Friday Five: Cultural Activities on Australia Day Weekend in Sydney

We went to Sydney for 48 hours over Australia Day weekend and we packed a lot in. I shall write more about each of these activities, but these are the headlines. 

1. Woolloomooloo Sculpture Walk - ARTPark Australia: This is a free public exhibition of outdoor large-scale sculptures made from materials such as stainless steel, bronze, concrete and wood. The sculptures sit along the Wharf Boardwalk and many contain allusions to environmental and sustainable themes.

2. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at The Domain: The reason we went to Sydney in the first place, Nick Cave excels again in the Wild God tour. Him Outdoors is a big fan of the Bad Seeds era (he likes The Birthday Party best but it is unlikely they will ever tour that material). We were more than happy to enjoy a two-and-a-half hour set, including new tunes and old favourites as the bats flew overhead in the night sky.

3. Art Gallery of New South Wales: We went to two exhibitions here. The first, Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890-1940, featured celebrated and rediscovered paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture and ceramics. The more than 200 works represent the wave of women artists who prevailed against social constraints and left Australia to pursue international professional careers. Some returned bringing back new ideas - realism; impressionism; post-impressionism; cubism; abstraction - and playing an integral role in modernising Australia. Artists such as Nora Heysen, Grace Cossington Smith, Margaret Preston, Dorrit Black, Frances Hodgkins, Thea Proctor, and Hild Rix Nicholas are represented in all their explorations of colour, light, form and movement. 

The second exhibition, The Patchwork Portal, is a newly-commissioned work by Raquel Caballero. Celebrating craft as a skilled art, she invites visitors to contribute to a collaborative patchwork installation. She takes inspiration from her favourite childhood book, L Frank Baum's The Patchwork Girl of Oz, and the psychadelic fabrics of the 1970s are highlighted throughout her works of sculpture and portraiture.  

4. The Book of Mormon at Capitol Theatre, Sydney: I have wanted to see this musical for a while and, seeing it was on its last weekend in Sydney, I was delighted to secure reasonably-priced tickets for pretty good seats. The theatre itself is beautiful and the show was as irreverent and as entertaining as I could have hoped. Parodying everything from virtue signalling and whitewashing to organised religion and musical theatre itself, the production was high-energy and full-on camp with exceptionally tight vocals and choreography, and even a perfectly pitched musical-within-a-musical.

5. The Australian Museum: Again, we saw two exhibitions here, the first being Relics: A New World Rises in which vintage objects meet miniature Lego brick worlds. The concept is that in the future, the human race has disappeared leaving their detritus behind from fridges and typewriters to ATMs and jetskis. The Lego community has colonised them to make a cryogenic health centre, printing press, credit union and holiday resort. The exhibition aims at being both nostalgic and thought-provoking, but there are far too many children present, who have no concept of stepping back to let others see, and what with all the pushing and shoving, it is difficult to get near the displays.

The Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year displays are always excellent and this is no exception (although it is next to the Lego exhibition and there is a spill-over of space-oblivious children). The works showcase the spectacular flora, fauna and landscapes found throughout Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and New Guinea. "From murky ocean depths, to soaring mountain tops and fiery outback landscapes", they invite us to see nature "in a whole new light".

Glacial Blue by Stuart Chape

Everyone Knows Tipping Point: We Solve Murders

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

Penguin

Pp.438 

Richard Osman created the wildly popular Thursday Murder Club, and now he has published a standalone novel, We Solve Murders, which looks perfectly set to be the beginning of a new series. The main characters are Amy Wheeler, an assassin/ private security officer to billionaires and her father-in-law, Steve Wheeler, who used to be in the business but now likes spending time with his cat, Trouble, and his quiz team down the pub. “Steve Wheeler still reads about murder, of course he does. Just as a retired centre-forward still looks at the football scores on a Saturday afternoon. Takes a professional interest, with his feet up.” Amy’s husband, Adam, is mostly absent.

