Return to Perth

For reasons that I've never understood, Betty loved carnations. She was particular about flowers. She furiously tossed out a bunch of arum lillies that Susan and I bought her one year for Mother's Day because they reminded her of funerals. But carnations, even scrappy skinny ones, were her thing. She regularly bought bunches as well as having them growing in the garden. So it wasn't surprising that she fell in a love with a painting of carnations by Perth artist Laurie Knott.  Born in the UK in 1921, Laurie Knott studied in the UK and arrived in Western Australia in 1952. An impressionist painter in oil and watercolour, he exhibited his work in Australia from 1963. He was art critic for the 'Sunday Times' newspaper in Perth, and has also worked as an art teacher judge and lecturer in Perth and country areas. His work is represented in Western Australian regional art galleries and institutional collections in Perth and overseas. He died in 1980. Some more information...

I've never spent a fortune on fancy furniture and once I've found a practical piece, I tend to keep it for years. Susan and I did send some furniture off to Vinnies in Melbourne and some stuff, such as 40 year old bamboo shelves, did up in the skip when we were packing up the Pink House. However, some pieces travelled with us as temporary backstops and others in the hope that they might just fit into whatever new home we found for ourselves. A classic example of the former category is a study desk that I had as a teenager. Yes, I know, that was a long time ago. But it was practical. It had drawers, a drop down desk, open and closed shelves. However, Susan has always hated it and finally, I agreed to replace it. The new piece of furniture, a proper dining dresser, sits beautifully in Archibald St and I confess that I don't miss the old desk.  But I will miss my colourful chandlier. I bought it during one Christmas holiday in Perth and took it back to Melbourne were it had pr...

Friends Anne and Kevin called in for morning tea on a sunny day to tell us about their two months sojourn in southern Africa, in countries such as Tanzania, Botswana and South Africa. It was fascinating hearing their stories of the people, the landscape, the history, the animals, the corruption, the lodges, the politics, of these countries. As we listened, I suddenly realised that it is 30 years since I was last on that continent. I had two visits to South Africa as part of Australia's aid package for the post-apartheid government, making recommendations about changing the national English language radio station to better reflect the new country in 1994 and returning to check implementation of the changes in 1995. Both journeys were utterly fascinating, from attending the National Thanksgiving service in Soweto days after the election with people like Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu on stage to exploring the wild and beautiful landscape of the southern cape. I was honoured to meet ...

  You may have already seen Jonathan Biggins doing a star turn in The Gospel According to Paul. If not, and if this comedic look at the life of Paul Keating comes your way, do buy a ticket. I have watched Jonathan's performances in shows like The Wharf Review for decades but this is a tour de force of clever writing and engaging performance. Not that Jonathon looks like Keating who is more like a slender stork but he captures some inate physicality that makes you believe every moment on stage.  On the way to the show in the State Theatre Centre, Susan and I were reflecting on the key moments/outcomes that capture Keating's life in politics: Reform of the financial system The banana republic comment The Redfern speech His fierce wit during Question Time The Kirribilli Affair and the agreement (or not) with Bob Hawke His Zenga suits Native Title Legislation Refocusing Australia to the Asia-Pacific region His collection of antique clocks Floating of the Australian dollar Attempt ...

In a recent meeting with Nikki Miller, Executive Director of Creative Industries in WA, I was singing the praises of the Mandurah Council for their support of the arts and she said that the City of Melville was another good example of local goverment committent to cultural activities. And luckily for us, that's our council. So far, we've attended Open Studio events, an arts and craft fair, admired murals, been to exhibitions in community art spaces - and joined the library. One branch (albeit one of the smaller ones) is five minutes walk up the road. I have to confess that I love libraries. I worked for the library in Floreat Forum at the end of high school. I love finding new books, ordering ones on my 'to read' list, and reading in both hard copy and on line formats. So I was thrilled to have one so close but not so thrilled to see the way the Melville team organise books. Instead of a good old fashioned A to Z listing, it's in genres - romance/history; murder mys...

I love lying in bed listening to the rain. I think that pleasure started during winter holidays in the Porongorups where, after a night of playing rummy by the light of the kerosene lamp, we'd retire to cosy beds in our flannelette pjamas and go to sleep to the pitter patter of water on the tin roof. For years, I didn't get to enjoy that type of experience because I was downstairs in the Pink House with a whole storey between me and the rain. Now, with a colourbond roof above me, I can enjoy the sound again. [On a side note, I do love the colourbond ad .]And there's been lots of opportunities in Perth. I keep asking people whether the amount of days of rain are common and nobody's quite sure although Google keeps reassuring me that we're receiving average rainfalls.  My first Melbourne rain experience was on a trip down from Sydney. It was my first experience of Melbourne's "four seasons in one day". It was summer and as it was just a day trip for work...