Saturday, November 19, 2011

Mistifiying

Well hello there!  Quite a lot has been happening which I may or may not share over coming weeks, the least of which is a 2 year contract and a pay rise (relief). The prospect of a new 'man', a daughter in South America, a son being awesome and of course the onslaught of Christmas.

Today my bestie and I wondered to the airport to drop her husband off for a golf trip with the rich and famous before descending into the world-famous (although God knows why) Bondi Beach to check out the annual Sculpture by The Sea cliff-side exhibition.  Pretty bloody good this year actually, although there was this weird inversion layer of mist over the ocean despite the high temperature. 

And joggers....who despite knowing this is a crowded cliff walk event throughout the month of November, persist in pushing their way all sweaty and sunscreened past the throng of tourists and making no effort to conceal their chagrined expressions. 

Of course there's the fashion on the beach ranging from, shall we say, gentlemen of mature age with schlongs that would be better hidden than dangling half way down their lycra clad thighs and men whose bodies would be better left covered than not.  Of course there were a few beach volley ballers that prevented yours truly from stripping down...buns so tight you could...oh never mind.  The ladies varied from teensy weensy bikini frilled nubile nymphettes to those who really shouldn't wear an organza fascinator on their sun hat.  

There was the ample plethora of bathing beauties over-tatted and over tanned. Far too many noisy Chinese women and naughty children ignoring the 'do not touch the artwork' signs and what's with covering the baby's pram with a cloth?  There's going to be an entire generation of vitamin D deprived teenagers in Australia in the next 12 years. Everyone seems to have at least two dogs, most of course are small enough to put in your pocket or ugly enough to be noticed and distract onlookers from the budgie smugglers at the end of the lead. 

And the cafes don't take credit cards unless your spend is over $20 and there's also a $2.50 surcharge? What? We living in the dark ages? Fwooooaaar.

Anyway, a guy at work said he'd been disappointed. Not me. I loved it. Although both my friend Thommo and I agree, we're over rusty steel and twisty metal.  But who can resist a smiling Asian with a perfect willy or a skeleton with a fishing rod?  Although for both of us, the real sculpture had been done by the sea, the sandstone cliffs are spectacular.
Cold water, warm air, sea mist

Yoga at Bondi Icebergs.....bags the front row

Oh herro zebra

Mutant daisy

I thought I saw a heffalump

Boring twisty metal thing and a complete tosser in the background

Beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

Impossible hole

Somebody buy those women a steak! Eating disorders on legs

Rivetting....and ribbetting

Natural sculpture....artist? The ocean

Hmmm well sculpted lifeguards

Sub mariner

Creative wood pile

Poetry in motion....love it

Harro wirry

The long and the short of it

It wasn't me Officer...






More on the flickr slide show on my sidebar if you're interested.




27 comments:

Anonymous said...

The submarine is awesome. Too bad, that nature reminds me to Környezetgazdaságtan (economy of natural values) which I need to study right now. I hate it.

River said...

Stoopid cafes, who do they think they are?
Some amazing art there, I like the natural sculpture and that boring twisty metal thing looks like someone's house frame that got hit by a tornado.

Roy said...

Great shots, Helen! I think Pebble Beach might actually have a hole like that one on the rocks.

Sounds like life is getting better. Good on yer! I'm hoping it's my turn next.

Brian Miller said...

how very cool. ah i would love to be there for that...the art...and the sculpted cliffs as well...was excited to see your post today...and i am excited that you have some good things going on...a new beau? do tell...smiles.

hokgardner said...

I might take up yoga if I could do it with such a backdrop. And I loved the heffalump.

nick said...

Some fabulous sculptures. A shame I can't see them in the flesh, as it were. I particularly like the deer with the huge antlers and the whale-submarine.

A two year contract and a pay rise? The prospect of a new man? This all sounds very positive and a welcome change from all the recent doom and gloom.

Janice said...

Yay! I am so glad to see a post from you and to get to see your marvelous photos. You always get such super shots. I'd have loved to have been there in person.

It sounds like you've got some good things happening in your live. Do tell us more.

Mike said...

Okay, some of this was disturbing! LOLOL!

Kath Lockett said...

Lovely pictures ....er, except the red willy guy (what the?) and the anorexia twins. The woman on the right (in brown) was hopefully walking straight to McDonald's..!

PattiKen said...

What fun! I love the reindeer. And it's very good to see you back here again.

Siobhan said...

Oh my goodness some of those sculptures were so cool! I feel inspired to paint now, thank you, I needed that.

Mim said...

The sculptures are very cool but the lifeguards are sure dishy!

Gledwood said...

You certainly make that beach sound "interesting", ahem. I love the deer.

;-)

Kate Hanley said...

Photos are awesome! I went to Bondi Beach. My daughter is doing her year long multi discipline project on Australia. She keeps asking us to take her there. I would in a heartbeat.

xxx said...

New man?... good news I hope :)

and I love your pics of this event... they make me miss Sydney very much. I ran a guest house on that beach for a couple of years at one time and it was a lot of hard work, but also a hell of a lot of fun.

xx lovely to have you back here in blogland

ashleigh said...

Hi - and thanks. I don't know how you do it but your photography is fantastic. You've got some kind of atmospheric quality - something to do with exposure and the balance of light and shade. Things which I have tried to achieve for years and just can't manage. Keep it up!

Unknown said...

That's a lot to take in - sculptures, lifesavers, budgie smugglers, zebras, anerexia... and all in one day? You must be exhausted! Great photos Hel B - I had forgotten how exciting Bondi could be?! :D

Carolina said...

Yay! Congrats on the contract and pay rise, man and son. Daughter will of course return with fab stories. Missed your stories; always good for a laugh as soon as I've looked up all those weird words in the dictionary ;-)

Great photos. Loved the stag (?) looking out over the sea and the riveting man and woman. Couldn't lesist the Asian man eithel. Some people having taken skinnyness just a bit too far. Oh, and remind me to fake (hopefully) drowning, should I ever get to that beach there ;-)

xx

Carolina said...

have taken skinnyness *sigh*

Anonymous said...

Lovely to find you at home, Baino

And, LURVE your pics... especially the antlers, the backdrop to the mutant daisy and the rivetted couple.

Good to hear that life is treating you well, Steph x

Mrsupole said...

I am trying to remember last years pic's in my brain, funny I cannot remember those lifeguards. Nice hunks and probably quite a following. Love all the pictures and was thinking that is one tall peace officer compared to the other.

Such nice news to hear about the contract and raise, but totally need to hear about the new beau. And how long will she be in South America? Hope she likes it better than I did Panama.

God bless.

RLM Cooper said...

Awesome photos - but after reading about those schlongs I don't think I'll ever go to the beach again. ;o)

kj said...

i stopped reading after the third line.

A NEW MAN?!!!

oh thank you god.

i need details.


kj

i beati said...

best visual walk in forever

Lisa said...

Really great pictures and it is nice to hear an update from you and all, but you had me at the prospect of a new man!

Paddy in BA (Quickroute) said...

many a day I walked a hangover off round that cliff walk - love the photos and trip down memory lane

Paddy in BA (Quickroute) said...

many a day I walked a hangover off round that cliff walk - love the photos and trip down memory lane