Game City Espresso Bar..

 

I mean.. how could anyone resist that charming smile :) I can't begin to count the number of times I have walked down William St. in the city in a rush to get from here to there. The timing was perfect on Monday, as I was taking reflection shots of Wesley Church in the window of what was to be a new experience in the city. I discovered that behind that big smile lay an even bigger heart. Game City Espresso is all, and I do mean all, about community, the giving and sharing of kindness in the heart of the city.. can't beat that, will definitely return. Hope you have an excellent weekend, see you on Monday.. happy Friday, take care and stay safe.. P.s. the robot centre stage below, built by students,  does a fine job of delivering drinks :) 

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Spider-Man says..

'Pay it Forward'.. or not, absolutely no pressure. In the city yesterday my faith in humanity was restored. Quite by accident, while taking another shot we discovered a new super cool favourite spot to have lunch which I'll tell you more about tomorrow. I believe there are a few cafes in Perth that work with the Pay it Forward idea but this is the first time I've seen it embraced so enthusiastically, the last shot is only a small part of the walls showing the giving and receiving of incredibly good coffee that occurs here. More tomorrow. Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe..  P.s. yes I did :)

Lake Leschenaultia walkabout..

 

With the threat of a storm in the afternoon we set off early for a walk around Lake Leschenaultia It is such a pretty lake and surrounding bushland, it was quiet on Monday morning, not exactly picnic weather but a super popular spot in the warmer months. A man-made lake constructed c1897 for the WA Government Railways 'it is the largest reservoir constructed on the Eastern Railway line and supplied water to steam trains for almost 50 years'. I imagine this peaceful scene looked very different 120 years ago, would have enjoyed seeing all that puff and steam of the trains back then :)

...and then this happened! Rushing past almost within touching distance the purple swamphen, check out those incredible feet, brought to mind 'I'm I'm late for a very important date, no time to say hello, goodbye, I'm late I'm late, I'm late.' It could have been ducking for cover from the incoming rain, we only just made it back to the car ourselves :) Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe..

Puffs of gold..

 

When the weather lets you down thank goodness for mother nature's bounty. We are in the middle of winter here in Australia but the bush is alive with colour, lots of food for native birds. The golden wattle trees, much loved by several species of honeyeaters, are laden with tiny golden spheres that are beginning to burst out into wonderfully fragrant fluffy puff balls. I remember having a golden wattle tree in my garden many years ago, now grown by florists as a gorgeous filler for flower arrangements, I'm wondering why I removed it :) Will show you where I took these shots tomorrow. Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe.. 

Magical Mykonos..

 

I couldn't have been happier yesterday when the clouds parted just long enough for me to take a few shots of the beautiful new mural here in Carlisle. The gorgeous vision painted recently by Perth artiste extraordinaire Graeme Miles Richards deserved to be shown under the blue skies depicted in the Greek inspired mural. On the wall of Cafe Bella Rosa, the original wall looked like THIS.. 110% improvement wouldn't you say :) Hope you had/are still having a wonderful weekend, happy Monday, take care and stay safe..

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Reflections for the weekend..

 

 

It has been a month or so since we last walked down from the city to Elizabeth Quay. Earlier this week under the grey cloudy sky the Elizabeth Quay Bridge was creating reflections that made me think of a ginormous pair of spectacles, is it just me seeing that :) You can see in the third shot, still a lot of construction going on. Last two shots, even luxury hotels look a little less luxurious under less than impressive skies :) Hope you have a super weekend, it's a busy one for me. Happy Friday, take care and stay safe..

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'Free from the distraction of women'..

 

 

I smile each time I catch a glimpse of the gorgeous heritage listed Weld Club, 'the gentleman's club on the Esplanade was created to bring a slice of London life to the small colonial outpost of Perth. built in 1892'. Described as a place for men 'to rub shoulders with the colony's leading men free from the distraction of women and rowdy children' . I believe women are permitted now 'if they are accompanied by a member or an honorary member'. I could have so much fun with the last two italicized sentences but I'd better behave myself :) Part of me feels I should be highly affronted by the presence of this last male bastion but most of me finds it unexpectedly hilarious :) Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe.. P.s. Is there still a Men Only club in your city? 

Peace and war..

 This year's annual St Georges Art exhibition had a profound effect on me. The standard of the artworks is always high and this year was no exception, however the serene atmosphere of the cathedral was the backdrop to an astonishing display of angst on canvas. Every generation has had disasters to deal with but the pressures and uncertainties that young people have to deal with today came through loud and clear.. cyberbullying, social media, violent video games etc were something I never had to deal with, not to mention climate change, global warming and the current pandemic tragedy. Government and big business around the world urgently need to do some reevaluating on what is important before it is too late and before we lose more precious young people to the ultimate act of depression. Take care and stay safe.. 

A sign of our times..

 

Yesterday walking through the Supreme Court Gardens heading to St Georges Cathedral to see something that I found both inspiring and shocking at the same time.. show you tomorrow :) Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe..

The conversation..

