What’s made you smile this week? Many things, I hope!
First on my list is this wacky sock monkey I made last night. It took me hours and his ears are crooked, but he was pretty cute in the end. Which is just as well, as I can’t see myself making another one! I’ve named him Richard, in honour of our podiatrist, the giver of socks (I’m sure he’ll be delighted).
If you’d like to make your own, it only takes one pair of socks and these brilliant instructions from Craft Passion…
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Last Thursday, we took my mother to explore the Hidden Sculpture Walk at Rookwood Necropolis.
Mum was amused and a tad disconcerted to be strolling through a cemetery, but I found it incredibly peaceful. The artworks were scattered through the old part of the necropolis – along paths and in amongst the graves themselves…
Twist of Fate (Widow-maker) by Jane Gillings was my favourite piece. The artist has turned used champagne corks back into a tree…
Lotus Labyrinth, by Diamando Koutsellis…
Peace in Death by Rachel Sheree won a prize…
Tears & Courage by Kirsty Collins sat comfortably in amongst older graves…
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Sydney University is building a brand new museum which will open late 2018 or early 2019. It will combine the collections of the the Macleay and Nicholson Museums, and the University Art Gallery.
This means the Macleay would be closing at the end of November for two years (the Nicholson will stay open until the end of 2017). I’m embarrassed to admit that I’d never been before, despite attending the university and living in Sydney all my life, so Pete and I spent an afternoon wandering around campus and reminiscing.
The Macleay is a glorious Aladdin’s cave of old natural history specimens, including large and small skeletons, specimens jarred in formaldehyde, small stuffed animals, and ancient instruments. I was thrilled to see these old Moa bones…
Specimens in jars, some dating from the 1800s…
Large skeletons, many of which were previously acquired for teaching purposes, are on display…
Old tools and equipment tell the stories of various university departments…
A wall of magnificent butterfly specimens are on display – I never knew their colours could be so bright!
If you’d like to read more about the history of the Macleay Museum, the Uni has just uploaded a PDF copy of Mr Macleay’s Celebrated Cabinet. It was published in 1988 to commemorate the museum’s centenary.
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From the Macleay, we strolled over to the Nicholson Museum.
At present, there are a couple of interesting exhibitions there – one called Death Magic, which explores the beliefs and traditions surrounding death in Ancient Egypt. How cool is it that we can see sarcophaguses in Sydney? (For free too!)
The other exhibition which I loved was Memento: Remembering Roman Lives.
Two sections of wall in the museum are hung with Roman funeral inscriptions…
A translation of each one is offered via an interactive tablet nearby. Having spent an afternoon at Rookwood Necropolis the week before, it made me reflect on our basic human need to commemorate lost loved ones…
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From the Nicholson, we visited Floating Time: Chinese Prints 1954 – 2002.
This free art exhibition at the University Art Gallery showcases wood cut prints from the Mao era and beyond. I’m not a fan of traditional Chinese paintings, but these were stunningly beautiful. I’m taking Mum back to see them before the closing date of 25 November…
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On our way home, we walked through the Main Quad of Sydney Uni.
The large jacaranda tree in the corner is just hanging in there – it’s about a third larger than it was in our time, and looking far less robust. In the 1980s, exam results were posted on a board in that corner of the quad, and new students were always told, “once the jacaranda starts flowering, it’s too late to start studying…”
Edit: sadly, we were right and the tree really was just hanging in there – it collapsed less than a week after our visit. Thankfully the uni has a clone of the original tree ready to go back in its place.
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Earlier this week, Small Man and I sat down to a lunch of homemade sourdough, eggs from the backyard, and a family crossword puzzle. Life doesn’t get much better than that! (He looked up and caught me taking his photo!)
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Finally…it’s hard not to smile when this hottie is all mine, and has been for over thirty years. That look on his face was in response to the suggestive comments I was making about his sexy new leather jacket…
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I hope you’re all having a fabulous week! ♥
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Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 