Life Right Now

I haven’t updated for a while, so I thought I’d share a few recent photographs which capture the essence of life lately, and things I’ve observed over the last couple of weeks, including The Long Weekend.

Manly Jazz Festival — *The long weekend was a good one. Sunny weather throughout. I didn’t do very much at all on either Saturday or Sunday. But on Monday, I travelled to Manly for the Jazz Festival.*

It must be twenty years since I’ve made that trip. Back in those days, it often followed from Sleaze Ball, which I think no longer exists. Feeling much brighter than I would have after Sleaze, I spent the afternoon chatting and having a few drinks with my friend, Judy.

When I was in Darwin the other week, I was really pleased my friend Kate was there at the same time. As she was heading off to China for a couple of weeks, she asked me to pack a few things in my luggage, to bring them back to Sydney.

Bunya Nut Art — There were a couple of those small mini things from Coles, she wanted to pass on to her grandson, and there was an awesome piece of art from the Kimberley she had purchased, a piece of engraved Bunya Nut. Since it was so fragile, Kate packed it tightly in bubble-wrap, and it made it back to Sydney safely. I handed it over to her the other night.

We went to the opening of an exhibition, and we caught up a few days later for an afternoon glass of wine and a chat, which is always nice.

Closer to home, I’ve seen a few further changes around my part of Surry Hills, with further shop closures, as we continue to endure the construction of the light rail.

Surry Hills Crossing — Though it’s often thought Cleveland Street is the scariest street to cross in Surry Hills, I actually think it’s this crossing on Crown Street. Off the back of Cleveland Street, cars rarely slow down as they approach this crossing. Only about 100 metres down the road, the cars have begun to pick up pace again. The drivers hardly see you unless you’re half way across the crossing, and will only stop if it looks like they’re about to hit you. And they glare at you as you make your way across the road. I never feel scared crossing Cleveland Street, but I always feel a little worried about this one.

For the most part, the weekend was cold and wet. On Sunday, I walked around Surry Hills and Darlinghurst, ending up having a coffee at the Gazebo. I listened intently to the conversation between some guests and a waiter, talking about their common heritage in Fiji. I also listened, intently, as the waiter mentioned they do a $10 Aperol Spritz. Nice.

Darlinghurst Window — *While walking around, I also noticed this awesome door-frame in Darlinghurst, with lots of stickers. So much terrific history.*

Surveilance Cameras — As I sat and had a beer at a nearby pub over the weekend, I looked up and noticed the security cameras. They’re everywhere, these days, aren’t they? Not that I think there’s any much point in trying to resist them. After all, we’ve “voluntarily” given up our privacy through online sharing, electronic banking etc. But it was a “reminder” of how far we’ve travelled down this path in such a short period of time.

Barricade Art — As I walked home tonight, I stopped and took a look at the barricade around the construction site next door to where I live. Though these barricades are often quite ugly, I love the recent approach taken by the City of Sydney of using them to feature art works. It certainly makes a welcome change from the No Bill Posters signs of the past.

2 responses to “Life Right Now”

Andrew

09/10/2018

I heard two young queens in Dan Murphys waxing lyrically about Aperol. I had no idea what it was. Now I know.

1. James O’Brien
  
  09/10/2018
  
  I first had one a few years ago in Stockholm. Perfect summer drink, in particular.