Australia Exhibition

On Monday we visted the Australia Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, London.  A remarkable collection of Australian art, drawn from many art galleries in Australia.   Although it was only a relatively small selection of Australian art, it was special in that it presented more than 200 years of art. The core theme was the uniqueness of land and landscape and indigenous and colonial history.

   The exhibition certainly portrayed the importance of the quality of light and the harshness of the landscape and the indigenious peoples' relationship with the land, in that it is an extension of the body, the heart, mind and soul, plus spiritual being.   There was a substantial amount of indigenous art, displayed in the exhibition.

Initially artists followed European tradition in their approach to painting in Australia, but then recognised the distinctive qualities and diversity of the Australian landscale, its geology, flora and fauna.   They then started painting in a style that was authentic in conveying its Australianness.

Sydney Nolan's portrayal of the outlaw, Ned Kelly, painted in 1946.    This was photograph was taken of the front of the substantial catalogue, which we purchased at a much lower cost, due to the exhibition finishing soon.

We set off from St Mary Cray Railway Station, on the train bound for Victoria Railway Station, and then it was one tube stop on the Victoria line, to Green Park.   Very easy, although we had to wait for half an hour on the train at St Mary Cray.    Luckily there was a heated waiting room.

The Royal Academy of Arts.  Quite a magnificent building.

And inside the building it was very grand, and elegant.   This was my final photograph before entering the exhibition.   No photographs allowed inside the exhibition rooms.

We had lunch, sandwiches and coffee from the cafe, in the elegant and comfortable lounge area outside the restaurant.   I loved the art deco lamp, with the elegant wrought iron balustrade behind it.

After we left, we walked through the glitzy Burlington Arcade, which was next door to the Academy.   Walter admiring the expensive items for sale in the shops, and wondering if he has enough money to purchase a new pair of shoes.   No prices shown of course.

The carpet in the arcade had scenes from cities around the world woven into it.   Fascinating.   The scene for Australia - Sydney's Opera House.  

Outside in the street, there were more ornate buildings.    This was the London Ritz Hotel.

And the doorway into the Ritz.

Now I am not sure what this statue represents, but it was a very large and grand statue on top of one of the buildings.   Almost rivals the statues in Paris.  

Home again, and out came our placemats.   We have two sets of placemats, showing indigenous paintings, still in good order, although they are thirteen years old.   Over the years they have been used as examples for children, when studying Aboriginal art in school.    

We have had this set of placemats for about thirty years, each one depicting a scene from early Australia.   This placemat is in pristine condition, due to it not being used much.   'The Settlers' by Frederick McCubbin (1904) depicts the struggle for early settlers, and in the third scene, the wife has died.  The town in the background of this scene is meant to symbolise hope for the future.   I always found this painting a little depressing when eating dinner so avoided using it.   The original painting was on display at the Australia exhibition.

I found the exhibition fascinating, and certainly learnt so much about the development of art in Australia.  And I must admit the short walk along Piccadilly, was also fascinating.   A little piece of expensive London.     

South Bank and the DLR

After our visit to the Design Museum we decided to walk back along the South Bank, over Tower Bridge, and catch the Docklands Light Rail to Greenwich, where we could then catch a train back to Sidcup.  The weather was glorious, and the light perfect for taking photographs.

A view of the Tower Bridge, with the a new skyline of buildings dominating the business area of London.   Sprouting buildings!  

A little bit of fun while we were waiting on our lunch at the restaurant.  A modest lunch for a high price.   Good for the waistline anyway.

Looking up at one of the towers.   So majestic!   

A visit to the Tower Exhibition will be a must next time we have grandchildren stay with us.   The tour includes a tour of the tower, a walk up the stairs and onto the walkways, pictured below.   All for a modest price, about 8 pounds for seniors (us).   Mind you it could be 8 pounds of sheer terror for me, considering I hate heights.   There are railings on the walkways!

A closer view of the business district of London.   There are plenty of cranes in place so more buildings on the way up.   A changed skyline.   And where is St Paul's Cathedral?   

A view back towards the glassed buildings on the South Bank, with the Shard rising up behind.

The symmetrical lines curving beneath one of the towers.

Finally we arrived at the Tower station of the Docklands Light Rail.   We remember when this was was a two way line that started in Docklands and went to Bank.   We used to park the car on the road below the first station at the start of the line, and travel into the centre of London on the train.   Now the line goes in about three different directions, one of them being Greenwich, which involves travelling through a tunnel.

I wonder if these flats are still available for social housing?   Probably not.

Docklands, no longer an array of vacant blocks, and some unfinished buildings.  It was depicted in the early 1990s that this area was going to be a doomed development.   But it survived that recession, and now abounds with tall buildings, and expensive offices and apartments.   A transformation.    Too highly priced for the average person though, sadly.

When we arrived in Lewisham, there were police and ambulances everywhere.   Apparently an accident involving a truck and pedestrians, not cyclists this time, but a very serious accident all the same.   The flying ambulance taking off, up into the blue sky.

We enjoyed our trip into London so much, that we plan to repeat the experience next week, in order to visit the Australia exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts.  

Design Museum Revisited

Today we visited the Design Museum, in order to buy a Christmas present for a grandchild, and also to visit the 'Hello, My Name is Paul Smith exhibition', for which I had a return ticket. 

Paul Smith left school at 15, and worked in a clothes shop.   After a cycling accident, which resulted in him being hospitalised for six months, he became interested in fashion designing.   He opened his first very small shop for two days a week in Nottingham in 1970.   Now he is a top London based fashion designer, who has numerous shops around the world.

The exhibition took visitors on a journey through Paul Smith's world, a recreation of his office, his design studio, some of his work, and a film based on a day in the life of a fashion show.

