Peggy Guggenheim Collection / Art Gallery of WA

Peggy Guggenheim Collection

category: a Collection of ... Art?, author:

Abstract Expressionist Artists ... ?

from the Peggy Guggenheim Venice collection,
visited in January 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 5 out of 10 -- good for a laugh.

I just wish that I had met Peggy Guggenheim. I bet she would have been a sure-fire purchaser of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I'm only selling the bridge because my dear friend the Manager of the Stateless Bank of Nigeria is recently deceased. He left me a bequest and specifically requested that I give $100,000,000 (one hundred million dollars) to my dear friend Pegggie Gaagenherm. Just send $10,000 transfer fee, details of your bank account and a sample signature. Your $500,000,000 (five hundred million dollars) will be on its way as soon as we can clear customs, which will require you to pay a further minor deposit of $17,000...

You get the idea: Guggenheim was a sucker with too much money and no sense of when she was being had.

Village Bakery, Woodlands

category: TripsOut, author:

Agamedes

September 2010

We had a well-timed morning: A run in Kings Park which finished just before the first shower of rain. After lunch and the rain has settled in. No worries, we'll take the car.

Off to Bunnings, to look at options for an outside playpen for our otherwise indoors cat. (The previous cat ate one wild bird per day -- at least -- plus pet rabbits. This cat is strictly confined.) Purpose-built cages are ridiculously expensive and limited in shape. I visualise either chicken-wire laid in a circle, or shelving framework with mesh "walls".

The carpark is crowded. The obvious space holds a trailer -- visible only once it's too late to get back to the last empty space. Circle the block, try again. Temper frays.

Bunnings has shelving kits, packs of struts and shelves, easy to build. I pick one up, the box falls apart, shelf struts fall everywhere. Not going well so far.

We check other options: squares of mesh at too many dollars each, chicken-wire by the large roll. Go home and think about it, we decide.

Still, while we're there, we need some herb seedlings. Italian parsley and basil. Italian parsley looks like a weed to me -- to me, parsley should have curly leaves -- I have trouble spotting it on the shelves. No worries, that's why there are two of us.

Between the two of us, we cannot find any basil. Too early in Spring, perhaps. We'll come back in a few weeks and try again. So we leave Bunnings empty-handed.

Leaving the carpark is also a failure. Our plans to turn right are foiled by traffic. We settle for going straight on, heading for the small shopping centre by Jackadder Lake.

Driving through the narrow, winding suburban streets, a big 4WD roars up on us from behind. Sits on our tail. I slow down to a speed which feels safe. Oh dear, I seem to annoy the tailgater! Excellent :-)

Park at the shops -- Woodlands Village -- walk in. And the rain starts to pelt down. Good timing!

The shopping centre is crowded with after-school parents and children. Big kids, little kids, eating, playing, making noise. Lots of fun, entertainment while we shop :-) Time for coffee:

Village Bakery, Woodlands

Coffee and cake at the Village Bakery.

The Bakery is a kitchen, a counter in the main corridor, three small tables and a dozen or less chairs. I claim a table for two, we select a cherry ripe slice for cake.

Coffee is good, cake is a bit disappointing. Not bad, just not exciting... and one of us does not like the marzipan flavour. Ah well, no worries, we enjoy the experience.

As soon as we leave our table -- it is claimed by big kids in school uniforms. Our coffee experience includes children coming from school and needing food. Chips, mostly... Some of these "children" are taller than us, wearing their "2010 Leavers" jackets. Many of them are soaking wet -- the rain is still pelting down.

A minor observation which may or may not be generalisable: Several of the older boys are soaking wet; none of the older girls are even damp. Is this a subtle yet significant indicator of the different approaches to life of men and women? Or is it just a meaningless coincidence...

We also notice that school uniform skirts are short and tight and that dark stockings -- or possibly tights -- are a part of the uniform. The uniform may vary, depending on shape, size and attitude, we decide.

The rain has cleared, enough to get back to the car. And so we leave. To drive home again, through more pelting rain.

