Historical Sydney

February 25, 2013March 17, 2013 / crabandfish / 2 Comments

As we continued our stay with Daughter Number Two in Sydney, we spent the day walking around the city. Our intention was to visit the State Library as I had heard of an interesting photographic exhibition.

Our walk led us past old Parliament House and the historic Sydney Hospital.

As well as other places of architectural significance such as the Commonwealth Bank Building.

One must appreciate that Sydney was the first settlement in Australia with the First Fleet landing in Circular Quay in 1788. Sixty odd years later gold was discovered in “them there hills”. This
led to a building boom in what was to become the leading city of the vast area known as New South Wales. Similar events in Victoria led to Melbourne also being “build on gold”. So when I heard of an historically rich photographic exhibition featuring gold miners, their families and their lodgings I was intrigued.

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These photographs are reproductions of the original glass plates featuring images of life in the goldfields of New South Wales and Victoria. These plates were found in a garden shed fifty years ago and only after much time and money, resurrected to their original forms. They are quite extraordinary.

For me the images are reminiscent of the Civil War images featuring the sombre visages of the prospectors. The clarity, however, is superb.

Also, what really intrigued me were the images of women and their children posing silently out in front of their rustic lodgings.

It would have been a harsh and unforgiving existence. The women bore numerous children who often did not survive disease nor the poor sanitation of the time. I love their long dark gowns, their stern expressions and their children’s wondrous looks.

My favourite image follows and it incorporates beautifully laid out garden of vegetables and flowers. I even think the owners of this little miner’s cottage look very pleased with themselves!

It was a wonderful end to a great weekend. I think how fortunate we are to live in our technology rich times but still do marvel at the ingenuity, the resourcefulness of that time. Incidentally, the Holtermann nugget, pictured below was not the great legacy left by this prospector. Instead, it was the commissioning of photographers Merlin and Baylis from the American and Australian Photographic Company which is our greatest treasure. These photographs chronicle an important time in our history – the discovery of gold and the harsh life this entailed. We are richer for these photographs.

In addition, I was very lucky to share these with my daughter and her husband – a photographic essayist in his own right.

Thanks for a great weekend you two!

Liebster Award Nominations

January 17, 2013January 17, 2013 / crabandfish / Leave a comment

Although I have only been blogging since September, I have found it one of the most rewarding outlets for my writing and thoughts on gardening, travel, pets and the every day happenings of life. So it was with much amazement that our blog has been nominated for the Liebster Award. As a newcomer, I have been buoyed by the feedback and kind words of my regular followers and visitors. My nominator was Nitty Gritty Dirt Man, whose blog I follow from the other side of the world, and one which never ceases to inspire with its heartfelt, entertaining and socially aware commentary – danke schoen to you Kevin!

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A Special Christmas Wish

December 17, 2012December 18, 2012 / crabandfish / Leave a comment

Recently I began reading Edith Wharton’s “The Age of Innocence” again. You might remember the film vision directed by Martin Scorcese starring Daniel Day Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Winona Ryder. The novel gives an insight into the social mores of Old New York at the turn of the century – how wealthy socialites should behave and conduct themselves. This is of course punctuated by the main character Newland Archer’s infatuation with his bride’s divorced cousin, Madam Olenska. But it really is much more than this – it is about our wishes, our decisions, and the losses we have to endure.

“Archer did not accompany his son to Versailles. He preferred to spend the afternoon in solitary roamings through Paris. He had to deal all at once with the packed regrets and stifled memories of an inarticulate lifetime.”Excerpt From: Wharton, Edith. “The Age of Innocence.”

Sometimes the decisions we make can have far-reaching consequences. We can treat ourselves quite harshly over these decisions and our judgements of others. So, for anyone who has ever experienced difficult decisions or experienced heartbreak and sorrow

This Christmas

I wish for you greater tolerance of opinion
I wish for you greater acceptance of reason
I wish for you greater recognition of loss
I wish for you less consumerism
I wish for you less anxiety
I wish for you less anger
I wish for you less animosity
I wish for you more tolerance
I wish for you more understanding
I wish for you more connectedness
I wish for you more love

And in the wake of the Newtown, Connecticut sorrow, I wish for us all to expand our hearts to the entire community and reach out in a collective embrace and in sympathy over this tragic event. May all the innocent angels, their teachers and their families find Peace.

