our house sale has happened
The sale of our Canberra home has happened!
Category Archives: travel
The Niagara Café and Gundagai
recommended stopover
First a little history: Having not called by Gundagai for many years, in 2015 we called in to check out the well-known Niagara Café. It was a disappointment.
A day out in Braidwood
Making the time out to visit regionally
Earlier this month we ventured out for the day to meet a friend at Braidwood. She was from the south coast and so Braidwood meant we both travelled just over an hour.
pandemic travel to Adelaide
not so normal travel during the pandemic
We took the opportunity to travel to what seemed like a faraway place – Adelaide.
NSW borders open
Enjoying freedom to travel
Last Monday we were heading up the highway towards Sydney. We had crossed the border. It felt strange. It had been three months since we had left the ACT.
Driving between Canberra and Melbourne
Singapore
Views of Singapore 2018
A small selection of photographs from wandering around this wonderful complex city.
Cultural Landscape
The Cultural Landscape Foundation wants to connect people to the places of culture around them. click here
Venice under stress
Click on the image above
Wonders of apartment heaven in Zetland
For people who live in the older tree filled suburbs of Canberra, being not only the inner north but also out to west Belconnen and the older parts of Woden, Weston and inner Tuggeranong – I have a holiday experience for you.
Rijksmuseum 19th Century photography
the Rijksmuseum is presenting a major retrospective of 19th-century photography – click here
Ballarat Foto Biennale – Portrait Prize
Martin Kantor Portrait Prize Entry
Applications close: 31st May 2017
click on image for more….
Ballarat
A place where good things happen
click on the image
Shopping in Sydney
Recommended gift shopping: Made On Earth
The Place in Sydney for all manner of gifts and good buys – recommended.
Shopping in Sydney
Recommended gift shopping: Made On Earth
The Place in Sydney for all manner of gifts and good buys – recommended.
Air Travel
Travel: Flying is no longer a human experience
We have reached the point that flying anywhere is no longer an human experience we should consider unless you are able to book business class seats.
Versailles at the NGA–a summer of glitz, cake and unsettled staff
Usually at this time of the year, I am looking forward to the coming visual arts exhibitions at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA).
Continue reading Versailles at the NGA–a summer of glitz, cake and unsettled staff
Singapore visual arts
For many years tourists regarded Singapore as a stop over to somewhere else. Most spent a night or three but rarely much more.
Singapore Biennale 2016
Drive north or drive south
I have posted previously about driving to Sydney – and – about the drive to Melbourne and the coffee stops along the way. Here’s a few more things to consider.
Coffee breaks Canberra to Melbourne
Apparently if you chose to drive straight through to Melbourne from Canberra, it can take as little as just under seven hours.
Auckland
Here’s a couple of photographs from my recent visit to Auckland for the 2016 Auckland festival of photography.
Trump Baby
Another sign of wonder. This one we came upon while walking down a street in Auckland. That hair should be a registered trademark.
Canberra to Sydney coffee breaks
There will be some readers out there who remember well the terrors of driving between Sydney and Canberra before the freeways and motorways.
Arts exchange with Singapore and Wellington
First a positive note – full marks to the ACT Government for their efforts to achieve direct flights between Canberra and the cities of Wellington and Singapore.
Continue reading Arts exchange with Singapore and Wellington
Signs of Life and Wonder
Apparently the residents of Gungahlin have had enough of being a lower priority to other areas of Canberra.
Driving Canberra to Nowra
While some people may enjoy the buzz of living within densely population metropolitan cities, there are definite benefits to being in Canberra and being able to head out into the country in a few minutes, rather than struggling down the crowded toll ways.
Taking time in the landscape
I like to drive. I enjoy the drive to and from Sydney. It is not everyone’s favourite drive but I find there is always something happening and there are always changes due to the weather and/or the season.
National Gallery Singapore
click on image above for the story about this very successful new national gallery.
Wollongong – urban opportunities?
There is some brilliant work being delivered within the public realm by local governments across Australia.
national gallery singapore
Opening Celebrations announced
Starts 24 November. Complimentary entry for visitors from 24 Nov – 6 Dec 2015. Click on image for link to gallery website.
climate change
a photograph from The Guardian. Not a fun place to be. click on image for the article
Mind The Art
Mind the art: Transport for London unveils new commissions for the tube (click on image)
Gateways into Canberra
I enjoy the drive between Sydney from Canberra. I do it reasonably often. The mood of the country changes according to the weather, the drought, the latest rains and the time of the day.
Arts Singapore
There’s an announcement online about a new art fair to be held in January at the same time as Art Stage Singapore, Click on the image for more on this.
Sir John Soane
I have been to London many times. Somehow I had not managed to find my way to the Sir John Soane Museum London until my most recent trip.
photography
A few travel photographs from not quite the usual tourist destination. This time we were in Maidstone in Kent. The image above is from within the local museum.
Visiting AGNSW
Visitor comment
on visiting the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
A visit to the Art Gallery of New South Wales is always worth the trouble no matter what exhibitions are on. I have often said, that this would be one of the easier jobs in the country as the audience comes no matter what the exhibition. But
National Gallery: The Film
Notice of Film Release
National Gallery: The Film (2014) by Frederick Wisemen
This film has been released and I have read numerous positive reviews and much commentary about its making. I have noted the release as I consider going to The National Gallery in London as one of the great joys in life.
