London Tuesday

The blog continues from our V and A excursion in the afternoon. This museum is huge and mind boggling. Did the British rooms from 1500 - 20 th century. The galleries included recreated rooms of stately houses, furniture, decorative arts and some paintings. A room of innovative design since the 50s was quite nostalgic. An installation of squashed musical brass instruments in a circular space between floors was a bit of fun. I was exhausted so probably didn't do justice to this museum. It was over 30 degrees and the English were paddling in fountains. Walked from V & A to Royal Albert Hall. This was a fair stroll in the heat but we arrived early so had a large bottle of sparkling mineral water to revive us before going to our booked dinner in the Elgar room. Food was pretty ordinary but we sat beside Elton John's red piano and looked at paintings of various celebrities who had performed there. We went to our middle priced seats in the fantastic circular auditorium and were offered a free upgrade to better seats. Come on Melbourne you should do this too. Anyway rather than being in the circle we moved to the stalls very close to the action. The Grand Organ Gala presented all the 'crowd pleasers' showing the magnificence of the 10,000 pipes. The thunderous rumble was thrilling. The London Philharmonic Choir of approx 150 singers sang beautifully works such as Handel's 'Zadok the Priest' and 'The Hallelujah Chorus' and 'The Easter Hymn' from Cavalleria Rusticana and then we were asked to join them in 'Land of Hope and Glory' so we have now sung at The Royal Albert Hall. Chatted to people around us. It was such a uplifting concert and the soprano soloist Lee Bisset had a glorious voice, singing Faure's 'Pie Jesu' and more. The organ and orchestral works were well known favourites and showed the virtuosity of the musicians. The concert was conducted by Robin Stapleton with organists Stephen and John Birch, who some of you may know. It was still light at the end of the concert. Didn't want to go home on the tube so with the help of many found a bus along Kensington High St to Earl's Court Rd and we walked home from there. In the end we had the whole bus looking after our interests. It was a fantastic first day in London. Next morning we had an excellent buffet continental breakfast in a lovely light conservatory - breakfast room. Chatted to a mother and daughter from Perth. The girl had just finished Year 12 and studied Art and Drama. We had booked tickets to The Henry Moore exhibition at Tate Britain and this was fantastic to see particularly following on from our time with Rodin in Paris and at the V and A. The audio commentary was very thorough. We did the Turner again. These famous artists were so prolific. Although energy waning quickly flitted around a survey of British art. One contemporary artist Fiona had two giant war planes that had been superseded. They were polished to a gleaming silver or buffed to a mellow patina both aeroplanes were suspended as giant sculptures. Had tea and a sandwiches and then found a bus to Piccadilly Circus. We were kicked of the bus not too far from our destination as a bike hit the bus and the irate driver stopped and called the police while the cyclist took phone photos of the driver. We had to get off in the middle of the intersection as the driver was going nowhere until the police came. I am not really sure what happened but no one was hurt but both parties were not happy.
We were early to meet Caroline Sleigh, Valerie and Kevin' daughter. They are the wonderful people who have commissioned me to paint their stunning garden in Gisborne and Caroline had started the process by purchasing the voucher to have a garden painted which I had donated to Ovcare in of Teresa. I had about an hour to fill so went to the 2010 Summer Exhibition at The Royal Academy. Roger was happy to sit in the courtyard with the giant rabbit sculptures. The exhibition was huge but beautifully hung. The galleries were very light and bright showing off the work to their best. The majority of works were huge. Some rooms were filled with vibrant works while other showed monochromatic works. There were artist books, print making, sculptures and architectural designs as well as paintings. Caroline
rang to say she was running late so had time to look at some of the food displays and the craft work atFortnum and Masons. We had a lovely time with Caroline who is in between jobs as a lawyer and has been working in London for a couple of stints. She is a beautiful girl and we had such a relaxing time indulging in a typically English High Tea in great style. Afterwards we walked to Westminster Abbey for evensong. Unfortunately, we discovered it was at 5pm not 6pm as I had read on the Internet. Instead we did The London Eye which was close. After our great experience in Singapore we had bought tickets to the London version on the Eurostar to avoid queuing. There are so many buildings in London that the views from great heights were probably not as impressive as in Singapore. Afterwards we walked across The Millennium Bridge and then returned to our hotel via Bus 11 and C3. (Our Bus 11 stop was World's End- what a name for a place!) Shall use this route to go to the Saatchi as I luckily noticed it on our way home. Yesterday evening, we checked the distance from Henley House to Harrington Hall and we will be able to walk there for our tour if it is fine. Now off for a busy day. The rain seems to have cleared but will take our raincoats. It is still hot and humid.
All the best
Jo and Rog

