Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize at the National Archives

 

After lunch we headed to the National Archives to have a look at the Waterhouse Prize. This is a competition run by the SA Museum and the bring the winners and the finalists over to the National Archives. It is a small exhibition but there is a great selection of sculpture, glass, paintings, drawings. The winning entry this year was a vest made out of paper, seeds, bulbs and threads. There is always some interesting stuff.

 

The Arbouretum

 

Friday was a beautiful spring day so Amy and I took my mum up to the Arboretum were we enjoyed the magnificent views, looked around the Bonsai Gardens, listened to some bagpipers who were up on Dairy Farmers Hill and enjoyed a lovely lunch overlooking the lovely view of Canberra.

Behind the Scenes at Floriade

 

However the most exciting aspect of Floriade this year was to view the work that Amy had done in helping set up at Floriade. She worked there for a week before it opened helping set up the power needed for Floriade. We first got to see some of the switch boards she set up, some lights she set up in the kids corner tents, then she had to set up power to the Streets Van so it could have power to run its fridges, she was climbing ladders and stringing cables through trees. Bill was most impressed that he got to follow in her footsteps and thinks he needs to make a photo book of the occasion. Grandma Pam made a special trip up from Melbourne just so she could see some of Amy's work and was most impressed! Don't know why Amy was embarrassed to have her photo taken next to her work!

Night Fest Floriade

 

My mum arrived in town on Thursday night, so on Friday we took her to Nightfest- it was just great this year with the flowers all lit up. They had a great laser display down in the rhododendron garden which unfortunately my camera could not capture. We had a very pleasant evening.

 

Floriade

 

Called in at Floriade on Thursday lunch time to listen to my niece Mia playing in her school band and got a chance to have a quick look at the flowers, they were just lovely and it didn't matter that it was wet, cold and windy- still had a nice time!

Important Friends

I didn’t realise how important my friends are until day! One of my friends, Barbara organised a morning ride on Saturday out to Tidbinbilla Tracking Station and when we got there she had organised a police car to close the road, a convoy of motor cycle marshals, police motorbikes and of course the paparazzi! So you better watch SBS Cycling Central for the next few weeks as  you are bound to see us appearing on the show! The press had the 4 of us lined up – Barbara, Mary, Linda and myself and filmed us. We had a lovely back drop of the women’s national tour race with all its  lead cars, team cars etc.  come through which was very atmospheric- after about 15 minutes we headed off down to the Tracking Station and all the rest of the vehicles headed off- they had filmed us and obviously had gotten what they needed! 

 

It was a lovely morning for a ride, the weather was just wonderful and the ACT countryside is so green at the moment, and the dishes out at Tidbinbilla always look spectacular!

Russian Festival of Ballet

Have had a real cultural feast this week- last weekend it was South Pacific and this week it was the Russian Imperial Ballet at the Playhouse Theatre. It was a wonderful program. First Act was from the Nutcracker with all the traditional dance and costumes and lovely music. Second Act was the Bolero and it was so dramatic and striking, it was just fantastic and then the Third Act was short excerpts from various ballets finishing off with the Can Can and a guy in drag! It was a great night.

South Pacific

 

Amy and I had front row seats for South Pacific at the Sydney Opera House. It was Amy's first time at the Opera House, I have been there before but cannot remember what for so it was obviously a long time ago. We enjoyed some dinner at a Spanish Tapas Bar underneath the GPO in Martin Place, then went to the Opera House where we just loved the show. Afterwards we had supper at the Guliyan Café along Circular Quay, it was a  lovely night.

The Rocks

Amy and I had a weekend in Sydney, we were in town to see South Pacific at the Opera House. We wandered around the markets in The Rocks- a rather dangerous activity with your daughter- too many good things to buy that she somehow manages to talk you into. We sat and had lunch by Circular Quay and had to guard our lunch from the birds nearby. We had nice view of the Opera House and had a crazy guy next to us balancing on a bike and juggling knives, fire and eating an apple!