Go Right at Buckingham Palace...

It was a beautiful day in London today for Bank Holiday Sunday (though tomorrow's forecast is not so ideal... Never mind!). In an appropriately leisurely fashion, I therefore took the time to smell the roses in Hyde Park. To get there, I hopped on my trusty bicycle. As I was looking up my route from Islington before I headed off, I was saying the instructions out loud to help them stick in my head. And as I did so, I was struck how much it sounded like something from a children's book about London...

"Along the Strand and through Trafalgar Square...

... up The Mall (through Admiralty Arch)...

... then right at Buckingham Palace..."

I love how a commute through London can be so iconic and take in such sites and more without even trying!

Although it was a perfect day to be outside, I spent a few hours in the V&A before getting to Hyde Park. It's been quite some time since I was last there and I've been looking for an opportunity to get there for the past few weeks. It didn't seem like a waste to be inside a museum, especially after my lovely cycle (it's so much more relaxed cycling on a weekend then during weekday rush hour!).

Some of the contemporary display in the silver gallery at the V&A

But after a couple of hours, the sunshine was calling me, so I headed back out and to Hyde Park. I was enticed into the rose gardens there, where I stopped to stroll, admire and inhale... and to take some pictures.

Pink roses for my pink outfit!

Hope that you've all had a lovely weekend, and that those in the UK who get a bonus day off tomorrow have a good one.

The V&A (and Bowie) Calls for Heels

David Bowie at the V&A

One of the many reasons I love The Cat is that, when deciding what to wear to the David Bowie exhibition yesterday, I commented that 'the V&A calls for heels' and his response was 'absolutely' - not sarcastically but in honest agreement. Not everyone would concur with that, many would probably suggest flat shoes more appropriate on account of having to stand for so long, but The Cat is on the same wavelength as me.

So we were in agreement that heels had to be worn, but what else? My wardrobe is sadly lacking in 1970s glam wear so I just threw together something fun instead.

David Bowie: as iconically British as the K6 telephone box

And we both thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition. I wasn't convinced by the requirement of headphones at first, because I generally refuse audio guides as I prefer to take things in my own way, go at my own pace, double-back if need be, and share thoughts and observations with whoever I'm there with. But I did get used to the 'audio experience' - there were obviously sensors around the place so that when you came near to a video or display, the audio would change accordingly. In addition, there was music playing over public speakers... If this sounds a little overwhelming and disorientating, that's because it was. But, as I said, I did kind of adjust to it, and the way it worked still allowed you to go freeform. And I was amused when I removed my headphones at one point and a man near me was quietly singing along to whatever was on his headphones...

David Bowie exhibition (Image source: The Guardian)

But what of the exhibition generally? Well, someone, or a group of someones, obviously had a lot of fun putting it together. It certainly wasn't a staid exhibition of displays in glass cases but, rather, very immersive and creatively composed. It moved between the context in which David Bowie grew up, in post-war Britain and moving into the space race; the art, movies and books from which he drew influence to create his unique imagery and ideas; his creative processes and the manner in which he controls all aspects of his albums and shows, not just the music; his various personas and how they came about; his stage shows and music videos; and the ways in which he has influenced popular culture.

Image source: The Guardian

The Cat and I were talking afterwards about how we were both trying to imagine what it was like to witness the first emergence of Bowie - the context in which he appeared and how unexpected and different and shocking he was. We pondered what it would have been like to see the famous performance of Starman on Top of the Pops, the iconic and groundbreaking moment which was, for many, many people, the first introduction to Bowie... The thing is, it's still not hard to imagine what an astonishing and exciting moment this was, because his music and image is still thrilling, no matter how used we are to it now.

Image source: Dressing Up Daisies

So if you're in London or can get to London, I absolutely recommend checking out the show. I believe that pre-sale tickets are completely sold out but there are still same-day tickets to be got. Or if you're lucky enough to have a friend who's a member, you could sweetly ask them to take you... I certainly wouldn't mind taking another friend along on my membership card - there was so much to take in, so much footage and such, that a repeat visit would be well worth it.

