Zoo reflections and future prospects..

Reflections of the lush greenery around the Perth Zoo and moi sensibly wearing a wide brimmed chapeau :) in the window of  Zoo HQ, 'a new visitor education area which showcases how a modern conservation focused zoo is run, our commitment to animal care and our efforts to fight extinction'.

Another of those spur of the moment shots as we were leaving the zoo below, how could I resist! A future zoo employee but for now mini elephant keeper, j'adore :) Happy Easter weekend, take care and stay safe..

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Newest arrival at Perth Zoo.. Seeing spots!

We arrived at the Perth Zoo as it opened yesterday to take some shots of the baby giraffe born on March 7th only making her first public appearance a week ago.. adorable! Giraffes really are the most wonderful creatures. The new baby, as yet unnamed, is the offspring of fifteen year old dad Armani and eight year old mum Kitoto (interesting read) who was brought over from Sydney's Taronga Zoo in November 2016 to join Perth Zoo's breeding program. The gestation period for giraffes is fifteen months, so you could say that it was a whirlwind romance :)

Below with proud dad Armani. Such a joy to see the high spirits of the new arrival as it snuggled and cavorted around the enclosure. Apparently Ellie the other female giraffe had her nose put out of joint for a short while with the new arrival but there was no sign of that here. The giraffe in Africa has slipped quietly onto the endangered species list, habitat destruction and poaching being the cause.. shocking! I took so many shots I was seeing spots before my eyes before I edited the shots here, and of course it would have been helpful if I had remembered my long lens :) next time! Happy Friday and Easter weekend, take care and stay safe..P.s. big catch up today!

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Another wonderful day in WA..

One good thing about the days getting shorter is not waking up with first light at 5.00am, sunrise is a respectable 6.30ish now :) Have just had an interesting time looking at our sunrise, sunset and day length monthly charts, interesting to see that at no time in the year, not even in the dead of winter, do we have less than 10 hours of daylight and in December, although not the hottest temperature wise, February/March win that one, the longest day is 14hrs14mins.. how does that compare with your times? Check out the chart, it might help you decide when to visit, depending if you like it hot or not :) Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe..

Sculpture by the Sea encore et fini..

Sculpture by the Sea has been and gone but I have a few shots that took my fancy but didn't post so will give this annual event a last hurrah for 2018. Above 'Great Southern Noongar' by Noongar weaver and bush sculptor Janine McAullay Bott, one of three invited indigenous artists. Created using palm fronds, palm branch and kurrajong seed pod. The sculpture reflects the artist's Noongar heritage.. 'the cultural significance of the weave is a sense of remembering and my way of giving back to my mother and her people'. If you pull it in and have a look the intricate weave is incroyable! 'Below 'Swirling Surround' last seen here on Bondi Beach..

As always dogs play a big part in any outdoor activities around Perth. Here we have big, small and in-between. Bruno directly below was massive. His owner told me that Bruno was a rescue dog, saved in the nick of time from an outback farm where he was about to be shot! He was a wee bit slobbery but totally gorgeous. The dog in the last shot looks like he's been waiting long enough for his human to enjoy the culture :)

Dogs of another genre! This was one of my favourite sculptures, almost impossible to get a good shot early morning but am happy with the two below taken when we returned at sunset. 'Spirit' by English artist living in Perth April Pine. 'Suspended in movement as though paused in play. Each dog is individual in character, breed, scale and presence. The installation is whimsical yet soft, the white tones and grid composition create a phenomenological moment'. Phenomenology, yes I had to look it up :)

'Get a Haircut, Get a Job'  by Queensland artist Karl De Waal. 'Everyday catchphrases and statements .. somewhere between what we see and hear lie the decisions necessary to walk the path forward'. Nearly all familiar, it made me smile and on a warm sunny day at the beach that will do me just fine :)

There were so many more but I just can't, I'm all sculptured out :) I'll leave you with a parting shot of two confused seagulls spoilt for choice as to where to perch and view the beach in all it's strangeness! Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe..