London Monday

Dear All
Not the greatest tragedy but I lost my address book at Gare du Nord. Was rushing to finish some post cards before the train departed to use the many French stamps I had bought previously. There was no post box so a lady at Eurostar said she would post them for me and I think I must also have given her my little address book anyway it was not with me on the train. If you would like a post card it is now up to you to email me your address and post code. Luckily, so far there have been no other catastrophes touch wood! Sorry forgot we nearly had a problem with me washing my Paris travel card. Fortunately it was in its folder and although the folder suffered badly the card worked once it had dried out.
Our French sojourn was fantastic and we found everyone so helpful. Helene was marvellous and we highly recommend 'Paris Oasis'. Thanks in particular to Maggie, Lyn and Gwen for their very useful suggestions. Our Eurostar seats were a little disappointing as we had only a partial view from our window. (I economized on 2nd class seats and possibly this was a mistake). However, we made up for this by spending a fair amount of time in the buffet car. The train whizzed along by the green French countryside with the occasional quaint cottage or wind farm. The chunnel section was noted only by darkness. The beauty of the train was that we arrived in central London - with our passport check in completed in France. St. Pancras is a bright modernized station with great acces for travellers. Outside the station has a magnificent Neo Gothic facade but inside it is light and bright. We purchased a three day travel card and headed to Earl's Court. There were no stairs to contend with and Earl's Court was on the Piccadily Line with no necessity to change trains. We were delighted to find that our hotel was so close that we could wheel our cases without difficulty and did not need a taxi. Henley House is a lovely little hotel with all you need - a small but clean bedroom excellent breakfast in a bright conservatory type room and access to a computer. It is also in walking distance from Harrington Hall.
We made the most of Day 1 in London. After getting access to our room we took the underground to South Kensington and the Museums. It was quite a long walk through the tunnels so since then we have mostly used buses if we are not walking. Have walked many miles and my swollen ankles and blotchy rash on my legs tell the tale.
We went to The Grace Kelly exhibition at The V and A. Some of her clothes were just beautiful while others were over the top and dated. The general area of fashion had some remarkable garments from all periods. The V and A is huge - overwhelming. We had a snack in the cafe with a pianist playing. The interior of this section of the building is very lovely with magnificent windows. However, the plastic tables and chairs do not do this justice. Have to finish now as reception is closing. Shall have to tell you about the magnificent organ and choral concert later.

