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Tuesday 4 October 2011
The Flapper Girl Of The 1920s - Wearing Boots!
If you think women's knee high boots have only been around since the 1960's think again.
The gorgeous 'Flappers' of the 1920's were wearing them 40 years before this.
There is very little in the fashion industry that is truly original - reinvention and recycling that's the name of the game!
Sunday 2 October 2011
Fairy Penguins Tasmania- Our Very Own 'Happy Feet'
Tasmania is famous for it's 'Tassie Devils' and although they are rather cute in an ugly sort of way and they are an endangered species - well that's what happens when you growl at other people....for me nothing compares to Tasmania's Fairy Penguins.
Penguin colonies can be found all around the Island.
There are rookeries at Bicheno on the East Coast at The Neck on Bruny Island in the south, and along the North West Coast at Devonport, Burnie, Stanley and the aptly named 'Penguin' famous for it's Penguin colonies and 'Penguin Night Tours'.
Hundreds of breeding pairs come ashore after dark and make their way across the sand to burrows among the rocks or in hollow scrapes under tussock grass or in tunnels up to 80 centimetres deep.
When 'courting' these darling creatures 'sing' to each other as they look for their life long soul mates.
And yes I do love the animated movie 'Happy Feet'!
Fairy Penguins can be seen year-round but the main breeding season is spring and summer (November to March in Tasmania).
Penguin colonies can be found all around the Island.
There are rookeries at Bicheno on the East Coast at The Neck on Bruny Island in the south, and along the North West Coast at Devonport, Burnie, Stanley and the aptly named 'Penguin' famous for it's Penguin colonies and 'Penguin Night Tours'.
Hundreds of breeding pairs come ashore after dark and make their way across the sand to burrows among the rocks or in hollow scrapes under tussock grass or in tunnels up to 80 centimetres deep.
When 'courting' these darling creatures 'sing' to each other as they look for their life long soul mates.
And yes I do love the animated movie 'Happy Feet'!
Fairy Penguins can be seen year-round but the main breeding season is spring and summer (November to March in Tasmania).
Saturday 1 October 2011
Random Loveliness - The Art Of The Pre-Raphaelites
I Felt the need to post some 'Random Loveliness' today in the midst of my blogs on Tasmania.
I'm taking a nostalgic trip back to my twenties....you know in the last century!
As a younger much more idealistic woman I adored the beauty of the 19th Century English Pre-Raphaelite painters.
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB) was founded in 1849 by William Holman Hunt (1827-1910), D.G. Rossetti, John Everett Millais (1829-1896), William Michael Rossetti, James Collinson, Thomas Woolner, and F. G. Stephens to revitalize the arts. (Even though William and Michael's sister, Christina, never was an official member of the Brotherhood, she was a crucial member of the inner circle, indeed she modeled for many of the paintings.
Although the young would-be art revolutionaries never published a manifesto, their works and memoirs show that having read Ruskin's praise of the artist as prophet, they hoped to create an art suitable for the modern age. (The Victorian Web).
I came across a couple of old prints stored in my garage and was once again blown away by the loveliness of the paintings.
Even as I march towards my 'half Century', it's nice to know that these artworks still have the power to move me.
I'm taking a nostalgic trip back to my twenties....you know in the last century!
As a younger much more idealistic woman I adored the beauty of the 19th Century English Pre-Raphaelite painters.
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB) was founded in 1849 by William Holman Hunt (1827-1910), D.G. Rossetti, John Everett Millais (1829-1896), William Michael Rossetti, James Collinson, Thomas Woolner, and F. G. Stephens to revitalize the arts. (Even though William and Michael's sister, Christina, never was an official member of the Brotherhood, she was a crucial member of the inner circle, indeed she modeled for many of the paintings.
Although the young would-be art revolutionaries never published a manifesto, their works and memoirs show that having read Ruskin's praise of the artist as prophet, they hoped to create an art suitable for the modern age. (The Victorian Web).
I came across a couple of old prints stored in my garage and was once again blown away by the loveliness of the paintings.
