Don’t try this at home

Walking underneath the skyscrapers in my previous post, I came across this interesting piece of art.

I think this is what causes pandemics…

This is ‘Crocodylius Philodendrus’ by Nancy Rubins. On the website sculptureinthecity.org.uk it tells us a little bit about the artwork:

As part of her series Diversifolia– which in the scientific names of plants indicates a single species possessed with a considerable variety of leaf, Crocodylius Philodendrus employs clusters of bouquet like arrangements comprised out of a variety of animal forms that explode into space in all directions. Her calculated compositions employ a structural property called “tensegrity,” wherein individual parts are arranged in balanced compression and secured with tensile cables, that galvanizes the aluminium crocodiles, hogs and deer, cast iron tortoises, and bronze zebras into purely formal, abstract components as they propel into space due to their aggregate momentum. Circumnavigating her towering assemblage reveals the transformation of found objects and industrial refuse into expertly orchestrated abstractions that are fluid and rhizomatic in nature.

Lots of fancy words there. And lots of cool animals that can’t be found in London so I stayed there for a while staring at it from different angles.

The website displays many pieces of art that are currently dotted around the city centre, but also reminds everyone during the pandemic to refrain from looking for them for the time being. But at least I can show you this one, and if this kind of art is your thing, more can be seen in the link at the bottom of this post.

It takes me back to November 2017, walking along the coastline in Sydney whilst Sculptures by the Sea was taking place. Similar sculptures and if you want to check them out I have linked that post too. And who doesn’t like ocean pictures?! 😉

What do you think of this piece of art? Let me know!

www.sculptureinthecity.org.uk

Sculptures by the Sea– A day on Bondi to Coogee’s coastal walk

 

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Due to the Coronavirus outbreak I am somewhat limited as to what I can do in London, but I aim to post as much as I can during this time. I promise to have some great posts coming your way once this is all over as I continue to explore London.

Stay home, stay safe and happy blogging!

Sam

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How long have you been blogging?

Today is the first day in God knows how long that I haven’t left the house at all. Not even for the bins or to pop to the shops. The closest I got was opening my bedroom window to let some fresh air in and shout obscenities to the neighbours to let them know I am still here. But that is about it really.

With this I have little to talk about, so today was the perfect day to find out I have been blogging for six whole years on WordPress.

I like the reminders for the little boost they give me. To remember that I started all the way back in 2014 in Newcastle and have done quite a bit since. Especially travel-wise. I feel travel has been my biggest accomplishment during this time as this was what I wanted to do the most.

It seems obvious looking at my blog today, but it didn’t start as a travel blog.

But it started here, from gazing over these views of Newcastle’s Quayside from the Castle Keep whilst the city was my home…

To soaking up Kuala Lumpur’s skyline by the pool on my 24th birthday…

To the beautiful beaches of Rio de Janeiro…

To moving to Sydney after booking a flight pretty tipsy at a wedding back in England (this really is how it happened)…

To arriving back in the UK in my 30’s (only barely in my 30’s!!), working and living in London.

I have been very lucky to have visited so many incredible places in recent years, and met some amazing people along the way. The pictures I have taken over the years don’t just remind me of the places I have been but the countless stories inbetween, some I forget for years before something brings it all back. A certain sound or smell, a food, meeting up with a friend again… our memories consist of so much. And being reminded always brings a smile to my face.

But six years… I like to think I have evolved as a blogger and writer in that time. My blog’s style has certainly changed, my writing style I don’t think has as much. Now, my main focus is to keep blogging but improve my photography. I have always loved taking photos however lacked that skill and professional camera to take truly great photos, so I am hoping to change that in the next couple of years. That is my new goal.

I have been out and about during my absence trying to take more unique shots, trying to find my niche and see photography from different perspectives. I have taken a bunch that I am pretty happy with, but I don’t plan on uploading them just yet. I am using them as more of a practice run, although I will start adding them to my blog eventually when I am getting into the swing of things.

