A National Treasure for the Future

My cousin recommended that we go to the National Arboretum and we thought - Nah.

But we are so glad we took his advice as it was wonderful!

Such a beautiful public space for the people of Canberra - for the people of Australia too!

The National Arboretum Canberra is a 250-hectare (618 acre) arboretum in Canberra, 

the national capital of Australia, created after the area was burned out as a 

result of the Christmas 2001 and 2003 Canberra bushfires

 The Himalayan Cedar forest lost about one third of its trees, and the commercial Radiata Pine plantation was burned out, allowing the arboretum to be created. 

In 2004, the Government of the Australian Capital Territory held a nationwide competition for an arboretum, which was to be part of the recovery from the 2003 bushfires.

The winning design proposed 100 forests and 100 gardens 

focussing on threatened, rare, and symbolic trees from around the world. 

Wikipedia

It will be amazing in 50 years time when all these little trees become a forrest,
we won't be around to see that!
A bit like some of the folk that started these Bonsai's below.

And I can't resist a photo of a pretty gum blossom.

The sculptures were great as well.
Below is the eagles nest

 The nest is made of found objects.

 And there were lots of references to the Dorothea Mackellar poem - My Country.

My Country
 I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror
The wide brown land for me! 

Dorothea Mackellar, 1908

 Above is the wide brown land sculpture.

 

Happy Birthday Graham!

First stop today on Graham's Birthday (59th, snigger) was to take in the 

traditional view of Canberra from Mount Ainslie.

Canberra continues to grow, with lots of new suburbs popping up on the outskirts.

And below, a very dirty Wolfie enjoying the view on his first road trip.

 

Now, off to drop in on my cousin Graham and Deb for morning tea .

A Day Amongst the Lovely Flowers of Canberra

 

If it ever rains again Dear Readers I must plant some bulbs.

I've always loved jonquils, daffodils and freesias, but I've not had them in my current garden.

Maybe it will rain and I can get some next year! 

The good thing about my favourite bulbs is that they can just stay in the ground, 

unlike tulips which need to be lifted each year. 

Jolly fussy things they are!

 

Lifted means you need to dig the bulbs up every year, 

but not until the previous years foliage has died down,

as the foliage produces the energy for the next years flower. 

 And then the bulbs need to chill in the fridge before they are replanted. 

The chilling confuses the bulb to think it has been covered in snow over winter.

Now... I didn't have to look up any of that knowledge on Wikipedia, 

as it came straight from my head - kimbapedia, (snort).

Anyway, just trying to describe what an impressive effort and expense it must be 

every year to plant these 1000's of tulips!

And here are some lovely photos from our visit at Floriade today!

Poppies and Lake Burley Griffin

 

 

 

A Garden Gnome competition - what else?

 

 

 

Holst's 'Planets' with Vladimir Ashkenazy and The Sydney Symphony Orchestra

So here we are again.

Second night at the Opera House but for something completely different.

Legendary Vladamir Ashkenazy,  who is the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s Conductor Laureate, conducting Gustav Holst's 'Planets' Suite.

Sorry, no scanner! On the road..

 It was wonderful... Always 10 times better hearing music live.

This is a very famous bit of music, Dear Readers, trust me, you'll know it! 

