Images from a great exhibition I saw last year at the Police and Justice Museum called Sin City: Crime and Corruption in 20th Century Sydney. Naturally enough, Kings Cross featured quite a bit in the archival photos and film. Here are some images of Kings Cross, or The Cross as us Sydneysiders like to call it, circa 1960, 1950, 1969 and 1970.
Images from Sin City/ The Historic Houses Trust.
This is Tom the red-eared fire tailed finch. He has red ears because he's quite sensitive about people talking about him. Mostly it is good things that are said, but occasionally he might hear something that isn't so great. For example, his nephew said he was a poor chess player. This upset Tom because he intentionally lets his nephew win every time they play together. Also, his great aunt mentioned to his mother that she thought she saw him playing marbles in the street like a vagrant. But his great aunt is as blind as a bat and it wasn't him at all but some other bloke who bears a passing resemblance to him. Is it any wonder poor Tom's ears are permanently red?
...and it's Monday!
He's not fat. He's floofy. I think that was originally a direct quote from Cute Overload in reference to a cat, but what the hey! This is Chaz, and he's a chaffinch.
This is Peter Finch. The Peter Finch above is no relation to that other Peter Finch who was famously very angry and wasn't going to take it any more (if you can tell me which movie that quote comes from, I'll be suitably impressed!). This Peter has many interests. His favourite, though, is singing his heart out at dawn and dusk.
After a fairly cool start to summer, I think it's finally decided to be hot. Very hot. Here's hoping we don't have several days of 40 plus degree heat like we had last year. That sort of heat can really take it out of a person!
I hope everyone has a terrific week!
Not quite but very, very close! Can you believe it's almost 2012? What are your plans for this evening? I shall be having a glamorous duck curry cooked by my boyfriend and some pink champagne! There are two sets of fireworks here in Sydney: the nine o'clock set and then the big midnight show stoppers. I hear that this year's crackers are being stage managed by international glam designer Marc Newson, so I'll definitely be trying to catch a bit of that!
I'd also like to wish everyone a heartfelt Happy New Year! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog in 2011! I'd also like to thank all the wonderful people who have popped into my shop and bought prints this year too! Here's to a fabulous 2012! XOXO's
Image from here.
Hello! I hope everyone has had and is having a happy festive season! I have now sufficiently recovered from my Christmas Day feast and feel ready to start posting some drawings and interesting things I've stumbled across in the week since my last post. It's been a big week!
So, this is Sid, He is a crested pigeon. We have quite a lot of them here in Sydney. They are sweet because when they take off and fly, they make a wooden "tocking" sound like a mechanical toy. I thought Sid looked a bit New Wave/ Punk with his top knot. He did tell me his favourite band was Blondie so perhaps I wasn't too far off there...
If Shadow Shot Sunday was a party, I'd be arriving just as the hostess was emptying out the ashtrays and calling a cab for the last stray party goer. Yes, I am very late today with my shadow shot but, well, better late...e.t.c e.t.c.
This is part of a sign outside a small but well known and respected Paddington art gallery. I thought the sign was just made for a Shadow Shot Sunday post!
Shadow Shot Sunday is a meme set up and organised by Tracy of Hey Harriet! If you'd like to participate, all you have to do is read the instructions here!
This is Doris and Rita spending an afternoon together reading in the library. Doris has just finished her book whilst Rita is still going on hers. Doris' book was F. Scott Fitzgerald's This side of Paradise while Rita is halfway through The Great Gatsby.
Speaking of The Great Gatsby, did you know that Baz "Moulin Rouge" Luhrmann's production of The Great Gatsby is being filmed in Sydney as we speak (*ahem* write)? It stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan in the lead roles of Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan and Toby Maguire co-stars as Nick Carraway. Below are some shots of the cast and crew on location a couple of weeks ago. In the first photo Leo and Toby are in casual dress driving around in a red car while in the second photo you can see Toby Maguire and Leo in costume sitting in a spiffy looking yellow automobile.
I'm keeping my wits about me when I trot around town as think it's entirely possible I might bump into Leo himself one of these days!
Here are some more photos of the cast and crew on set.
I trust everyone's week is progressing in an orderly manner!
Both photos from here.
This set of shots for my shadow shot post were taken on a spring walk I had with my boyfriend not so long ago. This building is part of The Scots College which is a very well-to-do school for young men. It was established in 1893 and is situated on beautiful Bellevue Hill. All the school buildings have sweeping views of the harbour and heads which I would have found a bit distracting, particularly in my maths class! I liked the white clock tower against the blue blue sky and of course the lion emblem caught my eye as anything remotely feline always has my vote!
Shadow Shot Sunday is proudly brought to you by Hey Harriet! You too can join in - all you have to do is read the instructions here.
This serious creature is a performer in a Bauhaus ballet circa 1926 - 1927 called The Triadic Ballet. It's on a postcard I bought at a recent exhibition I went to at the Art Gallery here in Sydney. The exhibition was called The Mad Square: Modernity in German Art 1910 - 1937. It was pretty interesting. I liked looking at all the Bauhaus bits and pieces and the various other exhibits but the standout favourite for me was the room that had paintings by Christian Schad. Wow! He sure knew how to paint!
In other news, it being Friday, it is Happy Friday links day! Here is my selection of what caught my eye out there in cyberspace this week:
1) Well, first of all I'd like to link to my very first ever guest post I did over at Jess' lovely blog: Epheriell Designs. It was such an honour! I get the vapours just thinking about it!
2) The Guardian still manages to surprise and delight me! I recently found a whole corner of their site devoted to "how to" jewellery making lessons.
3) Lenore Nevermore's mouth watering (and pretty) ode to all things honey and honey related!
4) Beautiful colour photos of circus performers from the 1940s - 1950s.
5) A very informative video on how to make almond milk!
6) Classic album covers get a kitty cat makeover!
Here's to a weekend full of exciting discoveries and relaxing moments! :0)