Beer Guzzling Octopoda..

When eight arms is just not enough :) Came across the beer drinking octopus mural in Northbridge Piazza a few weeks ago. Created by Perth artist Fajar Sugiarto aka fudge.arts on the wall of the Northbridge Brewing Company during Oktoberfest.. Was pretty pleased with the reflection! Hope you had/are still having a fab weekend. It's been a bit grey in Perth, even a few drops of rain but not nearly enough.. is it still snowing in the northern hemisphere? Happy Monday, take care and stay safe..

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Wesley Church Fremantle..

I don't think I've ever passed the Wesley Church in Fremantle when there hasn't been a young person or two, or more, sitting talking together or on their cell phones. Is it just a handy spot to sit or do those old stone walls draw them in. It is a solid church where not much has changed from when it was built in 1889, except if you look at the now and then photos here, there was originally a low stone wall around the church perimeter which is no longer there..much more approachable. The doors were open which is not always the case, the glimpse inside showed an equally welcoming interior. Somehow I feel that the steadfast durability of this church would bring its parishioners much comfort. Happy Sunday, take care and stay safe.. 

Fountain reflections..

Fountain reflections in Central Park garden in the centre of the city. It was such a windy day when I took these shots the water was flying everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. Here's wishing you a happy and peaceful weekend, take care and stay safe..

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Fabulous Freo encore.. again!

It's the only way to describe Fremantle.. fabulous! The city of art and quirk :) Every time we go there we come across something we haven't seen before. As we did yesterday while walking through Paddy Troy Mall. A bicycle shelter made from old bike frames and a sea container complete with artwork by Ian Mutch last seen on the blog here.  Appropriately directly opposite bicycle shop extraordinaire Captain Walker's Bicycles, check the link if you are a bike enthusiast. As you can see it was a grey day, my favourite kind :) Happy Friday, take care and stay safe..

All the threes et une serviette bleue..

Walking through Underground at Allendale Square in the city last week the scene above through the window of Bellini Hair Styling for Men caught my eye. Three chairs, three mirrors et trois lumières X three reflections.. if only the shop had been open at that time I might have caught three gentlemen sitting in those chairs, that would have been the icing on the cake :) Do you ever take a shot of no consequence.. just because it appeals to you? Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe..

Yagan Square.. Opening the Divide.

For more than one hundred years the Horseshoe Bridge above was the connection between Northbridge and the CBD. You might remember me mentioning the Perth City Link project to sink the Fremantle railway line and the Wellington Street bus station leaving the area above open for construction of Yagan Square named in recognition of one of the Noongar people’s great leader-warriors Yagan, also acknowledging the historical and cultural significance of the site. Above looking out to Wellington Street and the CBD and below looking over to Roe Street in Northbridge.

Excellent architectural view here showing Yagan Square tucked nicely into the arms of the Horseshoe Bridge. Below as you enter the square from Wellington Street the 9mt tall sculpture Wirin.

'Wirin' the Noongar word for spirit represents the eternal sacred force of creative power that connects all life of boodja (mother earth)'. Of all the projects going on around Perth at the moment, this bridging of the divide makes the most sense :) Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe..

Keepin' it real..

I couldn't decide between a pretty mural I found last week or the exotic beauty discovered here hiding down a smelly, overly graffitied lane in the city.. she deserves a look-see don't you think? The style looks familiar and although I have moved bins before to get a clear shot, this time I wasn't game so didn't get the artist's name. A typical lane behind a pub or club.. rubbish bins, graffiti and smart cars.. keepin' it real! Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe.

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Viva la Voyage..

"You can't just eat good food,

you've got to talk about it too".. Kurt Vonnegut.

