to the sea...

I love Canberra. I have a very happy life here. But then I go to the sea and wonder why I'm not living somewhere else...like by the water.

With a job like mine there are times when (with the wonders of the interweb) I can work from pretty well anywhere.  Last week I was lucky enough to be able to work by the sea. Firstly with a colleague who has relocated to Nelson Bay (sea change or what!) and then for a few more days with my parents in Newcastle.

No-one believes me when I say I got a whole heap of work done...but it's true. Yes, really. Having said that, there were coastal compensations.

Here's a lovely picture of mum and dad at the Newcastle Ocean Baths. 

They're doing ok but frailer each time I see them; and let's not talk about the memory loss!! But no matter what, school prawns with my dad is a long, long tradition...I'm a much speedier peeler than him these days though :)

How about you? Do you prefer coast or country? Or if you're really lucky, do you have both?
all images: kerry martin flickr

way out west...

In the middle of last month the fella and I went on a four day road trip to Walgett. Where you ask?? Walgett. No, I didn't know where it was either. But it's the place where Richard was born. And as far as I could tell that's its only attraction! I shouldn't be rude, but I have to confess it's not a place I could ever live.  Still, we had a great time at his Year 10 school reunion and it was lovely to see people who hadn't seen each other for 35 years having a fine old time :)
I took the opportunity to put the trip to another purpose, taking photos for the latest assignment on the photography course I'm doing. We had to choose a theme: so mine was rural NSW | people, places and things!  Here's a selection of my favourites...

There's been a squillion canola field pics on instagram in the last month or so, but gee...I never tire of them.  And I can't tell you how chuffed I was to work out how to do the slow moving water thing too...although I won't tell you how many attempts I had before it worked!

When we were in Walgett there was an aboriginal rugby competition on with teams from all over the place. I am pleased to report (as a born and bred Novacastrian) that the Newcastle team won! There were kids galore having a fabulous time...

And on our way back to Canberra we just had to stop in and stay with Julienne...I was allowed to take photos of her stuff...and what a rich source of stuff there was!

Coat stand in the longest hallway in the world! And here's the woman herself giving Richard a tour of the homestead :)

Had the best time, loved experimenting with the camera and even better, got to meet new people as well as see dear friends.

I had been scheduled to go to Shanghai with work but my participation got cancelled at the last minute...so I got to go to Walgett instead...

...the Shanghai of the west!! Oh well, there's always next year.

If you would like to see a few more images head on over to my Flickr account.

all images by Kerry Martin

laughter, linen and princesses...

I can’t begin to imagine a life without friends, and I count myself lucky to have some very good ones around me.  And I still...even after over two years, continue to be amazed by the friendship that blogging brings. I just spent a fabulous weekend in the truly wonderful company of one of those people...Jules from One Pink Chair. She wrote about it here.

If I dared to forget it, I was reminded in no uncertain way that laughter really is the best medicine. 

Jules made me laugh. I made her laugh too. We did a great deal of it...mostly at my expense though...now I think about it! 

Jules set me up in the 'princess bedroom'. Princess? Me? No way! 

And I slept on monogrammed linen...isn't it beautiful.

Jules fed me. 

I got her drunk. 

Fair exchange.

Jules taught me how to play words with friends...not very well as you can see by this...

I didn't beat her but I WILL one day. She may look sweet, but she shows no mercy when it comes to games...not a bit :)

Jules took me out for coffee with her fabulous friends and I could have sat there all morning. 

Hmm, perhaps I did.

 (I haven't quite worked out how to get the photos off my new camera, so this generic coffee shot I took will have to do for the moment!)
Breaking news...I worked it out...sort of. I still have no clue where they go on my laptop...but one step at a time hey?

Jules introduced me to four legged friends - not the feline variety. 

I sneaked Winnie food under the table when the mistress wasn't looking. 

Pooches are ok it seems, but don't tell the vampire slayer I said that.

