Where's an ark when you need it?

Nobody loves to see green gardens more than I do, but this is ridiculous.  It's been a couple of weeks of disasters from Queensland right down the eastern coast of Australia.  You know it's bad when they postpone a rugby league test match between Australia and New Zealand!  And it's not over yet.  Our first floor unit has suffered some water damage, with our bedroom and my sewing room having the carpets ripped up and the underlay removed.  As a result, I am in no man's land, with my sewing machines sitting in the middle of the room awaiting repairs to the offending window flashing and wrongfully sealed up brick weep holes.  Still, we know are so fortunate when we read the terrible stories that abound up and down the coast.

However, there was a bright spot in our week.

There was a time when I would buy magazines at the drop of a hat.  In fact, I was known as the Magazine Queen, a title I have now bestowed on The Middle Child.  Over the years my magazine enthusiasm has waned, but this particular publication caught my attention and I had to buy.

Perhaps the article on page 48 had something to do with it. 

This magazine oozes class.

It sets a very high benchmark and it has impeccable taste.  I'm not saying that because it features my daughter.  Scout's honour.

With all the turmoil, sewing has been put on the back burner.  I was a fair way along with this little dress when the cyclonic winds, rain and hail descended on Sydney (we dodged the hail thank goodness).  I have terrible withdrawal symptoms but with a little luck the machines will be zipping along again next week.

In the meantime, I'll find a lovely warm corner and read my magazine.

Everything old is new again

I guess it's true that every cloud has a silver lining.  Our cloud came in the form of not being permitted to hang any of our pictures on the walls of the unit where we spent the last three years.  The silver lining is that there are no such restrictions in our new home.  All our paintings and pictures as a result were sulking in a storage cage in the basement of the building.  I'll spare you the dramas of reducing the huge pile of possessions which were sharing the space with the paintings, suffice to say we somehow successfully reduced it to what would fit into our actual unit.  With no storage cage in our new home, life is so much simpler.  Another silver lining.

We are waiting for a professional picture hanger to take care of the larger pictures, but in the meantime we figured we could look after some of the smaller works on our own.  The walls are solid brick with no gyprock to hammer picture hooks into, so we bought some of those adhesive ones which guarantee they will hold certain weights.  We'll see.

First picture up was one of our daughter Maz Dixon's works, naturally.  So far it hasn't fallen down and it's been up an hour already (that should get her heart racing).

These two works have always hung in our bedroom and it's like Christmas all over to see them back where they belong.  Mary Cassatt has long been an artist I admire and her picture, Child in a Straw Hat, is my favourite.  These two have also been up for an hour without falling down, but I'm not silly enough to have either one hanging over my head when I'm in bed.

Even having a calendar up on the wall is exciting, and looking at Margaret Olley works every day is not hard on the eyes.

Now for a confession.  We have quite a few paintings and pictures.  They have to go somewhere while we decide which ones are going up where and which ones will have to sadly part company with us.

And where else would you store them but in the guest bathroom?

It's the perfect conversation starter and as long as our guests don't take a shower, we'll be fine.

The Christmas break was a good time step back from sewing, but pretty soon I was ready for the new year.  The grandchildren needed beach bags for their holiday away with their parents so after consultation with their mother, this design was chosen, as it also has lots of pockets inside to carry those seaside treasures such as shells, dead crabs or whatever it is that children fancy today.  

Our quilting group met this week for the first time since the Christmas break and what a show and tell one of members had.  A relative had survived World War I only to be murdered in the Middle East in 1920 while on active duty.  Her cousin in England was a direct descendant and had ordered two poppies to be placed at The Tower, one for himself and the other for my quilting friend.  It arrived with some of the soil still attached and it was such a thrill to see one of these famous poppies close up.   

Some time back I had purchased a pattern by Amelie and Henri.  I am a great admirer of the designer Kerri and this pretty dress was waiting for some spare time to be made up.  It is so 1920s with its drop waistline, lace and pleats, not to mention the big bow. 

I came across the perfect black and white fabrics last week and decided it would be my first Hot Fudge item for 2015.  Australian buyers can also find it here.

So as you can see, everything old is new again.

Looking for Spring

It's difficult to believe that winter has finally departed, in theory at least.  In fact it's still hanging around and bringing along its friends, rain and wind.  However, if you look hard enough there are delightful pockets of the new season to be found and yesterday we set out to discover a couple of them.

