Fiday Five: Latest Cat Memes

Simply because these things make me happy, and anyone who shares feline company can relate.

Blue Mountains Graffiti

We had a long weekend in the Blue Mountains over Easter. It was beautiful - the scenery is stunning (and I've blogged about our walks and the food elsewhere) - but the graffiti is also worth a post of it's own. So here is one.

Katoomba

It all starts (as many things do) with the brewery.

There's a great opportunity for artistic impression down a back alley in the Street Art Walk. I don't know any of these artists, but I am impressed by their work. 

Another alleyway between shops features murals of birds and a climber. Interesting combination.

And I rather liked this piece artwork on the side of a water tower on the edge of town, which seems amusingly appropriate.

 

Friday Five: Christmas Tree Ornaments

 

As we now have kittens in our lives, I managed to persuade Him Outdoors that we needed a tree for their first Christmas. Cats of any age love Christmas trees; all those shiny things to play with and pull off: such fun! I was a little concerned that they might hurt themselves or cut their paws if they broke anything, so I only decorated the tree with robust and non-shatter items. There are still many precious memories among the branches.

7 Christmas Tree Decorations:

1. A football - of course 

2. A fantail - given to us by The Weevil and a reminder of New Zealand

3. A tui - a gift from another Kiwi friend

4. A magpie - we've also got a couple of doves nestling among the branches - I love to see birds in the trees

5. A rocking horse - my mother decided this one was for me - you can tell because she wrote my name on it

6. A collage Christmas tree on a Christmas tree - very post modern from Nephew Aidan


7. Pom poms - as you do (if you're Niece Niamh)

My Newest Favourite Thing: Yarralumla Gallery

This bijou gallery is set in Weston Park, Yarralumla. It has a charming cafe attached with a range of cakes and proper lunches. The outdoor setting is delightful under the trees with the nearby 'English Gardens' providing outdoor colour at the right time of year (particularly when the rhododendrons are in bloom). The paintings and pottery provide indoor colour all year round. 

When I called in, the exhibition featured three artists from Goulburn: Lesley Whitten, Marion Schumacher and Helen de Jonge. The theme was Feathers and Flotsam, and it is interesting to see that all the artists focus on a similar theme of birds, with different approaches to art. According to a Canberra Times article, "De Jonge loves Australian birds, Schumacher is a parrot fan and Whitten likes roosters." De Jonge is the artist of the wonderful watercolour kookaburra in the picture below, sitting pretty before the deep blue background. 

Lesley Whitten said of the theme, "There are lots of paintings of birds, but the ‘flotsam’ tag also allowed us to exhibit other ideas.” 

Three Pears from Ios by Lesley Whitten

Quince Quins by Lesley Whitten

Black-Headed Sheep by Lesley Whitten

As well, the three often produce striking landscapes and seascapes, reflecting their love of the Australian environment. Marion Schumacher's scenic landscapes in oils and acrylics are particularly striking, and I also enjoyed the fun implicit in her painting Aquarium (second picture down). 

Night Scene, Mittagong by Marion Schumacher

The gallery also featured a range of interesting ceramics and glass, with visions of strata and shapes suggesting geological designs. I also loved the curious flying horses. 

 

 

It's a genuinely lovely little gallery, and I will definitely be back to see another exhibition (and eat some more cake).