duststorm

6.38am Bondi Beach








I wake feeling like something is tapping me on the shoulder.
My eyes reach for the sky to check what time it is.
Bright orange light like cheezels or Lucille Ball's mop looks
back at me.That can't be right. My heart is beating strong now.
I have to see this standing upright.
Before I know it I'm pulling clothes on and heading outside,
to be cloaked in this surreal, hellfire embrace.
The beach is crowded with others like me, trying to register
this gritty, smoky, eerie, warm atmosphere claiming to be air.
Camera flashes all around as we clamber to capture the strange
morning that greets us.Strangers strike up conversations reaching
out to share this moment with each other.In the midst of this
setting, mother nature clearly in charge,it seems the humans are
reminded of our fragility and our connectedness to each other.
I take home the smell of red earth in my hair and feel the powdery
dust on my skin and in my lungs. The wind is picking up.
Strange days indeed.

sydney swelters

only 3 weeks into spring and we are having another day in the 3o's
I think there must be a lot of sickies going on by the look of things

say it out loud

some of my favourite pieces along the Promenade

smoky grey

So delighted to find Bondi again a sleepy old coastal town on this
warm and subdued morning. The heat, the crowd and the hoopla
of the weekend feel a lifetime ago. There is space to find my own
rhythm as I walk. And the only sounds to be heard are coming

from the sea licking the shore.

Festival of the Winds

Hopefully there is as much wind around on Sunday as the last
couple of days because it's that time of year again to dust off your
kite and untangle the string - as thousands of novices and
pros descend on Bondi Beach to join in the largest kite flying
festival of the year - The Festival of the Winds

There will be stalls selling kites if you don't have one or make your
own at one of the workshops being run.

Not into kites? The Pavillion Amphitheatre will have live entertainment
alongside music and dance workshops. There will be great food, face painting,
stilt walkers, jugglers and rides going thruout the day.

Click here to see the program

Yarn Bombed

I'm pleased to say, Bondi has started being tagged by at least one,
but who knows how many guerilla knitters. I first spotted their
work near the Lifeguard Tower, but before I could get back with
my camera, the 2 exquisite pieces were gone. Had they been nicked?
Or worse, removed by the Council?

My heart skipped a beat when I discovered a new wrapping yesterday.
If you've never heard of this subversive form of street art, it's expertly
knitted pieces, sometimes crocheted that are then stitched around
public fixtures eg. bus seats, parking meters, railings, doorknobs, poles,
trees, or snywhere really.

Although knitting's image has taken off in recent years with many
celebrities now claiming it to be their favourite pastime, I love the way
knit one purl one has morphed down an edgy, even graffiti style line.
It's now a worldwide phenomenon as knitters gather into groups to
spread their irreverent approach to humanising and brightening up our
concrete and steel cities.

In July, Canberra held a festival in celebration of knitting bringing out
Texan knitter and guerilla Magda Sayeg. She made a promise to let Sydney
'see' that she had been here so I'm wondering if these pieces are her
handiwork or by someone who lives nearby?

I'm always on the lookout for more types of this work so let me know via
my comments below if you spot any.

To see more pics go here






Found near the Bondi Icebergs

surfwatch

Beach conditions had improved from yesterday, with a new SSE swell kicking in, light offshore winds and waves around the 3ft mark. Maybe everyone got up for the early because there was room to move out there while I was watching.

postcards

Photos by Dani