Christmas Day In The Tropics
Some Christmases stand out more than others and this one a few years ago was one of our best ever. We were invited by friends to join them on their boat and flew to Cairns on Christmas Eve to get on board. We motored through the night and awoke on Christmas Day in what I can only describe as Paradise. I was so excited that I was up early to see the sunrise over the ocean. We were at Flinders Cay, 100 nautical miles due east of Cairns with not another boat in sight. In fact it was such an isolated place that as we walked through the crowds of birds, they just hopped out of our way and landed back where they had been. I think they rarely saw humans! There’s a weather station on one end. The weather and visibility in the water were absolutely perfect and we were able to swim, fish, relax, and of course eat and drink, as you do in the festive season!
So wherever you are and whatever you’re doing this Christmas I hope it’s an enjoyable one. Thank you for watching my blog this year and I look forward to another interesting year of blog posts in 2014.
Owls At Christmas
Six months ago I wrote about owls in New York – https://marydickinson.net/2013/05/22/owls-in-new-york/ – and thought then that owls would be the next big thing. Well, here they are. Over the past few weeks I’ve noticed them everywhere! Christmas decorations and cards, cookie jars, soap dispensers, glasses cases, satchels, notebooks, pens and just ornaments. What a hoot!
Lunch At esquire In Brisbane
A visit to esquire restaurant is a treat for the senses from the minute you walk in the door.There’s an ever-changing art instalment on the main wall, and a walk to the restaurant takes you past a collage of bones from fish and birds that have been served here. Sounds weird? It’s not – it’s fascinating, and a great talking point. I can’t help but wonder about who has to clean the bench and reassemble the collage!! The restaurant has a more casual side simply called esq, serving similar food to esquire. The owner chef is Brisbane’s own Ryan Squires who has the honour of being awarded three chef’s hats for his contribution to the restaurant industry. It’s wonderful for us that he has settled here after working in some of the most famous restaurants in the world. Every dish is served in a way that makes you taste, discuss and marvel at the delicious flavours, with appreciation for this chef’s creativity and skill. If you love a bit of culinary adventure and surprise, esquire is the place to go. The flavours are so subtle and sublime, and even after seven courses, we didn’t feel uncomfortable, but actually went away satisfied, excited about our dining experience and with our next lunch already booked for the new year!!
esquire and esq
145 Eagle Street Brisbane Q
Phone : 3220 2123
The main wall in the entrance to the restaurant.
Sheep’s milk yoghurt with sorrel granita and peanut crumble.
Dried beef with anchovies, and dried fermented cabbage served on a marrow bone.
Sashimi of trevally with mustard leaf vinaigrette and shitaki powder.
Rye sourdough with caramelised whipped butter.
Mackerel.
Grilled wagu corn beef with homemade ketchup, pickles and horseradish infused yoghurt.
Curds and whey ice-cream, tangerine sorbet, orange jelly, freeze dried mandarin with campari crystals and campari sherbet.
Signature esquire chocolate.
The fascinating collage of bones from creatures once eaten!
Gardams Fabrics – A Brisbane Institution
I’ve been making my own clothes since I was ten and my favourite fabric shop has always been Gardams. For the last fifty years or so the store has never let me down when looking for something new, keeping up with the latest fashion requirements of the day. I remember when it was the only place you could buy Liberty of London cotton, and there was always a wide range to choose from. In the 1960s I made all my ball gowns, and I had quite a few as these were the years of formal balls and 21st parties – (often wearing long gloves up to the elbow!) Water wave silk taffeta was the big thing then! In the 1970’s I made seersucker blazers for my husband, then clothes for my son, goddaughters and sometimes for friends. I would often spend hours in the store pondering over which pattern, fabric and notions I should buy.
The store always wrapped their parcels in paper and tied them with string – a tradition that still goes on today.
Gardams originated in 1930 and is now run by second generation Ewan Gardam and his wife Dorothy. Their children Caroline, Jacqui and James have all worked in the store.
Now Gardams Fabrics have set up a Pop Up Store in the CBD until the end of January. They have sale items at 50% off and beautiful new summer 2014 printed cottons as well as their exquisite evening and bridal fabrics for which they have become famous. A must visit destination for anyone who sews.
Gardams Fabrics Pop Up Store 288 Edward Street Brisbane 10am – 4pm Tuesday to Saturday
Brooklyn Museum In New York
In my opinion, a visit to the Brooklyn Museum is as interesting as going to the Metropolitan Museum. Nothing as grand to look at, and much much smaller, but it’s compact and you can easily flit through the whole building in a few hours. We did. Here are some photos of things that took our eye.There’s an ever-changing show on, and the gift shop is really good too! That’s where I bought my iPhone case that often gets admired! So put the Museum on your to do list. Catch the subway Eastern Parkway on the 2 or 3 red line.
Ear ornaments from Peru Circa 1100 – 1400
A 1900 French Art Nouveau Gate.
Brooklyn Museum Subway
No trip to New York would be complete without a trip to the Brooklyn Museum. The subway station to take is the Eastern Parkway on the 2 or 3 red line, and make sure you stop to admire the murals in the station.
JR’s Inside Out Project In New York
I woke on my birthday in May this year to pouring rain but was determined to get a poster from the artist JR who was in Times Square for his Inside Out Project, and this was his last day in New York. JR ( his identity is a bit of a mystery) describes himself as a “photograffeur” and goes around the world installing his work in public places.I guess you could call him a type of graffiti artist. When we first saw him in Times Square, most of his posters were being pasted on the ground, then on buildings, which looked fantastic. So you line up ( long queues, but on this day I was early and only third in line) and have your photo taken in a photo booth in the back of a truck. It was all a lot of fun. Spots everywhere! Then after a few minutes a huge 90cm X 1.20 cm poster was “posted” out of the side of the truck. I sent mine home and it’s still in its cylinder! I will get it out and have it framed – maybe by my next birthday!!
You can follow JR on Instagram.
Here’s a good link.
French guerilla ‘photograffeur’ JR is changing perceptions with his art, one project at a time
A photo of JR pasting posters onto the pavement.
The pavement in Times Square.
One of the buildings in Times Square, plastered with posters.
The photo booth in the rear of the van.
23rd Street Subway New York
Subway trains arrive and depart too quickly for my liking because I love to look at the art. 23rd Street has mosaic tiles depicting headwear on its walls, done by artist Keith Godard in homage to the famous men and women who many years ago would have frequented this area around Broadway. It’s fun trying to pick a favourite.
A Haberdashery Store In New York
In the fashion district of New York there are blocks of shops selling what is known as haberdashery, or notions – everything imaginable for the person who sews. That’s me! I visited many stores and found my favourite – M & J Trimming – where I went three times before I even made a purchase. It was so overwhelming. I hope one day to return and when I do, I’ll be armed with button sizes, ideas and plans for what I want to make. This store is haberdashery heaven!
Address: 1008 6th Ave, Manhattan, NY 10018, United States
Fiskardo, Kefalonia, Greece
Sailing from Athens to Sicily we came upon the little fishing village called Fiskardo on the the island of Kefalonia. Such a pretty colourful little village, and busy because it is a port for ferries going to other villages. Here are some photos of this very enjoyable stopover.
Mary Dickinson 