Here's Jupiter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz0b4STz1lo

 ABC classic FM is recording Saturdays performance 

I will include the link to the SSO version 

when it gets online.

~~~~~~~~~~

But first a bit of deja vu. Dinner at the Opera Bar.

Graham is determined to master this ordering online app thingy.

No photos during the performance, but that doesn't mean you can't take pics before!

 

And, here's an extract from the the 'Limelight' review from the performance we saw..

Holst’s Planets (Sydney Symphony Orchestra)

Vladimir Ashkenazy with Holst’s glittering ode to the heavens.

Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House

Reviewed on September 25, 2019

by Angus McPherson on September 26, 2019 

 There was, of course, drama aplenty in Mars, the Bringer of War, the terrifying opening movement of Holst’s The Planets, written against the backdrop of the First World War, before going on to inspire composers like John Williams, in his iconic music for Star Wars. Marshalling huge forces, including the Concert Hall’s organ, Ashkenazy brought a taut, fierce energy to the rhythmic opening before unleashing the full power of the orchestra, delivering a rich wave of sound. Such power somewhat eclipsed the planets that followed, but the overwhelming final notes meant the smooth solo by Guest Principal horn Samuel Jacobs in the opening of Venus, the Bringer of Peace was particularly balm-like before Ashkenazy gave us a lithe, restless Mercury. The expansive central movement Jupiter opened with sparkling fanfare, with the strings shaping the hymn melody – almost as iconic as that of Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No 1 – in long-breathed phrases. The uneasily swaying winds and tenebrous lower strings conjured in Saturn a suitably otherworldly quality while Uranus, the Magician, with its apparent tip of the hat to Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, was colourful and boisterous. The glistening winds, harp and celesta of Neptune, the Mystic brought the evening to a close, the orchestra haloed by singers from Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, whose wordless song filtered into the Concert Hall from offstage before fading once more into silence.

Sydney's Living Museums

Good morning My Dear Readers.

We started off today with some great plans.

Above The centrepiece of Hyde Park is the Archibald Fountain. The fountain was designed by François-Léon Sicard and bequeathed by J. F. Archibald in 1932 in honour of Australia's contribution to World War I in France. - Wikipedia

Plan A. Was either go to the zoo or the Australian Museum. We decided on the museum as it was only just next door and I haven't been there for over 20 years and Graham has never been. 

ITS CLOSED for renovations to reopen mid 2020!!!

Plan B. "Lets go to the Hyde park Barracks instead" says Kim. 

(I haven't been there for over 20 years and Graham has never been- 

can you see a theme developing  here).

ITS ALSO CLOSED for renovations to reopen mid 2020!!!

So... We went to the old Mint building where neither of us had been before.

This is one of the oldest buildings in Sydney and was a working mint until 1936 when they opened the new Mint in Canberra.  Then it got all abused and rundown by those neglectful Public Servants  as it became government offices. It was restored in the late 1970's.

The Sydney Mint in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, is the oldest public building in the Sydney central business district. Built between 1811 and 1816 as the southern wing of the Sydney Hospital, it was then known as the Rum Hospital. In 1854 a mint was established on the site with the hospital building used to house mint staff as well as providing a residence for the Deputy Mint Master. A coining factory was built at the rear. Both of these structures have exceptional heritage significance and have been associated with major events in the colonial history of New South Wales.
source- Wikipeadia

 

Then after a spot of shopping we headed to The Museum of Sydney.

They currently have The Songs of Home exhibition, which explores the music for the first 70 years of the colony of Sydney.

 They give you a headset so you can listen to the tunes as you walk around.

And below! - we have come a full circle today. Here is an early painting of Hyde Park, with the Rum Hospital (The Mint) and the Hyde Park Barracks clearly visible.

West Side Story wows us at the Opera House

Tuesday night at the Opera House, this time to see the musical West Side Story

 at the Joan Sutherland theatre.

We'll be at the Opera House tomorrow night as well, for something else!

Had dinner at the Opera Bar, which has this menu ordering app, 

so you order and pay with your phone and the food and drinks appear as if by magic. 

Cool eh! Way of the future I guess. At least there's no more waiting for a bill at the end of a meal.

The show was wonderful. 

Great singing and wonderfully choreographed.

What's the big hit?

Where to begin? Nearly every song in the musical is a bona fide Broadway hit. ‘America,’ ‘Somewhere,’ ‘Tonight,’ ‘I Feel Pretty,’ and ‘Something’s Coming’.
https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/backstage/music/west-side-story-cheat-sheet.html

(not allowed to take photos of course so I borrowed these from the web).

The set was simple but wonderful as well.

What's the story?

The Jets (a gang of all-American boys) are at war with the Sharks (a gang of Puerto Rican boys), 
and the Upper West Side is their battleground.

When Tony (a former Jet) and Maria (a Puerto Rican girl) 
meet and fall in love, the pair wonder if they can 
overcome the deep rivalries between their communities. 

Optimistically, they sing: 
“There’s a place for us, somewhere a place for us.”
But the two gangs see it differently, 
and the stage is set for a bloody fight.


(Not to give anything away, 

but the story is based on Romeo and Juliet, 

and we all know how that ends.)

https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/backstage/music/west-side-story-cheat-sheet.html

Conversation starters

In 1949 up-and-coming choreographer Jerome Robbins,

originally planned to write a story about a star-crossed romance
between a Jewish girl and Catholic boy on New York’s Upper East Side. 

Co-creators, Bernstein (music) and Laurents (book) changed his mind when Puerto Rican 

and American gang violence began to figure in the news.
Robbins visited a high school dance in a Puerto Rican neighbourhood 

of New York to get real-life inspiration for his choreography
Robbins wouldn’t let the original Jets and Sharks 

casts mix, to help create real tension on set. 

They rehearsed in different rooms and weren’t allowed to eat lunch together.
Chita Rivera, who played Anita on Broadway, 

and dancer Tony Mordente, who was a Jet, 

actually got married and had a child! 

(And that was in spite of Robbins’ ban on Shark-Jet socialising).
Robbins decided not to kill off Maria after composer 

Richard Rodgers told him: “She’s dead already, after this all happens to her.”
Bernstein and Sondheim had a late stroke of inspiration and wrote 

‘Something’s Coming’ just 12 days out from opening night.
The 1961 film brought home 10 Academy Awards, 

and still holds the record for most awards won by a musical.
Sondheim made up nonsense street slang so the language wouldn’t date. 

He wanted it to be the first Broadway musical to use the 'F word', 

 but learned they’d never get a cast album approved. 

The boys say ‘Krup you!’ instead.

 https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/backstage/music/west-side-story-cheat-sheet.html