I am also planning to upload very regularly on my Instagram feed, I started to however my trips around London have been delayed whilst we suffer this pandemic. I would greatly appreciate those that haven’t followed me there to consider it as it would mean a lot to me! Instagram is pretty much used as a portfolio for photographers (and us amateurs) and I think it is a great platform to share our photos on. Thank you to those that have!

And thank you for following me here on my blog. Six years has flown by, but to see so many familiar faces and new ones everyday is a joy.

How long have you been blogging? Have you had a milestone achievement during this time, or a favourite memory as a blogger? Has your blog changed over time?

Let me know, and I will see you in the comments.

Happy blogging!

Sam

My Australian Journey #12: The steepest train journey in the world

Above, the Road Builders Memorial in Katoomba, NSW.

Inscription:

Rotary Club Of Katoomba
Centenary Project 2005
“THE ROAD BUILDERS MEMORIAL”

THESE SCULPTURES CELEBRATE THE LIVES OF CONVICTS AND PIONEER FAMILIES UPON WHOSE LABOUR THE AUSTRALIAN NATION WAS FOUNDED.

EQUALLY WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE PRESENCE OF DARUG AND GUNDUNGURRA PEOPLE WHO BELONG TO THIS LAND.

ESPECIALLY WE BEAR IN MIND THE HARDSHIPS ENDURED BY THE ROAD BUILDERS.

GANGS OF CONVICTS IN LEG IRONS TOILED FOR OVER 30 YEARS TO CREATE “THE GREAT WESTERN HIGHWAY” FROM THE EARLY SETTLEMENT IN EMU PLAINS TO THE NEW DEVELOPMENT IN BATHURST.

WITH PRIMITIVE TOOLS THEY ENDURED MANY COLD WINTERS AND HOT SUMMERS – THEY BROKE ROCK AND CARTED SOIL, FORGING A ROAD THROUGH THOSE RUGGED “BLUE MOUNTAINS”.

WE ASK YOU TO PAUSE AND REFLECT ON THEIR LIVES OF OUR ANCESTORS WHO HELPED CREATE OUR GREAT AUSTRALIAN SPIRIT AND THE IMMEASURABLE CHARACTER OF OUR NATION.

THEIR CHARACTER AND SPIRIT IS THEIR LEGACY TO ALL GENERATIONS THAT FOLLOW

And a year ago I was complaining about doing 88 days farmwork…

But to rewind even further back, this was my view from the Blue Mountains as I was about to step on what was described as ‘the steepest passenger railway in the world’. And as always, with anything described as ‘steepest’, ‘tallest’ or ‘fastest’ I headed to the bar first. Thankfully there is one located at the top, and a couple beers helped me to calm my nerves. As many of you know I am not the best with heights, and a beer takes the edge of it. Before long I headed down to the entrance and waited for the train to arrive.

Although it is as steep as a roller coaster, it was pretty slow as I watched the train on numerous occasions move forward and disappear over what seemed like a pretty sudden drop. I do have more pictures over here in the post from the day, and I am uploading them and a video to my Instagram story shortly. It was a great experience with breathtaking views.

I also added a post on my love for abandoned things and places. if you would like to look, I have linked it here. There were interesting discoveries to be made of things either left to fade or just abandoned before opening, even more impactful in such dense wooded areas.

I wonder if they have this button working again…

Being so close to Sydney, I went the first time by myself. I thought I went for a day but looking at my original posts from here I only just remembered I stayed in a hostel overnight! I’ve stayed in too many hostels, they all blur into one over time. But before I knew it I was back in the big city, back to the crowds and protesters.

I decided to add this shot as it isn’t something you can walk by in the street without a second glance.

