A night with Pugsley Buzzard

On Saturday night Pugsley Buzzard (like a cross between Fats Waller and Tom Waits) played at the Paragon in Katoomba. Most in the audience dressed in gangster or burlesque fancy dress.

He is a great piano player and was accompanied by a tuba and drums.

strange Fruit pt 3

When the bees swarm out of the new hive and settle in a nearby tree, repeat steps 1-4.

Strange Fruit pt 2

How to catch bees.

1. Don the funny suit.
2. Ready yourself with bucket and whacking stick.
3. Give the branch a confident whack.
4. Ask bees nicely to enter their new home... which they did for a while, but then...............

Strange Fruit

Woke this morning to find this large, buzzing ball hanging from one of our plumb trees. Luckily we know some people who are into bees.

More on the "Saturday wasted catching bees" tomorrow.

A walk to the Falls

We recently had some Dutch relatives staying for a few days. We took them for a stroll down to our town's eponymous Wentworth Falls.

Sometimes we forget there are places like this within walking distance of our front door.

Slightly Aphrodite?

I was looking for ages for a mannequin that I could mosaic tile some clothes on and put in the garden. When we found this we thought it was too good for that so it lives in the hallway pretending to be a precious Greek antiquity. We like it, but I often wonder whether people think it's a bit odd having a naked shopfront dummy in the house!?

Just to be sure she doesn't get too far above her station she is occasionally put to work as a hat stand.

Winter Rain

Hard to believe in a few months we'll be hiding from the summer sun under this, as yet unfinished veranda roof.

Garage slab formwork

We're building a garage at the back of our place, and this is some of the extravagant formwork for the concrete slab. More pics here.

Thought I'd show some of my REJECTED application to Sculpture By The Sea before I go back to proper City Photo stuff.


                            Oh well, better think of something better for next year.

Another perspective on yesterday's photo

This gives a better idea of the size of the thing. The smaller bit of chain in the foreground above is the start of what may (?) be an extension of the flower stem. 

The conveyor chain I managed to get free from work, now I need some stainless rod for the stamen. 

Stainless Flower

This is a flower I'm making out of stainless steel conveyor chains. Maybe it'll be ready for next year's Sculpture by the Sea!

You're Fired!

Pat was on the money last week when she rightly suggested a Raku firing. I've been learning a bit of pottery and this was the culmination of the first term. I'm not that in to the Raku look, but I guess it's a good idea to learn a bit of everything.

A hole was dug for the fire on the property of a friend of our teacher. It was really in the middle of nowhere, only accessible by 4 wheel drive . The owners live in a converted shed with solar power, gas fridge and tank water. A beautiful spot. 

An Archeological Dig Or...?

Theme Day: Books

Haven't  posted for a while, partly out of laziness, partly because the computer power supply went pop and had to go to computer hospital for a few days and partly 'cos we were in New Zealand for two and a bit weeks. So here's a Theme Day photo and an excuse in one hit.
Have a look here for some NZ holiday snaps.

Yes I know, it's not the Blue Mountains - but you can't see that far from Canberra!

Went to Canberra (which surprisingly to many foreigners and locals is the capital of Oz) on the weekend. While there, had a quick look at Floriade.
photos by Tanya