Just as every life has a start and an end, so too does a railway line. Given that my last post (here) talked about a train station that used to be at Sydney’s Rookwood Cemetery (and is now a church… Read More ›
Other
Train station turned church – A fabulous example of adaptive reuse in Canberra
I love to watch shows like ‘Grand Designs’ – but I often find the people behind these ambitious projects to be far more interesting than the architecture. In general they are either quite naive (‘No. I have never done anything like this before’)… Read More ›
Is Canberra’s latest bogong moth sculpture the next big thing?
My last post (here) explained that millions of bogong moths pass through Canberra each spring. The moths fly at night and become confused by the city’s lights that make them think that the sun is rising. As a result, the… Read More ›
Bush tucker 2 – How do you prefer your witchetty grubs & bogong moths?
Moths, grubs, ants and other insects were important sources of energy for indigenous Australians whose traditional bush tucker diet was high in carbohydrates, protein and nutrients, and relatively low in fat and sugars. Witchetty grubs, for example, were a staple… Read More ›
Bush tucker – I say potato, others say yarla
Apart from macadamia nuts, most people (including many Australians) know very little about Aussie bush tucker – despite the fact that we have an amazing variety of edible plants, such as lilly pilly, quandong, wattle seed and lemon myrtle, on… Read More ›
What do pop art signs & a gasworks redevelopment have in common?
When I was in Melbourne recently, I noticed some public art on the footpath that proves that signs do not have to be boring and can even reflect the function (and potentially the character) of the destination they are promoting…. Read More ›
Great walls & fences of Australia 2
Anyone who read my last post about wild dog, dingo, emu and rabbit-proof fences in Australia, will hopefully appreciate the humour in my favourite TV commercial that encourages parents to invest in an Internet connection to help their kids with… Read More ›
Great walls & fences of Australia
The avenue of poplars (mentioned in this post) in the Tuggeranong Town Park follows the line of a heritage-listed dry stone wall that once marked the boundary between two rural properties in Canberra (one of which was featured in another post – here)…. Read More ›
Play equipment for everyone & colourful road barriers
I found more sound sculptures by Kim Bowman in a playground at Black Mountain Peninsula in Canberra (mentioned in this post). There were two rain wheels, gong drums and a sonic bench. It turns out that there was lots more for kids who find it… Read More ›
Do verbs make you tense or put you in a bad mood?
I consider myself fortunate to have learnt English as my ‘parent tongue’ – but it can make you very lazy when when most of what you look for on the Internet is published in English and so many other people… Read More ›
Eco-sounds
I talked about sound in a recent post and its ability to evoke memories and change how we feel. Even inaudible sounds (i.e. those outside the audible range for humans) may affect us or be felt as vibrations. As we become more aware… Read More ›
Road signs & the Little Prince
When I visited the Royal Botanic Gardens at Cranbourne (on the outskirts of Melbourne) recently, I was struck by the numerous road signs along the entrance route that implored drivers to slow down for snakes, wallabies, lizards, bandicoots and people…. Read More ›
Sounds
We should not underestimate the potential for sound to affect us both psychologically and physiologically. Sounds can soothe us, inspire us or stress us out. They can also evoke memories and emotions – in the same way as sights and smells…. Read More ›
Thousands of bogans, seven chain mail sheep, six Christmas beetles, five hardwood poles, three old farm sheds & a sheep dog sitting on a rock wall
I had assumed that some sculptures at my local shops were dung beetles (amazing insects featured in an earlier post) – but the artist’s website says they are Christmas beetles. The beetles are accompanied by other sculptures of sheep and a sheep dog, hardwood poles decorated… Read More ›
Snow domes
I was amused when a friend gave me a snow dome as a souvenir from Broken Hill years ago. I have never been there myself but I doubted whether it had ever snowed in the ‘Capital of the Outback’. This… Read More ›
Can cricket jargon help to create a better and more inclusive Australia?
What did I just say? A few days ago I found myself saying that Nelson Mandela had ‘had a good innings’ (referring to his remarkable 95 years.) Soon after, I commented that someone was ‘on the back foot’ (even though this… Read More ›
Magic fridges (or How to get what you want 2)
Instead of simply writing down a list of what you want (see my last post), you can increase the likelihood of achieving your goals by putting pictures of what you want in places that you see every day (such as… Read More ›
How to get what you want
In the words of the great philosopher (singer) Joe Jackson ‘You can’t get what you want ’til you know what you want!’ We are often told to work out what we want and write it down – but how many… Read More ›
Once a jolly swagperson – Australia’s national songs and political correctness
On reading a post about political correctness this morning, I felt compelled to share a fabulous PC version of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ – Australia’s national song – performed by Shortis & Simpson. For a more traditional version, I recommend true blue Aussie Slim Dusty’s version… Read More ›
Words
Is it better to understand or overstand? What is the opposite of benefits? Disbenefits? What would change in the world if more people were gruntled and fewer were disgruntled?
Canberra – Smack bang in the middle (but just a bit closer to Sydney)
A great song was released in honour of the Centenary of Canberra this year. I recommend watching the music video.* The title of the song (and this post) refers to when Australia was selecting a location for its federal capital city… Read More ›
If you can believe in bigfoot, then why not drop bears?
There are reports this week that DNA analysis has identified a genetic match between two ‘yeti hair’ samples from the Western Himalayas and Bhutan and the jawbone of an ancient Nordic polar bear.* This follows hot on the heels of discoveries involving… Read More ›
Why not turn water tanks & reservoirs into landscape features?
A fantastic water conservation project at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne proves that reservoirs and tanks, not just ponds and lakes, can be things of beauty and landscape features in their own right. Over the past few years, ‘Guilfoyle’s… Read More ›
Will you even notice when I’m gone?
It used to be hard to keep in touch when you travelled. The first time I went overseas by myself, I remember sending a telegram to my parents to say that I had reached my final destination. ARRIVED SAFE STOP… Read More ›
It’s all a matter of perspective
For anyone wondering about the photo in my last post, it is one of a number of sculptures at the new National Arboretum Canberra. The Arboretum is being built on a former pine plantation destroyed by bushfires in 2001 and 2003.*… Read More ›
Long term impact of decisions we make (or don’t make) today
Things we do or say today may not appear to make much difference in the short or even medium term but can be critical in determining whether or not we ultimately achieve what we want in the long term. Delaying… Read More ›