 

It is a fast-paced thriller packed with guns and humour. Influencers are being murdered in a spat between money launderers, but no one really cares about influencers because they are so shallow, until we meet Bonnie Gregor, one with a family and a conscience. Amy is meant to be protecting famous author, Rosie D’Antonio who loves flirting – with danger and men – as they encounter lots of action in multiple locations. The New Forest; South Carolina; Dubai; St Lucia; County Cork. “Amy has been in mortal danger in many countries over the last few years, but St Lucia has to be one of the most beautiful.”

 

There is a cast of hundreds – François Loubet; Henk van Veen; Jeff Nolan; Susan Knox; Max Highfield; Felicity Woollaston; Jo Blow; Andrew Fairbanks; Bella Snachez; Mark Gooch; Gary Gough; Tony Taylor; Rob Kenna; Mickey Moody; Vasily Karpin; Eddie Flood; Carlos Moss; Kevin the ex-Navy SEAL – and it’s quite hard to keep track of who is whom. It doesn’t really matter though, as the action, locations and opportunity for cameo roles all combine to make this novel a dying-to-be-made-into-a-film script, with actors queuing up to play the characters. I read recently about a woman who said she thought being an assassin was a reasonable career due to the number of TV shows, books and films about them. “Needs must, and murder’s not so difficult. Wear gloves, and don’t drive the getaway car too fast.”

 

Pedantry provides humour, such as when Rosie asks Henk if he has proof “in that little envelope of yours?” He replies that is “not a little envelope, it is an A4,… and yes, I have proof in this normal-sized envelope.” A character quotes Eric Cantona, revealing the aimed-at demographic, while another ruminates on property prices. “If he was moving to the village today, he wouldn’t be able to afford it. The only way anyone can afford to buy a house these days is to have bought it fifteen years ago.” There is an allusion to modern social interaction as François Loubet sends emails via Chat GPT in the style of “a friendly English gentleman”. “Most communication is by message or email. High-end criminals are much like millennials in that way.” Meanwhile, another character is obsessed with road routes.

 

“The journey had been a pleasant surprise, if Tony Taylor is honest. The A31 turned out to be clear as a bell – couldn’t believe his luck there. M27, no major problems. The traffic backed up around Junction 2 of the M3 – but when doesn’t it? The usual fun and games on the M25, but then clear from Junction 9 all the way to Letchworth Garden City. So, all in all, Tony couldn’t complain. Should have taken two hours and twenty-three minutes, actually took two hours and fifteen minutes.”

 

It may ostensibly be about Amy, but Richard Osman proves he relates more to middle-aged men than he does to young women. Steve knows crisp flavours, road routes and daytime TV. “Sometimes Steve wonders what world Amy is living in. Everyone knows Tipping Point.” Even when Steve loses his cool with Henk, he does so with self-deprecation. “I’ve put my priorities on hold for a number of days now. I’ve been tied up, I’ve been threatened with a gun, I’ve been in a helicopter, and I’ve eaten kale.” Steve is spoiled, however, by having flown on a private jet. “This private jet – it’s a Learjet – is slightly smaller than the ones he has become used to in the last week and he is feeling a little cramped. He’s also just found out there is no private chef, and he had really been looking forward to a bacon sandwich. So, just as cat food has been ruined for Trouble [after the cat ate leftover roast chicken], so air travel has forever been ruined for Steve.”

It’s a very decent book with a central character who talks to his dead wife while sitting on a small bench by a quiet pond and is trying to come to terms with his grief and her absence. “Steve has learnt you must never resent other people for their happiness. Everyone is taking the best shot they’ve got and some shots are just luckier than yours. Any time you feel your unhappiness turning into bitterness, you have to check yourself. You can live with unhappiness, but bitterness will kill you.” Steve is a character who could be played by someone like Jim Broadbent or Hugh Bonneville, and he will certainly make more appearances in future with his new detective partnership with Amy (and possibly, Rosie): We Solve Murders.

