Room With A View - or View In A Room

Well, the view I have been enjoying for the last couple of days. An intrepid blogger can hardly let minor matters like hospitalisation cause any interruptions to the usual broadcast.

I have shown the exterior of this hospital, and its carpark a couple of times in the past, so why let an opportuinity to venture inside and gain first hand knowledge slip by!(I waited til my room-mate was out of the room - she may not have appreciatd being featured with her best hospital look. The bed to my right was occupied but out of shot, and someone came into the one opposite after this was taken. Perfect timing eh!)

But it's my toes (later edit: note well: I have not yet turned up my toes!), and the view from my bed at St George hospital, where I have had a couple of nights after checking in via Emergency in the small hours Thursday. Gall bladder, apparently. But no obvious cause. Hmmm. Medical science doesn't always know everything straight away. But kudos to the nursing staff in CDU Ward. They were great.

I'm posting this on 1 Dec here in Sydney - Bloggers' theme day - but decided this is an authentic 30 Nov shot, you'd just have to wait for the Bridges theme day pic. Or maybe it's just a bridge between below and above par?

Statue of Lachlan Macquarie, Windsor

Unveiled in 1994, the bi-centenary of European presence (22 farms) in the formerly Aboriginal Darrug land. Windsor was the third settlement in the colony of New South Wales, after Sydney Cove and Parramatta. Governor Macquarie had plans drawn up for Windsor in 1810.

Wading through cement

Last week we came home to find our footpath had disappeared! This morning a cement truck pulled up, poured the new footpath, and - voilà - half an hour later we had a smoothed out new section of footpath drying.

Terraces, Erskineville

A row of pretty, single storey terrace houses in Erskineville, a traditional working class area of Sydney, now gentrifying.

Hats and thongs

Essential accessories for the Australian summer

Grapes

When crushed, these small globlets of delight can produce a fruity little beverage (fizzy or still) well suited to being raised in celebratory esteem.

As many people have been doing in the wake of yesterday's election result.

I espied this trellis of grapes in the front yard of a house as I was walking to the polling booth yesterday.

Democracy was served

In primary school and church halls all over Australia today, the people voted. (And by the way, it's compulsory to vote - there are fines if you don't turn up and get your name marked off the roll).

Later: In light of gmg's comments (inside), I add that there were, if not fireworks, whoops and hollers of joy, and air punching delerium emanating from the Sydney Daily Photo household at the outcome, it must only have been because private fireworks are banned in NSW! !

What the people decided was that it's all over for the bloke below as Prime Minister. John Howard's coalition government was resoundingly defeated, and he looks like losing his own seat in parliament. He faced a very strong challenge from a former ABC journalist, Maxine McKew, of the Labor Party. At close of counting tonight she is just ahead. This would make him only the second Prime Minister in Australian history to lose his own seat.
And it's all beginning for Kevin Rudd, the leader of the Australian Labor Party, who will be the next Prime Minister. On many issues, there is not much difference between Rudd and Howard. But, there are also significant, election defining differences. Rudd has promised to ratify the Kyoto Treaty on climate change, withdraw combat troops from Iraq, and roll back the extremely unpopular Industrial Relations laws.

Peaceful protest

A message for our Prime Minister, John Howard. Tomorrow is the federal election. John Howard is, according to the polls, fighting for his own political survival as much as the government overall. Tomorrow evening should reveal all. (Mind you, Howard is not really able to influence whether a paricular school stays open or not - that is the decision of the state government; but there's nothing like an election to focus protest.)

Mural, Kogarah

Seen on the side of a now-closed shop (former music shop?) - corner Gray St and Railway Parade.

Ian Rankin (for Michelle)

Author of the immensely popular series of crime novels featuring Edinburgh sleuth John Rebus, Ian Rankin signs books after a recent talk in Sydney. He was a witty and very engaging speaker.

I wonder what it is like seeing your own name in such large print all over the cover and spine of so many books?