Even as I march towards my 'half Century', it's nice to know that these artworks still have the power to move me.
Friday 30 September 2011
Salamanca Market Hobart - A Little Bit Of Europe In Tasmania
Being married to a lovely European means I get to travel backwards and forwards between Australia and Europe to visit my husbands very large family every couple of years.
What I have always loved about Europe are the wonderful outdoor produce markets. Whether it's Italy, Greece or Macedonia (just to name a few), these markets all have something in common - freshly grown local produce.
Buying from an outdoor produce market is a vastly different experience to shopping in your local Woolworths supermarket. It is an 'authentic' experience. By that I mean, you know you are buying fresh food grown locally in your region.
You are supporting local businesses which is great for the local economy and you are buying foods in season which is good for your health and good for the 'carbon footprint'.
Visiting a local market is also good for the soul - all your senses are engaged, particularly sight and smell. You also get to 'connect' with people. Markets are great meeting points.
Hobart is famous for it's 'Salamanca Market' both here in Australia and overseas.
With the historic Georgian sandstone buildings of Salamanca Place as its backdrop and yachts and fishing boats moored nearby, this picturesque market is a favourite for locals and visitors alike.
The iconic Salamanca Market is a celebration of Tasmania's unique culture, creative artisans, talented musicians and diverse producers.
The diverse range of nearly 300 stallholders includes original, hand-made Tasmanian pieces, from woodwork to jewellery, fashion to fanciful, glassware and ceramics.
For most Hobartians no Saturday morning is complete without a visit to Salamanca Market
Salamanca Market is open every Saturday, rain, hail
or shine, from 8.30am-3.00pm.
What I have always loved about Europe are the wonderful outdoor produce markets. Whether it's Italy, Greece or Macedonia (just to name a few), these markets all have something in common - freshly grown local produce.
Buying from an outdoor produce market is a vastly different experience to shopping in your local Woolworths supermarket. It is an 'authentic' experience. By that I mean, you know you are buying fresh food grown locally in your region.
You are supporting local businesses which is great for the local economy and you are buying foods in season which is good for your health and good for the 'carbon footprint'.
Visiting a local market is also good for the soul - all your senses are engaged, particularly sight and smell. You also get to 'connect' with people. Markets are great meeting points.
Hobart is famous for it's 'Salamanca Market' both here in Australia and overseas.
With the historic Georgian sandstone buildings of Salamanca Place as its backdrop and yachts and fishing boats moored nearby, this picturesque market is a favourite for locals and visitors alike.
The iconic Salamanca Market is a celebration of Tasmania's unique culture, creative artisans, talented musicians and diverse producers.
The diverse range of nearly 300 stallholders includes original, hand-made Tasmanian pieces, from woodwork to jewellery, fashion to fanciful, glassware and ceramics.
For most Hobartians no Saturday morning is complete without a visit to Salamanca Market
Salamanca Market is open every Saturday, rain, hail
or shine, from 8.30am-3.00pm.
Tuesday 27 September 2011
John Glover's Painting Of Mount Wellington Tasmania
You cannot blog about the Majestic Mount Wellington Tasmania without mentioning John Glover and his famous painting of the mountain.
John Glover arrived in Tasmania in 1831 and it is believed he painted Mount Wellington shortly after his arrival.
A few years later he exhibited a number of Colonial paintings in London, including his famous painting of the mountain.
This exhibition caused quite a sensation with its strange scenery, curious animals and natives.
John Glover's original home is just around the corner from where I live - it's a beautiful Georgian cottage with magnificent views of the Derwent River and the city.
Whenever I pass by his house I think of his beautiful paintings and I wonder what would he make of Hobartown today?
John Glover arrived in Tasmania in 1831 and it is believed he painted Mount Wellington shortly after his arrival.
A few years later he exhibited a number of Colonial paintings in London, including his famous painting of the mountain.
This exhibition caused quite a sensation with its strange scenery, curious animals and natives.
John Glover's original home is just around the corner from where I live - it's a beautiful Georgian cottage with magnificent views of the Derwent River and the city.
Whenever I pass by his house I think of his beautiful paintings and I wonder what would he make of Hobartown today?
