Slowly capturing views of this growing tower, this is the east face. I like the contrast of the neighbouring sun kissed terracotta buildings against living greenery. The north and west faces can. E seen in Vertical Garden and Poetry of people and place.
Built on the site of a brewery that was hidden from view by a high concertinaed brick wall, One Central Park rises above eateries, design studios and fashion stores located in the podium.
The Old Clare Hotel, seen in the middle of the picture is one of the heritage buildings that have been retained as part of the 5.8 hectare site in Chippendale, Sydney.
Photography
Experimental walk
Rear lane, Newtown
I was at my physical fittest when I walked for forty minutes to work and the same amount home again every day. Increasing living costs and a change of employer has led to living further out from the city and a reliance on public transport. I try to incorporate some exercise into my journey by catching the bus from a stop further from home, walking for longer than is necessary between buses and getting off early on the return trip.
As the start of a new academic year looms my thoughts are taken up with how to avoid the morning frustration of having to wait for ten to twenty minutes for the express bus from Central Railway Station. The queue stretches around a quarter of Belmore Park to facilitate the transportation of ten plus thousand students each morning.
There are a few options available to me, including a ten minute walk down the road to catch the 370. The route is picturesque, zigzagging from Leichhardt, through Annandale and Glebe to Newtown. As the total journey time can take over one hour on one bus I opt for a split journey that includes joining the 370 later along its meandering path.
This morning leaving the house at 8:15, I catch the bus from the stop nearest home on the Parramatta Road. Alighting at around 8:30, I walk a few steps along Mallet Street to be greeted by the familiar sound of song birds that reside in the area. Also, the electric buzz of cicadas in the trees of Camperdown Park; it’s going to be a hot day!
Being on a schedule I refrain from stopping to take pictures every few steps as I rediscover the quiet backstreets of Newtown. Row upon row of simple Victorian terraced houses squeezed into every available space and pockets of vegetation jostling for a spot to burst forth.
When I reach King Street I am confronted by the thunder of cars, buses and trucks speeding towards the city. This is an aspect of the suburb I don’t miss.
Taking my place in the shade of the awning I forget to look around to check if it’s safe to stop. The look on the face of a young skateboarder barely missing me lets me know that it was not.
The journey from Newtown to work usually takes twenty minutes. Queuing for the traffic lights as we approach Botany Road in Alexandria has quickly eaten into this overly ambitious target. I reach work at 9:50, an hour after boarding the bus. Even though I managed to take a rather lovely twenty minute walk the outcome of my experiment was disappointing. Maybe I can improve on the overall time by setting out earlier from home.
White knight
Knight in white shining armour
I humbly offer thanks for
Rescuing me from storm’s grip.
Although wind did whirl and whip,
With torrential rain pouring.
Chill of sodden clothes gnawing;
Welcome sight to see your face.
Now dry in warmth of your embrace.
Renaissance woman on a bus
This butterfly reminds me of a morning journey in Spring when I experienced living art.
I look up to see an attractive woman in her early forties glide down the aisle with the grace of a ballet dancer.
I notice she wears silver sneakers without laces and black stockings beneath a soft black, calf length, bias cut skirt. The combination provides contrast to a loose fitting, burnt orange, wide necked, bat wing sleeve jumper.
An oversized black leather shoulder bag guides my attention to the glimpse of a tattoo of ancient script on her right forearm and tasteful antique gold rings, four on each hand.
Dark brown hair is scraped back into a small tidy bun. Gold dropper earrings with pale yellow stones, maybe citrine hang from sensual lobes. A clear Mediterranean complexion provides the backdrop for thin high arched brows above dark accepting eyes, a slight shadow of tiredness below. A slim refined aquiline nose carries my gaze to unsmiling dark blue-purple lips.
I realise this person is an ideal subject for a modern variation of a renaissance portrait.
Two towers
George Street entrance of Anglican, Christ Church St Laurence in the foreground, completed in 1841. Signifying a transition from Old Colonial Gothic to the Free Victorian Gothic style.
Faced with this view along Valentine Street, you could be forgiven for thinking that the 1921, Free Classical style clock tower of Central Station is part of the same building. Pitt Street running parallel to George separates the two sandstone buildings.
The time is nearing 4:00 pm in Sydney, the temperature is a scorching 39oC.
Nestled
On the way to the bus this morning, these tiny pink flowers among purple leaves, nestled at the base of a tree, caught my eye.
Coppiced or pollarded?
The pruning of the lower branches of this tree has resulted in vertical growth. There are many examples of them in Petersham Park, Sydney, Australia. What a journey we have been on this morning, to find out the definition of this form of pruning! Is it coppicing or pollarding? The Ultimate Practical Guide To Pruning and Training by Richard Bird and multiple Google searches confirm the following:
- Coppicing is the cutting back almost to ground level of all the main shoots of a multi-stemmed tree.
- Pollarding is exactly the same except the cutting takes place at some height above the ground.
Why do it?
This traditional technique enables the growth of larger trees in a small space as well as producing good foliage. The variety of tree and frequency of pruning determines the thickness and most appropriate use for the timber. Thinner frequently pruned Willow branches can be used for basket weaving while thicker Oak branches produced by longer period between prunes can be used for construction.
Foot traffic
The backdrop of the Sydney Opera House (SOH) is popular for bridal photographs. Popular vantage points include a small area in front of the Park Hyatt Hotel and the footpath under the Harbour Bridge.
This scene with the SOH in the background and a bride en route to a shoot is commonplace when the weather is fine.
Radiant yellow
The great thing about not planting the potted colour myself, is being constantly surprised by the blooms. This radiant yellow beauty announced its arrival yesterday.
Don’t miss out on buns, get them early!
With Easter being over four months away, I was surprised to see hot cross buns in the local Coles supermarket today (2nd January). They were proudly displayed near the entrance to the shop, between the bread, fruit and vegetables. I didn’t dare look to see if chocolate eggs and bunnies had reached the shelves.
I also noticed a sign near the bread section announcing more produce was being sourced from our home state, NSW (New South Wales). My first reaction was, where was it coming from before. Then I remembered that a couple of years ago there had been allegations of “freshly baked” bread being made in Ireland, frozen and then reheated.
I resisted the temptation of filling the trolley with buns, because we are still enjoying panettone from Christmas. Perhaps hot cross buns are no longer seasonal and have been lurking in the bread section for the last twelve months. It is reassuring to note that these buns contain Aussie fruit, what about the flour yeast, eggs, sugar etc?
theINFP 