Image source: Wikipedia

And, before I go, can I just say one more thing? Thank goodness for this amazing Bank Holiday weather! Springtime and warmth has come at last! Here's to hoping it sticks around. The Cat and I were actually able to enjoy a pleasant stroll after the exhibition, enjoying Hyde Park as the sun and warmth still lingered...

Hyde Park swan and sunset

Coming Soon to a Gallery Near You...

 I just found out about this exhibition which is about to open at the National Portrait Gallery...

Well, that'll certainly be a worthy distraction as I expectantly wait for this to open at the Tate Modern later in February... 

And then I still have this to look forward to the following month...

Oh, London, you know just how to treat a girl, don't you? Indulging me with all this wonderful 20th-Century art and design...

Keep an eye out for posts about all of the above over the coming months!

The Fairy Tale of Kensington Palace

As mentioned in a post last month, just prior to Christmas I made a visit to Kensington Palace. For the past few years, it has been under partial wraps as an extensive refurbishment was undertaken but it reopened just a few months ago.

Kensington Palace has been a royal residence since the 17th century, when King William III and Queen Mary II purchased an existing Jacobean mansion for an alternative to the official royal residence. Under their instruction, improvements were undertaken in various phases by Christopher Wren and Nicolas Hawksmoor, two of the period's most renowned architects. Since then, it has played host to various royal episodes and gone through alterations and redecorations both large and small.

It was only a couple of years ago that I discovered Kensington Palace. Sure, I had heard of it but the thought of visiting didn't particularly appeal to me. I assumed it would be a bit of a stuffy tourist attraction, crowded with people worshipping at the shrine of Princess Diana, who famously lived there.

However, during the refurbishment works, the palace took the marvellous step of transforming those reduced areas of the building that remained open into an "enchanted palace". The posters for this grabbed my attention and I decided to trot along to check it out. My mind was full of wonderful images and, though I rather feared it wouldn't be quite so good as I hoped, I thought it worth a look all the same.

And boy, was it worth a look! The set up was entirely... well... enchanting. It was exquisitely sinister and fairy-talesque. I was somewhat surprised at how dark and haunting they had made it and was pleased that they hadn't been deterred by the possibility that such an approach might traumatise the little kiddy-winks.

I spent hours in there, immersed in the wonderful atmosphere. At one point, I was asked by a steward if I was okay because I was floating backward and forwards in a delighted daze. I assured him, happily, that I was. His colleague said, "I think she's just enjoying herself, aren't you?". To which I responded, "yes, it's absolutely wonderful!"

Apart from enjoying the wonderful atmosphere and creative works on display, I also learnt lots about the stories of all the princesses and queens that had inhabited the palace over the years (I took around the children's activity sheet with me...). This was when I learnt about the fabulous, rebellious and chic Princess Margaret. And where I learnt of the tragic tale of Queen Charlotte, who died at 21 shortly after giving birth to a still-born baby boy. She was so beloved by the people of England that the nation came to a halt in mourning her and shops ran out of black cloth due to intense demand.

As a result of my visit, I joined up as a member of the Historic Royal Palaces for two years, so I could come back again and again, and go to their other properties at will. I also went on a couple of their adult education days - one at the Tower of London, where I got to climb up on scaffolding and learn about stone repairs, and one at Kensington Palace, where I got to learn about historic wallpaper and then do some screen printing inspired by the designs of papers they had uncovered during the restorations.

But back to my most recent visit! 

I was delighted to discover that they had kept up some of the spirit of the Enchanted Palace. A group called Coney have created installations which tell, in one series of State Apartments, the story of the Stuarts and Prince William, heir to the throne who died after his 11th birthday party and, in another series of State Apartment's, the "game of court" in the Georgian era. They also have some actors and story tellers wandering around - not of the awful tacky sort generally associated with historical re-enactment but, instead, rather wonderfully twisted and strange.

