Holi Festival In India ( A Repost )
Holi is a spring festival celebrated mainly by Hindus and Sikhs. It is celebrated at the end of the winter season on the last full moon day of the lunar month which usually falls in the later part of February or March. People throw coloured powder and coloured water at each other, and the celebrations are frenetic. If it happened here we’d all be in trouble with the authorities. We were fortunate to be in Delhi and were asked to attend a Holi party at the oldest house in Delhi ( this has since been pulled down to make way for a new subway station.) We knew about half a dozen people, one being a cousin of a friend of mine from Melbourne who is married to a local. We had so much fun as you can see by the photos. We knew what to expect, so we both bought a pair of white pyjamas and I took my handbag in a plastic bag! There was a sumptuous feast and copious amounts of alcohol, but I didn’t partake that day because I had an upset stomach. I wish I had! When the Bollywood style music started, everyone got up and danced – madly. The children took great pleasure in squirting us with water pistols filled with the dye. I still had traces of the pink in my hair months later.
My friends Pickles and Billy. These men were both previously heads of the President’s bodyguard, and have both played polo with Prince Charles.
Bronwyn from Melbourne.
The powder.
Time out.
Statues In Paris
Here are some photos ( I have hundreds more!) of the statues in Paris that I like, in fact I love them. I’ve rarely seen one I don’t like! Which is your favourite? I always stop and contemplate the fourth one, which I call Despair, because he exudes that emotion.
Not long now until I go away and I will endeavour to post something new 3-4 times a week, so keep following me!
Autumn Sundays at Stokehouse
Here’s an idea! One Sunday in the near future, eat a light breakfast then go into Stokehouse on the River at South Bank for lunch, and try the new Autumn Sundays Menu. I promise you that it will be worth your while! The much anticipated opening of Brisbane’s Stokehouse eighteen months ago has really made a mark on the dining scene in all ways. The position is unbeatable and the building is designed by local architect Andrew Gutteridge. So you go for the position and the changing view, but you want to eat good food too. I assure you that the food is world class. The Sunday Lunch menu changes each week with chef Tony using only seasonal produce, making the dishes innovative and interesting and absolutely delicious. Ask the knowledgeable and approachable Ben to help you choose wines to match each dish. We tried wines from the Rhone Valley and Sicily and ended with the perfect sticky from Austria. ( We decided best ever!) Afterwards you might like to linger and watch the ever changing traffic on the river, and maybe even stay for a cocktail in the Stoke Bar at sunset?
Stokehouse
Stokehouse.com.au
07 – 3020 0600
Sidon Street, South Bank, Brisbane, Queensland
Entree is a shared plate, and ours was crudo of export grade tuna, Noosa tomato salad with Italian buffalo mozzarella, and BBQ’d quail with beetroots, walnuts and cherries.
There were three mains – lamb rump with spiced eggplant, harissa, almonds and lemon, scallop risotto, and lemon and dill battered flathead with chips and salad, – we decided on the first two and weren’t disappointed.
Next came a generous platter of cheeses with truffle honey, walnut loaf, quince and a basket of lavosh and wafers, and the chocolate mousse with pear jelly, pear sorbet and chocolate crunch received a lot of yum, delicious comments!
Religious Icons And Artifacts in Greece #2
All of these photos were taken in the Byzantine Church of 100 Gates or Doors, in the town of Paroikia on the Island of Paros in Greece. It’s the only church on the island that isn’t white, and is the church that has been in continuous use for the longest time in Greece! It was constructed in the 6th Century and legend is that it has 99 doors or windows, and when the 100th one is found, Istanbul will return to the Greeks!
Religious Icons And Artifacts in Greece #1
An Excursion In Borneo
The Island of Borneo is an ecological paradise, full of wildlife and interesting things to do. We went to the Sukau River in the far north east state of Sabbah, to see the famous proboscis, or long – nosed monkeys.We stayed over night in a lodge on the river, surrounded by swampy forest. Late in the afternoon. we went for an excursion in a large flat bottom boat looking for the pygmy elephants which inhabit this area but unfortunately only found their foot prints. When we came close to the shore we saw dozens of macaque monkeys, and then eventually saw the proboscis monkeys with their distinctive flat noses. Apparently they are hard to find so we were thrilled to see some. Writing this blog makes me want to go back again and stay longer. One night wasn’t long enough.
The lodge where we stayed.
Dense jungle – home to over 200 species of birds, 27 species of bats, and who knows what else!
There are homes dotted along the edge of the river.
An oriental pied hornbill.
I don’t know the name of this bird.
A macaque monkey.
First sighting of a proboscis monkey.
The sunsets were like this every night.
