So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen

The last few weeks have seen us saying farewell to friends. Jo has got a teaching job in Vietnam and so began a busy time for her & Trevor as they prepared to go. Trev was the first to be farewelled as he headed back to work (offshore) a couple of weeks before Jo, Claire & Tom left. We will miss you all. A hello in there as well as Bett came to say hello & goodbye to her family. It was great to see her again on her whirlwind visit. Lunch at the Blue Room saw us catch up on all the latest news & Bill was able to say goodbye to everyone before he headed off for SA. I got to say bye again on Tuesday night at the Gee Bung Polo Club where we all met once more joining Karen, Loz & Brad for a final farewell bash.

The next goodbye was to Bill as he headed off for 2 weeks in China (and Rhossie's not talking!) for work. Everyone but me seems to be heading to warm - well very hot - climates. I have heard from Bill tonight, breathless after climbing part of the Great Wall. He's off to Shanghai tomorrow.

Back in Melbourne winter has truly arrived with a very cold spell. The fog on the last couple of mornings has been so thick that the city completely disappears from view and it's only a few blocks away.

So between farewelling the travellers and keeping out of the cold, not much else has been happening over the last couple of weeks. We have even had to watch footy from the lounge room as the last 2 games were a sellout and we were not able to buy tickets. Not half as much fun but definitely warmer.

And so today's sculpture is 'The Travellers' just right don't you think. The stainless steel sculptures are set on Sandridge Bridge, the old St Kilda to Port Melbourne railway bridge (now a pedestrian link from Queensbridge Square to Flinders St Station).

Each of the ten Travellers figures represents a period of migration to Australia.

1. Gayip – The Aboriginal Period. (Previously on Rhossietalk)

2. First Settler – The Convict Period (1788 – 1868).

3. Melbourne Beauty – The Gold Rushes (1850 – 1890).

4. Walker and his tucker bag – Assisted Migration (1830 – 1930).

5. Shelter – Displaced persons (1947 – 1953).

6. Urban Wheel – European Migration (1947 – 1983).

7. Running Couple – Refugees (1856 – 2005).

8. Butterfly Girl – Asian and middle east migration (1975 – 2005).

9. Technoman – Students and professionals (1975 – 2005).

10. Walking Sun – Australian Multiculturalism.

The Travellers move on individual bogeys at 1.5kmh. They move in & out along the bridge (morning, noon and night). The ‘journey’ out takes 15 minutes. More than 3.7 km of stainless steel (in 4455 pieces) was used to create the sculptures.

As you stand and watch them you can't help but wonder what all these people thought when they arrived in Australia, how different it was from the country they had come from. Will our travellers have these same thoughts as they arrive and settle into their new surroundings whether it be for a long or short stay.

And so as the song says "The sun.. has gone.. to bed - and so must I"

Until next time ..............

Winter Wanderings

Yes, winter has finally arrived in Melbourne. After trying so hard to make an appearance this year it has finally succeeded and boy is it chilly. The much anticipated rain has arrived too. A little too much at once in some areas as they now cope with floods after so many years of drought conditions. Mother Nature has some mysterious ways. And snow. Every mountain has had record snowfalls and are all operating at full capacity. And I can't ski this year - bugger! Marg & Peter, you might get the mountains in NZ to yourselves this year.

So what's to do in Melbourne in winter when it's cold & wet? Well of course there is the footy. We have braved the cold on a few occasions and wandered over to Telstra Dome & the MCG to see the Bombers play. So far we have not got wet. The movies are another way of staying warm & dry and we went and saw the latest addition to the Pirates of the Carribean. Jack Sparrow & his motely crew made us smile once more, for the last time, one hopes.

Other indoor activities that have kept us entertained are the Archibald Prize exhibit in the Mural Hall at Myer. Again an interesting mix of paintings and this years winner was a whole lot better than the strange picture last year. At the same time the paintings that don't quite make it are on display in the foyer of Crown Towers so we had a wander round there as well and again, some good, some interesting.

Live shows are a great way of beating the cold and we have been and seen a few over the last couple of months. Grumpy Old Women had us laughing out loud at what could be to come - a very scary thought. Pirates of Penzance at the State Theatre was an excellent performance with Anthony Warlow as the Pirate King (Jack Sparrow came to life). A musical called Respect at the Palms Showroom at Crown with Rhonda Burchmore was really good and Human Nature at Rod Laver Arena last Friday night was just wonderful.

Museums are a great way to stay out of the weather as well and we did just that a few weeks ago visiting the Great Wall of China exhibit. It was very good and while there we checked out the Natural Science section as well. Lots of rocks, sea creatures, dinosaurs and far too many creepy crawlies for my liking. The larger animals will have to wait until our next visit.

Off course the best way to ward off the cold is to catch up with friends over a drink or two and we have done lots of that with Rohan & Peter over from Perth for a quick visit. Coffee & Cake in Mornington with Jo, Claire & Tom on a cold winters day, yummy afternoon tea in front of a roaring fire with Verity in Belgrave. Deb & JT were over for a short stay as well and we whiled away last Saturday afternoon with a long lunch at the Blue Room in South Melbourne with them and some of their friends, Ken & Miriam, from last years big adventure to Egypt.

And shopping, how could we miss the sales. You do stay warm & dry in the shops but somehow this year Bill was the one with all the shopping bags. Not sure how that works.

I think I have finally come to the end of our quiet adventures over the last month and so now the question is what on earth is that cow doing up that tree (photo). After seeing all the news about the flooding I decided it was the perfect photo.

The Cow up a Tree sculpture can be found at Docklands. (And you thought I'd run out of sculptures). The absurd vision of a cow stuck up a tree was based in reality when after floods in Australia it is not uncommon for farmers to find stock stranded like this. The shape of the cow was inspired by the artist William Dobell who during the war used papier mache cows which were moved around airfields in the hope of fooling Japenese pilots. See how informative art can be.

Well folks, on that note I'll be off once more. It's Saturday and there are more adventures just waiting to be had.
Until next time..........