North Shore Architecture ?

Where   : Waitara, New South Wales
When    : 9-50am, 24th January, 2008
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3

• Is it Art Deco ? No, well influenced yes, there is some fluting, but no. 
• Is it Post Modern ? Is it Californian Bungalow ? No.Is it MacMansions ?



• No. Is it Beachcomber ? Is it Sydney Brutalist ? No.



• Is it Hollywood Spanish ? Nah - no arches, no whitewash and far too much glass.



• Is it Stockbroker Tudor ? Nope - no black and white timber or substitute.



• Is it Sydney P & O ? Mmmm ... well, partly - it's curved and may have a funnel shaped chimney and steel-framed windows - but no portholes, geometric motifs, parapet walls, cantilevered decks or glass bricks.

So, it's just a mess then ? Yes. So, er ...... ? 

It used to be I think a Brodie Lighthouse being one of a chain of similarly branded retail lighting emporiums, characterised by these rounded, glassy showrooms.

Here we are then with style being created by the product being commercialised, nothing to do with art, sentiment, environment, functionality, climate or materials.  Who knows what's on the upper floors ? Massage parlour, pilates gym, tae-kwon-do school, an office ?

Set the fuse !

QVB

Where   : Queen Victoria Building
             : George Street, Sydney
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3

The Queen Victoria Building, known as the QVB, was designed by George McRae and completed in 1898.

Here we can see its 4 floors of upmarket boutiques housed within an elaborate Romanesque architecture, originally contrived so that its construction would require the employment of as many out-of-work craftsmen as possible ? stonemasons, plasterers, and stained window artists - in a worthwhile project.

Over many decades, change saw the original concert hall become the city library, offices proliferate and more tenants move in, including piano tuners, palmists and clairvoyants. Drastic remodelling occurred during the austere 1930s - eventually the main occupant became the Sydney City Council.

The QVB was restored to its previous decadent glory in the 1990s.

It stands now as witness to a vision for the building and the superb craftsmanship of the artisans who put it all back together again some 15 years ago.  Its centre inner glass dome and exterior copper-sheathed dome, stained glass windows, 19th century staircases, restored arches, pillars, balustrades and mosaic floors maintain the previous integrity of the building.

So today, it is the most wonderful shopping environment - but you will need a gold-plated credit card !

Who Needs a Plumber ?

Yes, who needs a plumber .... when you have a wife at home !

On Wednesday, the wooden paling fence that divides and separates our property from our neighbours' place, fell over.  Well, SWMBO had been chopping down some bougainvillea (pretty, but nasty stuff), pulling out the roots, some of which were anchoring the fence posts.  Obviously, these had rotted away, so the fence fell over like a line of tents at a girl guides' camp.

Unfortunately, some of it fell against said neighbours' house, smashing a roof downspout and the linkages into the storm water drain. After getting out the chainsaw, pulling it back up and propping it, we examined the damage.  You can see the broken, brown downpipe on the brick wall here, and why you need two elbow joints to make the connection into the pipe in the ground that drops into the stormwater drain.

The fitting is complex, in that there is a rectangular connector to the downspout incorporating a circular connector that fits into one bend or elbow, then a small piece of horizontal piping, which fits into another elbow joint into the round entrance, and so into the vertical dropfeed into the stormwater conduit.

"No problems" says SWMBO ... I was on the point of calling a plumber myself, but "Not on your life" she says, "I'll fix that myself". When she is in this mood, I have found it best to just, you know, go along for the ride.

So, this afternoon (Thursday), she went off to the hardware shop, only to find that the old plumbing is in imperial dimensions, and the new stuff is metric ... yikes !  At this point. I would have capitulated, but not this girl.

Not to be phased, SWMBO bought a metre of pipe and two elbow joints. In the pouring rain, she removed the rest of the debris and broken piping, measured and hacksawed the lengths, fitted the two elbow joints, and "Bingo" ... job done.  Cost $29 ... cost saving probably $75 call-out fee, plus labour say 1 hour for a plumber $70 and materials at their rates, say another $55, total $200 all up.

Worth her weight in gold, what a girl !

Life on a Scorched Earth

Where   : Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, New South Wales
When    : 9-40am, 11th November, 2007
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3

I took this shot just a few weeks ago, but as we are going through a warm spell, I was just reminded of their plight, hoping that they are now free again.

These poor chaps have been rescued and placed in a safer compound than their natural habitat, and will be kept here against their will until the undergrowth comes back, and there is some food for them in the native forests. Strangely enough, this will only be a few weeks - so long as we have no more fires.  The bush seems to love a good fire - is sets off the new growth with a passion !

These wallabies normally live in the free roaming Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. In terms of size, the big fellow at the back is about 5 feet tall in that pose .. maybe 6 foot if he draws himself up and stands on his tail.  You don't want to get kicked in the great expectations by this boy.

I often wonder why we have so many pyromaniacs who think it is funny to set fire to our National Parks. These lovely survivors look so devastated, forlorn and vulnerable, don't they ?  They don't see the funny side ... but I guess it's not too too much fun when somebody has deliberately barbecued your home, torched your land and turned your family to toast.

150th Meridian East

Where   : Marulan, New South Wales
When    : 12-45pm, 17th February, 2008
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3

I drove my daughter down to Wagga Wagga on Saturday, where she is just starting another year at Charles Sturt University.  We always stop for a cup of tea and a sandwich at Marulan.  God knows why, it's just a tradition.

This is Marulan, a town in the Southern Tablelands region of New South Wales, near Goulburn.  Well, hardly a town - just a few houses, a pub and an ould railway station.

Marulan lies close to the Hume Highway, which used to run through the town until the highway bypassed the town. Marulan lies on the 150th meridian. When I say on the 150th meridian, I mean right on it !  The "line" runs right through the spot where I am standing.

It's so exciting.

Look-a-Likes

Where   : Ku-ring-gai National Park, NSW
When    : 10-00am, Monday 8th February, 2008
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3

This is my mate Ron, from Port Lincoln ex  working colleague of mine from ICL, Putney, London around 1970.  Here he is posing next to the Sphinx in Ku-ring-gai National Park, close to where I live in Sydney.

This is one of my favourite Parks around Sydney, as it is just 20kms from the Harbour Bridge and the City Centre, yet it is the most magnificent stretch of natural bushland, rain forest in parts and waterways. 

Absolutely brilliant - so I take all our visitors there.

Cruelly, my wife mentioned that it looks a bit like "Dr. Shipman", but I think it's not a bad replica of the Egyptian original.

Canna Nice

Where   : Turramurra, New South Wales
When    : 5-50pm, 19th January, 2008
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3

The canna lily is back in fashion, but still a noxious weed in some places - but not in my garden, where this beauty is currently in full swing.

This wonderful specimen, the sole member of the family Cannaceae, contains 9 species of rhizomatous perennials. It's an American native - which I guess means it comes from somewhere between Tierra del Fuego and Canada. Why oh why do USA citizens think they are more American than Brazilians, Argies, Puerto Ricans or Canadians. I am sure that Amerigo Vespucci never even went to the USA ... but I digress.

They are not lilies, but their lily-like flowers are clustered in heads at the top of tall stems and occur in bold shades of yellow, coral, orange, and red, and they are frequently strikingly bi- or multi-coloured.