Back in Sydney

We headed to Sydney last Thursday - our first visit since April (thanks to all the lockdowns). It felt very daring and exciting to plan, but we felt tentative as well (that's what emerging from 12 weeks of lockdown is like!).. it affected where we chose to stay, where we ate and how we got around!!!

We were in Sydney for the opening of my dear friend's Les Sculptures Refusées exhibition at the Q Station at Manly on Thursday night. It was months and months of planning, work and worry for Tania (and others) and I'd had a tiny part to play too - so we really wanted to be there on the night to see it come together, and show our support.

But our first stop in Sydney, after the drive from Canberra, was lunch - at the beautiful, breezy Boathouse at Shelly Beach (at the eastern end of Manly). This was the view out of the open windows ..........  

And one of the very friendly locals offered to take this picture of us, at the Boathouse, already starting to relax into the Sydney vibe!

Later that afternoon we headed up to the old (former) Quarantine Station on North Head (on Gadigal Country) feeling excited to see Tania and the collected works of Les Sculptures Refusees in this amazing setting.

Tania (and her co-director Simon) could not have picked a better site for this afternoon's launch ....

And this work by Anna Dudek "After Chinati" had pride of place in the old glasshouse .....

... which the judges must have appreciated too as Anna's work was judged the winner of this year's Les Sculptures Refusees prize. The announcement of the prize was the culmination of the official opening.

Tania's work looked stunning on this site too - "The Shadow Lines" - echoing some of the themes emerging in her massive earlier work: "The Terrible Beauty" on the Quarantine Station Wharf. (Unfortunately, Tania's work (and Simon's) was not able to be included in the judges' consideration because of her Director's role.)

The official opening went very well (of course) and the local celebrities Jennifer Byrne (journalist and broadcaster) and Kali Steggall OAM (Federal MP) gave brilliant speeches about the importance of community events like this, the meaning behind the original rebellious Salon Des Refusées and the need to affirm female sculptors (still underrepresented in most exhibitions). 

Anthony Battaglia's "In Transition"........

and Christina Frank's quirky "Pram"...

After months and months of excitement and stress Tania must have felt pleased that the launch went so well (although I know she would never say it was perfect!)

I loved listening to this group discuss the work of Orest Keywan ......

As the sun went down over Sydney Harbour.

Work by Johann Tovar Carrera: "Eclipse".......

We were lucky to be invited to the judges' dinner that night at the Boilerhouse Restaurant down near the Q Station Wharf. It was a fantastic night for us in the company of Tania, Alan and Aine (and others) and John McDonald (Australia's best known art/film critic and former head of Australian Art at the NGA) and Dr Michael Hill, Head of Art History & Theory at the NAS. The conversation was so lively and about stuff I really am very interested in, including lots of insider stories about artists and the NGA!!!!

And the moon was especially spectacular this night!

Despite the excitement of the night before we fronted up for breakfast as usual next morning at Fusion Point Cafe in Manly under cloudy skies and drizzle.

From where we decided to go walking - heading northwards, as we admired all the sights, sounds, smells and COLOURS of coastal, rain soaked Sydney .....

We walked a fair way this morning - all the way from Manly Corso, through Queenscliff, then across the Manly Lagoon to ......

Freshwater Beach ..............

As more rain threatened we took it easy in the afternoon in our little studio apartment on Fairlight Street, before heading back to Manly Wharf for a beer (and a meal) by the "beach" (Manly Harbour Pool) in the early evening.

Saturday dawned cloudy and threatening rain again, but suitably attired, we set out again to find breakfast (at Sonoma this time) and do some more walking around the "hood".

We made our way to the headland (Manly Peace Park) overlooking Little Manly Cove

from where we could get another distant view of the Q Station again.

View of the villa at 11 Fairlight Street Manly ..........

... where we stayed in a studio apartment at the rear of the villa. We liked staying here; it was so quiet, so open and airy and very clean, and only a few minutes walk to the Manly Wharf! it was a great choice for these "emerging out of lockdown" times.

We headed to Circular Quay via a very uncrowded Manly Ferry in time to meet Tania, Alan and Aine and a few other friends for lunch yesterday at our fave Lord Nelson pub at The Rocks.

We were celebrating my dear friend Tania's arrival in Australia (from Belfast) 40 years ago (almost to the day)!! Everyone at this table knew Tania from way back then and love her to bits. It was definitely an anniversary to celebrate. We all agree we're a much better country for having Tania in it!

And Alan and Aine (and big sister Morgan now living in the UK) are a wonderful part of the Tania package too.

We had no trouble filling in FIVE hours at the Lord Nelson sharing all those stories of the past forty years with this wonderful woman!