Modern props and artworks are combined with historical artifacts to create this wonderful world. So you can enjoy the quirky and humorous, and then admire museum items such as the clothes of courtiers and royalty from ages past.

An exhibition on Queen Victoria is also currently on display at the Palace. This traces her life from young queen, through her marriage, children, widowing and major public events both of her reign and in the life of the nation as a whole.

From major events such as the Great Exhibition in 1851, where modern engineering awed crowds with the creation of the Crystal Palace...

... to dolls, notebooks, slippers and Albert's... well... I can't even recall what that last item is, but it looks pretty wonderful!

So that's Kensington Palace! If you live in London or if you ever visit, I highly recommend getting lost in the wonder of a day-trip there.

Love Letter from ... Old Gippstown

As usual, life ploughs on much faster than my blog can keep up. I have scores of photos and tales from Australia that I was intending to share but I keep getting distracted by events and thoughts in the present moment. But I'm going to be strict with myself now and present a few bumper Aussie posts before doing anything else...

And so I bring you Old Gippstown Heritage Park! This requires a post all of its own because I had such a great time there. My mum and I spent several happy hours exploring and being ridiculous, but there was just so much to see that we were kicked out at the end of the day, still not having seen anywhere near everything.

Old Gippstown High Street

Old Gippstown is located in the town of Moe in Gippsland, the beautiful southeastern corner of Australia. It brings together historic buildings from all around Gippsland to create a mid-Victorian township, including the high street with all its shops, a church, a school, theatre, town hall... I don't know how many buildings in total but, as I said, we didn't come even close to seeing everything.

Old Gipptown Church - lots of the churches in Gippsland are timber buildings that could just be picked up and
moved if the early settlements didn't flourish

One of the wonderful things about it is that you can go into every building and there's lots of things to poke and prod and play with. Really, you could spend a couple of days there, if you wanted to properly take it all in... and take multitudes of photos, like we did.

I don't recall there having been a lot in the way of interpretation at the park. And what there was, I haven't really held in my head so I don't have much information about the buildings to repeat here. As such, I think the best approach is to just inundate you with photographs, interspersed with only a few words of explanation...

The ingenious church windows, which could be opened in such a way as to allow some
ventilation whilst preserving the look of the stained glass windows

And the ingenious, reversible pews! In which the back could be pushed forwards to that sitters could face the other way
without the massive effort of actually shifting them around  

Note the dressed-up country look of my outfit (as opposed to my horse-riding country outfit). It was the first outing of the skirt, which my mother gave me, purchased from American Graffiti, a vintage shop on Melbourne's South Bank. The earrings were also a gift from my mother, cardigan from Benetton, jacket from Rokit and scarf from Beyond Retro. Mum thought we should wear heels but we quickly swapped them for more sensible shoes when we stepped out of the car into mud... Mine are EOS, purchased from a factory outlet in Melbourne.

Presumably people weren't exhumed to be re-buried at the heritage park...

Trying my hand at the water pump...

... and the wringer. Mum whipped off her slip so that we could have a proper go at it

All-Australian dunnies

I may have squealed when I saw the classic old ute - unfortunately, I couldn't get in behind the wheel

Look at the colour and details! It could do with a clean though...

Behind the counter at the cobbler's shop. I loved that you could not only go into all the buildings, but even get in
behind the counter and play shop...

Wonderfully rustic, colonial log house, complete with tree bark shutter on the window

It was the end of the day and the dressmaker's shop was all locked up by the time we
found our way to it, sadly... We could peer in the windows though and admire the signage

Enacting the audience of a thriller in the cinema....

... and a weepy

So, we had an awesome time, as you can hopefully see from these pictures. If you ever happen to be really randomly passing through Moe in rural Australia, I highly recommend checking it out.