love
Jo and Rog

Paris Friday and Saturday

This was an exhausting day! We set off to Musee Picasso only to find it has been closed since last year and will be so for another three years. The only compensation was that it was a lovely area with numerous private galleries. Found a lovely textiles shop with interesting gifts. We then caught a couple of trains to the Pompidou Centre and were pleased that the last train stopped very close to the Gallery. It was lunch time so had an expensive light lunch at Georges on the 6th level with stunning views of Paris. Afterwards we did the temporary exhibitions on this level. I was most impressed with the work of British artist Lucien Freud. The exhibition even included our Canberra work 'After Cezanne'. I was interested that he had several paintings of his garden. Roger was impressed by The Dreamland's exh that showed how architecture was inspired by the great expositions. Found the Elle exhibition overwhelming, The permanent collection is outstanding. Was sorry I did Elle first -Roger at least had the good sense to sleep or sit through that so was revived for the permanent exh. The sculptures looked fantastic set on water in areas beyond the exhibition space. The permanent collection is a wonderful record of 20th century work by many very well known artists. We just had enough energy to do the Brancusi studio near by. Caught a bus home for a picnic tea. I finished my little painting of Helene's beautiful garden. It is getting late and still have to finish packing.
Today did St Ouen's market. It was a combination of expensive antiques, interesting
memorabilia, bits and pieces, junk and cheap clothes. Bought a couple of inexpensive bits. Next went to Marmottan Musee; fantastic exh linking Monet with Abstract art. His late works are so inspiring and interesting seen beside the likes of Kandinsky, Pollock and Krazner etc. Afterwards took a most interesting bus trip that ended at the Seine. Took a boat trip to end our Paris sojourn. Found a bus to Gare du Nord. Had a cheap tea and came home to pack and blog. The end of blogging in Paris
Cheers Jo

Thursday Paris

A general French strike that effected Galleries and transport changed our plans. We had intended a trip to Giverny but things were too uncertain to travel a long distance. So decided on a nostalgic trip. A bus near us ends at Luxembourg Gardens where I painted in '79. These gardens are still lovely. Did a quick sketch here and listened to a Norwegian band playing in the rotunda. We then walked past the Pantheon to Rue Mouffetard my home for a month in '79. Found Greek restaurants but 30 years had brought enormous change and I had little recollection. We had a most disappointing lunch. Afterwards we jumped on a bus just to sit and see where it took us - the beauty of a travel card. Met a very helpful lady who made recommendations. The trip took us through Parisienne suburbia. Our trip back took us past Les Jardin des Plantes so we had a look. There were some interesting plants but things looked hot and dry and not particularly well maintained - am so looking forward to the luxuriant gardens of UK. The treed walkways however form shady glades from the summer's heat. The glass houses are huge structures. After much walking caught a bus to Gare de Lyon. On Maggie's recommendation we had coffee in style in The Blue train cafe with over the top Baroque decoration. Caught a train to Gare de Nord but had a long wait because of the strike. Took the wrong exit from the station but eventually found The Terminus Nord, a delightful restaurant also recommended by Maggie. (Did another sketch but managed to do it upside down in the book.) This was a most impressive meal and cheaper than Moulin de la Galette. Afterwards we were expecting to walk home but discovered a bus that saved us much energy. We have since used this bus from Rue de Magenta on many occasions.

Cheers
Jo

Wed Paris

Last night I ended up going to the automatic teller to get cash to pay for accommodation. I was worried about carrying so much money. If I had thought in advance I would have purchased a traveller's cheque for this amount. Hopefully, there will be a next time so will be better prepared. 'Paris Oasis' will be our Paris home.
Wed was an excellent day. We did so much and everything fitted in so well. Set out early and took a bus to the Louvre - we enjoy the buses as you can see more of Paris. We have used the underground a lot too but you end up walking miles through connecting tunnels that sometimes it seems that it would have been as quick to walk at street level. Anyway our queue at The Louvre moved quickly. Managed to buy tickets at the machines without problems. The renovations since the 70s were outstanding. We ended up seeing much more than anticipated and so many well known paintings. We had soup at the balcony cafe and used the central glass lift that was the middle of the spiral staircase to exit. This was primarily for the disabled but as Roger had his stick we had this little adventure. For the past couple of days he has felt confident to go without it but he now doesn't get given as many train seats. After the Louvre we leisurely walked through the Tuillerie gardens to L'Orangerie which is a converted glass house that has two large oval rooms containing four huge Monet paintings of the waterlilies. These rooms enclose you in a beautiful environment. The second room includes foreground willows with the waterlilies. Monet gave these paintings to France as a place to find solace and rest from the hustle and bustle of life and conflict. We sat for quite a while in this wonderful inspiring environment. This gallery was closed when I was last in Paris in '79. The new extensions house a magnificent private collection of Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume. This was an impressive collection of Impressionist and later Early 20th century artist. There was also a temporary exhibition of Klee's work. This is a
relatively small gallery but is highly recommended to visit. Afterwards we took the Metro to Musee Rodin. This now has a stunning garden including shady trees and beautiful roses that surround the sculptures; there was also a temporary exhibition of a contemporary sculptor with laser cut rusty metal structure that references Gothic art. I did a sketch of Eve in the garden to rest my weary legs in a pleasant shady spot. Paris is now hot but not intolerable. We caught the metro home and then went to Moulin de la Galette where Renoir and others had painted. This was quite a long walk but through interesting parts. We had a beautiful, not cheap meal and I sketched Roger with a poster in the back ground in a place where the greats had worked. This was a very satisfying day.

