VISITING AUSTRALIND
We’ve just spent a few days staying with my mother in Australind. Although the days were hot the sea breeze arrived in the afternoon and the nights were cool.
My mother is recovering from a broken wrist. She makes her own muesli so I chopped some apricots, dates and almonds and mixed them with pepitas before adding oatmeal. We made big three jars of muesli so they’ll last for a fortnight or so.
Enjoyed walking along Leschenault Estuary in the cool after dinner. Lots of people out crabbing. Beautiful sunset.
Visited family, shopped and spent a few hours at the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery (BRAG) We had arranged a tour of the gallery with the curator as part of the Summer School program.
BUNBURY REGIONAL ART GALLERY
The tour began in with the Modern Masters exhibition, featuring modern Australian landscape artists from the early 1900s to the present. The exhibition featured a mix of traditional paintings, Aboriginal works and some abstract paintings. Some of the Aboriginal paintings were obviously influenced by teachers demonstrating European style works in mission schools and some were painted in traditional styles. This is a spacious and light gallery, showing the paintings at their best. Having a detailed and well informed commentary by Caroline, the curator, added to this visit.
Authur Meric Bloomfield Boyd’s Wimmera Landscape
From there to the next exhibition, ” Machines and Makers: Displaying A Healthy Obsession For Sewing Machines”. Intriguing, multi media pieces. Intricate and fun to look at closely, this exhibition features the technology of the 19th century that changed the world. Although the focus is on the political, social and economic changes wrought by these inventions, the pieces were also witty, nostalgic and charming. I learnt to sew on a treadle machine before we had electricity at the farm and still admire their wrought iron frames, wooden tops and storage drawers.
Linda van der Merwe’s Maker’s Mind #2016
These parasols/umbrellas hanging down from outside walkways at the gallery add fun and colour.
CELEBRATING A BIRTHDAY
We’ve just celebrated my husband’s birthday. His favorite gift is always lots of books. He orders them and I wrap them and he enjoys them for months afterwards.
Our son cooked weisswurst German sausages, roasted potatoes and cabbage for the birthday lunch and then this delicious Schwäbischer Zwiebelkuchen, a German version of egg, bacon and onion pie! With a bread-like pastry base and a baked pie of onion, eggs and bacon plus yoghurt, this was a remarkable dinner. It lasted three days, too, as it was a big pie.
READING
My books come from the library. I like to read reviews and then reserve the interesting ones online. We have so many books and plan to sort and in some cases, dispose of some, when it is cooler. This is my plan, half halfheartedly supported by my husband. They are mostly his books.
The Maverick Soul is like a huge edition of the decorator magazine World of Interiors without the pages and pages of advertisements. Miv Watts book features twenty five homes decorated by people who surround themselves with what they love, not what matches or is fashionable this year. These are vibrant homes full of lovingly chosen artifacts and supported by brief histories of the owners. I keep going back to it, flicking from home to home, enjoying the stories of their owners and the colourful and thoughtful decorations.
The second book I’ve just read from the library is David Lebovitz’s L’Appart, The Delight and Disasters of Making My Paris Home. If you’re a fan of his luscious cooking books, especially about chocolate and desserts, you’ll really enjoy his well written story of putting down roots in Paris. If you’ve ever fantasized about buying and renovating in Paris, best you avoid this book, but if you’d like an insight into the French way of doing things, start reading. Previous books of his I’ve read are The Great Book of Chocolate, My Paris Kitchen and The Sweet Life in Paris.
NEW EMMA BRIDGEWATER CHINA
The big box from Emma Bridgewater. Arrived quickly and safely.
Boxing Day sales, post Christmas sales and New Year Sales are all intended to tempt consumers to buy and for sellers to off-load old stock. Lots of sensible people I know bought clothes, or all the family’s birthday gifts for this year or even things they’ll put away for next Christmas.
I bought more Emma Bridgewater china! I love this design and have collected pieces since 1997. I generally don’t open the emails when they’re headed “Emma Bridgewater Sale” as the shipping cost from the UK to Western Australia is frightening. This year I succumbed and these two beautiful bowls and the glasses case arrived safely in seven days and I love them! Not sensible like half price clothes or a years’ worth of gifts but I adore these pieces and have already used one of the bowls.
My much loved collection with the new additions.
Did you know January is Brain Teaser Month? There’s so much focus on keeping the body fit and healthy but during January you are encouraged to focus on brain health. To keep your brain healthy, stimulated and active do some puzzles, such as quizzes, crossword puzzles, sudoku or play Scrabble or mahjong. There’s lots of online strategy games which require concentration and considered choices so give those grey cells a good work out!