It's such a wonderful thing to get away for a bit, out of your own space, away from the familiar. The time went very quickly, although the road trip home seemed to take forever. Not that it mattered. I was feeling good. Thank you lovely lady for such a soul enriching 48 hours. And thank you Souki for tolerating me. 

Now that one really is a princess!!

all images: a tranquil townhouse using the iPhone

tassie highlights...last one (promise)

You’ve been very patient with my holiday snaps, and kind with your comments...thank you.

This is the last Tassie post I promise...cross my heart J

They’ve come in no particular order...no-one who knows me would be surprised by that, so today we have Port Arthur and Battery Point.

Port Arthur is a place teeming with ghosts and ghastly stories. The tour guides try to downplay it, and that seems fair to me. After the awful events of April 1996 when Martin Bryant gunned down 35 people, both tourists and site workers, you can hardly blame people for wanting to emphasise the reformist aspects of this historic place. It was a penal colony, a place of incarceration for men and boys, designed to practice a new 'enlightened' view of imprisonment on the most difficult of the convicts from other parts of Australia.  Almost inescapable due to its geography, only a very small number actually made it out. Despite its history, or perhaps because of it, I was captivated by its physical beauty. I hadn’t expected that.

And  because I know you love a house shot or four J 

Who knew black coral was a popular decor item in the 1800s?

And the kitchen in the commandant's house....cosy and comfy don't you think. What must the prisoners have thought about a lovely home just metres away? Fabulous faded wall mural and embroidered curtain coming up...

I want to buy a house in Battery Point. Excuse me while I dash off to buy a lottery ticket!

Ok, that's probably a Tassie overload...I might post some more photos on my facebook page later in the week, just in case you're suffering from withdrawal. And as I'm unlikely to be holidaying again any time soon you're probably safe for a while J

memorial to the 1996 tragedy

all images: a tranquil townhouse

 

tassie highlights...last one (almost) and a request

I'm drafting this on Thursday night; I can hear the Australian Open tennis on the tv in the living room. Lleyton's behind in the first set and already this holiday feels like it happened so long ago.  I wasn't ready to go back to work on Wednesday, but was even less ready for the funeral I had to attend that afternoon. Rudi, a very lovely man, husband to an extraordinary and equally lovely woman Kirsty, was lost to cancer at only 45. Not at all fair. So, I'm probably not in the best frame of mind for blog posting, but I reckon I can manage some more pretty pictures of Tassie J

Richmond:

I was going to say 'historic' Richmond, but that pretty much describes everything in Tasmania! The weather wasn't kind to us that day...even the ducks were sheltering under the picnic tables.
Pooley Wines:

Incredibly beautiful property (look, the vineyard cat even matched) , lovely people (in fact I think everyone in Tassie is lovely) and the Sparkling Pinot wasn't bad either!
Pirates Bay:

The middle picture is a part of the bay called the Tessellated Pavement. I recorded a lovely little movie on my camera of the waves coming in over the rocks. It's very peaceful but I can't work out how to put it on here so that it's not at 90 degrees, i.e. you have to be horizontal to watch it! It's probably not the right time for a lie-down so never mind L

DooTown:

Yep, good old Aussie 'something or other'...not quite sure what!  Doo-Google DooTown...you know you want to. I had to bring home a postcard of course. 
Lleyton's lost the first set to Andy Roddick but is ahead in the second. 
And you know what...I think I'm going to stop here...I've run out of puff!  Port Arthur and Battery Point will have to wait for another day. And then that will be it, I promise!
Well, who would have thought...the match is at a set each!
early morning update: poor Andy had to retire hurt. Lleyton was gracious and I'm off to the first friday morning breakfast of the year with the girls.
I hope you all have a lovely weekend. While you're doing your weekend things, sharing the mundane or the marvellous with people you love, could you please stop for a little moment and say a quiet prayer for my courageous friend Kirsty...that would be lovely if you could.
all images: a tranquil townhouse

tassie highlights...things starting with F

By this I mean: friends, food, ferns and falls...let me elaborate...

