Winmalee

Christmas Eve

Christmas is nearly here and I shall not be posting any more until the new year.  I wish all my followers a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.  Ken and I will be doing more trips next year and I am looking forward to recording them all on my blog.  Here are some photos from my garden. 

A sure sign that Christmas is here.  The Agapanthus are beginning to bloom in my garden.  Here is one under the Liquidambar tree in the backyard.  Unfortunately, they are considered a weed, but still pretty in gardens.  They must be deadheaded before they go to seed!

My native Hibiscus (Alyogyne huegelii) is starting to flower.   I love these beautiful purple blooms. 

A graptopetalum succulent
called Tacitus bellus, growing in a pot on my back deck. There are now seven little pink flowers in bloom.  Such a little sweetie!

My beautiful Jacaranda tree.  It has been magnificent this year.  The blooms are nearly spent now and it is getting its summer coat of green feathery leaves.  It is such a wonderful shade tree in our backyard.

Some borrowed scenery from next door.  Here is a magnificent Australian Christmas bush blooming its' head off.  I have some sprigs from this tree in a vase in my house.  Such a sure sign that it is Christmas.

Parramatta

Riverside Theatre - Western Sydney Opera

Yesterday we went down to Parramatta to see our friends Lorenzo Rositano and Aimee O'Neill singing some well-known Italian operatic arias and other Christmas songs in Ciao Compare - an Italian Christmas.  Parramatta was very busy on a Friday evening, after work, with many Christmas parties being held in the numerous restaurants dotted along eat street.  Ken and I shared a pizza in Bondi Pizza as that was about the only place we could find to have a meal, not having previously booked a table.  Our pizza was delicious, even if we were sitting outside along the footpath open to all the fumes from passing cars, buses and fire engines!  There was a real buzz and vibe along Church Street as office workers joined the milling throng and we marvelled at the number of people traipsing up and down the footpath, many in party mood!

Ciao Compare - an Italian Christmas.  Some familiar songs were O Sole Mio, That's Amore, Volare, Arrivederci Roma, Panis Angelicus, The Holy City and Nessun Dorma from Turandot.  

We saw this Christmas tree, on our way down to the Theatre, outside the Town Hall and opposite St. John's Cathedral.  There is so much building going on in Parramatta and here you can see another high rise on the way up.

Beautiful Aimee O'Neill, after the show, in the foyer of  Riverside Theatre chatting to us.  She sang one of my favourite arias, Pie Jesu by Andrew Lloyd-Webber.

Our friends Trish and Rhonda were also at the concert and we caught up with them in the interval and after the show. Trish and I posed for this photo with Aimee, after the show, in the foyer.

Here is Lorenzo Rositano chatting with Trish and Rhonda in the foyer after the show.  You can just see Glenn Amer in the background.  Glenn accompanied Lorenzo and Aimee on the piano and also sang many songs, accompanying himself and also sang duets with Lorenzo and Aimee.  He is multi-talented!

Richmond

Pugh's Lagoon

Today we drove down to Richmond and into Smith Park at Pugh's Lagoon.  We were down here earlier this year and it is a place we love.  It is a paradise for water birds and we were happy to wander around and take photos of the many birds we saw.  I also packed a picnic lunch which we had in one of the shelters overlooking the water.  It was quite cool when we left home, but by the time we arrived in Smith Park it was warming up and, of course, being summer it soon got very hot.

It is such a pretty place.  This is looking across the Lagoon towards Richmond.  I think it almost looks like a Constable painting!

A little copse of trees on the bank of the Lagoon.

 A Purple Swamphen strutting around in the grass on the banks of the Lagoon.

This is a Pelican preening himself and surrounded by Little Black Cormorants.  We saw the Pelican cruising up and down the Lagoon.  He looked rather lonely on his own.  Hope he had a mate nearby.

One of the many ducks.  Last time we were at the Lagoon we saw lots of black swans, but today we didn't see any!

Penrith

Messiah at the Joan

This afternoon we attended the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre at Penrith to hear Handel's Messiah performed by the combined choirs of the Academy, Warrimoo Chorale and Penrith City Choir accompanied by the Penrith Symphony Orchestra.  I have sung with this combined choir a few times, so it was a bitter-sweet event for me as I would have loved to have been up there with the choir singing, with them, this wonderful oratorio.  As soon as the orchestra started up on the familiar music of the introduction, I was overcome with emotion.  This caught me by surprise as I was not expecting it to have such an effect on me.

However, after choking back tears, I was content to sit back and listen to the wonderful choruses that I know so well.  I was singing them in my head!

The Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, affectionately known as "the Joan". It is the heart of creative Western Sydney - a place where the community can experience art and culture, fine music, drama, dance and song.  We are so lucky to have this wonderful venue here in Penrith.








After the performance, I caught up with some of my friends from the choir.  It was so nice to have a chat with them and, once again, feel the excitement and satisfaction  of that "after show" feeling of a job well done.

