It is not our circumstances that define us, it is our response to those circumstances..

We cannot control all that happens to us,
but we can control how we choose to respond. 
We can choose to overcome and survive it. 
~ Eleanora Ross

Karrakatta Cemetery opened in 1899. Karrakatta an Aboriginal word, the 'katta' meaning hill or 'the top of any height' is the easy bit, the 'karra' more difficult as it may mean 'karri (a crab), karak (the red-tailed black cockatoo), kara (a spider), karh-rh (an orchid with an edible root). So the meaning of the combined word could be the hill where the orchid with the edible root is found, or the hill frequented by the red-tailed black cockatoo' etc. I don't like spiders so I'm going with the black cockatoo! The angel above has been looking over the cemetery since 1929 and the sculpture below since 1887..

Karrakatta Cemetery has thousands of visitors each year.. in the more recent sectors from 1970's forward as below, the well tended graves sit under the shade of the trees..

I find myself drawn to the neglected and unattended sections below where the graves date from as far back as the late 1800's. Sad at first but then realizing that most of the people who had organized and tended these graves are most likely no longer with us themselves. My heartfelt condolences go out to the victims of terrorist attacks around the world, there have been so many it's almost beyond belief that it can continue to happen. One day very soon please let the world come to it's senses. Take care..

The power of suggestion..

 Mirror reflections above in Future Shelter Homewares & Gifts in North Perth. Have a peek at the wares in this shop and you'll see the temptations I had to overcome still being in my 'minimalist' period, how long can it last! No such willpower next door in Cloud Nine Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurant. Overhearing a customer say she had been fantasizing about a cinnamon maple donut and noting there were only two left (see them sitting there seductively under glass) I had a mild panic and had to have one immédiatement, the power of suggestion is alive and working well in my psyche :) How about you, how strong is your willpower in overcoming the power of suggestion? Happy weekend, take care and stay safe...

Visit James to see more Weekend Reflections

Celebrate the differences..

I'm feeling a little sentimental, it would have been my Dad's birthday today and we miss him! Do we ever stop needing our parents when times are sad. Although they both grew up in the same village in Scotland my parents couldn't have been more different if they tried. Mum had a very strong faith, I don't think Dad did, certainly he didn't when he came back from the horrors of WW11. Dad was over 6ft, Mum a petit 5ft. Dad liked a beer, or two or three :) Mum was teetotal. When they married after the war there was a ten year age difference. They were married for over sixty years and the only consolation when Mum passed was that hopefully they would be reunited again. The point I'm hopefully making is that with so many differences they were very happy, how wonderful it would be if we could all celebrate and enjoy our differences. Happy Friday, take care and stay safe.. p.s. pretty good looking pair right :)

Redemption and contemplation...

I see this sculpture every-time I head into North Perth but until Sunday have never made the time to stop and take a few shots. I'm sure you will recognise the work of artist Chen Wenling who you have seen here many times during Sculpture by the Sea this piece was in shown in the 2013 exhibition and I'm guessing bought by the City of Vincent. In the background below the North Perth Redemptorist Monastery built in 1903, on the link there is talk of murals inside.. these I would like to see one day..

The sculpture, one of Mr. Chen's Red Boy series sits on the super busy corner of Vincent and Bulwer, looking down Bulwer below you can see a wee bit of the city skyline to the right.. Mr. Chen's work is a delight and always makes me happy whenever I come across it. Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe...

Puppacinos at BOOespresso!

Ever since I heard about it's opening back in August this year I've wanted to check out BOOespresso, a 2m x 4m micro cafe supposedly the smallest coffee window joint in Perth.. whether that's true or not, hole-in-the-wall coffee bars are popping up all over town, it's location in North Perth opposite dog friendly Robertson Park and the inclusion of 'puppacino's' (frothy goats milk topped with beef and chicken liver treats) on the menu assures BOOespresso is the winner of the quirk factor.. come on, if you can buy your real child a baby-chino why not a puppacino for your fur baby right :) P and I had an excellent regular grown up coffee but I was seriously tempted by the Nutella hot choc.. next time! Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe...

Superb fairywren...

I'm sure I'm not alone in finding the older suburbs of a city way more interesting than the new. Walking around North Perth yesterday I found all sorts of photogenic treats one of which was the mural above, a cool collaboration of colour by Perth artists Jerome Davenport and Luke O'Donohoe on Angove St. I think Mr Davenport had a wee bit more time to capture his Superb fairywren than I did mine below.. my little blue beauty came in to land for a whole 5 seconds before ziiiiiiping off again, pure luck that I managed to swing the camera up and even get it in the frame :) Hope you had a fab weekend, happy Monday, take care and stay safe...
 Click here to see more Monday Murals from around the world..

Christ Church Claremont...

While in Claremont last week taking shots of the mural affectionately known as 'the slinkies' :) I was charmed by the mullioned windows and the soft yellow limestone walls of Christ Church Claremont one of the oldest Anglican suburban parish churches in Perth and also one of the few who's doors remain open throughout the day. Since the laying of the foundation stone in 1892 this church has evolved and grown with the tower completed in 1938. Shaken up a bit when there was an earthquake, epicentre about 150km inland from Perth, in October 1968, extensive restoration of the foundations, walls and roof of the church were necessary and conservation is ongoing. C'est joli oui! Hope you're having a lovely weekend, take care and stay safe...