Mt Wellington Hobart Tasmania - Hobart's Sacred Goddess
As I have said many times before, I count myself very lucky to live on this beautiful Island Tasmania.
I left Sydney in 1992 to move to Hobart and nearly twenty years later I am still blown away by the beauty of the landscape!
I live in the city and everyday as I step outside my front door I am confronted by the majestic view of our beloved Mount Wellington.
Rising 1270 metres (around 4,000 feet) above Hobart's harbour and the wide Derwent River, Mount Wellington hovers above our city like a sacred goddess keeping watch over the city and it's inhabitants.
Mount Wellington was originally referred to as Unghbanyahletta (or Ungyhaletta), Poorawetter (or ‘'Pooranetere'’, also Pooranetteri), or Kunanyi to the indigenous people of Tasmania. The Palawa, the surviving descendants of the original indigenous Tasmanians, tend to prefer the latter name.
The indigenous population are believed to have arrived in Tasmania approximately 30-40,000 years ago. Their beliefs and traditions, coupled with modern archaeological research, suggest that they may have occupied and utilised the mountain and its surrounding areas for much of the occupation of the island.
The indigenous community of Hobart refer to Mount Wellington as a 'Sacred Ancestral Being' and has great spiritual significance for all Indigenous Tasmanians.
The 21-kilometre (13-mile) drive to the summit takes you from temperate rainforest to sub-alpine flora and glacial rock formations, ending in panoramic views of Hobart, Bruny Island, South Arm and the Iron Pot and the Tasman Peninsula. The present road was blasted from rock during the Depression (1932), around the same time that the Sydney Harbour Bridge was built.
The mountain has numerous springs (and snow melt in winter) which provides Hobart's adundant and high quality drinking water. Viewed from all angles the mountain provides an inspiring backdrop to the city.(www.discovertasmania.com).
No matter what time of the year it is, the Mountain is an ever changing site, and somehow just knowing that 'she' is looking down over the city brings a source of comfort to me.
I left Sydney in 1992 to move to Hobart and nearly twenty years later I am still blown away by the beauty of the landscape!
I live in the city and everyday as I step outside my front door I am confronted by the majestic view of our beloved Mount Wellington.
Rising 1270 metres (around 4,000 feet) above Hobart's harbour and the wide Derwent River, Mount Wellington hovers above our city like a sacred goddess keeping watch over the city and it's inhabitants.
Mount Wellington was originally referred to as Unghbanyahletta (or Ungyhaletta), Poorawetter (or ‘'Pooranetere'’, also Pooranetteri), or Kunanyi to the indigenous people of Tasmania. The Palawa, the surviving descendants of the original indigenous Tasmanians, tend to prefer the latter name.
The indigenous population are believed to have arrived in Tasmania approximately 30-40,000 years ago. Their beliefs and traditions, coupled with modern archaeological research, suggest that they may have occupied and utilised the mountain and its surrounding areas for much of the occupation of the island.
The indigenous community of Hobart refer to Mount Wellington as a 'Sacred Ancestral Being' and has great spiritual significance for all Indigenous Tasmanians.
The 21-kilometre (13-mile) drive to the summit takes you from temperate rainforest to sub-alpine flora and glacial rock formations, ending in panoramic views of Hobart, Bruny Island, South Arm and the Iron Pot and the Tasman Peninsula. The present road was blasted from rock during the Depression (1932), around the same time that the Sydney Harbour Bridge was built.
The mountain has numerous springs (and snow melt in winter) which provides Hobart's adundant and high quality drinking water. Viewed from all angles the mountain provides an inspiring backdrop to the city.(www.discovertasmania.com).
No matter what time of the year it is, the Mountain is an ever changing site, and somehow just knowing that 'she' is looking down over the city brings a source of comfort to me.
Monday 26 September 2011
Styx - Valley Of The Giants
Here are more lovely photographs of the Styx Valley courtesy of Luke O'Brien Photography.
You can find his website at: www.lukeobrien.com.au
You can find his website at: www.lukeobrien.com.au
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