Friday Five: Tennis Observations from the Australian Open

Naomi Osaka's garb was the talk of the court, and beyond, as she emerged from the catwalk tunnel in a jellyfish inspired getup. It consisted of (and I quote), "a pleated miniskirt over wide-legged trousers, a wide-brimmed hat with a white veil and a parasol, an on-court outfit featuring a watery turquoise and green palette and soft frills on the warm-up jacket and dress, alluding to tentacles". She says she is discovering beauty in unexpected places like the underwater world and working with artists who care about meaning.

She said, "Fashion for me really opened up when I stopped thinking about how it would be received and started thinking about how it made me feel". And it obviously makes her feel good because she played a great game to move through to the second round. The young Croatian opponent didn't know what hit them. After all, why float like a butterfly and sting like a bee when you can do both like a jellyfish?

Incidentally, if everyone else is trying to stand out, Stan Wawrinka is going for the opposite approach and is practically camouflaged in his blue and white outifit on the Show Court Arena. His match against Arthur Gea (at 21 years old, Gea is nearly half the age of Wawrinka) went for four and a half hours with conditions and momentum changing frequently. Wawrinka appeared to love every minute of the epic five set match with a final set tie-break, even joining in a Mexican wave in an unscheduled pause for Gea to fix his shoe. The stealth approach clearly worked as Wawrinka is back to contest another round, once he gets out of the ice-bath.

The way Jannik Sinner is playing, he really didn't look as though he needed any assistance, but he got a free pass when his opponent, Hugo Gaston, withdrew from the game. Sinner was up two sets (6-2, 6-1) and appeared imperious, when Gaston called for an end to the contest and sat down to sob beneath a towel. Sinner sportingly went to commiserate and said in his post-match interview that he was surprised by the retirment although he could see that Gaston wasn't at his best. It's never nice to see someone abandon a game due to illness or injury, but Sinner bounced back and used the extra rest to breeze through his next round against the hotly-favoured-by-the-crowd Australian, James Duckworth.

Novak Djokovic plays a stunning game, and it is great to see him looking fit and fast and covering the court so fluidly with strength and perfect angles. I only saw the first-round win in straight sets, as I had to work (booo!) when he played the second round during the day, but as the score was exactly the same (6-3, 6-2, 6-2), I imagine it was equally comprehensive. Cue all the comments about how amazing it is that he can still manage to swing a racquet at the ripe old age of 38. He's still my favourite.

Gael Monfils bade farewell to Melbourne Park in a game that lasted for nearly four hours. There is something quintissentially French about the way Monfils shrugs and slouches his way through some spectacular tennis making it seem effortless. The crowd love him, even if he was playing an Aussie, Dane Sweeny. There was an on-court presentation for Monfils as he completed his 20th main draw at this tournament, accompanied by a standing ovation. It was all done respectfully and in a spirit of camaraderie and Sweeney, having secured his first ever win at Grand Slam level, managed to master his emotion in the post-match interview even when told he was up before Monfil's award because 'winners go first, mate.' Stay classy, Australia.

The top-seeded women are killing it, leaving the drama to those lower in the rankings. Number one seed, Aryna Sabalenka has cruised through her first two matches (6-4, 6-1 and 6-3, 6-1) despite being a little frustrated at dropping games due to the high standfards she sets herself. She also had to counter calls from other players for her to be banned due to the illegal Russian war, to which she replied, "Obviously I want peace, and if I could change anything, I would definitely do that. Other than that, I have nothing else to say. I am here for tennis. I have said enough in the past, and I don't want to talk politics here." I have thoughts about this issue, and whether politics can be kept out of sport, but I'm not sure taking up individual cases is the way to address it.

The next three seeds - Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova - have also all won their first two games in straight sets (albeit with Swiatek facing a tie-break in the first round). Thigs seem to be going according to plan.

