Magic moments.....

This is my last picture from the Freo markets, and for me the one I enjoyed taking the most. It was one of those moments when you see a scene that evokes such clear memories, I'm sure every one of you will know exactly what I'm talking about. Sitting with your daughter or son (or grandchild) and being so involved in what you're doing together that everything around you is of no consequence! I only took the one very quick shot because I didn't want them to notice me and so disturb the companionable aura around them.....I have had a little 'tinker' (thanks Ciel, you'll know what I mean!), hope you like what I've done with it.....!!

Something to take your fancy.....?

Established in 1897 the Fremantle, or Freo Markets (Freo Markets) are a great place to have a wander. The entrance above leads into 'The Shed' an area filled with fresh fruit and veg and if you saw yesterdays post many more exotic and interesting foodstuffs, like these 'Coffin Bay' oysters, slightly offputting name, but I'm sure delicious.....

The entrance from the other side leads into The Hall where you will find clothes, jewellery, candles, music and pretty much every kind of thing you'd expect to see at a big market, I'm almost 100% sure that no one would leave these markets without finding something to pique their interest.....!

Anyone for scramblers.....!!

It's been a while since I've been to the Fremantle markets, and I'd forgotten how much fun it is and how unusual and diverse the products available are..I must admit I almost did a 'double take' when I saw these babies sitting alongside the cartons of free range chicken eggs WHAT THE!!!! I'm not sure if this is something available at a local market near you, but I found them fascinating. Heavy, between 3 to 5 lb, apparently lower in cholesterol than chicken eggs with the equivalent content to make enough scrambled egg for 10 serves. When used in baking they are fluffier and sweeter than chicken eggs, not that I EVER intend to find out, there's something about them that would make me a little nervous to crack one open incase there was a bit more in there than  I'd bargained for!! The shell is so hard and quite difficult to crack but there must be a way to do it without causing too much damage  because they use the shells to make all sorts of 'arty' goods. All this for $8 a pop, would you buy (and eat) one.....? Have a 'cracking' good start to the new week.....

Les Ponts de Perth V.....

The Fremantle Traffic Bridge built in 1939 just before the beginning of WW2 is at the end of the Canning Highway which is the main thoroughfare for traffic crossing the Swan River from Perth into Fremantle. It's a very heavily used bridge and the question of it's stability has been under discussion for a few years now (risks). The Government had put money aside for an up grade but has since decided to use the money elsewhere, the worrying thing is, that if a ship passing underneath is pushed into the bridge by the extremely fast flow of the current coming in from the sea, the bridge could possibly collapse, thus being a danger to traffic, pedestrians and boats passing underneath. Also, if you enlarge, you will see that there are both water and gas lines attached to the bridge, which would be a major problem! I must admit we did hold our breath a little as this huge cruise ship passed underneath, it really didn't look like it would fit....by the shell of it's hull, pretty tight fit.....!!

A little further along adjacent to the traffic bridge is the rail bridge which operates from Fremantle across Perth's Western suburbs to Midland, you can see it here through the wooden pylons of the traffic bridge..... Happy Sunday.....

How many horses.....?

I  discovered this fabulous little shop in Fremantle yesterday. Behind the wooden door below was a treasure trove of wooden toys and bits and pieces, including more rocking horses in one space than I've seen before!!  As it's reflections today I opted for this shot and it was only when I got home and downloaded that I discovered there was more than one 'horsey' in the reflection. The bench was a bonus and made me think of Malyss (benchesonmyway) and VP (abunchofbenches) who are both 'bench connoisseurs'. Hope you have a great weekend, it's going to be a little cooler here than the last few days,  thank heavens.....!

Hot, hot, hot.....!!

I took this shot a few weeks ago as we were walking along the Burns Beach track when the temperatures were a little more 'civilized' than they were yesterday....37C  phew!! When things heat up in Perth the many beautiful white sandy beaches are where most folk head to cool off and find some relief.  I was thinking how great it would be if we could trade a few days here and there, not to be greedy just a few lovely hot days for you guys on the other side of the world in the middle of winter, you'd like that wouldn't you...and vice versa, some fresh cool days for us...oh heavens (as Joe Hevron used to say at every opportunity), two hot days and I've gone 'troppo' already.....!! Keep cool... or warm and have a great weekend.....

