Happy Australia Day!

Thurs 26th January

Today is Australia Day, the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet from Great Britain. Bringing in eleven ships full of convicts, as well as marines, officers and their families, Captain Arthur Phillip raised the Union Jack flag at Sydney Cove in 1788. Australia Day is also about celebrating what Australia has achieved and focusing on how to make the country even better in the future.

Despite the relentless clouds and rain, we celebrated at Big Day Out, an annual music festival which tours across Australia midsummer. While this year’s headliners Kanye West and Soundgarden drove the crowds away, acts on smaller stages blew us away. Kimbra performed beautifully, as did Boy and Bear, The Jezebels, and Stonefield. Kasabian rocked the stadium while Tony Hawk shredded a custom built skate ramp, and Noel Gallagher wrapped up the night magnificently with his band High Flying Birds. After growing up with Oasis, it was quite moving to see Noel performing in front of such a small, friendly crowd. He should have been rocking the main stage, instead of Kanye with his overused sound buttons and long, drawn out, egotistical expressions.

Surry Hills and Balmain

Monday 23rd January

Today my lovely friend Aneka took me into the city for some lunch and a walk around. We stopped at four.ate.five in Surry Hills for some delicious food. If you’re in the area, I would definitely recommend eating here. With scrumptious food, a laid back vibe, and attentive, friendly waiters, this is the perfect place to fill your belly.

Bellies full, we drove to Balmain and had a walk around before enjoying some milkshakes at one of the many great cafes along the main street. Balmain is an arty, stylish and very expensive area with some great shops, such as Lotus Pod.

A beautiful bangle from Lotus Pod.

Ginko Papers

Aquarium Card

Just discovered Ginko Papers. They make brilliant cards and things, just look at this one! Imagine how happy you would be if someone gave you this card! Check out the others here: http://www.ginkopapers.com/

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Believe it or not, it has been raining bucket loads in Sydney! Today the rain is falling and falling, with no end in sight. It is very heavy, so at the moment I am not even venturing outside. So instead of an exciting day trip, here is some new work. These are screen prints of Sydney which I did for a private commission. I've gone back to the linear and more realistic style I used to draw in before college tutors insisted I stop drawing like this. I still can't understand why they put me on a different track when I ended up lost. Hopefully now I'm starting to find my way.

Saturday 14th January

DJ Yoda and Sampology!

I got Rhys tickets to see the legendary DJ Yoda for Christmas. DJ Yoda is from the UK and I’ve seen him three times before! I had to share the experience with Rhys as I knew he would love it too. Yoda mixes loads of samples from films, animations and random stuff along to background visuals which cut and play in time with the music. He is very talented, and each time I see him there are many more innovative delights mixed in. His set is always very slick. Sampology, who played before, was an Australian copy of DJ Yoda! Is that too harsh? He was still pretty good but the transitions were nowhere near as smooth and he made a couple of mistakes. He had an eccentric humour which came through his set though, which I very much enjoyed.

Friday 13th January

I really need to catch up here, still a whole week behind!

Freshwater Beach, Sydney

Yep it’s Friday the 13th but it’s been a lovely day... No bad luck so far. We drove to Freshwater Beach, lay in the sun and swam in the sea. Heaven on a Friday. Freshwater was the first beach for anyone to ever surf at in Australia. It’s a long time since I last went surfing, but wading around in the saltwater reminded me how great it feels to be in the sea. Saltwater is so refreshing and exhilarating. Still, I get a little nervous in the water and wish fear didn’t have such a hold on me sometimes.

Later we drove to Manly for lunch, my favourite part of Sydney. I’d choose to live here if it wasn’t so difficult to get to. If you live or work on the city you have to get a ferry, otherwise it’s a fairly long drive. I just love it though. There are surfers and longboarders everywhere you look, nice shops and cafes, ice cream parlours and that Australian laid back beach lifestyle which is ever so appealing. If you are visiting Sydney, I’d definitely recommend catching the ferry to Manly for a day trip. If you head home in the late afternoon, you can watch the sunset over the Harbour Bridge and Opera House as the ferry gently takes you over the water, the fresh sea air breezing by.

Hilary Grant

A couple of years ago I was giving a talk in Dundee at a Central Station event, where I met the lovely Hilary Grant. Hilary creates absolutely beautiful knitwear, all by made by hand in Scotland with locally sourced materials and UK-based suppliers, such as Found in Bath. Hilary has created embroidery designs for Alexander McQueen (one of my favourite fashion houses) and was awarded support and mentoring this year with the Princes Scottish Youth Business Trust. I might be in sunny Australia, but if you're a wee bit chilly back home in the UK, treat yourself to one of HG's super-soft scarfs to keep you warm and snug this winter!