A few of the marvellous things which have made us smile over the past few weeks!
. . . . .
Pete and I had our 29th wedding anniversary recently. As always, we celebrated with our darling friends Nicholas and Mary, who were married on the same day of the same year. We’ve spent the last 22 anniversaries together and this year we spoiled ourselves with lunch at Cirrus Dining in Barangaroo…
After a fabulous meal, Mary and I wandered over to the Rocks Markets while the boys enjoyed a cool drink at the MCA Colour Bar…
At the markets, I bought this glass jellyfish from Argyle Glass. It’s marvellous. Especially as it was handmade by Marc in Sydney and it only cost $25. I picked up the colour-change light stand for an extra $10…
Best of all, it glows in the dark!
Argyle Glass are at the Rocks Markets every weekend – here’s a photo I took of Marc at work in 2015 (from this post)…
. . . . .
As you know, I think fossils are properly marvellous, and as a collector, I was very chuffed to pick up some gorgeous pieces at great prices from my mate Tom at Living Fossil Gallery today. He also has a stall at the Rocks Markets, as well as a gallery in Mosman.
This cleoniceras ammonite is quite a common fossil, but the carving is very unusual – it’s a fish on one side…
…and a dragon on the other. It’s my first ever carved piece, and I love that it still retains some of its mother-of-pearl lustre…
On the other hand, this specimen is quite rare and collectible. As I now have quite a few, I try to only buy ammonites which are different, and I’d never seen one like this before…
. . . . .
Until the 18th February, Word: MCA Collection and the Jon Campbell exhibitions are on at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Focusing on art pieces associated with text and language, they’re both marvellous. The Campbell one is colourful, bright and very Australian…
Word includes these great public health posters from the late 70s and 80s…
…and these artworks by Toni Robertson…
My favourite piece was this wall-sized painted canvas by Richard Bell – unfortunately a small photo doesn’t really do it justice…
. . . . .
Our quest to live greener in 2018 has started quite well.
In an attempt to reduce our paper usage, I decided to make cloth napkins. We actually tried this 20 years ago, but the cotton damask we used at the time wrinkled badly after washing, and I wasn’t keen to spend hours ironing. This time I used coarse weave cotton tenegui (tea towels) that I’d bought from Daiso to make furoshiki…
I simply cut each one in half and hemmed the unfinished edge. These wash well, wrinkle very little, and dry in a flash, which makes them ideal for napkins. And being able to use a cloth with a monkey’s arse or mating pandas on it? That’s marvellous…
. . . . .
The morning walks continue – by the water on weekdays, and often in the city on weekends. We’re fortunate to have Shepard Fairey street art on public display in Sydney at the moment – from this mammoth multi-storied mural on George Street…
…to these posters in Spice Alley…
. . . . .
Big Boy and I are always entranced by the light shows on our morning walks. In winter, the sun reflects off the water onto the pedestrian overpass, but in summer, the patterns appear under the motorway bridge. Glorious, joyous, marvellous…here’s what it looked like at the start of our walk one morning last week…
. . . . .
…and again as we headed towards home an hour later…
. . . . .
Finally, anything that makes us laugh is marvellous, right? Well, discovering this sign language symbol made me roar with laughter, so naturally I had to share!
. . . . .
Wishing you all a fun week ahead, filled with marvellous things! ♥
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Congratulations on your anniversary! 🥂
Thank you! :)
Bernard King’s favourite word… Marvellous! However, he used to add Darling on the end of it. Everything in your post was indeed Marvellous Darling.
Hahaha! Thanks Nick!
Marvellous indeed…I can feel a big smile on my face! Have a wonderful week my friend 😁
You too, dearheart! xx
congratulations Celia and Pete, 29 years married is a real achievement. Well done.
Thanks Sandy! Big one next year!
A very happy anniversary to you and your friends. What a lovely way to celebrate.
Thanks Laurie! It’s a fun occasion every year. We try to go somewhere different each time.
Congrats on your wedding anniversary! I was laughing so hard at that sign, it will come in “handy” (sorry, lousy pun intended)
I’m sure you’ll find a good use for it! :) Thanks lovely xx
Thanks for the heads up in the MCA exhibition! Looks right up my alley, I’ll have to make my way three before it ends. Thanks Celia!
It was surprisingly good fun!
Marvelous………..one awesome relationship!!
Two, actually! Thank you! :)
A fabulous post Celia, I love these round ups of your life in Sydney. Love those posters on the wall and the huge mural, and the array of unusual finds at the market. Happy Anniversary.