These are today’s shots from my daily throwback posts of my Australian Journey, many, many more to come and as always, more of each experience in the links. There won’t be many more from Sydney as I really need to move onto the next destination on my travels, Newcastle. Then farmwork, the east coast from Cairns to the Gold Coast, and plenty of shots from my longer stays in Brisbane and Melbourne. Too many pictures and memories, so little time to share them!

Thank you for reading, and I will see you all again tomorrow.

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Thank you again to all my followers and regular readers, and hello to you if you are new to my blog!

New to this site? Click here to visit my About My Blog section and Travel Diary

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Cheers!

Sam

My Australian Journey #8: Rainbows, sunsets and street performers

I’ve realised that I have way too many pictures from Sydney, if there is such a thing as too many. I am trying to upload all of my favourite shots from Australia on Instagram throughout August, and even by uploading three a day I will probably not get done until mid September. This is troublesome because I will have been in the UK for a couple of weeks already, and would have already been to Berlin and back!

So I either have to upload at a more rapid pace (like 5 or 6 times a day to Insta) or I have to sort through my favourite pictures and find the best of the best. The S.A.S of snaps which I have done already, but narrowing down a second time will be hard. But it is a good dilemma to have, I would much rather have too many than not enough.

With each photo I take I have more and more of a desire to buy a professional camera. All of my current photos are on an old school Iphone 5s, and still I really like the quality of the pictures on it. I cannot imagine how good it would be to be in possession of a quality camera or drone, and how much more of a desire I would have to get out and about with it. We are lucky to have great cameras on our phones these days, but I know if I had a proper camera I wouldn’t look back.

And I dropped this in water very early on in my Australian journey, around the same time I took this shot. I was at a party, went down to grab a beer and splash, iPhone dropped to the bottom of the bucket of icy water below. But it has lasted all this time, with just one replaced charger port since then. It has served me well.

So I have a very busy upload schedule to stick to, and thank you to those that have followed me on Instagram. I haven’t been this active on the app before but I am enjoying it. It is great for photos.

And I will leave you with this video of the glorious sunset and rainbow I got to experience in Sydney, not long after a storm. It was a very memorable ferry ride and I remember feeling lucky to witness it on the ferry. I also remember feeling pretty damn lucky to be able to travel to the other side of the world and enjoy moments like this, reminding me why I enjoy travel so much.

I hope you enjoy the clip!

Sam

 

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Thank you again to all my followers and regular readers, and hello to you if you are new to my blog!

New to this site? Click here to visit my About My Blog section and Travel Diary

Want to introduce yourself and your blog and discover new ones? Click here for my meet and greet page.

Cheers!

Sam

My Australian Journey #7: Newlyweds underneath the harbour bridge

I noticed on a few walks under the bridge that this was a popular spot for newlywed couples to take some wedding shots. I don’t blame them as it is a great backdrop for any shot let alone a wedding collection. The featured photo is my favourite, however it has been cropped from a much larger panoramic shot, and I have managed to disfigure the poor brides face. I don’t think it is really noticeable though unless I mention it.

I love how the fisherman is simply minding his own business, as if this is a routine shoot here. It might be, however as the lady braved going closer to the water it was a scene I had to capture. Sadly it wasn’t a sunny day, however her dress is now the brightest thing in the shot.

I took a couple more whilst I was in Sydney, loved up couples taking turns showing their love under the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge. Here are more from this moment.

I hope the groom didn’t fall in… I can’t actually remember seeing him leave the bride there all alone to walk back onto the street. Maybe that’s why the fisherman looks distracted, poor guy pushing his fishing rod to it’s limits.

Happy hump day!

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Thank you again to all my followers and regular readers, and hello to you if you are new to my blog!

New to this site? Click here to visit my About My Blog section and Travel Diary

Want to introduce yourself and your blog and discover new ones? Click here for my meet and greet page.

Cheers!

Sam

 

My Australian Journey #6: More murals

I didn’t really venture too far out of the CBD when I was living in Sydney, other than where I lived in Crows Nest. So this is a rare picture from one of the surrounding suburbs, when I stumbled upon a piece of artwork that has actually been around for a while.