Sculpture By The Sea - body beautiful

All along the coast walk where the sculptures are displayed, there are fitness stations, each designed for a particular exercise. These hands have been added to many of them.
Artist Keith Chidzey says: "These sculptures are a response to the often inappropriate Anglo-European intervention on the land, and our obsessions with the fitness industry."

Sculpture By The Sea - Subject To Condition

According to the artist, Gary Deirmendjian, "appearing conscious he is depicted as being either raised or lowered - the choice does not seem to be his. He is wet by and subject to the tides of his condition."

My first comment was "What's Peter Garrett doing here?"

[Garrett is the former lead singer of Midnight Oil, now a politician representing the Labor Party in the area where Sculpture By The Sea takes place. There is an election next Saturday for the federal government; Garrett is probably safe in his seat. ]

Como

“Como”, said the station sign. And they ran on bridges over two arms of water from the sea, and they saw what looked like a long lake with wooded shores and bungalows: a bit like Lake Como, but oh, so unlike. That curious sombreness of Australia, the sense of oldness, with the forms all worn down low and blunt, squat. The squat–seeming earth. "

- DH Lawrence, Kangaroo, 1923.

Yesterday I saw a wonderful new play, called Toy Symphony, by Australian playwright, Michael Gow. Gow grew up in southern Sydney at Como, which was indeed named after Lake Como in northern Italy. As the play was based in parts on Gow's life, we travelled to Como in several scenes of the play.

So, today, we did something I've been meaning to do for a long time - we hopped on the train and travelled the 25 minutes from our place to Como and had breakfast at the Como Marina Cafe. Then we wandered around, and walked across the old railway bridge. It's now a footbridge and cycleway, joining Oatley and Como, across the Georges River.
The railway bridge was completed in 1885

Below: Photo of railway bridge taken by Robert Hunt, 1885. Macleay Museum, Sydney.

Above: Cafe, marina and pool, taken from the bridge

After all that strenuous exercise, I cooled off with a dip in the free pool.

More pool pics here.

Sculpture By The Sea - aroundandaround

by Richard Byrnes.

Lives, planets and circumstances all go round and round

(I thought it about time I showed you the sea in the title of the exhibition!)

Sculpture By The Sea - "lemon tree"

Lots of school children were visiting the sculptures when I was there. Itwas great to se lots of young people engaging with the art. The orgaisers even published a children's activity book based around the exhibits.

Artist Irene Hoppenberg of Germany said about her work: " Yellow represents light. For me the lemons are a symbol of the southern countries and the sun."

For me, this work combines two icons of the Aussie suburban backyard - the Hills Hoist rotary clothes line and the lemon tree.

By the way, I am in love with the house high on the hill overlooking Tamarama Beach. It strikes me as somethign Jilly in Menton might post!

Between Clovelly and Bronte

Looking towards Bronte Beach on the cliff walk, north of Clovelly.

Later: I have to come clean! Because of my recent holiday I have a shortage of new photos of Sydney, and while yesterday's jacarandas were taken yesterday, this photo was actually taken in July. Thus this is a mid-winter photo, not summer. And yes, Sydney often looks like this in winter. Sad to live in such a wintry place, eh! (Clues: the long sleeves on the man, and the few people on the beach. It was probably a warmish 22 degrees on land, but only about 17 or 18 in the water - that's celcius of course...)

Jacarandas

Two days ago, in the aerial shots of southern Sydney I pointed out the abundance of jacarandas. The second shot here is cropped from one of those aerial shots, and shows the line of jacarandas along Fry Reserve in Warialda St, Kogarah.

This morning I went down there just before dawn and took some shots in the early morning light.

These Brazilian natives have found a very happy home in Sydney.

Conservatorium of Music and Macquarie Street Buildings

Taken from inside the Botanic Gardens, the "castle" like building is The Con (Sydney Conservatorium High School and University). I showed it once before, brilliantly lit with laser lights during the Christmas-New Year period. Click here. Designed by convict architect, Francis Greenway, the Con was originally the government stables of colony of New South Wales.