 

The expression 'location' location, location' is so true when it comes to small businesses. I'm pretty sure the Organic Cafe's position on this now rather quiet spot on the Albany Highway would have had something to do with it closing a few years ago, which is a shame. The mural by lll Withers, with the tree roots stretching out over the pavement and their ethos 'Eat Healthy Live Longer' is all that is left of this once thriving cafe, I wish I had visited back when it looked like THIS (fingers crossed the link works) Hope you had/are still having a good weekend, happy Monday take care and stay safe.. P.s. had a bit of fun with the first shot :)

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

C-3PO moonlighting..

   

A glimpse of  C-3PO caught moonlighting between movies.. couldn't have picked a better spot than at The Robot Bun Factory surrounded by fellow androids. Popular super cool cafe in Midland. Can't believe this week has flown by so fast, wondering if we will see the sun any time soon :)  Hope you have a good weekend, see you on Monday. Happy Friday, take care and stay safe..

Visit James to see more Weekend Street/Reflections from around the world..

 

 

 

Verge sculptures.. the lunch break.

 

It's been a while since I posted a sculpture so when I came across this quirky fellow eating his sandwich on a bench in Midland yesterday I was intrigued to know more. Midland has a long WA Government Railways history and is home to the Midland Railway Workshops. 'In early 2000, Kath Wheatley was commissioned to create a series of quirky long-legged sculptures which paid tribute to the strong connection between the workers, family and friends of the Midland Railway Workshop'. Next time we are in Midland I will look out for his fellow railway workers seen HERE. Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe..

Winter roses..

 It was another miserable day yesterday but as we are in the second month of winter I thought it was about time to prune the roses. Surprisingly there are still many blooms, not just in my garden but all over the city.. my roses were promptly snipped off and put into a vase 🌹 Had a bit of fun using a water colour effect, what do you think? Tomorrow pruning will happen regardless :) Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe..

Indoor weather..

 

"If you can't be in awe of Mother Nature there's something wrong with you " .. Alex Trebek

Sitting close to the waves, not in the waves :) The wind howled, the waves crashed and beaucoup de pluie fell from the skies. Where I live we have been lucky so far, some areas not so lucky, many homes without power or roofs. The wind is still howling outside my window, we have tonight and tomorrow to get through, storms can change direction on a whim. Where else would I be in weather like this than at the beach. Yesterday sitting indoors watching Mother Nature unleashing her frustrations into the Indian Ocean, it was a lot fiercer than it looks. Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe..

Creatures in the bush..

 

Yesterday while walking around Lake Claremont, a conservation category wetland and 'bush forever site' we came across the superb work of  Perth artist/muralist Brenton See. The artist states 'the excitement of sharing the flora and fauna of Western Australia keeps him motivated in his journey to educate the world on just how lucky we are to share our planet with such wonders'. I feel we are the lucky ones whenever we come across his work, here in the perfect bushland setting where I am sure all of the creatures depicted can be found. Happy Monday, take care and stay safe..  P.s. So THIS (check it out) is what we are in for today, I'm a little nervous and wish I did have some sandbags, fingers crossed my roof stays on!

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

Dem dinosaur bones..

 Dem bones, dem bones, dem dinosaur bones. Put 'em all together and this is what you get ..

A quick shot of the dinosaur bones looking out as we passed the WA Museum Boola Bardip a few days ago. Sitting in the space below the original stairs that thankfully survived the recent huge renovation. Below when I fell first fell in love with the romance of the stairs in 2015..

And below as they are now, beautifully restored minus the threadbare green carpet. Although I had a fondness for that threadbare green carpet, imagining all the steps taken up them, I do love the richness of the polished wood and gold trim below. How did this post start off about dem dinosaur bones and end up all about the stairs:) Happy Friday, have a super weekend, see you on Monday, take care and stay safe..

Visit James to see more Weekend Street/Reflections from around the world..

NAIDOC Week 2021.. 'Care for Country'.

 

NAIDOC Week celebrations 'are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.' You can read about the history of NAIDOC (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observation Committee) HERE. Each year a theme is chosen to reflect the important issues and events for NAIDOC Week, the 2021 theme is 'Heal Country'. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists were invited to submit artworks for this year's National NAIDOC Poster Competition. Gubbi Gubbi artist Maggie Jean Douglas won and above is her stunning work titled 'Care for Country'. Aboriginal art is not only intricately beautiful it tells the story of their journey also. I am hoping though that next year they roll the posters instead of folding them, could not get rid of the fold mark! Hoping to visit some of the NAIDOC events over the weekend. Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe..

Winter in Perth..

 

Although the wind is howling outside my window as I type this post I took these shots just a few days ago when at Hillarys Boat Harbour five minutes from home. Now into the second month of winter we are certainly getting a lot of rain but in-between there are many many moments like this.  Did I mention that when construction of the boat harbour began back in 1985 protestors lay down in front of the bulldozers to halt progress and now it is one of Perth's most popular destinations, makes me smile when I think of it :) Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe.. P.s. Are you wondering if I was one of the protestors lying down in front of the bulldozers :)