Calling artists, photographers and the like - come to Buangor on Sunday to help save the ancient and doomed trees

FROM THE WHAM FACEBOOK SITE:

Helen Lewers added photos to April 26, 2015.

26 April at 21:31

Say your goodbyes to these beautiful old redgums who've been living in the Middle Creek area long before it had that name - 200-400 years previously, at least. Say goodbye to the young trees too. There aren't too many growing on adjacent farmland. NONE of these trees are protected. 

Not by‪#‎VicRoadsVandals‬.

Not by the ‪#‎AndrewsGvt‬.

Not by anyone who has the power to protect them. 

Say goodbye.

AN INVITATION

Noticed any roads authorities vandalising ancient habitat trees

on the Western Highway lately? 

Come to Buangor on the 3 May - Sunday - 10am to 3pm 

and help record the treasures we are losing. 

Bring all your own materials, picnic, chair, etc. 

(NB - good toilets at Beaufort!) 

The enormous environmental damage being inflicted upon us all 

is to save a TOTAL OF 2 WHOLE MINUTES of travel time 

between Beaufort and Ararat! 

For more details contact as per poster or via WHAM on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/groups/867523523309131/

Numbers to phone for more information:

0408 545 229

0400 713 175

Could you also bring Yellow Ribbons
to tie around the trees
As a symbol of our care for them
Please know, we are being positive about saving these trees
for future generations

Book launch: "Some shorter than others" - Ballarat Library, Sunday 7 September.

The Ballarat Library, 178 Doveton Street, Ballarat 

is playing host to a book launch next Sunday 7 September, at 2pm.

Neville Hiatt (writer) and Sylvia Hollis (illustrator) 

are launching a collection of short stories for the young and young at heart.

Sylvia's illustrations are currently on display at the library until September 11.

There's a limited edition copy of the book to be won.   

Go to Facebook to check it out. 

The book is also available as an Ebook and an Audio book.

Neville is on Facebook
Sylvia's Portfolio
Sylvia's website

Jenny Dowell goes to Just Grounds, Lismore ... and then there's the mural

On Twitter, one of the people I follow is Jenny Dowell who is the Mayor of Lismore in northern New South Wales which is a very beautiful part of the world.  This morning Jenny has been out and about purchasing fruit at the local market and drinking Fair Trade coffee.

 I have saved the picture of the mural separately and enlarged it -

because I think it's wonderful.

Please note the kangaroo in the foreground.

Art Blart and Anselm Kiefer and The Norns

Tweet

 

Urd Werdande Skuld (The Norns)  1983

Oil, shellac, emulsion and fibre on canvas
support: 4205 x 2805 x 60 mm
painting

ARTIST ROOMS Acquired jointly with the National Galleries of Scotland through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund 2008

AR00036

Between 1980 and 1983, Kiefer made paintings that revisited images of Hitler’s monumental architecture. Using old photographs and architectural plans, Kiefer transformed symbols of Nazi authority into derelict building-sites. In this work, the vaulted structure contains the unseen presence of the Norns, the three figures of fate in Germanic mythology, named Past, Present and Future. Their names are scratched into the ceiling, while below a glowing fire points to salvation and regeneration. Drawing on the artist’s fascination with Norse folklore and Wagnerian motifs, the work reflects his attempts to reconcile his country’s recent history through the myths of Germanic legend.

 (From the online caption April 2009)

Description from here 

I subscribe to a blog entitled Art Blart. That is where this image of The Norns has come from - and there are other images there, too, by the same painted. The artist is Anselm Kiefer.  I find his work striking and meditative.  More images of his work can be found here, and here.

  

Anselm Kiefer: Heaven And Earth 

 

Anselm Kiefer 

 

Anselm Kiefer/Paul Celan: Myth, Mourning and Memory 

 

Anselm Kiefer: Maria Walks amid the Thorn 

 

Anselm Kiefer: Sculpture & Painting 

In search of the rushing, gushing Yarra River - Part 2

The Yarra River at Warrandyte at 3.30pm (approx) on Monday 6 September 2010

These pictures were taken from the walk below the Riverside Cark Park.  As you can see, the water was only about 50cm below the walkway.  Would not have taken much more to break the bank on this side.  The other side does not have a low embankment.

Please note the height of the bridge.  Even strong bridges can be damaged by drivers as one can see in the picture.  But there was a bridge before this bridge...

This memorial post commemorates 

the artist Walter Withers who was

a member of the famous Heidelberg School. 

Here is the Withers picture of the Old Bridge, Warrandyte.

Please note the wattle tumbling down the hilly embankment.

If you look closely in my pictures above, 

you will see wattle on that embankment - 

not as profuse as portrayed in the painting by Withers, 

but there still.

The Heidelberg School had something of a colony at Warrandyte at one time - although it was not the best known colony of this unique group of Australian artists.  The legacy, though, lingers on.  Warrandyte is still a place that attracts creative people.

The day was getting darker.

Lunch should have happened hours ago.

A lovely old building summoned and I pulled into the carpark.

