Maldon Cemetery

Recently, I was standing at a lookout known as the Rock of Ages in the Nuggetty Ranges when I saw that Maldon’s cemetery lay at my feet. This provided the inspiration to visit the cemetery this sunny, Sunday afternoon.

Here is the view looking up to the Nuggetty Range.

Whilst I was admiring the view across to Mt. Tarrengower, I noticed a brick tower in the distance so I made my way across.

Just as I thought, it was a Chinese oven or burning tower used in Chinese funeral ceremonies. I was disappointed that all evidence of Chinese burials had disappeared unlike the Castlemaine cemetery.

The oven is listed by the National Trust which helps to ensure its preservation.

Locally, the main evidence of the Chinese presence on the goldfields is in the cemeteries as joss houses or temples were demolished years ago.

 

I like the memorials descendants have erected to their pioneering ancestors.

 

This headstone of an Irish family features a harp which I haven’t seen before.

The old sexton’s cottage stands at the entrance to the cemetery.

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A Happy Chappie

I am living life gently since coming home from hospital on Friday, 31 May.

In between naps as I recover from surgery, I have finished this soft toy which had been waiting for a face for a long time.

The big grin shows how happy I am to be back home with my pets and able to sleep in peace in my own bed.

Walking through the Storm

You’ll Never Walk Alone might be the anthem of a British football club, but right now it is my anthem also.

Life has been challenging since I was diagnosed with breast cancer recently.

I go for surgery at Bendigo Hospital on Thursday, 30 May. Eventually, there will radiotherapy followed by hormone lowering medication.

 

 

Gerry and the Pacemakers are the band whose version of this song plays in my head. I first heard the song decades ago.

I know I am in good hands and I am being well looked after.

 

Chewton Scarlet

Now is the time for the ornamental grape vines which bedeck local verandahs and fences to shine.

I was driving around Chewton when I took the photographs of these scarlet beauties.

 

The verandah of a house situated close to the Fryerstown Road stands out.

 

I admired the yellow leaves contrasting with the red.

 

There is a lot to like in this view – the string of red leaves against the muted colours of the stone wall topped by the rose hips and olives.

The verandah of the Red Hill Hotel in the main street of Chewton looks very festive.

Roadside Stalls

One of the features of country life I enjoy are the roadside stalls and the variety of produce available.

I have no doubt the stalls provide a valued income to the people who set them up.

I keep an eye out for stalls selling manure as I like to make horse poo tea as a liquid fertiliser for my pot plants.

This one is at Muckleford.

I can’t believe there are people so miserable and mean that they refuse to pay $3.00 for a bag of poo which somebody has collected by hand from a paddock.

 

This stall at Newlyn is upmarket.

The farmer is doing a good job promoting his potatoes to passing motorists.

Other potato stalls in the district between Newlyn and Ballarat are much simpler affairs.

 

Honey for sale in a quiet street in Fryerstown.

 

I like to stop at this seasonal stall in the farming district of Dean on the road between Newlyn and Ballarat.

 

The jams and preserves make great gifts.

 

I poke my nose into Trish’s Gate in Guildford quite often to see what is available. There are always plants. Sometimes there are eggs or vegetables.

 

Roadside stalls appeal to the hunter gatherer in me.

The photographs were taken over months as stalls can be seasonal or out of stock.

New Chewton Sculpture

Richard Yates, a local sculptor, has made another carving of a Chewton identity.

This time, the subject is Rod Hadfield, who is well known in the hot rodding industry as the driving force behind making Castlemaine the Street Rod Capital of Australia.

I am not a motoring enthusiast but that didn’t stop me from heading out to see the display which has been built at the entrance to Hadfield’s Hot Rods workshop and museum yesterday, Wednesday.

The carvings of Rod and his dog, Codie, are placed within the setting of an old workshop.

 

Rod is depicted posing with an unrestored Ford.

 

 

I was intrigued to see Richard had created pockets in the overalls which could accommodate tools.

 

Rod’s canine companion keeps a watchful eye.

This is the fifth sculpture Richard has created for Chewton.

Maldon Art Walk 2019

The Maldon Art Walk coincides with the Castlemaine State Festival.

The work of local artists is displayed throughout the town.

Here is a small sample of the work on display.

Negative Transformation

Photo negatives, wool, wire, fishing line

Maritsa Gronda

This year’s theme is ‘One Person’s Trash is Another Person’s Treasure’. Maritsa captured the theme well.

 

Galaxy 1&2

Glass and mild steel

Neil Tait

 

4 Headed Kid with Harpys in the background

Ceramic

Frances Guerin

 

Kangaroo

Ceramic

Frances Guerin

 

Glen White partially covered this shop window with old record covers.

