hit the bricks 2014 part one

Now look, I don't mean to brag, but I just do happen to live in the most glorious city in Australia. This morning, before the heat set in, I decided to cycle around Cooks Hill and Newcastle West to check out a few of the #HitTheBricks artworks from the other weekend.

Allow me to open with my favourite - above.

Isn't it just absolutely GLORIOUS?

And a five minute bike ride from my house.

This one on Darby Street's a corker. As you know, I'm a sucker for a carousel - particularly one with horsies - and this just looks like an homage to the most vivid. What's not to love?

And oh hey, look what's above my favourite shop! Love this. As you come up Darby Street this wise face greets you. He sees all.

Last year Adnate painted my favourite Hit The Bricks street art - the Aboriginal boy who looks up from Wickham over the harbour. One year on and it still hasn't lost its power or majesty. How could Adnate compete with that? Well, with the largest of the works - check this out - combined with Numskull on the Brutalist car park in Newcastle West. Pretty sick huh?

Love these expressions. Kind of mimic mine on seeing art on such a grand scale.

This is utterly fabulous. The vivid pops of colour against the black really rock. What a view from The Edwards across the road in Parry Street.

This here's a do-over and, to be honest, I'm not sure it's complete. It was this funny little cartoony thing on the side of Earp Brothers and as soon as I saw it I thought "Ooooh, the Audi Centre aren't going to like that much orange and yellow next to their swishy building." And sure enough, the next day it was gone - with this appearing over the top. It's by the same artist as the one above.

I love initiatives like this in Newcastle and what I love the most is that they make cycling in Newy even more awesome. This took me about 45 minutes to ride around, and that includes photography, stopping for a chat, and ooooh and aaaahhh time.

For more sites, head to Look Hear.

And stay tuned, my mum and step-dad are up next weekend. We'll be doing a ride to check out ALL the sites. Oh, and watching SKYWHALE on Friday night in Civic Park.

I love you Newcastle.

the happy house list update

We've slowly been making our way through the Happy House List, the checklist I created with a whole new name to make me feel better about having a 500km long to-do list. I made sure I put on some easy-peasy quick-fixes. Like this one above. We bought this planter from a lovely little place in Singleton a few years ago. Sometimes I pop annuals such as violas in it - but it'd been bare since before we went OS. That made me sad.

So I bought these two lovely native violets that may well be the perfect pairing for the plant holder - look at the way the tendrils are starting to trail.

Happiness.

I also planted out the herbs in the window box, and replanted the pink and red geraniums on the side living room windows.

Pretty.

I finally bought a new doormat too. I was searching for the ideal doormat, which either only existed in my dreams or cost around $100. So, no. But at Bunnings the other day I found a simple, black coir doormat. Just right. And only around $20! Score! Love a cheap, quick fix.

My gal's in the middle of exams, and I'm in the middle of a whirlwind couple of weeks with work. This afternoon, after getting the house in order and all the washing done - I'm off on a long, lovely bike ride. Before making a big dish of paella for dinner.

I love weekends.

Please sir, can we have another?

How's things with you?

hello old friends...

Goodness, gracious me - time flies when you're, well, working full-time really. I go to blog, then realise that I've got no pics. Then I took some pics, and needed to sync them to my computer. Then I synced them, and oh, weird things happened (backed-up my daughter's phone info onto MY phone - eep!)

But luckily I went to the very, very lovely JuteLove pop-up florist on Darby Street yesterday and came home with armfulls of flowers to photograph. Worthy of uploading and blogging about. Would you LOOK at these roses? Have you EVER? And how pretty are they when combined with peonies. VERY!

My house is overflowing with prettiness today. There are these flowers, and then there's another bunch of pale pink peonies on the dining table, plus the deep pinky-red stocks my gal requested for her room. Good taste that child of mine.

I think that fresh flowers in the house are the very best investment a person can make. Don't you?