A walk on the wild side......!

James Street in Northbridge is one of the more 'colourful' areas in the city..Clubs, restaurants and a few 'seedy joints' too. It also happens to be where the Paradiso my favourite 'alternate' cinema is (foreign movies, just to be clear on what I mean by alternate haha!) So on the way up to Cinema  Paradiso we start with The Brass Monkey pub (TheBrassMonkey).....

On the other side of the road is The Tattoo Shop (TheTattooShop) cool little video with this one if you're interested in that kind of thing....

A little further up the street there are a couple of 'adult' shops which I should have snapped but didn't...  Moving on towards the top end of James Street are the cafes and restaurants, like Little Saigon,  Vietnamese food.....

Here we go through the black and white sculpture created by Lorenna Grant called the Arch (TheArch) , one of the many sculptures in Northbridge where they have spent a lot of money upgrading the area.....

Arriving at our destination I noticed this super little sports car parked in the side lane next to the cinema, I liked the coloured wall against the shiny red of the car....

Et voila we arrive at Cinema Paradiso to see 'Angele & Tony' a French movie of course, which we enjoyed immensely! It's said that the Paradiso has a house ghost, I wonder if this is the blurry image of he/she here, or..... it could be that I just took a rubbish picture haha! It does look a bit 'spooky', what do you think.....?

Birds in my garden IV.....

I mean honestly.....where else in the world would you get a Kookaburra (Kookaburra) sitting quietly on your fence regarding you hanging out the washing. You can tell it's a windy day,  his 'coif' is blowing up in the breeze, he was a very sweet little fella and I felt quite privileged that he felt safe enough to sit there for ages while I  snapped away! Hope you have a great 'hair day'.....!! p.s. 36C here in Perth today phew! that's way too hot.....

There will be no cruises on the horizon for me.....!

Despite my fear of being a'sail on the open seas (deep water and all that!) one of my favorite things to photograph are the multitude of boats big and small that are moored in the many marina's around Perth.  Strolling around Hillary's Marina I observed the contrast between the small but extremely attractive sailing boats parked only a stone's throw away from these huge,sleek motor launches and couldn't help wonder which would be the safest to brave the 'ocean wide' in..! After much musing, I decided...neither...nothing has changed, it's always going to be very deep water with 'nasty' things in it no matter how big the boat is, so I will continue to admire from the safety of the shore and let the brave mariners head off into the 'great blue yonder'.....!! How about you, 'set sail' or turn a key.....?

Tease.....It's all in the details.....!

While we were away in Sydney last weekend, my incredibly talented niece Jessica (Jessica) had the opening of her latest art show. I had been lucky enough to have a sneak preview and fell in love with this picture called 'Tease', but as it's not really good form to have a sold sticker on a work before the show has officially opened I had to take my chances...I had the time difference between Sydney and Perth worked out to the second, and relying on the assumption that most people will have a quick first look around and to be fair (why??) fifteen minutes after the exhibition opened in Perth I sent a text message through to secure my bid! I was very lucky as it was one of the most sought after pieces in the show, and now it's safely hanging on my bedroom wall. It's an ink and embroidery on stretched silk, the embroidery touches were an inspiration I think on Jessica's part and give it that extra special pizazz..!

 

Jess had her exhibition in a fabulous space in the new State Theatre that I posted here. We were mulling over the idea of possibly having a combined show at sometime in the future,  hmmm! sounds a little scary.....!! Hope you have a good Monday.....

A rose is a rose, is a rose, is a rose.....!

This memorable first line from Gloria Stein's poem 'Sacred Emily' written in 1913 basically meaning 'when all is said and done a thing is what it is'  although not literally referring to roses, was I thought one way to lead into how I feel about roses which is..'blooming marvelous'. I love the way roses are full of alluring promise from the moment they begin to open as a bud right up until the petals start falling off!  I'm sure I can't be the only one who holds onto a beautiful vase of roses until they've gone through the full cycle of first picked to full blown and even then reluctant to let them go.....! Have a wonderful Sunday.....

