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Monday, 25 February 2019

Blogging break this week

Hi dear friends and followers, I am giving blogging a break this week as I have come down with a dreadful summer cold. It has been through our whole family, some worse than others. Evidently, according to the newspapers, it has been a bad summer for colds and flues.

I hope to be back soon. Until then, take care where-ever you are and whatever you are doing.  And I am sharing a little something I borrowed from the net that says it all really. 
I love dressing with colour, and wish I was brave enough to dress like this!  Are you?

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Monday, 18 February 2019

There has to be wildflowers

 Western Australia has thousands of varieties of wildflowers and has a number of biodiversity hotspots. There is always something flowering somewhere. 

And whenever I travel, I am on the lookout for wildflowers. Like this Banksia I spied recently at Lake Towerrinning south of Darkan in the Western Australian wheatbelt. We stopped here overnight on our way back from the south coast last Friday.

 There are many Banksia varieties so I can't be sure which this is - it could be the Showy Banksia - Banksia speciosa - but I can't be sure.




The Proteaceae family (which includes Banksias) comprises about 80 genera with about 1,600 species. There are 173 Banksia species, and all but one occur naturally only in Australia. 
 South western Australia contains the greatest diversity of banksias, with 60 species recorded.  (from the web - Australian National Herbarium)

I've blogged about the Banksia before - Celebration of the Australian Banksia 

 We have just got back from a trip away and I am trying to catch up with life here. I hope to join you next week with some of our travels.  

 Until then, thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!


 Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.
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Monday, 11 February 2019

Happy valentine's Day - and "Storm Boy" the movie

 Happy Valentine's Day to all the friends and lovers out there wherever you are.


And for those who love a romantic movie, here are a few that are on my list, in no particular order. I wonder what your list looks like? 
Meryl Streep & Clint Eastwood in The Bridges of Madison County
  • Sleepless in Seattle
  • The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society
  • The Holiday
  • Out of Africa
  • Dirty Dancing 
  • Pretty Woman
  • Ghost
  • The Bridges of Madison County
  • The Mirror Has Two Faces
  • Mumma Mia
  • Notting Hill
  • Poldark 
  • The English Patient
  • Robin Hood Price of Thieves
  • The Time Traveller's Wife
  • Kate & Leopold 
  • Australia 
  • Brief Encounter 
  • Chocolat
  • Frankie and Johnny

And another love story of a very different kind - the poignant Australian story, Storm Boy, based on the book by Colin Thiele, and staring young Finn Little as Michael and Mr Percival the pelican. With supporting roles from Jai Courtney (Hide Away Tom), Trevor Jamieson (Fingerbone Bill), Geoffrey Rush (Mike Kingley), and Morgana Davies (Madeline, Mike's grand-daughter). 

If you like Australian movies with a nature base, this is one for you. Filmed along the Coorong on South Australia's south coast, it tells the story of a young boy who lives with his father in a hut in the Coorong after tragically loosing his mother and sister, and the love he has for the baby pelicans who come into his life after their mother is shot by hunters.

Bring your tissues. I saw the original adaptation in 1976 and I am so glad I went to see this new version.

I'm now going to reread my book which I have had on my bookshelf since the 1976 movie.


A couple of my photos from the Coorong National Park in South Australia when we visited in 2013. With pelicans of course! Below you can see the lake with sand dunes beyond, and beyond that is the Southern Ocean. 

"Established in 1966, the Coorong National Park is a spectacular saline lagoon stretching 140km. It is separated from the Southern Ocean by sand dunes of the Younghusband Peninsula, and is internationally significant under the Ramsar agreement as a migratory wader and waterfowl refuge". from Coorong Country.com


26 romantic movies to get you through Valentine's Day 
50 best romantic movies 

Thank you so much for stopping by. 
 What romantic movies are on your list, and have you seen any feel good movies lately? Perhaps you would like to tell us about them in your comments.
I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!


 Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.
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Sunday, 3 February 2019

The Roofgoats and friends - Fringe Festival Bunbury 2019

 Have you ever been to a concert in an Art Gallery?

On Saturday evening I went to see the opening night of "The Roofgoats and friends" performance, "12 Brag Faves", at the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery as part of the Fringe Festival.  

Describing themselves as a folk-rock live theatre band, who have been performing since 1995, The Roofgoats performed all new material written by Roofgoat members to interpret through words, music and song, twelve pieces of art selected by Art Gallery staff. There was also original poetry by Ben Mason, comedy from Dave Phillips, dance interpretation by Nicole Kostezky, and a sea-shanty sung by The Anchormen.

And what a FABULOUS show it was performed in the chapel gallery of the Art Gallery to a packed audience.


 Before the show we were introduced to the selected artworks through a thoroughly enjoyable, tongue-in-cheek, comic introduction by "Dudley Featherstone". 

Paintings included works by Australian artists Guy Grey-Smith's "Landscape", Arthur Boyd's "Wimmera Landscape", the social-political work "The Lovers" by Julie Dowling, and an early "Bunbury Harbour" scene by Sam Wheeler.  The paintings were projected behind the group during the performance of each piece.

 Supporting The Roofgoats was an expanded group of supporting friends, which included Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) music student Lydia McIntyre, and University of WA (UWA) conservatorium piano student Annabelle Robinson adding their feminine tones to the group. 

A few pics from the show -
Below clockwise from top left - Brad Snelling (the husband of a school teacher friend), Lydia McIntyre (daughter of my dancing friend), Mike McIntyre (Lydia's Dad!), poet Ben Mason, comedian Dave Phillips, and Annabelle Robinson (vocals, trumpet and guitar).
The Anchormen (a group formed in April 2018) sang an original sea-shanty, "Yo Ho Haul Away", written by Damian Maher and inspired by the art work "Bunbury Harbour" (1903) by Sam Wheeler.



And the many faces of my friend and dance teacher, dancer and artistic director of Sol y Sombra Spanish Dance Company, Nicole Kostezky, as she physically interpreted the music and art works. 

"Surely some physical expression would help showcase these visual artworks?" "I know someone" said Mike and so began Nicole's collaboration with The Roofgoats.  

Nicole commented: " It was a privilege to dance as part of an amazing show, with such a talented bunch of artists."
Nicole giving a Spanish Flamenco interpretation of the song "She's a Rose" written by Brad Snelling, influenced by the painting "Landscape" by Guy Grey Smith. 

At the end of the night The Roofgoats were given a standing ovation. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of "12 Brag Faves" by The Roofgoats and friends, and lucky for me I had a good seat from which to take photos! :) 

But why Roofgoats? I asked them -
"Alan Payne, our squeezy player, when we were fishing around for a name said " I saw goats on a roof in City beach once and thought 'that would be a good name for a band'". We've tried, but never been able to shake it."


 See more of the Roofgoats on Facebook at - The-Roofgoats
 The Fringe Festival - Bunbury Fringe
 a few more photos from my Facebook album - Jill Harrison on Facebook
and Sol-y-Sombra Spanish Dance Company - Solysombra Dance


The Bunbury Regional Art Gallery is housed in the former Sisters of Mercy Concent and Chapel built in 1897 in Federal Free Medieval style, a blend of Gothic and Southern European architectural characteristics.


Thank you so much for stopping by.  Have you ever been to a music performance in an Art Gallery? Perhaps you would like to tell us about it in your comments. 

 I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!


 Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.
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