One of the wonderful things about blogging is you get to 'know' people from all over the place. And if you're lucky, you get to meet them for real J

Such was the case last Wednesday night when I had dinner with Sarah from Molly's Maison and Jane from Life on Planet Baby. Here we are looking surprisingly presentable after a few bottles of wine, lovely Thai food and a great deal of conversation. Jane's car got locked in the carpark we yacked for so long!

And even better, Richard and I were invited to their homes on Saturday afternoon...now that I consider a real privilege. Beautiful pastries made by Jane and India for afternoon tea, and champagne at Sarah's...spoiled rotten we were. I wanted to take photos of their houses but thought that would be stretching the friendship a bit far! Just go to their blogs for that ok?

And then there are furry friends.  I had no hesitation in taking photos of the famous Molly in her natural habitat!  I'm not a dog person at all really, but I've fallen in love with Molly...well honestly, who wouldn't. Just look at her J

The day before this we'd headed off on a bit of a drive and ended up at Russell Falls in the Mt Field National Park. This place was stunning, really serene, and the oldest national park in Tasmania. We didn't have the best weather while we were in Hobart (and yet today it's going to be 36!) so it was quite cool but that didn't matter at all. I'm a bit fascinated by ferns...and moss apparently!

And the food...oh the food! Several kilos later...thanks in part to these delicious things. Without doubt, without a shadow of a doubt in fact, the raspberry danish you can see behind the chocolate thingies was the BEST Danish I have ever tasted.

From this place...

And then there were the oysters! From the Barilla Bay Oyster Farm, a saturday lunch of 30 assorted oysters (for $39...I thought that was really good value) and a wonderful ploughman's lunch that Richard got to before I could take a photo...you think he'd know about bloggers and photo opportunities by now wouldn't you! And as an added bonus, a view over the bay and a glass of Tasmanian wine. Bliss.

The produce at the Salamanca Markets on Saturday morning was also brilliant. We were going home the next day so didn't get to sample any of it, but doesn't it look amazing...all those jewel colours?

And just because I can, I'm going to finish off this post with alpacas. They're furry. They're funny. That fits with the theme right J

all images: a tranquil townhouse

tassie highlights...MONA

Well. That holiday went in the blink of an eye!  Despite the fact that I’ve lived in a lot of places, and travelled to more than my fair share...I had never been to Tasmania before last week. I know, I can’t believe it either, or how I could possibly have left it so long!

We had the most wonderful time, spending most of the week in Hobart but getting out and about on day trips as well.  I have taken eleventy seven million photos (almost) and there’s no way they’re all going in one post, so just consider this Tassie highlights No. 1.

MONA ~ theMuseum of Old and New Art. I defy anyone not to be impressed by this place (although I was told by several people that there was a letter to the Editor of the Hobart Mercury demanding it be closed because of its depravity or debauchery or any number of other D words!). 

From the sublime to the ridiculous, the bizarre to the brutal, this place is a bit of a shrine to individualism, to brave choices and in my view, an incredible gift to Australia (not just Hobart) although Hobartians, you can of course ‘own’ it all for yourselves J It is without doubt, world class. Here are some of my favourite artworks...although, I'm sorry, the photos simply don't do them justice.

Richard and I rarely agree on things artistic, but we both thought that this next piece was the most wonderful in the collection ..."Sternenfall" by Anselm Keifer...

And the technology...wow. There are no descriptions next to any of the art...you access all sorts of information through the iPod you're given on entry. 

Some of it is so irreverent..."art wank"...just enhancing the sense of the unexpected wherever you turn...what's not to love?

The spaces in this gallery are stunning. It is immense and jaw droppingly, breathtakingly good...

And you know what...even the shadows on the floor are amazing...

The outside is equally impressive...wonderful rust, reflections and a stunning setting. Hobart is truly one of the loveliest capital cities in the world.

And when you go...take the ferry. You must. And dress in black...of course.

This was also the day Richard taught me to take photos through a torn piece of paper! As you do.

Go to MONA...you really, really must.