One of the highlights of being in Sydney was the opportunity to see The Belles in concert - I went to school with Sacha (on the right) and she's good friends with Fiona still. She and two friends sing 40s and 50s style close harmony similar to the Andrews Sisters. They had a brush with fame earlier this year when they entered onto Australia's Got Talent. They didn't make it to the semi-finals but the publicity has resulted in a raised profile and more engagements. They don't often do public concerts as most of their concerts are corporate or private, but they put on a showcase at Raval in central Sydney for the public to attend - it was great fun! Technically they are really impressive and they love what they're doing. The concert also included a Hawaiian band and also a burlesque dancer who had a routine with many balloons and some pins - saucy!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
artistic!
Absolutely loved the Biennale of Sydney, well the bits on Cockatoo Island that I visited. Cockatoo Island is an old convict prison island that became a ship yard, and is now full of abandoned old industrial buildings and bizarrely a permanent campsite! The Biennale took it over and installed art works in different old buildings. The was one that took my fancy - hundreds of stainless steel balls. There were quite a few video installations including on surreal Russian one, and one about the drowned Chinese cockle pickers in Morcambe Bay. Hours of enjoyment - I was on the last ferry off the island!
iconic!
After a week of work in a big tall building, it was lovely to get out on the harbour. The Biennale of Sydney was on while I was there and it included a selection of installations and art works on Cockatoo Island in the harbour. There was a free ferry to take us out to the island, a very popular activity! I could see a few people climbing the bridge when we went past.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
high high high!
After my week in Melbourne, I went to Sydney for a week for work. I stayed mainly in a serviced apartment across the road from work - up the Chinatown end of the CBD. The apartment I stayed in was on the 49th floor with a balcony - I don't normally get vertigo but going to the edge of the balcony in this case really did make my head spin! Fantastic views across Darling Harbour and out towards the airport. I could see the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the harbour itself a little bit between buildings from my bedroom.
Sydney was very noisy - well where I was staying anyway! There was a constant hum of traffic and activity even in the middle of the night. I also got woken up by a vuvzela on the night of the World Cup final which says how noisy those things are!!
I spent quite a lot of time in Sydney working, but I did catch up with a few friends there, so that was fab!
Sydney was very noisy - well where I was staying anyway! There was a constant hum of traffic and activity even in the middle of the night. I also got woken up by a vuvzela on the night of the World Cup final which says how noisy those things are!!
I spent quite a lot of time in Sydney working, but I did catch up with a few friends there, so that was fab!
Friday, July 02, 2010
Special!
Very dear friends Andrew and Li-Ann got married on 2 July in Melbourne. It was a fantastic ceremony, both stylish and informal. Here's a photo of them listening to Julie, the celebrant talk through the legalities. Li-Ann is wearing an ostrich feather shrug but sadly the Jimmy Choo shoes are out of shot! Andrew also looking very stylish!
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Burtonesque!
There's a huge Tim Burton exhibition on in Melbourne at the moment. It's amazing just what a prolific and creative man he is. There's loads of his early drawings and designs right through to costumes and models he's made for the later films. Huge amount to see. The only thing that you're allowed to take a photo of is the Batmobile at the entrance - it looks amazing, all black and gleaming. My favourite bit of the exhibition was a surreal merry-go-round with skulls and creatures, all under UV light.
Gradated! (is that a word...?)
Had a few days in Melbourne around Li-Ann's wedding in late June/early July. I really Melbourne, it's very similar to Wellington with lots of character. There are old-fashioned lanes in the middle of the city that run between the main roads and are lined with shops and cafes. I was delighted to see this one, Babushka which is stocked with loads of Russian dolls. The selection was even better than anything I'd seen in Russia (although probably quite a bit more expensive!). As well as the traditional looking matryoshka dolls, there were also Russian presidents, Beatles, Elvis etc.
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