It's true! Breakfast with my skin and blisters sisters is always a good way to begin the day.. and when breakfast is five minutes away from home at Voyage Kitchen on the coast road.. even better! Breakfast shot below courtesy of Aimee, I was too busy eating mine to take pics :) How was/is your weekend? Mine was hectic, but so pleased with what we achieved. Happy Monday, take care and stay safe..

Sculpture by the Sea V.. End of the Day.

Very frustrating week of computer blackouts solved with new WiFi thingy, mouse and keypad. I suspect it was the WiFi thingy, technical term :) that was the problem but am happy with the extras.. good to be back in business! The last time you saw above and below shots of 'The Desert Island' here, was at daybreak, we returned to Cottesloe beach and Sculpture by the Sea for sunset shots and after a dusky start the sky put on a splendiferous show that was a joy to behold. Like many of you I too was worried about how this installation might effect the birds, but apart from one confused seagull below hundreds, possibly thousands, of birds were more interested in finding their digs for the night in the tall trees along the beach, the noise was astounding! Two more days and the beach will be pristine and free of sculptures once more. I have to do a bit of a catching up, bear with me! Happy Sunday, take care and stay safe..

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Under Construction..

'Sorry for the inconvenience'

 If Rome was built in a day

we would have used the same contractor..

I've been having a few problems with my computer lately.. just as I am ready to press schedule.. *poof* it all disappears. I have a few more beach shots but will have to try again tomorrow. Every time I go into the city these days I notice more construction work going on, is it the same for you? I know progress is an ongoing endeavour but sometimes it would be nice to see see everything neat, tidy and finished :) Happy Friday, take care and stay safe..

Dancing in the sunset..

Are you ready for round two of Sculpture by the Sea 2018 :) Although a cloudy evening we did head on down to Cottesloe Beach yesterday evening to take sunset shots of the sculptures. When we arrived the sky below, even though dusky, was still impressive. I wondered if the heavens would put on a show or just fizzle out in shades of grey. I needn't have worried, the spur of the moment shot above snapped as we were leaving the beach.. the young lady bathed in golden light was oblivious to all but the beauty of the sunset. Will show you the in-between grey and glorious tomorrow. Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe..  

A Gift From Greece..

 Can you see/feel the heat in the above shot? Summer is having it's last hurrah! It's been a scorcher of a week with temps 36/39C.. always happens at the beginning of autumn, thank heavens a cooler week coming up. The plane trees here are not just any plane trees. They were grown from cuttings from the Tree of Hippocrates on the island of Cos. The tree under which according to legend Hippocrates taught his pupils the art of medicine. A gift from the Government of Greece to the doctors and medical students of WA. They sit in a small garden in the grounds of Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, a teaching hospital in Nedlands. Seeds or cuttings from the tree have been spread all around the world.. it was lovely to think that Perth, the world's most isolated city was not forgotten. Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe..

Art Deco or not?

It really pays to take a diversion from one's usual route now and then. Walking through a new arcade from Hay to Murray St my heart skipped a beat.. was this an Art Deco building that had slipped through my net :) The original building on this spot, Retort House, was built in 1886 but the above built in 1927, right time frame, it has 'the look'. What do you think? The original Retort House had many diverse uses and even after the Electricity & Gas Dept. took over in 1920, a colourful history (scroll down). It looks a little deserted right now, will be keeping my eye on it. Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe..

Engaging the community..

We have many incroyably talented artists in Perth, one of which is Melski Mcvee. You have seen her work here many times but if you have a minute click here and scroll down, I promise it will make you happy :) Above and below seen on The Best Brew Bar & Kitchen on Wellington Street. Mel's work is largely community orientated, have a look at the short video here of a community project in Northbridge.. so much participatory fun being had. I must keep my eyes open to see if she has a project happening when my two 'arty' grandchildren are here, they would love to join in I'm sure. Hope you had/are having a good weekend, happy Monday, take care and stay safe..

Visit Sami to see more Monday Murals from around the world..