A touch of Versailles

The second exhibition we visited whist in Canberra was Versailles: Treasures from the Palace at the National Gallery of Australia. The marketing of the exhibition states it is the first time the treasures have been displayed outside of France. If so, it is an honour for the Gallery and Australia.

It is a spectacular display, highly recommended for those who can make the trip to view it.

Some photos I took;

The King instructs La Perouse on his forthcoming journey to the great south land, Australia

Madame du Pompadour

Marie-Antoinette

Menu from 21 June 1751

100 objects

I've had my first visit to Canberra in quite a few years. Not sure how many years, perhaps 5 but probably more. A bit surprising given that the nation's capital city is only a 3 hours drive away. The lure was two rare exhibitions and a long overdue catch up with friends resident there.

The first exhibition visited this afternoon was A History of the World in 100 Objects from the British Museum at the National Museum of Australia.

A small sample of the 100 objects displayed;

Well worth a visit.

NYE

ABC News: Photo by Brant Cumming

On the past two New Years Eve nights I hosted small groups of friends at my apartment from which I enjoy an enviable view of Sydney's fireworks display.

This year I played the NYE equivalent of Scrooge by staying at home and inviting nobody. It can feel selfish not to invite friends to share this comfortable way of enjoying the event. There are no crowds to battle, no need for milk crates to stand on for a shaky glimpse of the festivities, no fee charged for the 'exclusive' viewing location and I provide comfortable furniture for guests to sit on between displays. To top off, even my 'cooking' would be marginally better than fast food options at harbourside fast food outlets.

But I invited nobody. I didn't feel guilty about it; just a bit weary. Weary from a hard year of volunteer work four days a week. Weary from a commitment to play bridge two nights a week, a commitment now given up. Weary from an enjoyable overseas trip that involved huge amounts of walking plus the stressful, if eventually satisfying, experience of driving on scary mountainous, hairpin roads in Sicily.

My immediate neighbours, a youngish upwardly mobile couple, showed off their fancy view to a full balcony load of guests. I'm not certain exactly what form their party took. It was slightly odd. Their apartment was packed with oggling guests for the 9pm 'Family fireworks' display but fifteen minutes afterwards all the guests had departed. The apartment was packed again for the main display at midnight. What happened in between? Did everyone adjourn somewhere else for dinner? Was the second group a different group from the early guests? Did the couple offer two fireworks 'sittings', so to speak?

I'm curious but I won't ask. They might think I am stalking!

Vivid

The brilliant annual event that is Vivid Sydney gets underway tomorrow night. This self styled light, music and ideas festival has grown into an event that is almost too large.

(Image: Daniel Boud)

The crowds around the Circular Quay area are so huge, especially late in the week an on weekends, that movement around the displays can be difficult. However, it is such a spectacular display that it is worth battling those crowds at least once in your life.

This year's festival has been extended to 23 days which may help diffuse the crowds; if ever so slightly.

A clockwork butterfly

Butterfly is married

Tonight, as regular as clockwork, a couple of minutes after 8pm I heard through my closed windows, the dull thud, thud, thud of fireworks going off. For the past three weeks, Tuesday to Sunday inclusive, those fireworks have sounded at virtually the same time. It is the moment that Butterfly marries her Pinkerton.

Opera on the Harbour is being staged adjacent to the Botanic Gardens about four kilometres from my home, I guess, as the crow flies. Each of the three outdoor opera seasons has had fireworks as an added inducement. In the first year the fireworks concluded the performance of La Traviata. The second year the fireworks came early in the final act of Carmen. This year the fireworks come at the earliest time of the evening; that point in Act 1 of Madama Butterfly when Butterfly has married Lieutenant Pinkerton.

This year the season has been marred by rain. It rained the night I attended and it rained tonight and it has rained on many of the nights. I wondered whether the performance could continue the night I attended and marvelled that it did and I have marvelled on subsequent nights that the performance was going ahead in even heavier, steadier rain. The sound of the fireworks told me so. Regularly at a couple of minutes past 8pm.

Tomorrow night is the final scheduled night. More rain is forecast. I won't be home at 8pm to hear that thud, thud, thud as I have a play to attend. I may have heard my last Opera on the Harbour fireworks as the gossip is that the seasons will not continue. If so, I will miss those fireworks but the compensation is that there seem so many marketing and special occasion excuses for fireworks on other nights of the year.

The Queens are back in town

Plenty of Queens descend upon Sydney at this time of year with the annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade to be staged tonight.

Arguably the largest Queen visiting for the Mardi Gras arrived in Sydney this morning; fashionably late. By my assessment, Queen Elizabeth entered Sydney Harbour two hours behind schedule according to the Sydney Ports site cruise schedule.

(Click photos to enlarge)

Queen Elizabeth sailing up Sydney Harbour this morning

Moments after the above photo was taken, Her Majesty paused just off Bradleys Head for about fifteen minutes. The reason for the pause was not evident to me until she recommenced her journey up harbour to her berth at Circular Quay. It appears Her Majesty paused to don her Mardi Gras outfit.

Queen Elizabeth and her 'Happy Mardi Gras' outfit

I will be at Circular Quay this afternoon to attend the matinee performance of 'Carmen' at the Opera House and will try to remember to take a close up photo of Her Majesty at her berth for posting later tonight. Maybe Her Majesty will have donned yet another colourful outfit?

Happy Mardi Gras everyone!

2014

Happy New Year from Sydney

More works by the sea

Scenes by the sea

Sculpture by the Sea started in 1997 and has been held annually (as far as I can recall) along the walkway that links Bondi Beach with nearby Tamarama Beach to its south. The outdoors exhibition is free and attracts thousands of visitors in its eighteen days' duration.

Here are some scenes from this year's display.

Keizo Ushio

Reach for the sky

Between 2pm and 5.30pm yesterday, a series of aeronautical displays bridged the gap between the formal International Fleet Review earlier and the evening fireworks and light display.

Here are some photos; click on them to enlarge.

An F18 I think; very noisy, very fast

Something older, slower and quieter

A quartet of little things

An oddball pair

At 4pm the Rhapsody of the Sea departed for a cruise winding its way down harbour around the warships with the aeronautical display continuing overhead.

Rhapsody of the Sea with the Manly Ferry passing by

A Constellation

The Roulettes performed amazing acrobatics.

The Roulettes over the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House

The Roulettes with Rhapsody of the Sea passing out to the Pacific Ocean

The Roulettes back over the city

Going my way?

One Roulette went off on his own way doing loop the loops whilst the other four continued doing 'lazy' circles in the distance.

Plunging

Bottom of the loop; the other Roulettes in the background

Top of the loop; flying upside down

Spectators watching the Roulettes from Beare Park, Double Bay