Art in Brisbane

I recently spent a weekend in Brisbane enjoying lots of art in the steamy city. Visiting several wonderful exhibitions at commercial galleries, Michael Muir's striking colour saturated abstracts and Lewis Miller's beautiful portraits and still lifes. Then it was off to GoMA to view the overwhelming and beautiful Matisse exhibition, the fabulous experiential Yayoi Kusama works and majestic landscapes of Eugene von Guerard.

Soggy Sydney

I'll be escaping soggy central Sydney for a girls weekend hosted by a wonderful friend in Avalon followed by a week in Kiama with my family. I do like to be beside the seaside...

Siena

A city of winding cobbled streets and beautiful food where we were stuck during a rail strike whilst trying to journey to Rome.

Southern Highlands adventure

Over the weekend I visted the beautiful Southern Highlands for a short break, one night in Berry and one night in Bowral. I managed to shop up a storm with bargains found at Haven and Space, Barbara's Storehouse and a little bric a brac market we stumbled across in a carpark. I also lusted after the exquisite scarves at Juniper Hearth, ate very yummy date scones at the Berry Tea Shop and explored the eclectic Three Wise Monkeys. The major purchases were made at Peppergreen which is unfortunately closing down but that does mean that there is 50% off of the the gorgeous antiques and curious collectables! What a wonderful weekend.

An estate in decline

Calke Abbey was one of the most amazing country homes I have ever visited. The slow decline of this grand family estate is played out in each room of this impressive crumbling residence. The collections that it contains are astounding and the disrepair of the buildings charming.

Staying with friends

 

On an adventure as long as ours it was so important for us to stop somewhere for a substantial amount of time to prevent travel weariness. It was such a joy to stay with friends for a week in Birmingham. 

We got to sleep in a normal house, eat home cooked meals and even watch some trashy tv! But most of all we were able to catch up with our friends and experience their life on the other side of the globe. Not only did we relax around the house but the four of us ventured out of Brummie country with a trip to gorgeous green Oxford and the art deco delights of Liverpool.

Wiltshire and Dorset

We did a quick run up through glorious countryside to Salisbury Cathedral and Stonehenge as even though Ad is English he had never visited this mysterious rock formation. This took us unexpectedly via a pub for the night where we played 'Rock n Roll' bingo!

Then it was on to Dorset where we had a grand time visiting Ad's Uncle and his family and experienced the most beautiful sunny weather.

 

Charleston House

Charleston House was a must visit on our adventure through Sussex. Visiting this amazing property set among green fields, miles from anywhere was magical. In 1916 Charleston House became the home of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant and was a meeting place for the Bloomsbury Group.  The house is full the Bloomsbury Group's visitors and residents artistic endeavours but unfortunately there is no photography allowed inside so here is a taste of the glorious garden...

Rye

The beautiful medieval town of Rye is perfectly English. We stayed on cobbled Mermaid Street, ate scones, had a beer at the pub and rummaged through the antique stores.

Brighton

Brighton is fabulous! Ad and I had perfect weather (for England) and loved the vibe of this town and the little maze of backstreets full of exciting places to discover.

Ad had a lesson in how to construct a deck chair from two very helpful older women and then we sat in our blue and white striped chairs on Brighton Pier eating Brighton Rock admiring the pebbly beach.

It is a perfect distance from London and I think it would become my favourite seaside getaway if I ever lived in England.

Turkey II

After the magic of Cappadocia we headed for Pammukale to the limestone springs where we posed for pictures (all covered up unlike the European tourists) and relaxed in the ancients baths of Hierapolis.

Then it was on to Ephesus to visit some more Roman ruins. The scale and beautiful craftsmanship of the structures was amazing. It is a very popular destination for cruise ships to dock and was bursting with sightseers by mid morning.

Gallipoli was a touching to place to visit because of its connection to Australia for terrible reasons and at the same time it was very beautiful.

Turkey was fabulous. The people friendly and the country diverse. I feel that there is so much more to see (and shop). Next time I would love to pop down to Kas, it was on our itinerary this time but we had under estimated the distances in Turkey - it is huge!

Turkey

Turkey was a whirlwind of bustling streets, whimsical landscape and historical sites. Our first two stops were Istanbul and Cappadocia.

Istanbul's yummy restaurants, grand bazaar and modern art galleries contrasted with the amazing history and beautiful details of the Aya Sofia, Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace.

Cappadocia, home to the gorgeous fairy chimneys, amazing cave paintings and many pottery outlets was wonderful to wander through. The landscape was breathtaking.

Our overnight bus trips were bumpy and a little disconcerting but enabled us to travel easily around this vast country.