Rain rain go away...

I have been complaining about the rain for the last few days now. Basically since we arrived in Bellingen on Sunday. Because I hate the rain, and as we drove down from Dorrigo along the Waterfall Way, the weather deteriorated until the fog settled in to the hills and then cleared and changed to rain as we drove into Bellingen.

And the rain has continued ever since.

When there is a break, it doesn't last for long, and then it starts all over again. Yesterday the river was up. At just 1 metre under the bridge at lunchtime, they were expecting it to be underwater by this morning. By the time we walked to camp creative this morning the river was nearly 2 metres above the bridge. That's a rise of close to 3 metres in less than 24 hours.

People staying on the other side of the river have been effected the most, being unable to cross at the normal crossing, they have had to take an alternate route into town, adding over 1/2 hour drive to what should take minutes.

Thankfully, where we are staying is elevated and well above the river and despite the inconvenience of the rain, we are fine. Dry in the most part. We hope to see sunshine later in the week and in the meantime we hope the town is not cut off from the coast which is our departure route home.

From the veranda where I am typing this post, I can see the bursting river flowing at a rapid pace toward the coast. A kookaburra laughs from a distant tree and Sting sings "ain't no sunshine when she's gone..." Now ain't THAT the truth.

But while I sit here in relative comfort, I am far more concerned and so saddened about the developing story in QLD. The unfolding tragedy in Toowoomba and the utter devastation to lives, familes, homes and businesses in so many areas. And my thoughts are with them... and I just wish it would stop raining.

Road trip to creativity...

Road trip begins today.
Bellingen bound.
Camp Creative
Registration Sunday.
Classes begin Monday.

I'm hoping for big things this year, and this is just the beginning.

Changes are on the way.
It's time.

A weekend in the country...

The weekend before Christmas I went on a road trip to visit my good friend Malcolm and his wife in their home in Mirboo North. Mal is an ex boyfriend and we are still great friends. I find this is the best way to be with an ex. 

Until this weekend I had only met his wife Marion a few brief times, and I was a little bit nervous about spending a weekend with them both. I needn't have been concerned, the weekend was lovely and it was really nice to get to know Marion better, hang out with them both and meet their menagerie of pets. Elvis the new kitten (totally adorable), Nino the cat (my roommate and the boss), Pixel the very energetic pup/dog (I didn't manage to get a pic that was in focus - she never slows down long enough) and their chickens.

They have bought the old bank in the main street (which is also their home) and are currently setting it up as a gallery and photographic studio. It's a great space and has wonderful light. Importantly, it is also located next door to the local chocolate shop, which of course we had to include in my visit.

We went walking along a railtrail where their dog Pixel roamed widely and introduced herself to a resident echidna. We also hiked up into the bush where we saw fresh re-growth after the bush fires in 2009 and we went to nearby carols by candlelight (where the 3 wise men were missing in action!). So you can see it was a good balance of exploring and relaxing.

When they open up their gallery I will make sure I post about it, so that if you are ever down that way, you know where to find them so you can visit and see Mal's wonderful photography. It's a beautiful place and the studio (and chocolate shop next door) will definitely be worth a visit.

From Paris with love...

Last weekend I flew to Canberra. The NGA (National Gallery of Australia) has been hosting the "Masterpieces from Paris" exhibit and it is finishing up in April. This is the first time these paintings have travelled outside of France and the opportunity to see them, was too good to miss.

My Mum and Dad were also keen to visit and so they drove up, and I met them there. We were not alone in wanting to see the masterpieces in 'the flesh'. Gough Whitlam (former Australian Prime Minister) was there, being wheeled around in a wheelchair with a personal guide. And hundreds of others too.

The crowds at the exhibition were RIDICULOUS! Who would think all these people would be interested in looking at art! The queue was more than a few hundred metres long and there was a waiting time of 2 plus hours.

It was suggested (and we agreed) to pay for NGA membership (reciprocal rights with NGV) which meant we could 'jump the queue'. It was not an exclusive offer just for us (though many decided to stay in the queue) though it meant that after a half hour process, we were in. None of us were keen to spend 2 hours standing in a queue and it was well worth the additional $20 it cost to join.

The exhibition was stunning. The paintings I had only ever known from art and history books and art classes, were displayed before us, and again I was reminded that art in real life is so much more beautiful (of course) than in the pages of a book. Being able to see these works of art, get up close and see the brush strokes, see the texture and layers of paint, was a treat.

Canberra was buzzing and the weather was beautiful. As the Capital of Australia and it's political home, Canberra is often more known for it's politics, legal fireworks and porn (though maybe not in that order) than for it's art. Hopefully I will be back in the future to see more of the art and it's reputation changes a little!

And to top it all off, there was a magnificent fireworks display on Saturday night which was a perfect send off after a great weekend.