Aerial Sydney again - this time the south

My previous aerial shots of Sydney have tended to be from the north or west. Yesterday we flew in from the south, then (for those of you who know these things) landed from the western end of the east-west runway - not used as often these days. The approach afforded great views of the Sutherland Shire and St George areas, and the bridges across the Georges River, Como railway bridge (closest), Tom Ugly's and Captain Cook, and all the way across to Cronulla.

I've previously posted quite a few pictures around both Tom Ugly's and Captain Cook bridges, and around the shores of the Georges River. I think it's always fun flying into a city you are very familiar with and recognising large parts of it!

There were two things that were immediately obvious to me as we got lower: southern Sydney still has a prevalence of red rooftops (originally terracotta Marseilles style tiles, now not so much terracotta), and that the jacaranda tree is almost 'naturalised' - look closely or click on the photos to make them larger - and there are vast swathes of beautiful purple blooms.

Lighthouse, Low Head

Low Head lighthouse, at the mouth of the Tamar River, where it meets Bass Strait. Our last day in Tasmania - back to Sydney!

Cradle Mountain - a World Heritage Area

An early morning walk around Dove Lake, under the looming presence of Cradle Mountain, and through gorgeous temperate rainforests.

PS These would have to be the two most clichéd shots - the top one from atop Glacier Rock near the start of the walk, the bottom one at the boatshed near the end. But you know what, there's a reason for that (they're gorgeous), and so I don't care - here's mine!

Bennett's Wallaby

Freycinet National Park, Tasmania. Yes, it allowed me to get this close. This is not on zoom, or cropped.

Macropus rufogriseus - known as the red-necked wallaby on mainland Australia. It is one of Tasmania's most commonly seen native animals and is abundant throughout the state. They can be distinguished by their black nose and paws, and white stripe on the upper lip.

According to Wikipedia, "there is a small colony of Red-necked Wallabies on the island of Inchconnachan in Loch Lomond in Scotland. This was founded in 1975 with two pairs taken from Whipsnade Zoo, and had risen to 26 individuals by 1993. There were at one time small colonies in England, in the Peak District and in Ashdown Forest. These are now believed to be locally extinct, though unconfirmed sightings are still reported from time to time."

What is the difference between a wallaby and a kangaroo? Size is pretty much it - it's a name goven to macropods which are smaller than kangaroos but haven't been given another name.

Tamar River at Rosevears

The Community Shed, Deloraine

Yesterday we met Brian, a former dairy farmer, and new "Sheddie" - a member of the Deloraine Community Shed. Although just learning his way around the tools, he was an enthusiatic ambassador for the Shed.

Community Sheds (often called Men's Sheds) are a newish phenomenon, helping to connect older and younger people in the community as part of Mens Health programs. Many are especially set up for men, who are less likely to have connections and interaction with each other than women, and for whom social networking often comes less easily.

The Deloraine Community Shed was established in 2004 as part of a Health and Wellbeing Project. Blokes who know their way around a chisel are available to give help to fellow "Sheddies". There's an experienced wood working instructor to help you realise your projects. The Deloraine Shed is a Community Shed welcoming all comers. There have been women's cabinet making courses, for example, and bike maintenance for teenagers.

The Shed was open for people to have a look around during the Tasmanian Crafts Fair, held over the past four days in Deloraine. Craftspeople from all over the state were exhibiting their wares in 13 venues throughout the town, including community and church halls, the bowling club and in private galleries.

The cubby house which you can see part of at the back is a just-completed communal project made for a local boy with leukaemia.

More about the Deloraine Community project, including the Shed.

Men's Sheds

Wineglass Bay

One of the most famous tourism images from Tasmania is the view over Wineglass Bay from the lookout in Freycinet National Park, on the island's east coast (map below). Below is a classic tourism image. Above is what it looked like in the misty rain on our visit yesterday.

Thanks to the girl in the second photo who took our photo.

