamingo a mural by Perth artist Paul Deej, remember 'Octogirl'.. incroyable talent! It's no wonder that Perth has made its way onto the list of top eight cities to find the best street art.. sssweet! Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe..

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