Welcoming committee.....!

When the fishing boats arrive home at Fremantle harbour, the reception committee is waiting to welcome them home and check the quality of the cargo..... I hope the quality of your weekend is tasty also.....!!

OMG is that a crack in the wing.....!!

It's probably not a good idea for someone with my horreur of flying to sit by the window in a plane, but I figured if it was going to be my last click of the camera it might as well be something as beautiful as the sun going down  (I know right, dramatic to the max haha!!) Ten minutes later I was fast asleep with the help of a little white pill..not good you might be thinking...but so much better than me unnerving everyone in close proximity declaring, 'we're going down, we're going down' especially as we hadn't even taken off yet.....!! Happy Skywatch Friday.....

Another cocktail..... ? Absabloominlutely.....!!

I took so many photos in Sydney but I'm only going to post a couple of the 'arty' ones because it's not my city and Julie (sydney-eye), Jim (SydneyCity and Suburbs), Ann (SydneyMeanderings) and other Sydneysiders do the best job of that already! This one was taken when we had  cocktails in the Blu Bar on the 36th floor of The Shangri La (Blu Bar). It's more than a touch unnerving sitting on a bar stool, leaning on a glass table being able to see the traffic flow so very far down below you. The fabulous views of Darling Harbour, Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House certainly make up for the strong feelings of vertigo, and....oh yes, a few cocktails definitely soothe the nerves too.....!!

A delightful affair.....

The groom wore a black suit and extremely pointy black patent leather shoes (photo above courtesy of Aimee), the bride a lacy black Collette Dinigin dress and incredibly high Alexander McQueen shoes, when Chrissie the celebrant, a close friend of theirs for many years, asked 'would it be alright if I wore a long white dress' the bride replied 'well, someone really should!!'

Dave and Courtney have been living in Sydney in Surrey Hills for the last five years, they love it and totally embraced it in their wedding. The ceremony was performed on the first level of the State Library, a huge room with wooden floors and big glass windows (which unfortunately made taking photos much more challenging, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!) and sliding doors opening out looking over Crown Street.....

There were no bridesmaids, no best man, no walking down any aisles, the aisle you see here was mainly to satisfy the Mum's needs haha! Dave and Courtney were already mingling with the guests, including family, and friends made way back at school in Perth together with new friends made since living in Sydney, at least twenty minutes before the official business started.  I thought I might try and keep it a 'little together' and not become the 'traditional' blubbering mother, but from the moment Chrissie the celebrant, began her address, describing how Dave and Courtney had met and arrived at this point eleven years later, in a very amusing, charming and sometimes hilarious way, my eyes were a little moist (definitely not blubbery!!) We then left the library and walked (yes, the whole wedding party) down to Bourke Street, past their apartment on one corner and on down to Fico's on the corner of Bourke and Nobb St. a really great little wine bar for the 'reception', the 'wedding cake' was supplied by the Bourke Street Bakery a few steps further down on the corner of Bourke and Devonshire St, and was actually not a cake (you didn't think for one minute it would be did you!) but a selection of the sweet tarts that they are so well known for. All in all it was a wonderfully warm and stylish affair and you can tell by our happy smiles (sorry about the sunglasses), that along with family and close friends, we enjoyed it immensely .....!!

We arrived back in Perth late on Monday night totally exhausted, there is such a lot to do and see in Sydney and you have to make the most of the time. I really would have liked to have caught up with my blogger 'mates' in Sydney, maybe next time. Looking forward to catching up with what's going on in your part of the world.....p.s. Aimee has a few more pics from the wedding on (midnightpie), she wasn't quite as misty eyed as I was and got some great shots...p.p.s. it's soooooo good to be home.....!!

Up, up...and all the way there hopefully.....!!