A Photograph
Photography of tourist behaviour
Walking through a side street in central Vienna late last year, we came across a group of people totally captured by something out of our view.
A Photograph
Photography: What are they doing in there?
It was while visiting Singapore recently, that a local friend took us to dinner in a well-known food alley. I was here that I noticed the light coming from the window above us. I had to take a photo. (click on photo to enlarge)
Art Gallery Exhibitions
Review: Visual Arts/photography
This is my December 2014 overview on accessing Australia’s major visual art gallery exhibition programs though their websites. – and the status of photography.
Enjoying London
A Photo-Essay
my tourist photographs of London.
click any image to enlarge
Monument in the Landscape
Photography: a plinth to honour almost nothing
This is a photograph of the monument on the harbour side of Manly to honour the landing of Captain Arthur Phillip in Manly. One problem!
Far East Organization Children’s Garden, Singapore
Far East Organization Children’s Garden
at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore
I spotted this YouTube introduction to the Far East Organization Children’s Garden at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.
Continue reading Far East Organization Children’s Garden, Singapore
Canberra Architecture
Review: Book
Canberra Architecture, Andrew Metcalf
Watermark Architectural Guides, 2003
I picked up this book quiet a while ago but it is only now that I have had time to look through it. I am glad I did, as after reading through quite a bit of it, I have become more aware that Canberra has a reasonable amount of good and notable architecture.
I have a quiet interest in good architecture and have spent some energies complaining about the current crop of badly designed houses and commercial buildings being thrust onto Canberra. Residents have despaired that good design in our civic areas and suburbs has become a thing of the past.
Visiting the National Gallery of Victoria
Review: Gallery Visitor Experience
Visiting the National Gallery of Victoria*
One of the unfortunate outcomes of the marketing of our major art galleries is that so much emphasis has been placed on the special and blockbuster exhibitions. This form of marketing may be assisting with budgets, but this success is at the cost of letting people know about the galleries’ own collection exhibitions.
City as Theme Park
Dear Venice: It just keeps getting worse
Any major city or city district has ambitions to attract tourists. When it works well everyone prospers and the locals can be happy. Tourists arrive and spend money.
Adelaide
Review: Book
Adelaide, Kerryn Goldsworthy, 2011
This is another of those smallish book published about Australia’s capital cities. I have already reviewed Hobart, by Peter Timms.
I have to confess that I did not take to the book on Adelaide and at times seriously considered giving up. In the end I had a move quickly through whole sections in order to see where the author was going.
Gardens By The Bay
Review: Gardens By The Bay, Singapore
This is a difficult review. I am not as enthusiastic about this major park project as all the reviews I can find online. I am very ware that it has been granted all sorts of awards. Please check award accolades here in the UK Telegraph, and again on this award site.
Grace Marchant Garden
Review: Grace Marchant Garden, San Francisco
Location the Filbert Steps between Telegraph Hill Boulevard down to Levi Plaza and the Embarcadero.
This is a story about local people caring for their own. In the first instance one woman’s determination to make the open space beautiful around her new home. And then a story about the local community who have since stepped in to keep and maintain her legacy, now called the Grace Marchant Garden.
Cafe Music
Opinion: Cafes and Loud Music
We wandered recently over to Green Square Kingston for some late breakfast and coffee. There are now four different cafes serving breakfast/brunch in this one place with another across the street. I would estimate that there would be at least another six further around the block. We thought we may check out a new cafe that had opened just weeks earlier.
Public Art
Review: Public Art
Sculpture of Ben Chifley and John Curtin, Canberra
I have driven passed this sculptural piece, by Peter Corlett, many many times. The pair of sculptures look very natural on the corner to the extent that I dare say the casual observer and busy drivers may pass by and miss that they are bronze figures. There’s no plinth. They have been attached directly onto the footpath.
Art Gallery Exhibitions
Review: Visual Arts
An overview of accessing Australia’s major visual art gallery exhibition programs though their websites. Date: Christmas 2013.
This is an overview of what visual arts major art galleries are telling us is available around the country this Christmas. Our major art galleries endeavour to have their local audiences come through the doors. The challenge is to convince someone interested in all manner of visual arts, including photography, to spend some of our discretionary leisure time and dollars to travel (pay airfares and accommodation) to see the collections and special exhibitions.
Photography
From the Guardian Australia
How photographing events stops us living them
I identify with Jillian’s comments – click here or on the image above. Many times I witness people wander up to an art work or some scene, and without any thought, they quickly pull up the camera, iphone or ipad, snap and then walk on. They do not even take the time to really look. Got the photo, move onto the next one.
Outside the National Gallery of Australia, people sometimes bring their car to a halt, jump out, snap a few, then it is back in the car and off they go. They have done the National Gallery! and have the photo to prove it. Where was the enjoyment in all that.
Food: in japan
Photo-essay
Japan and food – an image
A photograph taken in 2006 of lunch time on a busy back street in Tokyo.
The food was great. Ordering in such places is always interesting as no-one there spoke English (and this is the usual off the tourist areas) and we spoke absolutely no Japanese. We managed through hand gestures and pointing and thanks to the politeness and very friendly nature of the owners. This experience was repeated often whereby the locals were both helpful and courteous to these foreigners who did not speak their language.