My Newest Favourite Thing: Behind the Lines

 

While Cousin Rachael was visiting, we went to Old Parliament House, and while she walked around the Museum of Australian Democracy, I went to the Behind the Lines exhibition to see the political cartoons from 2025. Here are some of my favourites. I have added the exhibition's words in quotations.

Introduction by Matt Golding

"In this specially commissioned cartoon for Behind the Lines 2025, Political Cartoonist of the Year Matt Golding responds to this year's theme: Are We Rolling? The politicians running across the top of the film projector are (left to right) Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Benjamin Netanyehu, Allegra Spender, Larissa Waters, David Littleproud, Angus Taylor, Sussan Ley, Jim Chalmers, and Anthony Albanese."

Climate change remains a headline catastrophe, but cartoonists point out that people are less bothered by global concepts than personal finances.

The Cost-of-Not-Living Crisis by Matt Golding

"If we listen to the political dinosaurs, the cost of living is the most pressing issue affecting Australians. Climate change scientists might disagree, noting Australia's climate is already changing and calling for immediate action to reduce carbon emissions. Climate change is the 'asteroid in the room' that no one wants to acknowledge."

Responding to Our Wake-up Calls by Matt Golding

"The cost-of-living crisis was one of the biggest points of debate during the election campaign. In Matt Golding's cartoon, this is the issue that finally spurs the world into action - whereas climate change has the whole world repeatedly hitting the snooze button."

Priorities by Cathy Wilcox

"September saw the release of the National Climate Risk Assessment by the Australian Climate Service. The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water described it as 'Australia's first nationally comprehensive look at how climate change could affect the systems we rely on'. The report detailed sea-level rises, increased deaths from heatwaves and the impact of climate change on the Australian property market, which could see close to a million homes possibly uninsurable by 2050."

Join the Dots by Megan Herbert

"Mid-year a deadly algal bloom driven by marine heat waves had a devastating effect on the marine life around the coast of South Australia, with an unusually large number of dead marine creatures appearing washed up on the state's beaches. Between March and July, according to data collected on the citizen science site iNaturalist Australia, the bloom killed around 15,000 animals from over 450 marine species."

House of Cards by Harry Bruce

"As the cost of living rose and the housing crisis continued, Australians turned to their credit cards. Reserve Bank statistics released in February showed the national credit card debt sitting at $17.8 billion, a figure bolstered by Australians' record monthly spend of $28 billion in December 2024." 

There are, inevitably, cartoons specifically aimed at Australian politics. 

Nighthawks at the Sky After Dark Diner by Matt Golding

"In this work Matt Golding recreates one of America's most famous paintings, Edward Hopper's Nighthawks (1942). Peter Dutton approaches an intimate bar, the Sky After Dark Diner, where former Liberal leaders Malcolm Turnbull, Scott Morrison and Tony Abbott, seated next to Sky News host Peta Credlin, are being served by the channel's owner, Rupert Murdoch." 

The Liberals' Post-Election Complete Rebuild by Matt Golding

"This is one of two very clever re-creations of IKEA instruction booklets in the year's Behind the Lines. The challenge of rebuilding the Liberal party after the election could be remarkably simple - or very difficult - depending on your personal view of whether it is easy or hard to follow IKEA construction manuals."

Nuclear Neverland by Claire Harrison

"A major coalition policy during the election campaign was a plan to build seven nuclear power plants across New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. The coalition claimed this would provide a 'cheaper, cleaner, and more consistent alternative' to coal or renewables. Many did not share the Coalition's enthusiasm for the policy and were concerned about its many documented risks, such as the effects of radiation on humans and animals."

Podcasts vs Justice by Jess Harwood

"The mushroom murder trial of Erin Patterson spawned at least five dedicated podcasts and countless news reports. Around the same time there was a coronial inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker, a Warlpiri man who was shot and killed by police while resisting arrest in the remote Aboriginal community of Yuendumu, Northern Territory. The inquest found that Walker's death was 'avoidable' and should not have happened."