Firstly I apologize for lack of communication and comments yesterday,  I was in the grip of 'le grand mal de tête' brought about no doubt by having to face possibly one of my biggest fears...flying! I will do it because let's face it the thought of never going to Paris again is too horrible to contemplate, add to that my son and first born is getting married on Saturday and as they have been living in Sydney for the last few years this is where they will wed, so face it I must...heavily sedated, the only way to fly haha! To top things off we are flying Qantas and between you and me they've been causing me a little 'anxiety' lately with one thing and another! As I want to be IN the photos at this wedding, I won't be official photographer, but to enhance the 'matrimonial mood' here are two pictures from a wedding I did last year. I'll be off the 'blogger sphere' for the next nine days, returning hopefully (if the plane doesn't CRASH..see what I'm like!!) with some good shots of the wedding to show you. Take care, I sincerely hope you have a peaceful week whichever part of the world you abide in.....

Reflections over the Indian Ocean.....

Taken last night as Aimee and I were walking down the coast road, affirming once again that Mother Nature is the finest 'artiste' of all.....!! Hope you have a fabulous weekend.....

Bring back the pneumatic tube.....!!

The General Post Office building (GPO) which is listed as a heritage landmark building was officially opened in 1923 and regarded at that time as 'quite splendid'.. Oh how I would have loved to have seen this post office in it's hey day, 7 floors of thriving activity. Basement vaults and bulk parcels, 1st floor mail room. 2nd floor executive offices, 3rd floor State Engineer and operators of the telephone and telegram systems connected to the ground floor by pneumatic tubes HOW FANTASTIC!! I'm sure I should have been born a hundred years ago...oh wait.. !! I was haha! Now where was I before I got excited about the pneumatic tubes...4th and 5th floor taxation department, 6th floor Federal Depts and accommodation for Federal Ministers and last but not least the 7th floor which was the staff dining room, imagine the stories flying around there!  The solid Jarrah floor and features are still there, but only a very small section is used as a post office, the rest as the bumph describes it has been 'spruced up with shops and restaurants'..yeh like we really need more of those.....!!

Oh I do love to be beside the seaside.....!

Driving down the coast road yesterday on the way to the Melbourne Cup lunch at the Trigg Island Cafe,  I was mesmerized by the colour of the sky and sea, I stopped to take this shot (making me late again) just before I reached Trigg beach which is described by surfers and body boarders this way... 'A good day surfing at Trigg Beach will leave you smiling.  A bad day could leave you severely dumped, sucked into the notorious Blue Hole, or swept out to sea by a coastal rip' (surfing etiquette) this link did make me smile, 'the rules of surfing', yes even out there where on top of all the above mentioned dangers there is the possibility of becoming a shark 'snack' there are rules, well there has to be, those surf boards are very pointy. Hopefully you'll agree this shot was worth being late for lunch.....!!

Bad luck Red Cadeaux.....!!

Every year on the first Tuesday in November the whole of Australia comes to a stop at midday for The Melbourne Cup (history), a horse race that some of you might have heard about.. Horse racing is not my 'thing' but it's hard not to get caught up in the excitement when the horses bolt out of the stands. It's a long race 3,200 mtrs  more than enough time for the tension to rise, usually by the time the horses are coming into the final stretch everyone is up and cheering (not me of course, much too dignified for all that haha!). The thing that makes me laugh the most every year is, that as blase as I am about it, much to everyone's chagrin, with no research at all into form, jockey etc. I always pick the winner, hilarious!! This year I won a whole $35, just enough to buy the two desserts seen below for the four of us to demolish quick fast, the best bit of the whole lunch methinks.....!

Then there was the prize for the best hat, which went to the lady with the black hat/yellow flowers combo..but personally I fell in love with the lady 'of a certain age' with the red hat (not a very clear picture) but you can see how charmingly elegant she looked....

This years race was the closest finish in the history of the race, it took the judges a good five or six minutes to study the photo finish and you can see by the picture it was won by a breath by French trained horse Dunaden from English galloper Red Cadeaux. All in all a good day, what can I say, by pure luck , I know how to pick a winner.....! Hope you have a fab day.....