And may your God’s gentle hand guide you on your path. May you live a life which can be expressed not through introspection but through understanding and giving to others.

School in Trento

October 3, 2012October 3, 2012 / crabandfish / Leave a comment

School in Trento.

Turin, Italy

October 2, 2012 / crabandfish / Leave a comment

We have come to the end of our Italian journey. However, before we say good bye to Italy, for this time, a comment or two must be made about the last two cities we visited – Milano and Torino. The purpose in taking the group to these cities was as diverse as the cities themselves. Turin saw our school pilgrimage come full circle while Milan became the pinnacle of consumer decadence and artistic grandeur.

Turin is a beautiful city. The pedestrian promenades are lined with exclusive shops but really this is not why one comes to Turin. For without the rich baroque architecture and the dynamic piazzas, Turin would be another soulless sprawling city, peddling its labels. Visiting the Reale Palazzo – entry gratis – the home of the Savoia family, one can understand why the revolutions of the mid 19th century occurred. It is grand indulgence, grand decadence and grand opulence outdoing itself in every grand room. From the immense crystal chandeliers, I counted at least twenty, to the museum and trophy room where the spoils of the hunt are immortalized alongside the fine embalmed horses in full galloping gait preserves a glimpse of a dynasty and points in history long gone. A spectacle which one must see if visiting Turin.

Next door and just beyond the gates of the palazzo is the small chapel of Saint Lorenzo. This heavy, dark place of worship contains a replica of the shroud of Turin. Certainly there has been much debate as to the original’s authenticity, however, carbon dating in the 1990’s apparently revealed it was of the 12th C. Nevertheless, it, and the adjoining displays of crucifixion torture, are equally indicative of a cruel time as well as being an icon for faith.

Speaking of which, our young travelers had predominantly come to Turin to visit the Casa De Madre of the Salesian Order, Valdocco. We spent most of the morning here learning about the work of Don Bosco and his legacy, that of educating the person through a charism of faith and kindness. Our students were really able to appreciate the vastness of his mission and indeed witnessed a practice Mass at the Basillica for future missionaries. Milan, is a different story and worthy of its own post.

Check out, Caffe Torino images!

School in Trento

September 28, 2012October 1, 2012 / crabandfish / 1 Comment

For three days our group spent a delightful time in Trento. Located in the Trentino Alto Adige northern region of Italy, Trento is skirted by the majestic Dolomites. For Church history buffs, Trento or Trent in English, is also home of the Council of Trent which saw the Church’s Bishops come together to address social impacts and reforms in 1545, especially rising Protestantism.Trento had a strong Roman influence and its Roman name, Tridentum, depicted of course by Neptune, is a strong symbol for the town.

Our main aim in Trento was to attend school. Our sister school adjoins the building which hosted the Council of Trent. The group attended classes as part of a gemellaggio or sister school reciprocal visit. We, as teachers, also went to class – Latin and Ancient Greek at 7:45am which was extremely stimulating and very enlightening. All enjoyed the hospitality and genuine good humor of the Profs. We were even more privileged to have met the dirigente and be invited into her magnificent office for coffee. Later she joined our group for a farewell dinner. The young members of our group responded to her very positively and engaged in much polite conversation in Italian!

While meeting with the dirigente we viewed the school’s remarkable collection of ancient manuscripts. A volume of Petrach’s poetry dated 1554 was exhibited before us in all its delicate and ancient state. The text was completely in tact and quite robust for its age. It was quite amazing to be touching this manuscript which was as old as the discovery of the Americas. It was gently returned to its grand 1812 bookcase!

Trento is a Medieval town, of course. One of the highlights is the Castello del Buonconsiglio. A magnificent fortified castle built in the 13th century and later extended to include a palazzo in 1530. The castle was the defense of the town which stood on the main road linking Italy to northern Europe. It is the repository for many religious icons and works of art as well as housing an extensive exhibition of Medieval Knights. However, it was the Aquila Tower and its wondrous depiction of the twelve months of the year (March is missing) which really impacted on me. These charming frescoes were painted in the 14 century and depict the cycle of the seasons. Today they remain a wonderful and romantic depiction of life in the Middle Ages under the feudal system. A definite must see if you are in Trento!