Farewell to Old England Forever by Mirranda Burton

"This rabbit X-ray refers to the pests that were brought to Australia on the First Fleet and which now number in their hundreds of millions. Recent favourable conditions have seen the population boom, leading to calls for federal support to fast-track the next rabbit biocontrol virus. Rabbits cost the Australian agricultral sector $200 million a year, twice as much as do foxes and mice. They also threaten double the number of native species compared to other introduced animals."

There is a strong contingent of American news and concerns. Of course, this makes me question whether American newspapers and cartoonists would be interested/ aware of anything taking place beyond their shores. 

Inflammation of a Nation by Matt Golding

"This cartoon appeared in June 2025, not long after the protests in the city of Los Angeles against ICE abductions and deportations of undocumented people. The protests lasted several days and in response President Donald Trump sent in 4,100 Califormia National Guard troops and 700 Marines, sparking widespread debate about the boundaries of presidential power."

Burning by Cathy Wilcox

"In January 2025 a series of 14 wildfires caused significant damage and loss of life in the Los Angeles metropolitan area and San Diego County in California, United States. Two of the fires were considered to have been the second and third most destructive ones in California's history. Reports said more than 18,000 homes were destroyed and up to 440 people were killed as a reslt of the fires."

The Wake-up Call? by Mark Knight

"American democracy has been put to the test in 2025, with nearly double the number of politically motivated attacks than for the same period in the previous year. In September conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed while speaking on a Utah collage campus. This followed two assassination attempts on Donald Trump during his 2024 presidential election campaign. Politicians and national figures have been targeted throughout America's history; pictured here are Abraham Lincoln, John and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr, all of whom were assassinated, and Ronald Regan, who survived the attempt on his life."

Global politics and events are also included, such as this gut-punching cartoon from Cathy Wilcox.

Exodus by Cathy Wilcox

"In September a UN Commisssion of Inquiry released a report stating that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. It detailed the targeting of citizens, including children, in far larger numbers than in  previous conflicts; the blocking of medical aid, foood and water; and acts aimed at 'deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physcal destruction in whole or in part'. The Israeli government rejected the report, saying it relied 'entirely on Hamas falsehoods'.

A couple of the works feel quite personal as they address the individual and their relation to art. 

Overflow vs Flow by Megan Herbert

"Megan Herbert captures the dilemma of many creative people,  particularly freelancers, as they try to carve out a sustainable career in Australia. The federal government's five-year Revive policy, which has been in place for almost three years, has the 'Centrality of the Artist' as a key pillar, an acknowledgment of the need for career structure and fair remuneration. Living a creative life has always been a precarious position, even without the disruptive threat of  generative AI."

Put Things in Perspective by Scott Wrigg

"According to The Guardian, Gen Z is taking up 'cosy' hobbies in 2025 as a way to de-stress, find connection and create tangible objects in an increasingly digital world. From pottery classes to cooking clubs, arts and crafts are being used as a positive mood booster and a way to regain some perspective. Sometimes, though, art can do the opposite and give us too much perspective."

Antisocial Media by Megan Herbert

"Phones used to be simple devices that connected two voices separated by great distances. Now we have smartphones, incredibly sophisticated, multifaceted communication devices that can spread messages to millions in milliseconds. However, there's growing anxiety about people using them to fuel extremism and spread misinformation."

The Problems of the World by Rosie Murrell

"In this cartoon a crowd of people, seemingly disconnected from each other, are looking down at their phones, doomscrolling, consuming negative news online. As Rosie Murrell said when she posted the image to Instagram, they - and we - are 'wondering what we can possibly do to stop any of it. And the exhaustion of it.'"

Looking through all these political cartoons can actually get quite depressing as we see the state of the world with greed, war, famine, and basic inhumanity. So, I'll finish the post with a positive cartoon.

