Conjunction 2019

Here is a spectacular photo
compiled by Kelvin Hennesy
(c) 2019-Nov-26
of the conjunction between
Jupiter and Venus,
also featuring
the Lagoon and Trifid nebulae,
as they set over Mt Warning
in northern NSW, Australia.


https://www.astrobin.com/vm3oe1/     

Ragnarok Coffee

Yesterday, Gigi and I
had the good fortune
to meet the owner
of "The Diver Cafe"
(Diver, as in diving in the sea
with a lead weighted dive suit)
across the road,
in Arden Street, Coogee,
Sydney, Australia.

He is super talented
with latte art.

Here, you can see the moon and sun
in relation to the Old Norse legend
of Ragnarok.

He explained the story to us -

   That the sun is chased by a wolf,
   and likewise, the moon is also chased by
   a wolf,
   both keeping the sun and the moon apart.
   If ever, the two wolves do not do their job
   properly,
   the sun and the moon will come together,
   and it will be "the end of days".












(c) Katherine Stuart 2019

 
 

The Pink Sun

This photo was taken on
Mon 9 Dec 2019,
at Coogee, Sydney, Australia.


The setting sun
was a deep pink orb,
that could be looked at directly,
without hurting the eyes.

It was very impressive.

It's a result
of the unusual bushfire haze
over Sydney at present.


         I think you can actually see
         the pink orb of the sun
         above this yellow spot.

         I think that the bright yellow spot,
         is actually a secondary
         light spot within my
         camera lens system  :)

         Incline your screen
         as far back as it will go,
         and look at this photo
         as far down as you can go,
         at a very shallow angle,
         and you will see what I mean.


(c) Katherine Stuart 2019

Australia Square

The O Bar and Dining venue,
on the 47th floor of the
Australia Square building
in Sydney, Australia,
was the beautiful backdrop
to the celebration
of Gigi's birthday,
during the week.

The whole floor
revolves slowly,
so that your view is subtly
changing.

                      Here, you can see
                      the Sydney Harbour Bridge
                      and the Sydney Opera House.

Here we are,
grateful for this opportunity
to share in acknowledging
the gracious person
that Gigi is.










top 2 photos (c) Katherine Stuart 2019
text (c) Katherine Stuart 2019

NSW Bushfires

The bushfire crisis continues
here in New South Wales,
Australia,
with the conditions ongoing.

We've had consistent
bushfire smoke over Coogee
for a few weeks now,
sometimes thick in the air.
Some people have been
wearing face masks.

Here you can see bushfire smoke
in the sky over the Coogee Bay Hotel.

And, a couple of days ago,
bushfire ash was washed up
on the beach.












(c) Katherine Stuart 2019

Three Blue Doors

Recently, I finished painting
three blue doors
at the place, at which, I'm staying.

The restaurant door.

The bathroom door.

And,
an upstairs door.




They are all the same colour blue,
that my landlady chose,
to match the atmosphere
of being near the beach  :)









(c) Katherine Stuart 2019

Musician - D-NAHI AZUL

Look who dropped in  :)

The very talented musician,

    D-NAHI AZUL


There is a beautiful,
professional depth to his work.
And I can only wish him good fortune
in the continuation of his
endeavours. Good luck !!



Check him out on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOjtclM5-wQZHV0sdJj-FjA

And SoundCloud
https://soundcloud.com/d-nahi


(c) Katherine Stuart 2019
Dochas Books Film

Graffiti Artists

On a recent drive around town,
my friend, Gigi,
showed me some awesome graffiti
in a lane down from
the Enmore Theatre,
Enmore, Sydney, Australia.

Apparently, this is where
serious graffiti artists
come to practice,
and so the artwork
changes all the time.

All I can say, is AWESOME !!


photo (c) Jirapron Sangsriphen 2019

text (c) Katherine Stuart 2019
Dochas Books Film

Food Journeys

Recently,
and on occasion,
I go on food journeys
with my very talented friend Gigi,
(pictured, foreground)
who is a master chef,
works around Sydney, Australia,
and also owns her own
Thai restaurant,
"Thai Banyan Tree",
https://thaibanyantree.com.au/
here at Coogee Beach,
Sydney, Australia.

                   
                      But, she loves to try the food of others,   
                      and sometimes I go along for the ride  :)

                      One one journey,
                      albeit local,
                      but local is good  :)
                      we went to Black Star Pastries,
                      at Newtown, in Sydney, Australia.
                 
                      I had a chicken pie,
                      which was delicious !!
                      The pastry melted in my mouth.
                      They really know how to make
                      pastry !!
                      They are at the top of their game,
                      in my opinion.
                 

                   
                      I also had a cappuccino,
                      which was good  :)

















                     
                        And to finish off,
                        there was a highly unusual
                        watermelon cake,
                        which I've never seen before,
                        and also delicious  :)





                        All in the pursuit
                        of learning how to cook  :)







top photo (c) Jirapron Sangsriphen 2019

other photos (c) Katherine Stuart 2019
text (c) Katherine Stuart 2019
Dochas Books Film

Staircase Completed

Hi everyone  :)       

I'm very happy to tell, that I've finished painting the staircase, itself, after 4 and a half months !!
There is more painting to come, though.  Here are a few before and after photos, of the third section, and fourth section, respectively. I have to say, that the gloss, black paint looks striking !!






















