Spring!

 

Its spring, and with all the rain the garden is looking lush.

The front has matured and is bursting with flowers.

We have started the back but are really time poor to do to much.

The back garden is also so waterlogged that it is difficult to get the few plants we have put in established.

But Graham has got the birdfeeder up.

I don’t know what its ‘passenger limit’ is, but I have seen it take 10 sulphur crested cockatoos, if 3 stand on the roof.

Lizzie has grown up ( and grown round).

She is nearly perfect with her toileting now and has stopped eating things as much – such as the railings on the back deck, all the dog coats are gone, she rips them off Georgie's back, dog beds are eaten too.

She loves her Georgie,

and loves snuggles!

Water, Water Everywhere (Copeton Dam)

 

A weekend at Copeton Dam with the car club. Stopped at Gwydir River outside Bundara for morning tea. Don’t think I want to fall in that river, its flowing very fast today.

There has been so much rain that the dam is filling by a metre and a half a day.

Don’t camp too close to the river or you may float away! Lots of people are also getting bogged.

A metre and a half may not seem like a lot, but spread that over a body of water the size of Sydney Harbour. You can almost see the water rising up the bank.

They think it may get to 100% full.

So much water on the roads, lots of flooded causeways on the trip. Creeks have turned to rivers and rivers have burst their banks.

And everything is very green and lush.

We spent overnight in one of the cabins and had dinner and breakfast at the camp kitchen

The new slipway, and visitors centre has been finished since we were last here.

And there is an explosion in the roo population. Lots of joeys.

 

On our way home we stopped at New England wood turning.

He makes amazing didgeridoos and I bought a nice cheese board.

 

Melbourne Matlida & Me- Part 4

 

 

 

When I grow up. I will be brave enough to fight the creatures that you have to fight beneath the bed each night to be a grown-up.
(When I grow up)

Just because you find that life's not fair, it doesn't mean that you just have to grin and bear it.
If you always take it on the chin and wear it nothing will change!

When I grow up

Just because I find myself in this story,
It doesn't mean that everything is written for me.
If I think the ending is fixed already,
I might as well be saying
I think that it's OK!

And that's not right!
And if its not right!

 

 

Yes loved Matilda! Best thing we’ve seen for a long time.

The kids in the cast are fantastic and Tim Minchin’s music is fantastic ,,,, (no I didn’t take these photos)

 

But I did take the ones below!

Then for our final day we took a ride to St Kilda on the Tram. Then returned to the city to visit the Degas exhibition at the Art Gallery of Victoria.

 

His ballerina works are lovely, but some of the others left me wondering if he wasn’t a bit of a dirty old man…..

Anyway, after all that theatre and culture its time to head home!

Melbourne, Matilda & Me–Part 3

We spent the day at Melbourne zoo.

I was last here with the kids in the late 90’s (1998 or 1999, I can’t remember and can’t find the photo album.. might be still packed in a box).)

I know it was the 17th December and it was about 40 degrees.

This time it was hardly 10 degrees and freezing – wish I’d taken a beanie!

I love the butterfly house, I loved it last time too.

I think our safari has changed how I look at captive animals.. This fellow looked so sad, (Asian elephant, and smaller than his African cousins).

I loved the orangutans … OOk.

They were so close and so playful.

Off to see Matilda Tonight!

Melbourne, Matilda & Me–Part 2

 

Well, yet another wonderful bit of a coincidence…

                   

Oh wow,, all these quilts I have read about in magazines!

 

No machines used in making these and all done by hand. Its amazing how some of these things are passed down and survive.

Making the Australian Quilt: 1800–1950 is the first major exhibition of its kind to bring together the rich works that constitute Australia’s quilt heritage. Exclusive to Melbourne, the exhibition includes more than eighty works from around the country.

 

Then after lunch we visited the Scorsese exhibition at the ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image)

Exhibition

SCORSESE

LAST WEEKS. CLOSES 18 SEP.

From Taxi Driver and Goodfellas to The Age of Innocence and The Wolf of Wall Street, Martin Scorsese’s intense and exhilarating films define him as one of the world’s greatest directors.

Whether it’s wolves, bulls, butchers or taxi drivers, Scorsese’s complicated anti-heroes navigate mean streets of their own morality, torn between rebellion and acceptance, sin and redemption. While his characters spiral out of control, Scorsese captures every frame with masterly control.

SCORSESE, drawn from his personal collection, explores his inspirations, creative process and key collaborations, offering comprehensive insight into Scorsese’s career as an unparalleled screen stylist and a tireless champion of cinema.

Please Note: Scorsese’s films deal with mature themes and occasional violence. So does this exhibition. It’s recommended for adults, and older children accompanied by an adult.

Tickets: Full $25 Concession $18 Member $17

I don’t think Mr Scorsese is quite to my taste… don’t like seeing people getting their brains blown out. Although I may give the movie Hugo a try, that looked pretty cute!

However, he has played a big role in the preservation and restoration of old films.

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For dinner we went to a small Spanish restaurant near the QVM. Which was just yum, the quail was awesome!

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