Paris Tuesday continued

The blog is difficult to keep up to date. Tuesday's visit to Musee d'Orsay was wonderful. What a magnificent building! It was so bright and light for a gallery. There was a special exhibition, 'Crime and Punishment' a similar theme to that held at Geelong Gallery in the recent past. But here was an amazing collection of well known works including 'The Death of Marat' by David and several other responses to the same theme. There was even a Guillotine ready for action and a prison door with carved names on one side, obviously the prisoner's side. It was a huge exhibition and well presented. The permanent collection was stunning - was amazed by the size of Courbet's 'Studio'. The exhibition generally divided artists into rooms starting with Neo Classicism to The Nabis and Symbolists. There was such a large range of works that the Canberra paintings were hardly missed. Could have spent days but enjoyed our several hours. Was also fascinated with the decorative art - the wonderful Art Nouveau furnishings. Afterwards we walked in the wrong direction for the Open Tour Bus and ended up walking much further than we needed. From Tuesday the weather has realized it is summer and though only in the mid 20s feels quite hot. We eventually found our bus and changed to the blue line that travelled past all the exciting new development along the Seine near Bercy. This also took us to Bastille and to a superb Art Nouveau Restaurant called 'Boffrand' recommended by Maggie and lunched in style under the decorative domed ceiling. It was quite reasonably priced for the quality of the food and you felt as if you were part of the Belle Epoch. Afterwards we completed the blue tour, changed to green and managed to get the yellow home - the end of our two day hop on hop off experience. Shall finish at this point as am not sure how to save on this French computer.

Paris Monday

This blog is helping jog the memories as it is all becoming past tense. It is daylight here until well after 10pm so there is little evening left to do this. It is great for tourist as it seems OK to wander around late at night. Last night was too tired to write. We have found the French so polite and helpful. People often give their seats to Roger who has been using his stick because of the uneven ground. We have often been assisted with directions and strangers have offered us the benefits of their local knowledge. We have not experienced any situations of rudeness - quite the contrary. The other contradiction to popular opinion is that you don't hear anything about Australia when OS. Was gob - smacked to learn of our new Prime Minister - there were some slight rumblings before we left but it seemed to me to be a media build up. Also learned the Aussies didn't make the World Cup. The game is very prominent here. The Portugese went mad after their mammoth win and there were flag waving and much tooting on the Champs Elysee. I didn't recognize the flag but soon found out.
Monday and Tuesday we travelled on the Open Tour hop on hop off bus to orient us to Paris. The first day was cold but the views of Paris distracted us. We mostly stayed on the bus though had time to visit St Germain-des-Pres and Notre Dame with its magnificent rose windows. We lunched at a little spot near Invalides before changing buses. There are four different routes and we completed three on the first day. It was so exciting to see it all again. My memories of thirty years ago are very hazy. We ended up at Opera Garnier expecting a free Berlioz concert - in retrospect realized it must have been at the New Opera theatre at Bastille. We managed to get home by a local bus but probably walked for about a half an hour down the main street to Anvers passed the red light district and Moulin Rouge. Decided to picnic for tea and I started an impression of the magnificent court yard garden. Tuesday we
started early, taking the Metro instead of waiting for the Open tour bus. Arrived at The Musee d'Orsay early but still had a long queue to negotiate though it moved relatively quickly. There were still queues but they did not rival Canberra's. Sorry am falling asleep - to be continued