The wall of buttons.    You will be impressed with this Kylie!

 A close up of part of the wall of buttons.   They were attached to the wall with double sided tape, so easily dismantled.   But such precision work!  It must have taken ages to create, and although there were no obvious patterns, there were was much lightness and darkness.

 A lineup of Paul Smith's array of brilliantly designed clothes.

 And more on the other side of the room.   Paul Smith derives his ideas and inspiration for design from the world around him.

 He collects prints, hundreds of them, and has done since he was a teenager.

 A recreation of Paul Smith's design study.

 A recreation of Paul Smith's office, with some examples of his huge collection of books, toys, ephemera, art, silly things, serious things, gadgets, children's drawings, photographs and general stuff.   He also has quite a collection of bicycles.

A very remarkable exhibition.    And a must for any young design student to visit, as it certainly emphasizes the importance of looking beyond the immediate scene or object.   I can imagine that Paul Smith's world, and his designs, were appreciated by all that visited, us included.   I suspect the price tag for his clothes may be a tad too expensive for most of us though.   

Sadly the object that I was going to buy for a Christmas present was no longer available, but luckily I have been able to get something similar online, at a cheaper price too.   

Wendover Woods, Buckinghamshire

On Sunday Donna and I took Poppy for a long walk in Wendover Wood, which is about 10 miles from Tring and on the northern end of the Chiltern Hills.   The woods are named after the nearby town of Wendover, and are owned by the Forestry Commission.

Although there was a fee for parking vehicles, the facilities were excellent, with plenty of picnic areas and benches and tables.   People can also walk, ride horses and cycle there, providing you have your own horse or bicycle of course. There was only one activity which cost extra money, and that was the Go Ape centre.   There was an excellent cafe/restaurant.   Quite a gold mine, I think, as there were a large number of people sitting at tables drinking coffee or eating food.   Dogs were welcome, which helped of course.

Donna and Poppy ready to set out.  Poppy looked very clean at this point.     

The autumn colours in the woods were breathtaking, and I could easily have spent the whole time taking photographs.

The aftermath of an Australian bushfire?   Almost looked like it, but in fact it was just very wet bark, mist, and glorious leaf colours.

A very large fungus.   Identification unknown, but it looked stunning.

Donna and Poppy taking a rest.   Poppy had a fantastic time, as she met lots of other Labradors, and spent quite a bit of time playing with them.   She got very muddy.

Finally we arrived back at the cafe, after a couple of diversions and walking along the same path three times, due to taking the wrong turning.   It would have helped if we had a map.   We enjoyed a welcome latte, organic coffee of course.   Then we saw the sign which informed us we were standing at the highest point in the Chilterns.   No wonder we were walking in the mist.

On the drive back we went through this delightful grove of trees, on a road that was well and truly sunken, with the sun glinting through the trees.   Magical.

We arrived back in time for lunch, happy and muddy.  Walter had spent a leisurely morning reading, and Patrick had been busy re-organising his van.   Walter informed us that he had gone outside to give Patrick some advice!  And a cup of coffee.   So they were both happy too.

Then it was back into our motorhome and off home via the M25, which was relatively clear.   Amazingly.

A busy, but really lovely weekend.

A visit to Tring, Hertfordshire

On the weekend we drove up to Tring, Hertfordshire, to visit Donna and Patrick.   The weather was very gloomy and cold, but we had a lovely time.   And it was great to spend time with Donna and Patrick.

On Saturday morning we stopped at the Akeman restaurant and cafe, for a soothing and revigorating cup of coffee.  Well we actually stopped at the auctions first, but coffee does tend to be foremost on my mind.

Donna giving her mum a loving kiss!

TheTring Auctions.   This was actually the first stop for the day.  An amazing place.   Sheds full of old furniture, and new furniture, bikes, pictures and bric a brac.  I had my eye on some pottery bowls, which sold for 40 pounds.   I was prepared to offer 10 pounds but bidding started at 30 pounds, so that was me out of the picture.   Royal Doulton apparently.  I would also have liked to try and bid on some serving spoons, but realised it would take about an hour for the auctioneer to get around to auctioning them, and gave up.   Coffee beckoned at that point.

Walter watching the auctioneer in one of the furniture sheds.   It was a very interesting experience, but much patience is needed, I think.   When we lived in an old Victorian house in Henley Beach, South Australia, we filled our house with old furniture.   Now all we aspire to is modern Ikea furniture.   Such a pity.

After coffee we decided to drive to Berkhamsted, in order to go for a walk.    Berkhamsted is a very upmarket town in Hertfordshire, but spoilt by traffic problems.  Too many cars!   Everywhere.  I really had to make a concentrated effort to keep them out of the following photographs.   I also had to work hard at avoiding being run over by a car too.  Very annoying.

An expensive boot display in one of the shops.

We stopped for a moment in front of the local church.

The entrance to the private school, Berkhamstead School, with plenty of boarders.   Very old England.

A totem pole standing incongruously among the expensive English houses.

The Grand Union Canal, with ducks sitting peacefully on the water.

The day was perfect for reflections in the water.

The usual array of narrow boats lined up beside the canal.

We drove back to Tring, through the village of Cow Roast.   Imagine having to tell people that you live in Cow Roast!

Finally back to the pub, The Castle, for a quick drink.   Guinness for the men, and soft drinks for Donna and me.   I must admit the Guinness looked very tempting, with the perfect amount of foam on top.    The All Blacks were playing against England, on the television.   No football rubbish in Tring.

And then off home where we left the men to watch rugby -Wales against Argentina.    Patrick comes from Wales so he was keen to support Wales.   Donna and I went off to Hemel Hempstead for some shopping therapy.  Everyone was happy.    New Zealand won their game.  And Wales too.  I must not forget that.