An Auction Treasure
I sometimes go to auctions and bid on things that take my fancy. Here is one that I really treasure. There were three items – a letter, a chiffon scarf and a silver ring.When I read the letter I was fascinated. It was written in 1946 to a woman about to embark on a journey, and celebrating the end of WW II – V Day, in London. Perhaps the journey ended in Australia as I acquired this at a Brisbane auction. The letter was to Joan Christie from Miss Joss, Edinburgh, Scotland. What I found interesting is the envelope that the ring was in is from R.L.Christie – a jeweller in Edinburgh, and the recipient has the same surname – Joan Christie. I suppose I will never know any more, but I did some research and found the following….Robert Livingstone Christie was perhaps the longest running business, involved in the silver trade, in Edinburgh. Established in 1821, it finally closed its doors for the last time in 2007. The scarf is a dusty pink colour with the map of London on it – and very wearable today, as is the ring. I consider these items to be a piece of history and I feel very fortunate to be the owner.
A map of London on the chiffon scarf.
18th June 1946. My dear Joan, Until you come back to these shores of Britain I hope this little map of London will remind you of that memorable day – 8th June 1946 ” V” Day.!! The small bit of Celtic Silver with St Columba’s Galley Ship will I hope bring you special blessing. May the good Saint guide your barque & steer it in fair weather. Its been grand meeting you, & come back again – before long – a warm welcome will wait for you- Bon Voyage – Bless you & my love- Jossy. ( I’m glad you like Peppermint Choc) This will I hope help the journey-
The silver Celtic ring and envelope it came in.
The envelope that the letter was in – ” a parting gift “.
The silver Celtic ring with Saint Columba’s galley ship, and the scarf map.
Oriental Coat
One day I found this oriental jacket in a forgotten suitcase at my parent’s home. It was in terrible condition, with stains and in need of repair. My mother told me that it had belonged to her mother who had visited Ceylon on her own in the early 1900s, and on the way home the ship stopped in Java where she was given this jacket as a gift. It all sounded very exotic and I thought how fascinating – my 5’1″ granny who I never really knew – was quite an adventurer. Apparently she often wore this favourite jacket to dinner on the outback property at Charleville where she lived with my 6’9″ grandfather.!!! I wish I had known her, but sadly she passed away when I was 2-3 years old. My mother said I could have the jacket, and so I wore it a few times, then thought it really needed fixing. After a few phone calls to Sydney antique dealers I found a place in Canberra that restores textiles. It took quite a few months to restore by hand but it was worth the wait. When it was returned it came in a huge wooden box, with the jacket lying flat in metres of silk fabric, and stuffed with black padding in the shape of the coat. It now hangs on a wall at home, and I am planning to wear it again one day.
Endangered Textiles
Duffy
A.C.T.
02-6287 1291
Water Towers In New York
We noticed the water towers of New York straight away, as we walked the streets. They are on top of buildings that are over six stories, and are made of wood which is not painted or chemically treated.The water is pumped from the basement and the average tank takes 2-3 hours to fill, holding approximately 40.000 litres. The water is for general use including drinking. We became obsessed with them, and were always looking up trying to spot a different one. Here are the best of them.
Brooklyn has a shop dedicated to water towers!
I just love this building in the Chelsea District, as seen from the High Line.
A new water tank being installed – notice – no harness or safety equipment!
Harry Bertoia
Harry Bertoia’s sculptures and monoprints at The Armory.
A Harry Bertoia necklace ( on the left) made in war time when metal was hard to come by.
Harry Bertoia’s iconic metal chair. Circa 1952.
The Joe Fresh store at 510 Fifth Avenue New York
Harry Bertoia’s magnificent sculpture on the back wall upstairs in Joe Fresh.
Harry Bertoia
It all started when we visited a stand at The Antique Dealer’s Spring Fair at The Armory in New York, where I was fascinated by some monoprints on the wall. I was about to walk away when the exhibitor engaged me in conversation and told me all about this amazing man called Harry Bertoia. I have to admit that I had never heard of him, but I had seen his famous chairs. These monoprints were early works of Harry’s that ( when he was a student) he had sent to the Guggenheim for appraisal. The rest is history as they say. The Guggenheim purchased every one and the Bertoia name thus gained recognition. Harry was also a sound art sculptor, and designed jewellery and furniture. On this stand at the Fair we saw some of his sound sculptures which are long metal tubes fixed to a base, but easily moved to make a sound. Janet Drucker ( who wrote the book on Georg Jensen silver) showed us a necklace that Harry designed – for sale for $24.000.
Then a few days later as I was walking down Fifth Avenue, I was attracted to a store called Joe Fresh ( which opened at the end of March) – mainly because of its size and the fabulous windows with my favourite colour orange. I went inside and up the stairs, and to my surprise, there on the wall behind the check out counter was a huge sculpture, done by Harry Bertoia! This copper, bronze and nickel screen was commissioned for this site in 1953, and contains more than 800 separate forms placed in five different vertical planes. It is 16 feet high, 70 feet wide and 2 feet deep and weighs more than 5 tons. This wonderful building was built in 1952 and is considered an icon of modernistic architecture. Apparently there was a public outrage when the sculpture was going to be removed, so it has stayed. It is well worth a visit to the store just to view the wall.You can read more about Harry here, written by his son.
Mary Dickinson 