From inside the Artist's Studio

We have a new and interesting experience to report on this week - Heather and Bernard were asked to sit and pose as models for a group of sketch artists, painters and a sculptor!

How did this come about?  Well I am glad you asked...

Recently, towards the conclusion of one of Bernard's numerous daily exercise walks, he had a bit more energy left to burn off than usual and was not ready to go home just yet.  He started snapping and tugging at Heather's coat tails while she was walking alongside him - he wanted to play tug and was not letting go.  Those people that have met Bernard will understand that he is a big boy and will be able to appreciate that when he is in a feisty mood and wants to do his own thing he can be quite a handful to control.  After a couple of minutes of this Heather had had enough as he was being particularly unruly so she told him to 'STOP IT!'  Suitably rebuked Bernard came to heel and let go but unbeknownst to our intrepid duo a woman standing in a nearby doorway had been watching the show.  The doorway, which is literally next door to our apartment, just happens to be the front door to the Adelaide Art Society studio.

The Adelaide Art Society now resides in what was formerly a grain store

She must have noticed what a striking and interesting pair Heather & Bernard made so after a brief chat she asked if they would mind sitting as subjects for a group of artists to draw, paint and sculpt - and she was willing to pay them to do so!  The invitation was duly accepted and so it was that on Monday 22nd June, my Heather and Bernard officially became professional 'models'.    I think it was Linda Evangelista that once said "I don't get out of bed for less than $10000 a day."  Now neither Heather nor Bernard will get out of bed for less than $50! (ha ha).

From all accounts a good time was had by all with both the subjects and the artists enjoying their time together.  He was well behaved (unlike the behaviour he had been displaying that resulted in them getting the gig in the first place).  A final 2 hour sitting is to be done next week so that the group can put the finishing touches to what they have started.

It is amazing how differently a group of people looking at the same subject at the same time in the same setting can see things and then there is the different way each artist captures what they see.  Below are a couple of photos of their works in progress.
 

Portrait of Heather and Bernard

One of the painters was a little more abstract...

That's all for now.  Once the paintings and sculpture are finished I will post an update for all to see.

Fleurieu Peninsula

Another nice weekend so another local road trip to discover and re-discover some of the places of interest that are on our new doorstep.

On a driving loop to and through a region known as the Fleurieu Peninsula that lies to the south of Adelaide the three of us visited a number of little towns and parks along the way.  All in all it was a pleasant way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

First up were to neighbouring towns of Yankalilla and Normanville where we enjoyed a nice lunch in an historic pub.

Next planned stop was to be at the Deep Creek Conservation Park where we thought we would take Bernard out for a bit of a walk.  This however, was not to be as the 'Conservation' part of the park's name also means 'no dogs allowed' as they may decide to chase the native critters that they come across.  So as we were doing our drive through and out the park without any leg stretch for the dog we had to be satisfied with the consolation prize of some beautiful views of the coastline from the higher elevations of the park.

View of the coastline from Deep Creek Conservation Park

As it turns out we did come across a small mob of kangaroos (for non-Australian readers, the word 'mob' is how a group of kangaroos is described) while still in the park.  With the dog confined to the car the kangaroos were not too bothered by our presence so we took the obligatory photos then continued on our way.



A few roos enjoying the green grass and sea view

The seaside town of Victor Harbor (population 14,500) is the major centre at the southern end of the Fleurieu Peninsula.  There used to be some whaling activity run out of the area way back when.  Today there are a couple of outfits that run whale watching tour boats which is a much better way to make money off of the whales.  Although the whale watching season has just started (it runs from June through to October), we decided to stay on land and take the dog for a walk across the causeway to nearby Granite Island.

View of the Causeway and Granite Island from Victor Harbor

The causeway connecting Victor Harbor to Granite Island (so named because it is essentially a big lump of granite - the early settlers were literal if not very imaginative with their place naming), is about 600m across which makes for a pleasant stroll on a cool but calm day like today but may not be quite so much fun when it is colder and windy.  For those where the walk there and back may be a bit too far, or perhaps just for the novelty of it, you can also take the horse drawn tram across.