I would have liked to photograph more of the art works but the reflections of the shop windows made photography too difficult.

The Nesting Project

Festival mania is hitting Castlemaine with the Fringe Festival kicking off Friday, 15 March and the Castlemaine State Festival commencing Friday, 22 March. The town will be abuzz until Sunday, 31 March after which we will need multiple cups of tea/coffee/something stronger and a good long rest.

I entered into the spirit of things by participating in the community art project, ‘Nesting’, at The Mill yesterday, Saturday.

The artist co-ordinating the project had constructed the frame for a giant nest from the wheel rims of bicycles. Local community groups and members of the public were invited to help weave the nest from materials provided or from objects they brought along.

The nest was tipped on its side so it was easier to weave.

 

I am holding a felted scarf and looking up at the nest. I am explaining why I am contributing the scarf to the nest.

 

Here I am weaving the scarf into the nest.

Job done!

The Lost and Rare Trades Fair, Kyneton

The Labour Day long weekend is a busy time in the Macedon Ranges and Central Victoria. Barkers Creek has its Apple Fest, Taradale its Food and Wine Festival and Kyneton has the hugely popular Lost and Rare Trades Fair.

The Lost Trades Fair, as it is more commonly known, is held on the Saturday and Sunday of the long weekend. Over 100 makers and artisans demonstrate and display their work to those visiting the fair.

My friend and I crossed this event off our wish list when we visited the fair for the first time today, Saturday 9 March 2019. Whilst my friend wandered off to pursue her interests, I proceeded at a more leisurely pace visiting a few of the displays and taking photographs……….so this is just a sample of what was on offer today.

 

There were horses to go with the horse drawn carriages. As you can see, there were people happy to make a fuss of them.

 

Graeme and Pam McDiarmid make mechanical organs. This one was only finished yesterday.

Pam made the hurdy gurdy she is playing. It has a beautifully carved neck.

My friend and I saw Graeme and Pam perform on their instruments at a concert in Chewton a couple of years ago.

Marcus is a local who lives in Newstead. Previously, I knew him as a maker of marionettes. Today I learnt he also makes violins.

 

At 93 years of age, this man is still making musical instruments from Australian timbers.

I really enjoyed watching people demonstrating their craft and talking about what they do…………

The blacksmiths………..

 

……… the printer……..

 

………….. the leather garment tailor……………

………..The Artful Bodger who make chairs from green timber………

……….the upholsterer working on a set of chairs for a client………

 

……………….the spinner demonstrating her craft on an early model spinning wheel……..

………….and the felters.

I have done some felting in the past so I was interested in the demonstrations and discussions about felting.

 

Olivia is carving a fish.

In the background is an example of the rocking horses she makes.

Suit of armour, any one?

 

The armourer was happy to answer the kids’ questions about the helmet he is making.

 

There was a lot of interest in the finished wares of the artisan who made spoons with horn handles.

It was delightful to sit in the shade of the big oak trees and be entertained by Vargos who play gypsy, Hungarian and Romanian music.

Golden Textures, Maryborough

The Golden Textures exhibition is currently on show at the Central Goldfields Art Gallery in Maryborough.

Golden Textures is a biennial Contemporary Art Quilt exhibition. Eighteen Australian textile artists plus the winning artists of previous exhibitions are represented. Each exhibition, one quilt is selected to become part of the gallery’s permanent collection.

I attended the exhibition on the day it opened, Saturday, the 23rd of February and what a treat it is – such a diverse range of styles, media, techniques and subject matter!

Here is a selection of the quilts. The available room and the nature of the lighting means the photographs are details.

 

A number of the quilts were inspired by plants including flowers, leaves and tree trunks.

 

 

 

 

This quilt was inspired by water – the artist’s local creek.

The textures and layers of rocks and the earth inspired these artists.

 

 

 

 

Unusually, this artist’s inspiration was the industrial landscape.

Two artists made quilts influenced by the fabric dying and textile art of Japan……

 

………..with this artist incorporating photographs of the workshops she attended into her quilt.

 

The artistic styles included the bold and striking………..

…… and the intricate and multilayered.

 

A few years ago, I attended a workshop where we made small pots made from rope with strips of fabric wound around the rope. This artist has mastered the technique with an entry of a quilt and matching 3D structures.

 

This quilt incorporates traditional elements to pay homage to the long history of quilt making by women.

This quilt is bright with a riot of colour……….

…………….. whilst this quilt is soft and muted.

The Golden Textures exhibition continues until the 31st of March.