This piece has been around since 1983. A pretty long time if you ask me! I know there was a planned restoration looking back at my post from October 2017 however I am not sure if this has happened.

The artists name is Carol Ruff, and from the linked article I added to the post above I found the following:

Artist Carol Ruff played a key role in planning, designing and painting the 40,000 years mural in 1983. She explains how the now faded original images pay tribute to Redfern’s powerful Aboriginal history of abundance, tragedy, perseverance and accomplishment.

The salient message, “40,000 years is a long, long time/ 40,000 years still on my mind …” is inspired by Joe Geia’s song, “40,000 Years”. “We were trying to say that even before Redfern, Aboriginal people have been there, have been in that area, have known this country, this place,” Ms Ruff said.

40,000 years is a hell of a long time. It helps me to realise that 1983- the time the artwork was created- was just yesterday. I cannot even comprehend that amount of time, not to mention what life was like back then. No highrises dominating the skyline, none of the technology we take for granted today. And with that, what will life be like 40,000 years into the future? I don’t know what is a more interesting question, as both have their mysteries.

If you had to choose from two time machines, would you want to take a look at life 40,000 years ago, or 40,000 years into the future? For me it would be the future, with fingers crossed that it is a good time to be around.

Let me know!

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Thank you again to all my followers and regular readers, and hello to you if you are new to my blog!

New to this site? Click here to visit my About My Blog section and Travel Diary

Want to introduce yourself and your blog and discover new ones? Click here for my meet and greet page.

Cheers!

Sam

 

My Australian Journey #5: Views from zoo’s

Today I spent my day looking through the various shots of Sydney I took from my earlier days in Australia. Sydney is an incredibly photogenic city. It has the landmarks that we all know so well no matter where you are in the world. The postcard views that you have to see if you land in this country.

The below shot was taken on the Circular Quay to Manly ferry, and to sit inside is a big mistake.

There is another ferry that can be taken from Circular Quay to Taronga Zoo, the place in the next shot below. To be honest I am becoming more and more hesitant to see animals in captivity, but not taking a visit here is almost impossible given the time I spent in Sydney. The views from the zoo are pretty damn incredible.

But I equally enjoyed walking through the streets of the CBD away from the tourist areas. I did venture further than the CBD, however the business area of Sydney- with all its mundane suit wearing coffee drinkers underneath the countless high rises- did bring little moments of rebellion.

Obey is the work of Shepard Fairey. I stopped to give this piece a proper look, as it was huge yet you had to be looking up to notice it. Doing a little research I found the following:

“The idea of consciously obeying versus subconsciously conforming has been something that’s important to me. ⁠
⁠
To me, the real crux is democratising my art. Public art is a way for me to reach a lot of people… I always try to find an opportunity to do a larger scale work that maintains that aspect of my philosophy, though I’m now sometimes welcome in more elite circles.⁠
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I always feel it’s important for me to be outspoken, but especially right now.”

This kind of art will always hit me as I feel it is easy to get stuck in a cycle of submission- to work for other peoples gain and find it difficult to leave. We should all have the desire to live a life for ourselves and live the life that we enjoy. It is pretty damn hard to live a life purely for ourselves and our loved ones, but the aim is to get as close to it as possible.

 

Have you ever visited Circular Quay or even Taronga Zoo? Let me know what you think and I hope you like the pics of the day!

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Thank you again to all my followers and regular readers, and hello to you if you are new to my blog!

New to this site? Click here to visit my About My Blog section and Travel Diary

Want to introduce yourself and your blog and discover new ones? Click here for my meet and greet page.

Cheers!

Sam

 

My Australian Journey #4: The day of the bushfires

This day was a walk in the park. Like an actual one and one of my first nature walks after arriving and working in Sydney’s CBD. I can’t tell you how many times I flinched at hanging branches that resembled snakes or jumped at the sound of rustling leaves. But one deadly aspect of Australian life did occur. Bushfires.

