Sunday, October 31, 2010

Jacaranda Time


Summer is almost here when the Jacaranda's bloom, they should be Sydney's tree - it is a shame they come from Brazil.

Q. Where is Sydney's best Jacaranda.
A. Stay tuned for my vote, and it is not the one in today's blog.

This one is in the main quad at Sydney Uni.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Ibis on a fence


One of Sydney's pesky birds, their long beaks can reach into rubbish bins.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Looking Through the Sydney Opera House


Looking towards Government House, apparently the gum tree on the left was around when Captain Cook sailed past Sydney.
Part of Skywatch

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi


Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi starts today!
This is an old shot but it is one of Sydney's best walks along the cliff from Bondi to Tamarama - along with some great art.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Sydney Opera House Tiles


Looking up across the sails of the Opera House - some beaut Swedish tiles.

From http://www.utzonoperahouse.com/tiles.php

My father and the engineers had been working on the geometry of the shells for some years and at the same time he was looking into the ceramic tile question.
What kind of ceramic tiles could be used for cladding the shells?
He wanted a white tile and on his trips back and forth between Sydney and Denmark, among other places he visited, he was in Iran and especially Isfahan. My father was very much taken by the ceramic surfaces on the big domes of the mosques.
Even though the tiles were dirty with dust from the desert my father saw how they would still sparkle and shine in the sunlight.
He tried to emulate that glaze as if on ceramic tiles in Europe and he found a Swedish factory that made ceramic tiles for the paper pulp factories in Sweden and Finland.
www.skane.com

1.056 million Tiles were made for the Opera House and one of my father's employees at the office was actually staying in Denmark when the rest of the office went to Sydney.
He sorted out every tile for the Opera House!
So he was at the tile factory whenever the firing was done. He looked through all the tiles, rejected some and let others pass that were then sent to Sydney.
Therefore there is this wonderful surface of tiles that you see on the Sydney Opera House shells.
But before that they had to find a way to fix the tiles to the shells...
One day my father was walking in the town of Helsingborg in Sweden and by accident he met the famous Swedish architect Sigurd Lewerentz on the street and as a gesture he bent over and said
"It is an honour to meet you Mr. Lewerentz."
As his eyes looked down onto the pavement he was walking on, he saw that the tiles were set in a diagonal pattern rather than a straight checkerboard pattern. He thought to himself ahh if we set them diagonally that would be much better. So this is one reason why the tiles on the Opera House shells are set in a diagonal pattern. The other reason was to find a surface which allowed for the application of tiles in an orderly manner. He couldn't find that and the engineer had problems structurally in erecting the concrete shells that my father envisaged but eventually my father had the idea of using a sphere as the base for the geometry of the shells.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

The Bennelong Restaurant


There is a very swish restaurant inside the Sydney Opera House. Here are some patrons enjoying the view.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Sydney Opera House


The back view of the Opera House from the Tarpeian Way. Previously the site was a tram depot and before that a Fort, Fort Macquarie.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Hyde Park Barracks


Here is where the convicts used to reside, it is the start of a great street for historical colonial buildings - Macquarie Street.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Two persons forecourt of Opera House


There are many persons taking photos against the backdrop of the Sydney Opera House.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Sunrise Narrabeen Lake


A lake that is about 20km north of Sydney.
Skywatch Friday

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Photos in Hyde Park 2


One of the photography exhibits from Art and About - hard to pick a favourite as they are all so good.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Happy Birthday Sydney Opera House


Today is the Opera House's Birthday!
The Opera House was formally opened today 37 years ago on 20 October 1973. I remember a lone Aboriginal, playing the digeredoo at the top point of the front sail. It is built on Bennelong Point named after a famous Aboriginal who was around at the time of the first fleet in 1788.

Photos in Hyde Park


Following on from yesterday, as you walk through Hyde Park there is a photography exhibit and you can vote on your favourite - I like this family portrait.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Sydney Ferries


Against the backdrop of the Opera House this First Fleet class ferry is flying the red ensign, one of Australia's national flags.

This post is supported by boating licence

Monday, October 18, 2010

Hyde Park


It is a beautiful walk down the centre of Hyde Park in the morning, at the moment there are some beaut displays of photographs from Art and About on either side.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Art Gallery Item



In the Art Gallery of NSW is this unusual piano, the gallery is a well- worth visiting even for non-art lovers.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Night Noodle Markets


Part of the Sydney Food Festival here in Hyde Park they are setting up for this annual event. A great way to have a taste of a variety of food Sydney has to offer.
The Wall Street Journal says: For Sydneysiders interested in eating like international jet-setters, but not ready to use their strong Aussie dollars to travel the world to do it, the annual Night Noodle Markets in Hyde Park offers a taste of Asia and the Middle East this week.

The park’s sprawling lawns have been converted into an open-air, Asian-style night market, with red lanterns lining the food stalls and white holiday lights dangling from above. Part of the Crave Sydney International Food Festival, this year’s noodle market differs from previous ones with the addition of Middle Eastern fare. True to the Sydney culinary scene, Thai is the most dominant cuisine on offer. But there are Turkish, Malaysian, Japanese, Chinese and even Himalayan specialties to try, too.

In an effort to sample the rarest dishes we could find, we started with a mixed plate at Himalayan Yummy Kitchen (price: 12 Australian dollars, or US$12), a combination of barbecue chicken, savory potatoes, veggie noodles, relishes and steamed rice. Himalayan barbecue chicken looked just like Tandoori chicken and the noodles had a lo mein quality to them — but the mountainous dishes had unique flavors and a mild spice that was all its own. Nearby, Efendy Modern Turkish restaurant sold koftes (A$10.50), a smoky-tasting lamb roll NOT A MEATBALL? my companion called “delicious.”

Further down in yet another sets of stalls, the cafe New Shanghai offers a selection of dumplings — try the steamed vegetarian (A$5) drizzled in vinegar. At Lees Malaysian, a char kway teow (A$10.50) plate of flat noodles with shrimp and chicken seemed at first like a standard Asian noodle dish, but mix in the chili paste, and the noodles grow spicy, the flavor more robust.

With tables and chairs dotting the lawn, there’s no shortage of seating for those arriving early. But lines develop fast at some venues. By 6 p.m. on the evening of our visit, for instance, beloved Chinese restaurant Din Tai Fung, which now has shops in seven Asian countries plus the U.S. and Australia, had a long queue, while others had none. Bring your own wine and other beverages, too: Drinks are for sale but beverage vendors aren’t nearly as ubiquitous as food sellers.

The Night Noodle Markets are open all week, Oct. 18 to 22, from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., rain or shine.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Ride to Work Day


Sydney cyclists today took part in National Ride to Work Day.
Here are some of the keen cyclists heading into Hyde Park for a free breakfast and a bike tune up.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Sydney Opera House from ferry


Sydney Opera House on Bennelong Point best viewed from the water.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Police Funeral 3


An overhead view of the police funeral, as you can see all the services, ambulance, fire and police were there.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

A good view


The best spot to take a photo of both the Opera House and the Bridge is at Mrs Macquaries Chair, it is a good walk around or you can catch a Sydney Explorer bus.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Danger - Men at Work


I guess Men at Work signs are redundant - as you see plenty of females on constructions sites now.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Sky at sunset


A lovely sunset - it is great watching the clouds change colour.