(c) Katherine Stuart 2019
Dochas Books Film
                                   

Behind the Scenes - Knitting

                                                             
Hi Guys  :)
                                                             
I thought I'd give a "behind the scenes"
look into my living space,
and how I'm using this
to do my knitting.

I've been here for 3 and a half years now.
I love it, because the people are great,
and there is a Thai restaurant upstairs.
As anyone living in Sydney, Australia,
can appreciate,
accommodation prices are expensive,
so this is what I can afford,
just a room,
but, it's worked out very well for me.




As you can see,
there's a bench type table to the left,
        195 cm x 42 cm
Actually, it's an old, wooden, linen press door.
And it comes with the room.















I overlay it with the covering provided.



















Then a thin or thick blanket,
depending on what the project requires.



















Then 2 flat green garbage bags, folded.

These are the type that are flat at the bottom,
where they are joined, not bunched up.
These are to protect the blanket, etc,
from moisture, when the project is blocked.












                                                                                                                   


                                                           
Then the project is blocked.

The top end is where I sit and knit.




It's a tight space,
but it works  :)











(c) Katherine Stuart 2019
Dochas Books Film

Completing the Square

I've been developing a knitted project
for a friend of mine,
based on an idea of hers,
and I have to say
that it looks simple enough,
but it requires
a great deal of technical skill !!

So, I have achieved this result, so far.
It's a test square, and it's completed !!
After a great deal of trial and error  :)

The overall size, is 12 cm x 12 cm.
The size of the internal square,
is 6 cm x 6 cm.





(c) Katherine Stuart 2019
Dochas Books Film

Film - "Yesterday" (2019)

On the weekend,
I went to see the film,
"Yesterday" (2019).

What a heartwarming
experience.

I love the music,
who doesn't !!

But, what a lovely premise.
No, we can't and shouldn't
forget the legacy of
The Beatles.




                                                         They set a standard in musical
                                                         songwriting technique,
                                                         which is based on the 4.
                                                         Simple in some respects,
                                                         but a pure and lasting concept.

                                                         Ed Sheeran,
                                                         you have earnt our respect,
                                                         and a deep and meaningful place
                                                         in the music industry.
                                                         A valued position, as well.
                                                         More power to you !!

                                                     

text (c) Katherine Stuart 2019
Dochas Books Film 

Film - "Otzi and the Mystery of Time"

Recently, I saw the film
"Otzi and the Mystery of Time",
which was a lovely insight
into what Otzi may be like,
as a person,
and how he might have met his end.

How can one not be fascinated
by him,
and his world,
    - The Iceman, found in the Otztal Valley Alps,
      close to the Austrian / Italian border, in 1991  ?

text (c) Katherine Stuart 2019
Dochas Books Film

Staircase Ghosts

Sorry that I've been so busy,
too busy to write !!

But, I've been painting a staircase,
at the place where I'm staying.
Actually painting it,
not painting a picture of it.....

I've just done the first flight,
and I'm half-way.
It's taken about a couple of months.

The building is an early 1900"s one,
I think,
and the staircase is very interesting,
from a constructional point of view.

But also, there are ghosts !!
Technically, though,
I don't believe that they are actually there.
                                                                          Rather, it is "ghosting".
                                                                          Which is the imprint of them,
                                                                          because of something that happened
                                                                          in the building, back in the day.

                                                                          They are friendly ghosts, though  :)


(c) Katherine Stuart 2019
Dochas Books Film
                                                             

Stained Glass Window

Things have progressed
with one of the windows :)

My landlady
brought back
a decorative contact
from Thailand,
which she couldn't
find in Australia.

So, this has produced
a stained glass window effect  :)

(c) Katherine Stuart 2019
Dochas Books Film

Story - "Mother and Child"

Mother and Child

Once Upon a Time,

There was a young girl

who was treated cruelly

by a man and woman

pretending to be her parents.

And in time,

she was with child.

Her child was wise 

and moved kindly within her.

Her mother,

being careful not to move,

without hurting her child.

For nine months

they cared for each other in this way,
gently, gently............

If not, death would come to the other.

For you see,

the child's seed had been sown 

outside her mother's womb

and planted within her intestines.

Come the time for the child's birth,

it was done by caesarean section.

And the child taken from her mother,

never to be seen again.

How deep is the love between mother and child ?

Choosing life, one for the other.

<3 <3 

text (c) Katherine Stuart 2019

Dochas Books Film

Film - "The Chaperone"

On Mon 8 April, 2019,
I went to the
Australian Premiere
of the film, "The Chaperone",
at the Ritz Cinema
in Randwick, Sydney, Australia.

I enjoyed the event
very much  :)

Elizabeth McGovern,
who helped produce,
and acted in the film,
was there for
the Q & A session beforehand.

Here are highlights
from the evening  :)

The Red Carpet

The foyer,
with the paparazzi area,
and the doors
leading to the cinema

Angela Bishop,
the MC for the evening,
being photographed
by the paparazzi

Elizabeth McGovern
on stage
with Angela Bishop
in the Q & A session
before the film

The Corset Metaphor,
as pointed out by Angela,
is a major theme
within the film  :)













(c) Katherine Stuart 2019
(except photo of corset)
Dochas Books Film