The Sign for Bullshit is a beauty, and is the one enjoyed by our family over the last 37 years, not just with our profoundly deaf son Jack, but with each other. That sign for ‘bullshit’ was the sign we used to use when we first learnt Signed English, a signing language quite different in many ways from Auslan ( Australian Sign Language). The modern Australian sign for bullshit is not as colourful as this American/English sign.
see http://www.auslan.org.au/dictionary/words/bullshit-1.html
Sign language, as you probably know, is different from country to country although Jack can quickly get by with American and English deaf people and they adjust by teaching each other their different languages. The Auslan sign for Melbourne has remained the same. Have a look at this from the Australian Auslan dictionary here: http://www.auslan.org.au/dictionary/words/Melbourne-1.html. It is a sign that means ‘lunch’ and how appropriate is that! The new Auslan sign for Sydney is now just signed letters ( SYD) whereas the old signed English one, was a two handed spanning of Sydney Harbour bridge, meeting in the middle. I like this old sign and still use it. The sign for Adelaide is really nice http://www.auslan.org.au/dictionary/words/Adelaide-1.html. The first sign language teacher in Adelaide in the 19th century was a Scottish chap who had a pronounced dimpled or cleft chin. This sign shows the cultural roots of Aus signing.
Language evolves and sign language isn’t static- it’s hard for me to keep up, let alone those who don’t need to use sign in their lives.
Thank you for all this wonderful info, Fra. I’ll tell you a funny story – we used to go out to the local club with my folks when the boys were little and there was always this large group of deaf customers at s neighbouring table. It was hard not to stare as they were so animated in their signing – I oddly remember them as being rowdy (not in a bad way) but I don’t think they made much noise! Anyway, I was intrigued and told Pete I’d like to learn auslan. It never happened, because he pointed out that all I really wanted to do was eavesdrop. 😂
Good one Celia. xx
Congratulations on your anniversary. Thank you for the sign language tip. I will use it around the office in the next couple of weeks as I’m heading back to Adelaide after a few years here in Sydney.
Dee, I hope you’ve had a lovely time in Sydney. xx
Lovely – all of it – the poster of the pregnant mums is especially poignant. However, it’s just as well that my cross-table companion is engrossed in the paper because i have been gleefully practising the Auslan symbol for codswallop:) How interesting to know of the Auslan dictionary as well.
Hi Jan, Just popping in here with a subject that is dear to my heart. Nice to know you are throwing about that sign over your morning banter and that you have found the Auslan dictionary. A new sign every day?
The development of the Auslan dictionary has been a long process and began in the 90s. It’s so good to have a visual dictionary online now, as the old hard copy was difficult to follow. In the 80s, when we first learnt sign language through classes as well as a dictionary, when signed English was taught, though it differed quite a lot from that used in England. It was Australian signed English, meaning it followed English grammatical construction. Auslan, the true Australian Sign language, is as much cultural language as it is a ‘symbol’ for a word, is impossibly difficult to read back at times, and is now taught as a VCE subject.
Deaf people are passionate about their language and so the Australian deaf would like to see Australian signs used and not those of America or elsewhere, even though they understand these.
You’re hilarious, Jan! I hope you get to use it often!
Please tell me where you saw the condom print. My husband and I volunteer for an HIV group in Arkansas. I would love to have this on our table when I hand out condoms. Thank you for your help.Kristi Bengs
It was at the Museum of Contemporary Art in their new exhibition. It was widely distributed in the 80s though – you might be able to find something on Google? Alternatively, if it’s just for your use, you’d be most welcome to print out my photo (I obviously don’t own the copyright to the actual print). Good on you for volunteering!
Actually, just looked for you and there are oodles of images on Google!
Another, late, ‘marvellous’ :) ! Truly fun from the jellyfish to the spice posters I would love to have to learning a very worthwhile sign language expression . . . :) !
The Shepard Fairey art is glorious. I wouldn’t mind that poster either!!
What wonderful art from a variety of sources! I would love to see the Shepard Fairey street art. Congratulations on another anniversary and how fun to celebrate with friends in the way you do. Tomorrow marks our 46th wedding anniversary–which shocks me as I think about how many years that represents! I had two friends marry the same day and the same year, but sadly, they didn’t make it to year 46. :-(
Happy anniversary, Deb! 46 is something for us to aspire to! xx
I love the cloth napkins! More genius. And happy anniversary. <3
Thanks darling! xx
Hi Celia. Every time I hear about your liking of fossils I think “I wonder if Celia has read REmarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier?” This time I finally did something about it. Actually, all her books are great, I always learn something. Ps went to white rabbit gallery last time in Sydney, thanks to you
Ooh Sue, thanks for letting me know. I’m off to amazon right now to look for it! xx
Happy Anniversary, may you and Pete (and your friends) have many more happy years together!
Thanks lovely! xx
You are a marvellous woman!!!
You are a marvellous friend!!! 😘
Hi Celia,
I have been wondering why your posts to me stopped before Christmas. I thought you had been too busy to post new ones but when I googled you, to my dismay, I found a current post of yours. I cant think what has happened and despite trying to send a activation email I have not been able to receive a confirmation email. I hope this works!