It's a wet old day. I hope that the farmers are happy. We are :-)

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

Mooba and More

Flat White Mooba and More

category: Trips Out, author:

Agamedes

2 September 10

The cat is at the vet's. We have a few hours to wait till we can pick her up. Time to find some geocaches...

There is a swag of caches in the Canning River Regional Park -- well worth a visit, we think. So off we go.

We only find two caches, though the first is a multi: following clues, point to point, through the suburbs. Just a few kilometres in total but through an unfamiliar area. On top of that -- school is just out for the day. We zig and zag through the streets, slowing for narrow roads, children on foot and parents in cars.

Quite a lot of fun, really!

It's Spring -- just -- and wildflowers are blooming. The final stage of the multi cache -- "gz", or ground zero -- is a hundred metres or so off the nearest road. A short walk through light bush and more open ground with flowers.

We're pleased with our find and decide to try for another.

"Barking Mad"?! Is the cache, perhaps, hidden on the doggy poo bag holder? Nooo... it's another meaning for the word "bark". Takes us a few minutes but the search is successful. Time for another?

Yes... probably... We set the GPS for the next nearest geocache.

These roads are very confusing! Where are we really going? The GPS shows only the next road... and the screen is a bit difficult to read as the light changes.

Enough!

Set the GPS for home and follow its lead.

Even that is complicated! It's not a straight path, out from these parkside suburbs. No worries -- we just follow the GPS. West, north then west again...

---

We're still a bit early for the cat. Is there time, we wonder, for a cup of coffee?

Of course there is!

There's a coffee shop called Mooba... A coffee machine squeezed in on the edge of a walkway at the end of an IGA. Plastic chairs, plastic blinds, generally open to weather and traffic.

Actually -- it's a pleasant spot with quite good coffee. Perched between busy shops and busier roads.

Mooba closes at 5 pm on weekdays. As we sit here, enjoying our coffee, we wonder what they do at night. It's a bit open!? Do they just leave the chairs and tables out all night?!

As we sit there, enjoying our coffee, half the Mooba staff (that is, one person) starts to clear away the furniture. Chairs are stacked and moved. Tables are folded, stacked and moved. It looks as though all will be cleared for the night.

"All"?! Yes -- though "all" is not very much. It's quite a small coffee shop:-)

---

Then it's a short drive to the vet's. The cat is alert and happy, bravely sporting a bandage on one paw. We take her home and feed her a hearty dinner.

The cat is sleeping, after the excitement of her day. Well, sleeping as she normally does, for most of each day.

Another great day of cat, coffee and caches.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

Epic Park & Drive for an Espresso

Epic, Maud and Other

category: Trips Out, author:

Agamedes

26 August 10 and even earlier, on 11 August 10)

day one: 11 August 2010

It all started quietly enough, with an arrangement to meet at Epic Espresso in West Perth. Best coffee ever! is one opinion. Will it be as good as my usual instant? I wondered.

We agreed to meet at 3:30. Epic, at the corner of Outram and Hay.

I was there a little early. I walked up Outram to Hay and searched the intersection. No Epic. I walked along Hay. No Epic. Walked back along Outram -- and there it was...

I had walked straight past Epic, without even noticing.

So we had a coffee and chat. And picked up my souvenir cafe sugar packets. Nothing very exciting, just bulk-buy packets of sugar. The coffee, however, was very pleasant.

And so was the chat :-) So pleasant, in fact, that we ignored the obvious signs that the cafe was closing... You know, outside tables being brought in, inside chairs being stacked, floors being swept... But it was too difficult to ignore the waiter who -- apologetically -- told us that the cafe was now closed.

Another coffee, perhaps?
We wandered back towards Hay Street and into Miss Maud's. Picked up some sugar samples but decided that one coffee was enough for now. A bit disappointing, to the budding sugar collector, that Miss Maud did not provide Miss Maud-branded sugar. Still, it's all a part of the rich provenance of the sugar collection!