Springwood - Christ Church

Red Heart Challenge

To-day marked the end of the Compassion Challenge.   We returned our completed Red Hearts to Church and pinned them on a board in the transept, alongside other people's anonymously completed hearts.  I thought I would find this challenge difficult, but I was surprised at how many things I was able to write down.  Just little things, like giving lifts in the car to less mobile parishioners, phone calls to sick friends, prayer and supplying goods for the 'Toys 'N' Tucker' appeal, were just some of the things I was able to contribute.

Here are our completed Red Hearts.  It was difficult to write on the red paper and we had to use a uni-ball fine water proof pen.  I don't think it was too successful!  Some people used a texta, which was better. We also had to cut out the red hearts from the white card and this was tricky!

This sign was placed on the wall in the Church  during the month of November, to remind us to think of ways we could  show compassion to the lost, the needy and each other.

Here is the Christmas Tree in a corner of the transept in the church where we placed our goods in the 'Toys 'N' Tucker' appeal.  This is an appeal run by Anglicare for Christmas food and gifts for needy people at Christmas.

Here is where we placed our Red Hearts.  Some people forgot to bring them in!  There should be more hearts here this afternoon when the 4.30pm congregation meets.

I enjoyed the Challenge as it made me think of ways of helping people less fortunate than myself.  This is something I'm not inclined to do, very often, so it was a good reminder that there are people in our community in need, especially at Christmas time.

Yellomundee Regional Park - continued

Yellow Rock - Spring flowers

Spring has sprung and the bush is alive with wildflowers.  Even in the most unexpected of places, along the roadside verges, we saw great swathes of golden Coreopsis "fluttering and dancing in the breeze".  I do like these cheerful yellow flowers, spreading their joy alongside roadways and the railway line, all the way up the Mountains.

We stopped and took many photos of all the wonderful flowers growing wild along the roadway.  Here is Coreopsis, looking like fields of daffodils.  They grow on tall stems above the foliage.

Coreopsis grandiflora is really a weed and not an Australian wildflower.  It is a native American prairie and woodland plant otherwise known as "tickseed".  It looks like a daisy.

Astrotricha floccosa "star hairs" or the Flannel leaf woolly star hair flower.  This was growing in super abundance at the lookout.  Dainty little clumps of white star-like flowers, everywhere you looked!

Patersonia occidentalis, the native Iris or long purple-flag.  This is a clumping grass like perennial and was growing in little pockets alongside the road.

Flannel flower Actinotus helianthi also growing along Singles Ridge Road on the way into Yellow Rock.  It is native to the bushland around Sydney and is an iconic Sydney plant.

Yellomundee Regional Park

Yellow Rock

This afternoon we took a short drive into the Yellomundee Regional Park situated on the Eastern escarpment of the Blue Mountains.  We turned off Hawkesbury Road and down Singles Ridge Road which brought us to the lookout area at Yellow Rock.  The area is mostly natural bushland with plenty of alluvial and riverine plant communities.  There were many native flowers in bloom.  There are no safety barriers so the area is quite dangerous with perilous drops to the valley below.  The views over the river and surrounding countryside are quite spectacular.

This is the road leading down to the lookout at Yellow Rock.  The trunks of the trees are still showing signs of a bushfire that raged through here 5 years' ago.

A modern-looking picnic shed near the lookout.  This shed is quite accessible and not near the edge of the escarpment.

The view looking over the Nepean River as it heads towards the confluence at Yarramundi.

A deep chasm between two giant rocks with a perilous drop to the valley below.  A native flower in the foreground.

The whole lookout area is full of rocks and ledges where you can step out (if you are game) to get a better view.  Needless to say, we did not go too far out on the ledges!

Penrith - conclusion

Nepean River

On Tuesday, as we drove down Lapstone Hill on the Great Western Highway heading towards Penrith, we passed a sign on the side of the Highway announcing "Welcome to Sydney."  I love this sign, as it reminds me that we do not live too far away from my home town.  Shortly afterwards we cross  the Nepean River on the M4 bridge.  The Nepean River forms the boundary between the Blue Mountains and Penrith, a Sydney suburb on the outskirts of the Sydney Basin.  The River is 178 kms in length and its headwaters rise near Robertson in the Southern Highlands.  It curls around greater Sydney becoming the Hawkesbury River near Yarramundi.  There are several dams on the River, and its' tributaries, that help supply water for Sydney.

There is a lovely walking track along the banks of the River, part of  the Great River Walk and last Tuesday Ken and I walked along part of this track before ascending a flight of steps up to the entrance to the new pedestrian bridge the Yandhai River Crossing.


The old Victoria Bridge has performed good and

faithful service and will still continue to

carry traffic across it.

Here is part of the Great River Walk along the banks of the Nepean, just before the steps up to the new Yandhai Bridge.  If you click on the picture y ou can see the steps quite clearly and also the landing where the new bridge begins.

Looking down the river to the M4 Bridge.  On the Western side is the commencement of the Blue Mountains National Park.

In this picture you can also see the flight of steps leading up to the start of the walk across the new bridge.  The river looks so calm and peaceful.

There is a lot of weed infestation along the banks of the river, including lantana and this rather striking bush called the Caster Oil Plant.  