(PS I am no stranger to fog, being famous in my family for not having seen The Grand Canyon, the Great Wall of China, and Venice on my first visit through fog. And taking overseas visitors to the Blue Mountains in torrential rain and fog! It's a wonder anyone wants to go on holiday with me!)

Tasmania - seafood and wine

Dinner at Coles Bay, featuring seafood pasta and a delightful pinot noir, as well as a rain-washed view.

Something you don't see very often in Sydney

Sydney has had water restrictions for some years, due to drought. The government has announced that some restrictions will remain permanently. It is illegal at the moment to have fixed sprinklers watering gardens and lawns, unless you have a source of bore water, which houses in this are of Sydney (Ramsgate, Monterey, Sans Souci) do. They display a sign outside saying so.

I'm off today for a (well-deserved) break for a week in Tasmania. I hope to be able to keep posting, maybe some exotica from The Apple Isle.

Blue Boxes II

More boxes stacked on top of each other. Not containing apples, these harbour the species Homo sapiens which allegedly means "wise man" or "knowing man". Sometimes I really wonder about that :-)

Blue Boxes

I've been semi-consciously trying NOT to post blue skies and blue seas lately, cos they feature so much on my blog and help make Sydney so beautiful.

I was really chuffed when I came across this most prosaic of subject matter, all in blue - cardboard boxes! I spotted these boxes of apples recently at Flemington markets. It was Sunday and they were waiting for Monday morning trading at the fruit and vegie markets.

PS - I've turned Word verification on again for people making comments. Sorry about that - I HATE word verification - it's annoying and time-consuming. But I've been targetted for Spam attack lately, so will leave it on for a while.

All these people around the world have also got the blues - help lift their spirits and check 'em out!

Boston (MA), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - Philadelphia (PA), USA - Arlington (VA), USA - Cape Town, South Africa - Portland (OR), USA - Sequim (WA), USA - Selma (AL), USA - Arradon, France - Petaling Jaya (Selangor), Malaysia - Stockholm, Sweden - Singapore, Singapore - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Phoenix (AZ), USA - Seattle (WA), USA - Toulouse, France - The Hague, Netherlands - Moscow, Russia - Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Stayton (OR), USA - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Detroit (MI), USA - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - Bandung (West Java), Indonesia - Greenville (SC), USA - Hyde, UK - Radonvilliers, France - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Nashville (TN), USA - Manila, Philippines - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Saarbrücken, Germany - New Orleans (LA), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Hobart (Tasmania), Australia - Forks (WA), USA - Wichita (Ks), USA - Barton (VT), USA - St. Louis (MO), USA - Joplin (MO), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Quincy (MA), USA - Setúbal, Portugal - Inverness (IL), USA - Christchurch, New Zealand - Toruń, Poland - North Bay (ON), Canada - Le Guilvinec, France - Chateaubriant, France - London, England - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Naples (FL), USA - Norwich (Norfolk), UK - Sydney, Australia - Austin (TX), USA - Mumbai, India - Boston (MA), USA - Santa Fe (NM), USA - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Paderborn, Germany - Montréal (QC), Canada - Jackson (MS), USA - Stavanger, Norway - Orlando (FL), USA - Grenoble, France - Cheltenham, UK - Forks (WA), USA - Mexico City, Mexico - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Weston (FL), USA - London, UK - Jefferson City (MO), USA - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Belgrade, Serbia - Paris, France - Shanghai, China - Montego Bay, Jamaica - Montpellier, France - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Auckland, New Zealand - Evry, France - New York City (NY), USA - Nottingham, UK - Las Vegas (NV), USA - Oslo, Norway - Minneapolis (MN), USA - American Fork (UT), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - Haninge, Sweden - Trujillo, Peru - Trujillo, Peru - Melbourne (VIC), Australia - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Durban, South Africa - Brussels, Belgium - Anderson (SC), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Wellington, New Zealand - Prague, Czech Republic - Saigon, Vietnam - Ystad, Sweden