Smoke rising into the eucalypts from a stone chimney is a welcoming sight.

First stop, a long overdue browse at The Linen and Larder...

and in through the beckoning doors...

Linen and Larder is bursting with good stuff - 

homewares, gifts, clothing, and stuff for eating and eating upon.

A return journey with credit card is required.

Perhaps some thoughts for Christmas.

You will find L & L here:

THE YARRA STORE
Linen & Larder
321 Warrandyte-Ringwood Road
Warrandyte, Vic 3113

Tummy was still calling ... but a little louder ...

and so to next door ...

... and the Stonehouse Cafe Restaurant.

It has hints of yesteryear - but the decor needs a few additions.

I would suggest a deal with Linen and Larder for the interior.

There are two large banks of windows

opening out on to a verandah under the gum trees

with greedy, nosy sulphur-crested cockatoos a-visiting.

These windows - set into their stone walls -

could do with a couple of school benches under them.

A perfect place for newspaper and coffee.

But back to my tummy ...

I asked for a bowl of hot tomato and herb soup ...

and the bread was s-o-o scrumptious ...

... with some hot chocolate ...

Tummy was well looked after - then home.

RECOVERY AND RE-CREATION IN CROYDON

Yesterday was dentist day in Croydon. 

So I thought I would cover some of the things I like about Croydon.

 After coming out of the dentist I did recover with some

hot chocolate and some soup which I have written about here.

A browsing essential is The Red Parasol, 163 Main Street, Croydon.

At the moment, it is a purchasing essential.

Red Parasol is in Sale mode.

But let's take a look inside.

Beautiful dressing rooms.

Vintage clothes are the specialty here

and to have somewhere lovely to try them on
is a great bonus.

Myers and Target don't give you this.

But it is not only clothing.

The Red Parasol has all sorts of interesting...

things, bits and pieces, treasures.

At Mister Picture, 89 Main Street,Croydon

they are displaying in their window

these marvellous drawings by an artist 

called Phoenix.

Needless to say, these pictures are much better

when seen in person without the reflections.

Julia Gillard.  Current Prime Minister. After to-morrow?

Tony Abbott.  Current Opposition Leader. After to-morrow?

And finally, I paid a visit to Vinnie's.

Vinnie's at Croydon is one of my favourites.

And I purchased these cork-backed floral mats for $2 (for the three).

There is a whole shelf full there of cookery books

which includes the original Margaret Fulton Cook Book

and

Toward Self-Sufficiency: country skills for city dwellers

by Bill Connor

I think both these are worthy of consideration by Trad Padders

so please hie ye hither.

And there is much more to Croydon.

A side street filled with boutiques for you to discover,

for a start.

For pretty much the whole story,

please go here.

Remembering Burke and Wills

To-day a memorial plaque will be officially launched to commemorate the departure, 150 years ago, of Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills on a journey of exploration.  The Burke and Wills saga is well embedded in the Australian consciousness - not least because it was an unmitigated disaster and an example of how not to conduct exploration in Australia.

I live in Melbourne and Burke and Wills are big here.  I sort of knew that before I came to live here.  However, I am frequently confronted by the mass adulation of the B&W pre-expedition and their memorialisation post-disaster.  There are statues here and there but I was really gobsmacked by a very, very large artwork at the State Library of Victoria which portrayed the adulation of the crowds of Melbourne as they farewelled these yet to be heroic men.

I hate to be a party-pooper but I am a North Australian living in exile in Melbourne and where I come from Burke and Wills are regarded as prize dills.  We don't think they knew very much.  We don't think they needed to perish.  We think they were amazingly arrogant and ignorant.  While they were doing a perish not too far away Aboriginal groups were thriving.

If any memorials are being built to Burke and Wills to-day they should be done in the context of the ignorance and arrogance of the post-1788 white settlers.

The State Library of Victoria is entering into the commemorations with an ongoing exhibition which began in  May and will run through to October this year under the title of Burke and Wills: Terra Incognita.  To-morrow and Friday there are workshops related to the exhibition from the Curator's viewpoint. Gerard Hayes will discuss items on display including contemporary portraits of Burke and Wills, their last notes and firearms used on the expedition.  Bookings for the workshops are essential.

And for everything you ever wanted to know on the B&W 150th, please go here.

Earth's loveliness

Michelangelo by Daniele da Volterra

Picture from here 

My soul  can find no staircase

to Heaven

unless it be through

Earth's loveliness.

.

For the love of Frida - and Salma

On Friday night, I went to the Shane Howard concert - which you can read about here.  I was on my own - and it is amazing how women chat and befriend one another easily - as I did with the owner of this remarkable black jacket.  It is a homage: to the wonderful, unique and extravagant Frida Kahlo.  And not only to Frida, but to the wonderful portrayal of her by the beautiful Salma Hayek.

And who could forget the remarkable tango from the movie.

BTW, my friend of the evening said that she had imbibed well before embarking on the paint job - which was done in poster paints so she dare not wear the jacket in the rain!