Mr & Mrs Fudge Go To Town

I had every intention of changing my banner to Winter 2017 when suddenly it is Spring.  It's been a long stretch between my last post and today, but it's been one of those years when life got in the way. We have lost far too many friends in the past few months which has taken its toll, but we are determined to hang around for many more years.

This morning we hopped on the train for our annual trip to sigh over the David Jones Spring Flower Show.  Warning: there will be a few pictures.

When we first started coming to the flower show, I seemed to be the only one sheepishly taking out my camera and snapping away.  See what I've started?  I love the gentleman in the centre of the image bending over to avoid ruining someone's photo.

  

There were avenues of exotic orchids which were swoon-worthy.

Sprays of blossoms and roses caught everyone's attention.

And what would it be without David Jones' Piano Man?  

While we were in the city we took advantage of the leisurely stroll through Hyde Park to the Art Gallery to take in the Archibald Prize.  

This year's entries came in all sizes, from miniature to that-couldn't-possibly-fit-on-my-wall size.  However the portrait which stole my heart (and obviously that of this other art lover) was The Inner Stillness of Eileen Kramer by Andrew Lloyd Greensmith.  The subject is 102 years old, born in the same year as my much missed mother.  She still dances professionally, which rather puts me to shame, having retired this year from my children's clothing business and desktop publishing!  It wasn't until I came home that I read something of the artist.  He is a plastic surgeon who co-headed the team which successfully separated the conjoined twins Trishna and Krishna in 2009.  

Not to be missed is the Young Archies, works by school students from ages 5 to 18.  Here are my two favourites.

What's not to love about spring?

Traditions

Ah ... we are into our fourth day of summer, and loving it.  I know this month will pass in a blur, but it's a month which holds certain traditions, and not the least of those is the Christmas season. However, the first December tradition occurred today, the local village street fair.

As usual, we were early arrivals and after walking a brief distance it was unanimously voted that the first stop would be the coffee shop. I love the smell of coffee in the morning.

The reason we like to arrive early is another tradition, the day starts with the Knox School Pipes and Drums Band and we were fortunate enough to have a front row view.  It's amazing how easy it is to achieve that position if you are prepared to kick old ladies, children and dogs out of the way.  Of course we didn't. but at our age we're entitled to our evil fantasies.

The young boy in the centre took his twirling so seriously - it was endearing to watch.

Some folk like men in tights.  Give me men in kilts any day.

Look at the swoosh of the pleats as they march in unison.  Perfect.

We were delighted with the quality and variety of goodies offered by the stall holders.

The crowds quickly built up and the stall holders were kept on their toes.  We even bumped into our three grandchildren and their parents who were on their way to fly down a giant slide set up for the day.  The grandchildren.  Not the parents.

I loved some of the quirky fashion worn by the young, although I must admit I was somewhat relieved to discover that this young lass was actually wearing leggings and her legs weren't tattooed!

There were beautiful linens with wonderful designs.

Hats and bags ...

And food ...

But at the end of the day it wasn't about us humans - it was the dogs' day out.

Whether they wanted to be there or not.

It's so good to take a small break from the sewing machine, although I am frantically putting the finishing touches to a couple of quilt tops.

Next Friday our second December tradition will take place.  Can't wait. 

Spring - at last

If you are averse to all things floral, kindly avert your gaze, because Spring is here and today we have been on our annual pilgrimage to David Jones.

This is our sixth Spring Flower visit since our return to Sydney and it never fails to lift the spirits after a long and relatively cold winter.

The David Jones' Piano Man is still there to welcome customers - he is an institution in Sydney and I think it will be the end of civilization when he finally retires.

There were guided tours for the garden enthusiasts...

... but we decided to take it all in at our own pace.

We were not the only happy snappers; it was at times like a hazard course trying to keep out of keen photographers' line of vision.

That gentleman looks familiar ...

Ah, it was absolutely wonderful.  Mind you, I'm not sure how many sales are made during the week of the flower display.  Probably it would be a good time for sales staff to take a timely break.

We took a stroll over to the Art Gallery of New South Wales to catch the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes.

While I really liked the Archibald winning entry, a portrait of Barry Humphries by Louise Hearman, it was the realist portrait, Deng, painted by Nick Stathopoulos which I found to be quite compelling.

I also loved this tiny self-portrait by young artist Natasha Walsh.

The Wynne Prize winner, Seven Sisters, is a collaborative by five sisters who live in the remote Aboriginal community of Amata in the far north west of South Australia.  Loved it.

All in all it was quite an eventful day.  Time to sip on a glass or two of wine.