As I wasn’t in Sydney for World Youth Day in 2008, I somehow missed the erection of a statue of Pope John Paul The Great (he used to be just JP2) in an area of St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney. According to the inscription, it was a gift from the Italian community of Sydney. I’m not sure how I’ve missed it previously. Certainly it’s not as prominent as the statue of Saint Mary MacKillop (Saint Mary of the Cross), but it did catch my eye as I made my way home from the Art Gallery of NSW.

Although not in the same numbers as World Youth Day, there were big crowds at the AGNSW today. There were a couple of big attraction exhibitions including the Qin Shihuang Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses. People were lining up outside the gallery to get in, lining up to purchase tickets, and then lining up to see the exhibition. It was great to see so many people in the gallery.

We were there for lunch and for a meeting of the art collection group – Hawkesbury One – that I’m involved in. For our group the most exciting thing happening this year is an exhibition of our collection at the Newcastle Regional Gallery. For three months, the work we’ve been hanging in our homes will go on display in a public place. There’s a lot of work to do over the next few months, including documenting our story in a short video (that’s my job), but it’s very bloody exciting nonetheless.

Beyond that, nothing else to report except I watched Melodifestivalen #4 and remain confused by my feelings about this latest edition of the Swedish finals leading to Eurovision.