Now I am petty sure this was a planned burning to prevent actual wildfires. I doubt the firefighters around us would have let us stay here if not, and the sign highlighting the risk of fires was ‘only’ at ‘high’.

Phew, I guess.

Here is the moment one of the helicopters picked up water to take to the fire, it was pretty damn impressive to see in person and shows that despite nature being incredibly powerful, we have came a long way and can fight back at times.

I was talking to an American couple that were living in Sydney at the time, as you can hear from the accents. It probably would have been better if I wasn’t chatting over the footage (who likes their own voice on video anyways?) but that’s something I cannot help.

More of this experience in this post and plenty more pictures too.

Have a great Sunday! I am sadly having to work nightshifts this weekend, so having a very chilled couple of days which is helping me greatly with uploads and blogging. Let me know what you’re getting up to!

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Thank you again to all my followers and regular readers, and hello to you if you are new to my blog!

New to this site? Click here to visit my About My Blog section and Travel Diary

Want to introduce yourself and your blog and discover new ones? Click here for my meet and greet page.

Cheers!

Sam

 

My Australian Journey #3: Blue skies and skylines

I much prefer a blue sky in any photo. It adds so much more to a shot and just gives off a warm, happy vibe. It does for me anyway.

The shot above is one of my favourite pictures on my whole working holiday visa. I love the brightness and the bright white flag blowing in the wind before an impressive skyline. The skyline is the main reason I used to enjoy a walk around Darling Harbour and I have plenty of shots in this post from September 2017.

 

I took a couple of shots here, this one and when I was waiting at the traffic lights at night, decided to try and get another shot from the same angle. I like looking at both together, it’s like travelling in a time machine.

I think the theme of all my Instagram uploads is a blue sky, or pictures with lots of colour. It puts me in a good mood, which is probably why I like street art so much. Bright colours to raise my spirits, especially at times when I need it.

Expect lots of sunshine and colour in my upcoming posts!

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Thank you again to all my followers and regular readers, and hello to you if you are new to my blog!

New to this site? Click here to visit my About My Blog section and Travel Diary

Want to introduce yourself and your blog and discover new ones? Click here for my meet and greet page.

Cheers!

Sam

 

My views this morning

There is no better feeling than waking up early on holiday and getting a little exercise done. I fib to myself plenty and pretend that a lie in feels so much better, but it really doesn’t. Not when I realise those extra couple of hours could have been used to do something much more productive and makes the day seem so much longer.

It also helps to have a great view to look out at. One that is different from every other morning and is extra motivation. I am still feeling a little shitty from my illness but it hasn’t stopped me from wanting to make the most of the day.

As I was gazing out of this window at the concrete jungle before me I had my latest existential crisis. Yes, they really do hit me anywhere. I thought about just how unbelievably crazy it is that we are all just on this floating ball of rock heading to who knows where in this eternal universe at the speed of light without a clue as to where we have come from, and we just get on with our day. We just work our little jobs in our little cars and have created our own little bubble that- for the majority of us- rarely consists of thinking about what is above and beyond that blue sky. Every building rising from the earths materials and more impressive with every passing century, sometimes I feel like we are an alien species. I mean this view would probably look alien to earlier humans and the fact that we are a thriving civilisation in this endless expanse is pretty damn alien. The blue sky helps, it looks more like a window to the universe than a roof hiding it from us on a more overcast day.

Today I feel very alive.

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Thank you again to all my followers and regular readers, and hello to you if you are new to my blog!

New to this site? Click here to visit my About My Blog section

Want to keep up with my travels? Click here for my Travel Diary or follow me over on Instagram

Want to introduce yourself and your blog and discover new ones? Click here for my meet and greet page.

Happy blogging,

Sam