Paris 1 continued

We arrived at Helene's 'Paris Oasis' at about 9.00am . How aptly named is this magnificent property- it is just delightful with a stunning court yard garden outside our room that beckons to be painted. Helene and Jean Louis are so lovely and helpful. Gwen thank you so much for discovering this for us. We thawed out a little after our introductory coffee and macaroons. We put on all our winter layers and braved the elements. Walked to the base of Sacre Coeur about a ten minute stroll away and snacked at a little tourist street avoiding gipsies and beggars. Bought a carnet of Metro tickets from Anvers, one of our local stations. Thanks Lyn for this advice. We then negotiated the tourist street again and caught the fenicular up to Sacre Coeur. We thought we may have encountered a mass as it was Sunday but this was not to be. It is a huge church but for me the interior did not match the impressive exterior that dominates the skyline of Paris. We lit candles and took photographs before returning home. We were extremely jet lagged so bought some patisseries at the nearby bakery and gave in and had a really early night though not on Singapore time. Monday was the official start to summer with a music festival through out Paris. Unfortunately we had difficulty finding information though did stumble across massed drumming and a gentle South American band performing near us. Am falling asleep - more tomorrow.
Cheers Jo

Paris 1

Bonjour,
After my blogging success in Singapore, it took almost an hour to log in here! After much angst and disturbing everyone we realized that I have to use the numbers on the side rather than the top ones that on the French keyboard are converted to e acute etc. I was impressed that I had managed the @ in its different position.
Have almost completed Day 2 in Paris. Paris summer is akin to Melb's winter. Our plane arrived at approx 6.00am. Rang to receive instructions from The Parishuttle who informed me to wait at door 12. This we did with three others - a couple from the Mississippi who had lost their house in Cyclone Katrina and a lady from Ballarat. It was freezing and was glad of all the winter layers in my cabin luggage. Later it was discovered there were two door 12s. Shall continue rest later - it is too late after the problems signing in. More tomorrow all being well.
Cheers Jo

Singapore 2

Dear All,
Today after indulging in a buffet breakfast courtesy of our hotel we were picked up by a mini bus that took us around Singapore via Little India where we picked up some other tourists to take us to the hop on hop off bus, This started near the giant wheel-the Singapore Flyer and the fantastic development Marina Bay Sands. This is not quite finished but we had read about it yesterday. This comprises three tower blocks of asymmetrical shapes that had an almost boat shaped roof garden that linked and extended beyond the three structures. This will include a five star hotel. We decided to do the bus journey without jumping off for the first trip. When we arrived at The National Art Gallery of Singapore we realized we had done the rest of the circuit on our initial trip to meet the tour so made this our end. This meant we arrived at a great time at the gallery. Once again our Senior's cards worked a treat. This is a wonderful gallery and this time had exhibitions of two artists who combined Eastern and Western traditions. Yeh Chi Wei was influenced by the colour and pattern of S.E. Asian textiles such as Ikat and Batik printing. He linked Chinese accuracy with Impressionist techniques. Wu Guanzhony worked in inks or oils often using a range of grey tones. He felt his works bridged East and West and was more than merely imitating tradition. He considered that his work invited emotional responses from all traditions. Afterwards we went to a the Art Garden part of a Children's Season at Singapore Art Museum. Initially was attracted to this by an excellent activity book. The exhibition included an enchanted room assemblage by Sandra Lee and an installation of Floribots by G Drake Brockman an Australian artist that include a room of sculpted robotic flowers that grew and then reverted to their original size. Hello Walter, a giant rabbit that pops up in common places was on the second level outside area of the gallery. After we jumped on the bus to have a relaxed panoramic view of Singapore on the SingaporeFlyer. This was my first experience on a giant wheel. We both loved it. We must come back and see the completion of all the new buildings. Our day in Singapore coincided with a rehearsal for their National Day in August. Huge numbers paraded in different coloured uniforms. We looked down on them at great height. Later we saw a parade of tanks - Singapore's military might. Because of blocked streets our next trip took a different route. There was no evidence of the floods of a couple of days ago. Managed to con the man on the bus to let us off at the stop of the local bus 36 which saved us an expensive taxi fare to our hotel. A Chinese lady on the bus told us about the PP store opposite us - this is Singapore's Chadstone. Had a look at the shops but am not really interested in shopping at the moment - and am certainly not the right size here. Had tea with the locals in the food court. Returned to our hotel via a giant pedestrian walkway over the busy roads to collect our luggage- change for our flight and to blog. Shuttle awaits. Thanks Gwen for enabling me to do this - a gigantic break through for me though my one or two finger typing is shown up by all around me.