Penrith - continued

Jacaranda Time

Yesterday, as we walked across the Yandhai Nepean Crossing, we noticed the proliferation of Jacarandas blooming on the banks of the river.  I do love these trees, with their bright purple flowers.  We have a Jacaranda tree in our backyard which blooms, on average, two weeks behind the ones that bloom down in Penrith and Sydney.  As we drive down the Mountains and over the M4 bridge, we can see the Jacarandas blooming on the other side of the bridge and then we know the ones in the Mountains won't be far behind.  Mauvember time is such a special time of year!  The promise of Summer is in the air and with it, the threat of bushfires!!

This picture is taken from the bridge as we were heading towards Emu Plains on the Western bank of the River.  I love the curve in the bridge as it approaches the shoreline.

Here are some more Jacarandas peeping over the tops of other trees.  They lift the spirits!

They look spectacular in the landscape.

These Jacarandas looked so pretty blooming in a curve as we left the bridge on the Emu Plains side.

This magnificent tree was on the bank as we left the
bridge and we walked right along the canopy.

Penrith

Yandhai Nepean Crossing

To-day we drove down to Penrith and did the walk across the new bridge.  I love the design of this new bridge, it is very appealing.  It was a beautiful day to do the walk, plenty of sunshine and a gentle breeze blowing so we didn't get too hot.    After the walk we had lunch in the Rowers Club (where we had parked the car) and cooled off over a long cool lemon squash before having our lunch looking out over the river.

 I love the lines of this new bridge, very sleek.  Also note the sky!

 This photo taken from a vantage point above the steps on the River Walk and looking out under the new bridge you can see the old Victoria Bridge.

This photo was taken on the Mountains side, after we had
walked across the bridge.  The old Victoria Bridge is in
  the background.

Tamarama

Sculpture by the Sea

We like to visit Sculpture by the Sea each year because it gives us a chance to visit the coastal Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. Living in the Mountains we do not have many opportunities to see the ocean, so it is always nice when we do get a chance to be beside the sea.  I am posting some photos of the seaside taken at Tamarama and also along the Coastal Path between Tamarama and Bondi.  Three years' ago I wrote a poem about Sculpture by the Sea and I shall print it here beside the photos as it is still relevant.   

People walking along the Coastal Path

Sculpture by the Sea
There is a path upon cliffs high,
from Tamarama to Bondi,
where each year there's a show, that's free,
amazing Sculpture by the Sea.

These works of art are on display
in vantage spots along the way,
with stunning views of sea and sand
on Sydney's Coastal Wonderland.

The artists come from far and wide,
to show their sculptures, with great pride,
each is unique in shape and size
and all compete to win a prize.

Looking towards Bondi Beach

The visitors just gaze and stare
at works of bold, artistic flair,
a masterpiece in bronze or steel
is sure to have a wide appeal.


A driftwood sculpture looks supreme,
in keeping with the beachside theme,
it's clear that people love to be
in Bondi, where they're near the sea.

It is uplifting to behold
the talents of these Sculptors bold,
imagination is the key,
producing such diversity.

The sea is fresh, just like the art,
the landscape plays a vital part
creating mood and empathy
when viewing Sculpture by the Sea.




                                                                             

Some pigface growing along the Path.

Tamarama Beach and Bondi Beach, Sydney

Sculpture by the Sea

Yesterday we caught the train down to Sydney to visit the annual exhibition of Sculpture by the Sea on the Coastal Path between Tamarama Beach and Bondi Beach.  After leaving the train at Bondi Junction, we caught a bus to Tamarama where we started our walk.  There were many sculptures on the beach and it was nice to feel the sand beneath our feet as we walked around to view them.  After that we joined the Coastal Walk to view more sculptures on the cliff face and ended up in Mark's Park where we saw many more.  We also had lunch here, buying a sandwich from a local food outlet and sitting at a picnic table and bench in the Park.  As the sun was now getting very hot, we were lucky to find a spot in the shade to enjoy our lunch. 

"Damien Hirst Looking for Sharks" by Cool Shit 

 (UK) made of PVC tarpaulin, ripstop nylon.

This was a large inflatable sculpture paying homage to one of Damien Hirst's most important works.  "The Physical Impossibility Of Death in The Mind Of Somebody Living".







                                                                             

"The Butterfly Dream" by Jiang Jie (China) made of stainless steel and copper.  A 4th Century Philosopher had a dream about becoming a butterfly and when he awoke he was surprised he was still a man.  Did he become the butterfly in his dream or did the butterfly become him in its' dream?

 "Windows and Doors" by Paul Selwood (NSW) made of painted steel. 

A new variation of the cut and fold technique.  The sculpture admits the viewer into its space, both conceptually and physically.

"Buddy" by Marc Walter (Canada).  Creating site-specific monumental sculptures and spaces since 2004 with natural material. 

Buddy invites visitors to reflect and rediscover their surroundings.

"Byobu" by Stephen Hogan (NSW) made of forged steel, soft steel and wire. 

Taking the elements of (Byobu) Japanese screen art,  a delicately painted interior artform and reimagining it as an exterior screen.  A focal point for reflection and as a window to the soul of its surroundings.