Year: 2013

On a recent trip to Melbourne I decided to explore its tiny lanes and arcades and it was the perfect time to do this as there was a festive spirit everywhere with the lanes beautifully decorated for Christmas and with happy patrons finding the ideal gifts or taking time off from the shopping to have…

After seeing Cai’s wonderful exhibition, in particular his exhibit of the eucalyptus tree, it had the effect  on me he wanted – it sparked my interest – to find out more about them, to notice them and appreciate them. I grew up with eucalyptus trees, they were brought to Cyprus to fight off the swamps…

Contemporary art and I often struggle and it is a toss up of whether I view it and go away a little disillusioned and disappointed or really fired up and challenged.More often then not it is the former that wins out. I have never been so fired up and challenged as when I walked into…

No sooner has the city and its suburbs unfolded its natural festive colours than the season officially kicked off last night at St George’s Square in front of Brisbane City Hall. What to me is remarkable is that the place was packed with young families for as far as the eye could see and Brisbane doesn’t…

And I am not talking about football colours or clubs but the fact that Brisbane is an unfolding panorama of colours and one worth talking about. Sometime ago I showed you the beautiful Jacaranda in my garden. Most of them had flowered slightly early due to some unseasonably warm weather. A couple of storms and…

It is quite a story from its inception, to its creation, to its birth and triumphs and all I can say it is worth every agony, architectural drawing, lots of failed ones, hundreds, indeed millions of Aussie dollars, sleepless nights, architects tearing their hair out and falling out.  Seeing this magnificent building in full swing,…

Its a large tree with buttresses and a whitish bark with a not surprising profusion of green elliptical leaves which sometimes turn reddish before falling and white bell shaped flowers – so what might you ask is so special about this odd sounding Queensland tree? Well these : I collected them from the ground and…

Bush tucker is food taken from Ozzie’s bountiful  nature and served up in delicious ways. We went along to a small restaurant tucked away (excuse the pun) in the swinging district of West End. It is small and discreet, perhaps standing a little apart from the Ouzeri on the corner and the interestingly named Three…

Obama and Merkel seem to to do it and apparently OZ too,  so I thought I would take a crack at it too.On the bus going home I take a seat and behind me are two elderly gentlemen who have just met each other. Lets call them Bill and for the sake of the rhyme,…

When I read some of the place names in Australia out loud you would have thought I had difficulty reading – Perhaps I am to be forgiven given the strange names that often appear and have their origin in some of the aboriginal languages- there are many- and I would say all quite challenging for…