Off to Europe
Cheers Jo

Singapore

Had an excellent flight-even managed to catch up with some sleep. Was up till 1.30am arranging hop on and hop off orientation of Paris and booking The Surrealist House at the Barbicon. Enjoyed Alice in Wonderland on the plane - visually it was so beautifully designed. Waited for over two hours for our free shuttle bus. The compensation was an upgraded room and later check out. Had a fantastic Chinese meal in the Roxy with samplers of beautifully presented dishes- very light just what we wanted after a longish flight. My ankles have not complained yet and am thrilled that elephantitus has not yet set in. Changi Airport is a stunning building draped in cascades of flowers and foliage. There are many innovative modern buildings. The drive from the airport seemed even more impressive than in the past. The road side planting is spectacular. Even curbside guard rails are disguised by plants. Ficus creeper covers concrete walls with bougainvillea draped over the top. This softens otherwise harsh and unattractive areas. Roger is up in the room while I am making the most of the free Internet access. A bath awaits. Forgot to mention that we read on the plane that Singapore was flooded yesterday. We envisaged paddling with wet luggage but remarkably all is fine today - pleasant not hot or humid. We haven't been to Orchard Rd yet but have a free city tour tomorrow leaving at 8.30am after breakfast.
Love to all
Jo and Rog








Jo and Rog


Jo and Rog

Preparations

Dear all,
It is now less than a week to go - still refining places to visit. Have packed Rog but have not finalized me yet. Have a little bit of sewing to do today. Don't think we will be able to share just one case. It was a nice thought! We have one problem that hopefully won't deteriorate. Roger had a basal cell carcinoma removed from his nose on Friday. (This was unexpected as on Tuesday, he was just having a check up on his leg that was treated in Feb.) Yesterday his eye lid was puffed up like a golf ball. Roger hadn't mentioned this and I hadn't noticed it! I had been on the computer and washing most of the morning. Later we were driving to Camberwell and I enquired about his nose. He said it was fine, not sore but his eye was a bit puffy. I got an amazing shock when I looked. This meant a trip to the doctors on the long weekend. We were so fortunate that Dr White was still at the Clinic as it was about 1.30pm. I had visions of spending the afternoon in casualty. Anyway at the moment Dr White thinks it is just fluids drained from the operation site. Roger is taking antibiotics so hopefully they are working. The eye does not look worse today but will probably go to the doctors tomorrow so the doctor can remove the bandage and
check it out. The stitches come out on Thursday . All being well we leave on Friday. We did not need this! Fun and games!
Hope to keep you posted
All the best
Jo and Rog