Take the Horse drawn tram if you are not up for the walk

The three of us were all set to walk across to the island when we saw the 'Dogs and Cats Prohibited' signs at the start of the causeway.  For the second time today Bernard was deprived of what would have been a good walk for him - this time on account of the existence of a colony of penguins on the island.  With Bernard unable to make the hike we loaded him back into the car, cracked the windows to let some cool air in for him, gave him a dog biscuit and then we scurried away without looking back at the car in order to avoid the 'stink-eye' look that he gives us when we don't take him with us.

Heather and I made short work of the walk across and then around the island.  The penguins have been making a comeback on the island of late so they get the rule of the roost hence the Give Way to Penguins signs dotted about the place.

It was getting later in the day so it was time to start heading home.  Along the roadside we came across an old gum tree (a eucalyptus tree) that had had a large 'blaze' cut out of it.  A signpost stated the bark section had been stripped off by aboriginal people many years ago in order to make a canoe.

Aboriginal 'Canoe Tree'

We got home just as it was getting dark after setting out at around 9:30 that morning.  A much longer day than we were expecting but the time seemed to fly by as something new and interesting always appeared around the next corner.  Despite our best efforts Bernard probably got the raw deal for the day but that is also one of the few times in his life where that has been the case.  He needn't worry as we will make it up to him tomorrow...

It was inevitable...A trip to the Barossa

A long weekend where Saturday morning revealed a beautiful, sunny, clear day was all that was required for us to decide that a short road trip to one of Australia's most well known wine producing regions - the Barossa Valley, was in order.

The Adelaide Hills closely flank the eastern side of the city so just 15 minutes after leaving home we were out of the suburbs and into the winding hilly roads.  We were in no particular hurry so when we came across the renovated and refurbished Inglewood Inn (established in 1857), and saw it to be open for brunch, we pulled in.  Cappuccinos and hearty breakfasts later we hit the road again.

Australia, just like Canada, has a bit of a fascination with BIG things as roadside attractions.  We had purposely opted to take the lesser travelled scenic route from the city to the Barossa as it passed through the region in the Adelaide Hills that I grew up in as a kid and as such made for a trip down memory lane of sorts as well.  With that having been said, just a few kilometres further up the road in the little town of Gumeracha was what is stated to be 'The Largest Rocking Horse in the World'.

The Big Rocking Horse - you can see some people standing above his tail

The Big Rocking Horse stands at the entrance to a toy factory where they make all sorts of wooden toys.  Next to the Rocking Horse is a busy signpost where you can find the distance and direction to many cities around the world.  This revealed us to be standing about 17,000km from Toronto and 'just' 13,873km from Vancouver.



It is a long way from here to Canada!

In contrast to how far it was to Canada, we were now just 30km from the Barossa so we chose to continue as planned.

Next stop en route was a water reservoir where the design of the dam wall has resulted in some interesting acoustic effects.

The Whispering Wall

While standing on one side of the curved wall and speaking normally, or even whispering, you can converse easily with someone standing on the far side of the dam wall some 140m away as if you were standing next to them.  Bernard was pretty confused when I called his name which he obviously heard clearly but he could not see me nearby - good for a bit of a laugh.  The wall is known as The Whispering Wall and makes for a pleasant 15 minute stop and a leg stretch.

Once in the Barossa we stopped at a couple of wineries to do a little tasting (I drive, Heather tastes, Bernard waits).  First stop was at Rockford's Winery.

Entrance to Rockford's Winery and their free Cellar Door tasting rooms

Not only do they produce a nice drop, we got married nearby and had our wedding photos taken at Rockford's so it was another nice trip down memory lane for us.



This press used to produce Rockford's Basket Press Shiraz

Last stop was Peter Lehmann's winery.  The 'cellar door' is situated in a very large park like setting where you can enjoy a glass or two on the grounds in a picnic setting.  The day was perfect and as a result there were several groups of people spread across the area doing just that.  We took Bernard out for what we thought would be a quick walk in the park before heading home.  However, as he does, he captured peoples' attention and drew a small crowd (like ants to the aforementioned picnic).  He shamelessly lapped it all up until his public had to leave to get to the next stop on their winery tour.

Bernard draws admirers at Peter Lehmann's

After an enjoyable outing we made the short 65km trip back to Adelaide - it is all rather too convenient (I can see how these winery visits could easily develop into a habit!).

You are now up to date with Where The Farrows have been and What The Farrows have been up to so that's all for this edition of 'WTF? - Where are The Farrows?'.  Surely it must be time to raise a glass and say 'Cheers to living the good life!'