THE GIRLS TAKE US OUT

 On the last day of the girls' visit they took us to a lovely restaurant by the bay at Manly. We were given a super table right next to the windows overlooking the marina.

Sonya and Carol-Ann

So happy to be with our girls from Melbourne. They were lapping up our warm winter weather.

Sonya was excited to have a nostalgic Prawn Cocktail for starters.

We had lovely meals, which I forgot to record. After coffee and a long chat we were driven home. Then we had friends call in for afternoon tea, where we finished the rest of Carol's fabulous birthday cake.

The next morning they packed up and I drove them to the airport It was sad to say goodbye but it had been a wow of a week with them here.

Last day photo in the sun, which made our glasses go dark.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

I have just had the best birthday surprise. Our two daughters flew from Melbourne to stay with us for a week as a surprise birthday present. We were not expecting them to come as they came to our eightieth birthdays last year and February this year. As air fares are so high these days we didn't think they would come. But the girls came and left the menfolk behind including the boys.

They have cooked and cleaned and helped entertain friends because we had invited long time family friends, Ben and Lyn, to stay for a few days not knowing the girls were coming, so we had a house full. There was a lot of laughter eating and drinking and fun. Ben and Bill migrated from Switzerland together as young men in 1967. Ben and Lyn have moved around Australia and Queensland quite a lot. They are at Curra now about 3 hours drive north of Brisbane.

Carol loves baking so she set to and cooked a Swiss breakfast loaf, Züpfe, in the evening after Bill and I had cooked a Swiss lunch for everybody, Geschnätzlets and Rösti with spinach pie. Sonya supplied everyone with drinks.

Bill loves his girls enjoying Swiss traditions.

The next morning we had a traditional Swiss breakfast, ham, salami, cheeses, Züpfe, butter and cherry jam.

Sticking with the Swiss theme we had a Raclette for lunch. It is where we have a grill on the table and guests cook their own meal. We boil a load of small potatoes. You cut the potatoes into thick slices and place them in a little shallow pan with Raclette Cheese on top and then slide it under the grill to melt. On top of the grill you can cook a variety of foods.We had little cheese Kransky Chipolata sausages, salmon and pineapple.  When the cheese has melted slide it off the pan onto your plate and add cornichons and pickled onions and whatever you cooked on top of the grill. Then do it all over again until you are full.

The girls washed up because the dishwasher has died, the motherboard crashed. We are waiting for the new parts.

Dennis Lake.

After lunch we took our friends for a walk around Underwood Lagoon and Dennis Lake.

Carol stayed home and baked me a birthday cake. I so love her.

That evening we celebrated my birthday even though it was the night before because our friends were leaving early the next morning.

On my birthday morning we said goodbye to Ben and Lyn and then the girls took us out for a birthday lunch. Oh what a fun birthday I had. The girls are here for another two days.  Sonya has had to work on and off on her computer having zoom meetings with work colleagues but she is enjoying the weekend now.

THE BANKSY EXHIBITION

 A small group of us from the Village Art Group caught the bus into the city to see the Banksy Exhibition in the Queens Plaza. We contemplated using a scooter to get to the Plaza (only joking).

We actually walked through the pedestrian only streets.

It was a cool winter's day.

We easily found the exhibition in the shopping centre. Banksy is a pseudonym for the English based artist, political activist and film director. His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti using a distinctive stencilling technique. His work has appeared on walls and bridges throughout the world.

The artwork "Flower Thrower" is indeed one of Banksy's most iconic and widely recognized pieces, representing the convergence of two themes dear to the artist: street fighting and peace. Created in 2005 on the West Bank Wall in Jerusalem, it depicts an activist throwing a bouquet of flowers as a Molotov cocktail in an unexpected and pacifist manner. The juxtaposition of a symbol of peace, like flowers, being used as a weapon against rioters, challenges traditional notions of conflict and resistance.

"Kids On Guns" portrays the familiar imagery of Banksy's iconic balloon girl, but with a somber twist. The silhouettes of a young boy and girl are depicted on top of a mountain of weapons, holding their toys in their hands. The girl's heart-shaped red balloon stands out against the severe color contrasts, adding a touch of beauty to the composition.

Banksy's use of children as symbols of innocence is a recurring theme in his artwork, providing a hopeful element within his otherwise ironic and satirical body of work.

I also hope for a better world for my our grandchildren. There were many many pieces of work but I don't want to bore you. Banksy is not happy about having exhibitions of his work, it should be seen in the environment. He doesn't sell his work any more either but some had been sold and he gave the money to those in need.