Textile Tuesdays : #30 Something I found at the Art Gallery of NSW

I had a friend visiting from The States, so I took him to my favorite art gallery here in Sydney - The Art Gallery of New South Wales. One whole wing of 20th century art was closed off for an exhibit change, so we spent more time than usual in the Asian art section. We found a stairway that led to an upstairs wing I had never seen. It was full of beautiful sculptures of Buddhas and I found these gorgeous Indonesian batik clothes. They were not that old - only from the early 1900s, but they were dyed with natural dyes and the patterns and colors were exquisite.

Sunday - Funday! Music in Sydney

One of the big advantages of living in an urban area is the richness of the music scene. It's been a while since I saw The Clash, The Talking Heads, Wilco, or so many other great bands. But I still appreciate a great show, and I still know how to rock and roll (even if I do wear earplugs now).

I was jealous that my husband and younger daughter got to go see Belle and Sebastian before I got here. They were at the Opera House and, unsurprisingly, gave a great show. So far, the list of shows seen by my family are: B&S, Sufjan Stevens, Darwin Deez, Elbow, The Vaccines, and the one that I saw - Glasvegas. It was in a pretty small club, packed with a nice enough, fun loving crowd of hipsters, rockers, and gray haired music lovers all mixed together. I was relieved that I was not the only one over 20 something. The singer was charming, the musicians were passionate and skilled, and the audience sing-along was actually top-notch. I will definitely be keeping my eyes on the listing around town. Maybe my body and my wallet can handle one show every couple of months.

An American in Sydney

Wow! I was surprised to see that it has been almost a year since I have posted on this blog. A lot has happened, changes have occurred, and my mind feels like it is all gooey with regard to writing.

I am living in Sydney, Australia now and have been for about two months. I decided that I would start keeping track of what is going on around me (and in my head) by posting again, as regularly as I can, on my blog.

I don't quite know where to start. I don't have any specific projects brewing just yet. I think that reflecting on my life and writing down my inspirations will help my ideas evolve.

Cheers, and stay tuned.

Textile Tuesdays : #25 FOUND in Sydney

When I was in Sydney, Australia last week, I walked all over the city. Day after day I trekked to and from my hotel, starting and returning to the same streets. One day, I told my husband we should cut down a small alley just for the diversion. It looked like an empty alleyway, just wide enough for pedestrians, with no doors, windows, or signs.

However, once in the narrow space, we discovered that there were display cases on the wall holding amazing works of art! It was like a secret surprise! Best of all, two of the cases had fiber arts!

The two works in the photos above have small bud or basket-like shapes crocheted out of plastic bags and plastic close tabs, bits of paper and string. The first one is arranged with old plastic knitting needles to look like a vase of flowers. The second one, with wood, lace and concrete, looks like a landscape, or something architectural.

There were no signatures or descriptions anywhere that I could see so the makers and the purpose is a mystery - one that absolutely made my day!

Skirts on Friday - Traveling Skirts

I just spent eight days on the road with my skirts. I was in airports, on planes overnight, and in a big city tooling around. I was worried that I might feel limited by my skirts project, but I think it actually made traveling easier.

When I packed my suitcase I had plenty of room because the skirts don't take up much space, and because I only had 4 bottoms with several tops for each one. Everyday I could easily choose and outfit and get dressed without much fuss. In a big city sometimes pants/trousers don't look stylish enough, but a skirt almost always has the little extra style that looks dressed up. (You can usually add small accessories like a fancy top, a scarf or jewelry to make it look more so.) I admit that I was not as chic as many of the women I saw, but I was also not as out of place as the tourists in their jeans and athletic shoes.

As I found out this past winter, it is definitely possible to stay warm enough in a skirt, and it is even easier to stay cool. The weather last week was partly sunny, partly rainy and I could see by my husbands trousers that I was better off in a skirt because his pant legs got soaked at times. I had a raincoat and an umbrella but there was one day when I wish I would have had some wellies. While packing, I had to make sure that I had style while taking care of the comfort of my feet, and there was only so much room in my one bag. I am always struggling (and failing mostly) to find the perfect accessories for the very bottom (the so called "foot") of my outfit.

This leads me to my other obsession and possibly a cause for a future year long project -

shoes ... but that is another story altogether!

Somewhere in the World - Sydney Australia!!!

downtown Sydney

delicious Malaysian Laksa

on a ferry in the harbor/harbour

the Quad on the beautiful University of Sydney campus

on a typical quiet neighborhood street

I just have to cover Sydney again this week since I have just returned from a week there and I have loads of photos. My husband and I went, not as tourists, but as soon-to-be residents! We were exploring neighborhoods and schools and basic livability. Everyone was friendly, the city is vibrant, and there are loads of neighborhoods that spread out around the downtown like petals on a rose. We had great food and enjoyed some art, gardens, public transportation and a ferry ride. I know we are going to love it there!

A Bientot! Hasta Pronto! G'day!

I have been remiss in my writing the last few days because I have been busy getting ready for my trip to Sydney. I am going with my husband for 8 days to do "recon" on schools and real estate. I'm leaving in a few hours. I have everything done on my check list except shaving my legs and plucking my eyebrows. So I am off to do that now. I will try to post something when I'm there if I have internet access, but otherwise I will be back on the 24th of May. Ciao!

Somewhere in the World - Sydney Australia!!!

O.K., I can't hold back any longer. After 14 years of living in a small town in a mountain desert, we are going to be moving to a new life in Sydney, Australia!!

Yes, it is a permanent move (as much as anything is permanent)! Yes, it is far away. Yes, we are all very excited and enthusiastic about going! I always felt that my time in Flagstaff was temporary and I was beginning to feel foolish (it probably was foolish in any case) about not accepting my presence in this place. I started thinking that I had been wrong and that we were going to end up growing old and being buried here. But, my husband got hired to a great university in Sydney and we are moving there next year.

We were there about 6 years ago so I have a visual understanding of the city and the country. I know first-hand what the people are like and what types of lifestyles are possible. I don't think I am being too idealistic when I say that it is a fantastic place to live! There is a lot of planning and arranging of living situations, placements, etc. to be done, but, to use a cliche,"it is all good!"

A quick tour of the city and I will post more soon...

The first photo is of the waterfront walkway leading from the botanical gardens to the famous Opera House.

Next is me with a magnolia flower on one of the trees in a park. Remember the expression "never eat anything bigger than your head" ? Well, what do they say about growing flowers that are bigger?

Next is a view of the downtown from inside the Chinese Friendship Gardens.

Bondi Beach! One of the many beaches around the city. Yes, surfing and sunning in a major metropolitan area!

Me in front of one of the fabulous museum/galleries. My art senses are stirring and getting ready to be fed! (if you can believe it, I am wearing one of my 4skirts - Zara! I make things last don't I?!)

It looks good doesn't it?