MERRY CHRISTMAS

Haven't blogged for a while, not much of interest. 


So, to everyone who stumbles upon this blog - 


MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.


I hope that you have a great break and that the New Year is good for you.

LAUGHING STOCK...

We are just back from visiting friends on the coast. Bruce is a bird lover and has just tamed some local Kookaburras. They patiently waited on the handrail for hours for the daily feeding ritual.

 At first one then as the news spread the family turned up for their share...

For those not familiar with the Aussie Kookaburra they are part of the kingfisher family and have a very distinctive "laugh" and they generally laugh at dawn and are meant to herald forthcoming rain.


youtube has a number of videos of the Kookaburra - here's one


http://youtu.be/S0ZbykXlg6Q

ALL REVEALED

Last night we had an "Unveiling". Some friends were in Rome recently and happened across an antique shop. There, in the window was a beautiful marble statue of a young lady. They liked it very much but thought at 160kgs was a liitle large and heavy for their luggage. Trip over and back home they were still pondering the missed chance to purchase this "beauty". They had kept a business card, but sadly it couldn't be located amongst all the travel treasures. And, they thought that the statue would be a great addition to their new nest!


Q. How do you track down the shop without contact details?


A. Easy, onto Google maps and by retracing their steps through Rome they tracked down the shop and its name and contact details.


A quick call ascertained the statue they saw had been sold, but the sculptor would create a similar "beauty". A deal was done and the said statue shipped to the New World. So, last night was the unveiling, obviously delighted owners revealing her to their adoring friends. Photo below, but other less tasteful photos have been kept private to protect the guilty!

CULTURE COMES TO THE COUNTRY

We have been followers of the Archibald art prize for more years than I can count. We visited the Art gallery of NSW along with thousands of other "Culture vultures" every year to appreciate the variety of paintings submitted and, more often than not, wonder in amazement at the judges curious decision. There's a packers prize awarded by the staff in the packing room as the paintings are left for judging, to me their taste has often been superior to the so called judges.


Anyway, this year we discovered that the paintings were touring and were being exhibited at the Lake Macquarie Gallery. Lake Macquarie Art gallery!!! we exclaimed. Yes, sure enough, a google map in hand we set off to meet some friends there for a "squizz". It was great, a great venue by the lake, few people, and time and distance to really view and appreciate the paintings. Again some were of dubious quality - at least to us, but the winner this year painted by Ben Quilty of Margaret Olley was outstanding. It captures her aged and quirky appearance perfectly. It was worth the trip!