A few weekends ago, my partner Theo and I took to the country as we sometimes do on a Sunday afternoon. We stopped in provincial city of Bendigo and visited the lovely Sacred Heart Cathedral. I’m a Pagan with a soft spot for Roman Catholic history, art, and architecture. The Sacred Heart Cathedral may not be as …
The Melbourne Cup is the race that stops a nation. Melbourne may be the only city in the world that has a public holiday around a thoroughbred horse race. Since 1861, the city has stopped on the first Tuesday of November for this three-minute, 3,200 meter race. This year, 24 horses competed for the Cup and …
Montsalvat is one of Melbourne’s most interesting treasures. It’s located in Eltham, thirty-five minutes from central Melbourne. Justus Jörgensen established Montsalvat in 1934 as an artist’s community on 12 acres of land. It is Australia’s oldest artists’ community and remains home to painters, sculptors, jewellery makers, textile artists, musicians, glassmakers, smiths, and ceramic artists. Some artists offer classes and workshops …
Are you watching the 2012 London Olympics? I’ve mentioned before that I was never a sports fan until I met the AFL. Nevertheless, I faithfully tune into the Olympics and watch sporting competitions that I’d never watch otherwise such as archery, water polo, and women’s weightlifting, or even men’s weightlifting for that matter. I’ll even …
I like gnomes. I’m not ashamed to admit it. I’m sure that in some parallel universe or past life, I was kitschy housewife with plastic pink flamingos on the lawn and garden gnomes in the backyard garden. While I don’t like these ornaments enough to actually own them in this life, I think garden gnomes are cute. Imagine …
Robin Hardy returns to the silver screen with neither a remake nor a sequel to his 1973 cult classic The Wicker Man. Intended as a companion piece, The Wicker Tree explores the same themes, but with far less intrigue, shock, horror, or reason. The film opens in Texas where born-again country pop star Beth Boothby and …