Horses for Courses by Fiona Katauskas

"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse from the New Testament's Book of Revelations symbolise conquest, war, famine and death and herald the 'end of days' that will precede the Last Judgment and the damnation or salvation of souls. Fiona Katauskas's horsemen, however, have decided enough is enough and have pivoted to harbingers of hope."

Shield Design

As stated in my previous post, we kicked off the new year with a Medieval-themed party (as you do) in which one of the challenges was shield design.

Him Outdoors and I provided the shields (we had made them from cardboard and spray-painted them in background colours) and various craft supplies, and the contestants had to make up a shield. I had previously sent out a link about basic heraldry in case anyone wanted to hone up on knowledge; there were points for the design itself and the acompanying wiffle-waffle. Here are some examples.

The Luminosity with shield

The Luminosity created this powerful depiction of her family crest with swirly designs, ribbons and sheep. It's bright, expressive, and with personal significance. The next design to feature was also yellow and made reference to the holder's title or family name, but maybe not so much of a crest.

Although hard to see in this image, the design on the right features hand-drawn crucifixes, two upright and two upside down, intermingled with smiley faces, to highlight the ridiculous attempt to force religious conformity onto the medieval peasant class who were just trying to get on with their daily lives. The one on the right scored highly with the judges as it indulges the inner child and playfulness through smiley faces, googly eyes and cartoon animal characters. The use of the ribbon, pom-poms and jingly bells also adds to the tactile nature and auditory sense of fun. 

Here we have the importance of description. The very simple design - a single white ribbon and two butterflies belies a complex explanation of the shield representing two parts of the bearer's life: England (the faded quarter from the past) and Australia (the more vibrant three-quarter section at the top in the present). The white ribbon represents a contrail in a blue sky as the transportation occured, and the butterflies indicate the physical transformation.

The explanation for this one is from someone who had clearly read the basic heraldry guidelines so I shall let them tell it. 

A background of GULES (red) symbolising the fiery nature of the bearer. 

An ORDINARY CHEVRON of SABLE almost equally bisecting the shield indicates affinity with justice and equality.

Une abeille OR et SABLE (the gold/ black bee) RAMPANT surrounded by two bees GUARDANT indicates both a watchful nature and teamwork quality. 

Three charges of googly eyes SABLE and ARGENT speak to watchful yet playful characteristics. 

Some challengers went with all the things that are important to them. Hence Purple Lady with images of romance, theatre, family, work, leisure activities and cats. Meanwhile others went with the 'white tears of Henry Cockington' in a design that was very much a single entendre. 

Purple Lady with shield

Henry Cockington

There were blatant appeals to judges with the combination of Liverpool and Burnley football club crests, and a Shakespearean pun, 'a plague on both your horses', involving unicorn heads and coronavirus bobbles. Also (pictured in the group image but no individual photo) was a delightful interpretation of chaos (cats; eyeballs; jingly bells) and the unknown (blank space) summing up that bearer's identity.

Original Gravity with a blatant appeal to the judges

A Plague on Both Your Horses

And the winner was... Gindelle with her thoughtful piece reflecting growth (a tree image), transformation (an origami butterly) and the family foundation of her last name in a replica Lego block. Congratulations to all for the (various levels of) effort, fun and creativity!

Gindelle with the winning shield design

Friday Five: New Year's Day Activities

We kicked off the new year with what is now our traditional (we've done it twice) recovery party on New Year's Day. This year's theme was the Medieval version. It was, of course, a competition, and included the following games.

1. Quoits
2. Shield Design
3. Tilting at the Rings
4. Mead Tasting
5. Him Outdoors in the Pillory
6. Jousting
7. The Quiz (Which witch)

I will explain in more detail, but here are some images so you get the picture. 

Tilting at the rings

Shield designs

Him Outdoors in the pillory

Hobby horse jousting