And so we wandered along Hay Street... avoiding most of the light drizzle... and enjoying a wandering conversation. Which brings the story wandering along to...

---

... day two: 26 August 2010

This Sunday is race day: the 2010 City to Surf "fun" run. The Thursday before the race is a good day to pick up our race packs.

This is our fourth year in the event and we have generally supported -- joined -- my wife's employer's team. Year one, they had a free t-shirt and a sausage sizzle at race end. Year two, there was a sausage sizzle and they picked up the race packs for all team members. Year three, they picked up race packs. This year... there is a team name. That's all.

Ah well. The difficulties of working for the public service. Supporting healthy employees is all very well. Actually spending money on employees keeping healthy, well, that's subject to too much public criticism.

So, Thursday, off to the city to collect our race packs. It is all very carefully planned.

We park on Spring Street. There's a quiet little garden off Spring Street which, apparently, contains a hidden geocache. Apparently? Well, we do not find it.

Mind you, it's in a difficult location:

First up, the park is closed outside business hours. As we found out, the first time we thought of searching. Next... We're not very good at looking foolish in public.

Don't get me wrong -- we may be very good at looking foolish in public! It's just that we don't like to do it deliberately.

When you're in a public park -- even though there are very few other people -- but there are signs saying, This area is under constant video surveillance... Well, you feel a bit silly, poking and peering around and under all sorts of fixed objects.

We poke and peer, for a while. Then carry on to pick up our race packs.

Across a couple of roads. Traffic lights with a pedestrian crossing in the cycle. Very, very busy roads but no trouble for patient pedestrians.

At the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre we can see the room that we want. Through glass doors. Glass doors which are locked. We walk all the way up to an open door then back again. Bag pickup is very efficient.

Push our way through the crowds in the compulsory buy-me section of the room... there's no other way out. All the way back to the open doors then back along the outside. Ah well, the City to Surf is all about fitness and exercise :-)

We have another quick look around the very pleasant park -- no geocache -- then back to the car.

As we drive home I think, What about a cup of coffee? Of course! We can drive through West Perth and stop at Epic.

There is even an empty parking spot, very near the cafe. Okay, almost empty. A Post Office courier bike is parked at one end.

The postie has parked carefully and left plenty of room. I park with one wheel on the kerb and one corner of the car just poking out of the marked parking area. Close enough, I think. Then the postie reappears.

I point up the road, say, You order and I'll tidy up the position of the car.

The postie is very, very slow. I wait. Suddenly I realise -- there are two cafes!

I rush up the road, say, Wrong queue, it's the next cafe up -- and rush back to the car. That was close!

By now the postie has left. The parking space is clear. I move the back wheel off the footpath, decide that the nose is not too far into the traffic -- and find one more problem.

We are parked in a ticket parking zone.

But wait! Cast our minds back to Spring Street:

Spring Street was also ticket parking. We paid for two hours -- in a machine which did not give change -- and paid 30 cents too much. That ticket still has twelve minutes to run. Twelve minutes! Excellent :-)

I put the ticket back on the dashboard. "City of Perth"? West Perth? Probably the same... Close enough, anyway. "Spring Street"? Well, I'm sure that a parking inspector will not look that closely.

With a light heart and an almost clear conscience, I go off to enjoy my flat white and half a friand. Very tasty! Though I have to admit that my conscience is a little bit tense.

Plus the knowledge that the parking ticket -- no matter whether it is in the same city or not -- is very soon to expire.

We enjoy our coffees but do not linger. And then we head back home.

An enjoyable outing. Multi-purpose. And a very effective use of time.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

A Day in Pompeii

category: Trips Out, author:

Agamedes

31 August 2010

The City to Surf fun run was last weekend -- so our training regime has finally collapsed. Time to relax at last! So we went to the city to see A Day in Pompeii.

We parked at the Cultural Centre carpark and walked upstairs. Looked around, admired the cultural demographic of the area: Youngish, scruffyish, arty... We were in an area with art galleries, museum, state library, TAFE... Definitely not our usual suburban haunts.