After a soggy walk through the city we arrived at the pop-up gallery where our daughter Maz's paintings are on exhibit, along with some other talented artists.  We were greeted by lovely the gallery director Emilya Colliver who delighted in advising that all Maz's painting were sold and indeed there was a waiting list for new paintings.  Emilya champions emerging artists and her vitality and enthusiasm shine through.  If you are in Sydney you can catch the exhibition which runs until 14 September.  Details can be found here.

 Why not make a day of it and take in the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes at the Art Gallery of NSW?  

Earlier in the day we took our annual pilgrimage to David Jones in the city to take in their annual Spring Flower Show which is always the best way to get the spirits soaring.

This year the theme is The Enchanted Florence, celebrating the renowned artist Florence Broadhurst.

The display did wonders for us.

The iconic pianist was there to greet the visitors with his cheerful smile and amazing reservoir of tunes which he can choose from at the drop of a hat.  

Of course, the merchandise blended beautifully with the surrounding floral displays and I was hoping to return today to relieve them of a handbag or two.  But we didn't win Lotto.

Thank you David Jones for making us all feel a little younger.

And thank you to our daughter for making us feel so proud.

A night at the gallery

Little did I think as I held our firstborn baby that one day I would see her art work hanging in the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

But there she was last night at the official opening of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes.

And there we were, soaking up the atmosphere, sipping our champers and celebrating with Maz, our son-in-law Nathan and their friends.

Note:  My camera threw a hissie at being taken out on such a cold night and became quite temperamental. It produced blurry images and half the time took video shots when decidedly not asked to do so.  This is what really happened:   

Along with about 1,000 of our close personal friends, we listened to speeches from officials and politicians, buoyed by even more champagne and Matt Moran catered food.

At last we were invited to view the art works and the rush was on.  Artists and celebrities mingled with us mere mortals as we entered gallery after gallery of paintings on view for the first time.

The Wynne Prize was taken out by Michael Johnson (r) who was suitably chuffed with his win (no pun intended).  

Another entry in the Wynne which caught the eye.

It was difficult to get close to the Archibald winner Fiona Lowry's haunting portrait of architect Penelope Seidler.  It was a popular win and looks so much better viewed in reality than it comes across on the web.

The Sulman Prize was taken out by Andrew Sullivan with his wonderful entry T-rex (tyrant lizard king).  Do you notice what a gracious person I am, considering he was in competition with my daughter?

What Death Leaves Behind

  

I was so happy to finally meet an artist I have admired, Jason Moad who flew up from Melbourne with his wife Peggy to attend the opening.  His beautiful painting was quite poignant - I loved it.

We took one last look at our daughter's entry before braving the winter winds to drive home.  If pride is one of the seven deadly sins, then I stand guilty.

Secret # 2

Oh, the relief.  Ten days ago our daughter Maz Dixon contacted us with the exciting news that she had been selected as a finalist in the 2014 Sulman Prize.  However, we were sworn to secrecy until the official announcement from the Art Gallery of NSW which has now happened.

Colony

Of course we are bursting with pride, as it's the second time she has been a finalist in the Sulman Prize. This is a major event in the Australian art scene and the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes will be on exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW from 19 July to 28 September.  I will try to keep my cool when I visit the gallery.  I can't promise, but I will try.

Newcastle

It's only about two hours north of Sydney on the freeway, yet it's years since we have been to Newcastle.  And my how it's changed.

We arrived about an hour before the younger travellers and discovered a cosy cafe adjoining the museum for a snack.  The sounds of an orchestral recital taking place in the museum came wafting through the walls to entertain us - a lovely start to the weekend.

There's an eclectic mixture of old and new, with the inner city and mall retaining many of the old buildings while the waterfront area abounds in new and classy developments.

Children bring a new perspective to places visited, as they seek out areas an adult would perhaps pass by without a second glance.

Their imagination can turn the simplest objects into playgrounds full of adventure.

It's difficult climbing onto a giant hook when you are six ...

... so much easier when you are on the cusp of eight.

But when you are three, you just have to grin and bear it.

Our three year-old has us all puzzled.  Is he right-handed or left-handed?  His mother and great-uncle are certain that he's a leftie like them, but the rest of us are keeping an open mind.

Our weekend was complete when we returned home to find a couple of email messages that our daughter was featured on the Frankie Magazine blog. We were so happy for her.

However, her niece and nephews make sure she keeps her feet planted firmly on the ground.