Work has started

Oh dear, the silence. Work took over my life on Wednesday and suddenly it is as if my 'life' stops. Or at least, the reporting of it.

Work involved meeting my Australian colleagues, two clients and local candidates we are considering. Taking the train, the tram, even when looking in shop windows, I'm trying to get a feel for this pace, these people.

Similar to us Canadians, they aren't mentioned much in the foreign media. Isolated by time zone, location and sheer scale of the place, Australia has been a global afterthought. But thanks to a mining boom and a strong banking sector, Australia is coming into its own. The vibe here is fresh, youthful, optimistic and quite funky.

Melbourne's downtown is similar to Vancouver's in size and is made up of little streets and lanes with small funky shops and cafes. I love the little Victorian arcades with mosaic tile floors:

I've been trying to learn how, in such a temperate climate, these arcades became so prevalent. No answer has satisfied me yet.

Saturday I finally got my bike ride along the Yarra. It was blustery and cold, but still fun. I enjoyed watching the rowers in their long, lean boats push up or down river, their coach on a bicycle with a megaphone following them on the shore.

Then it was to the Ian Potter Centre to see Australian art. I was struck by the vibrant colours and shapes of the modern aboriginal works:

 

I was also impressed by the Australian post impressionists such as Arthur Streeton. Like Canadian work of the same period, the focus of many paintings is all on the land. If images of people appear, they are distant or blurry.

 

As it was a windy, blustery day, I also had an opportunity to return to the La Trobe reading room at the State Library. I went up to the sixth floor and took pictures as I made my way down through the exhibits to the ground. This building was one of the first to use poured concrete, but it sure doesn't look like Early Canadian Concrete architecture I've seen.

 

 

I also ambled into Chinatown where I discovered an alley with some rather unique signs that must be part of an art project:

 

 

This image looked much better in Paint.net. I'll update later so you can actually read these. Other signs said:

• We look at it and do not see it. We listen to it and do not hear it.
• Yield and overcome. Bend and be straight. Empty and be full. Wear out and be new. Have little and gain. Have much and be confused.
• Work without doing. Taste the tasteless. Magnify the small, increase the few. Reward bitterness with care.

In the eve I went to Turf bar to watch some footy. The All Blacks won. Of course.

 

Sunday, I went on a day-long wine tour of the Yarra Valley. I met a lovely young man named Gabriel, who is originally from Hong Kong but is studying architecture in the U.K.

 

Our bus took us to 4 wineries. We tried Chardonnay, Shiraz, Sparkling Shiraz and many more. The cloudy morn turned into a stunning day where we could enjoy our last minutes together on the Domaine Chandon back patio:

 

On the trip back I saw my first kangaroos. They were off a good distance, under some trees planning a coup.

This week I begin work with a bit more vigour. I need to figure out how to print documents for meetings. A trip up to Brisbane is possible. I'll try to keep updating more frequently despite this, but may include fewer photographs.



Speaking of which it's after 8:30am. I better get at it.