Raining, too, but not too hard.

"Where," we wondered, "Is the Pompeii exhibition?! Perhaps in the Art Gallery?"

The Art Gallery was closed. It's Tuesday. No-one wants to look at Art on a rainy Tuesday... The Art Gallery coffee shop was open, though... Later, perhaps...

Luckily enough we could see a very large sign... across the damp concrete concourse of the cultural centre... A very large sign advertising the Pompeii exhibition. The sign covered the entire wall of the Museum. The exhibition was in the Museum.

As we walked towards the Museum we noticed a strange little building. Glass walls front and back. A single room, empty except for a washing-up area at one end. Hmmm... cultural, perhaps?

Inside the Museum we bought our tickets. Twenty dollars each, the next show starts at 11:06... "The next show"? A Day in Pompeii starts with an eight minute 3D movie; the next showing starts at 11:06.

Have you ever looked at the "legal contract" on the back of a ticket?

There's a lot there, isn't there! Still -- if I remember my Contract Law lectures -- the conditions only count if they are pointed out to you. Being on the back of the ticket is not enough to include them in the contract of sale. If I remember correctly. If the law has not changed.

We went to the Museum coffee shop for coffee and cake. The coffee shop area extends outdoors and has been extended (or sheltered) with a marquee. Heated with gas burners (this is winter) and given a very slight Roman theme. A pleasant spot to pass the twenty minutes while we waited.

We waited with the help of latte, cappuccino and a Tuscan Grape cake (with cream) to share. Delicious cake! No time to dilly dally, though... Just enough time to eat, drink and walk rapidly back for our 11:06 movie.

And the movie is excellent! It's an animated view of Vesuvius erupting. Time lapse, sort of, with a minute or so from 6pm then 8pm then 1pm and so on. A view over Pompeii to Vesuvius, with birds, buildings, smoke, ash, fires and collapse. Very effective!

Out of the cinema, walk through the museum -- past the stuffed animals -- and into the main Pompeii display. Which was also excellent!

The display was crowded but not too crowded. We were able to move around and see all the various exhibits, with just occasional delays to wait for a clear view.

What is in the exhibit? What can I say! Just go and see it...

And so -- after a good long browse -- we left.

But it was raining, so we went upstairs again. Chose the right branch just before the stuffed animals -- and we looked at the butterflies. Amazing! So many butterflies -- and so beautiful!

Of course there were also the West Australian butterflies. Including the ones from the Perth area, with very small ranges which have largely been destroyed. Very sad.

One type of butterfly lives (or lived) in the Perth area. It fed only from one type of bush and only when a particular species of ant was nesting nearby. The butterfly spent each night sheltering in the ant nest, giving nectar in exchange. Its last habitat was bulldozed several decades ago. What are the butterfly's chances? Buckley's or none.

Ah well.

We went back to the Art Gallery cafe for lunch. Coffee and soup... Very nice soup, too: cauliflower & broccoli. Perhaps just a bit salty.

The cafe is a Caffissimo, with its standard branded sugar. But there were also some non-Caffissimo sugars, so I sampled some of them. I collect cafe sugar packets -- and this is my first Elite sugar! So. Standard cafe franchise, interesting location, good location and new sugar brand -- a good lunch all round :-)

From there it was back to the car and off to Como. Zigging and zagging through the city, working our way from Northbridge to the Narrows Bridge.

With a convenient stop on Terrace Road to use a public convenience. More than convenient, in fact -- it was a lucky stop. I took a wrong turn and had to do a U-turn. As I made the turn I spotted the toilet block. Aha! I thought, Never miss an opportunity!

From there it was an easy drive to Como. Did our minor business, said hello to Joe the property manager, headed home again.

We were almost sorry that we had not brought the GPS... we could have looked for a couple of geocaches. But no -- it was still raining. It had been enough excitement for one day, so... home again with no cache searches.

Just a quick stop at a shop.

And home.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.