Havana Sunsets & Sunrises

Life is pretty busy at the moment, so I thought I'd take a moment to sit back, relax and enjoy the sunsets and sunrises of Havana, Cuba!

One of the things keeping me busy, has been the unexpected honour of being asked to exhibit some of my Cuba photos. Our local library often asks local people to either highlight our local area or their talents. Unbeknownst to me the library had been following my Instagram account for a while. 

The hard part is selecting just 33 pics from the 1000+ plus options!

If you have had a particular favourite shot from any of my previous Cuba posts, please let me know in the comments.

But for now, please enjoy the sunsets and sunrises from the roof top and our room in the Capri Hotel.

The Edificio Fosca is an unmistakable outline on the Havana skyline.
Built in the 1950's, it is now listed as one of the seven modern engineering wonders of Cuba.
sadly it is in a state of disrepair, with vultures nesting in the upper floors.
Apparently it is being renovated, but we didn't see many lights or much action inside.

This post is part of Saturday Snapshot.

Gladesville Bridge

 When we were looking for a new home, we visited some lovely places with gorgeous views.

One contender had these magnificent views of Gladesville Bridge.

I could just imagine myself sitting on the verandah with a G&T enjoying these sunsets on a daily basis!

Gladesville Bridge spans the Parramatta River.

There has been a bridge spanning this section of water since 1881.

The old swing bridge was replaced in 1964 with this modern concrete arch. At that time it was the longest single span concrete arch in the world.

It wasn't meant to be.

It is now a lovely sliding door memory.

This post is part of Saturday Snapshot

My Sunset Post

 Recently we had to move house.

Therefore there will be no more sunset posts from this particular verandah with this particular view.

I will miss it and our wonderful neighbours, but I will not miss the old, cold, dusty, storage-challenged house.

Enough nostalgia!
It's time to explore my new neighbourhood.

This post is part of Saturday Snapshot

Botanic Gardens - Tree Art Installation

I love all the little hidden gems to be found in any big city when you have the time or opportunity to simply wander off the regular path.

Last week I was meeting a friend in the Botanic Gardens, but the bus driver forgot he still had one passenger left on board! So instead of being dropped off at the eastern entrance to the Gardens, I got the longer, scenic drive around the tip of Mrs Macquarie's Chair before being dropped off.

To meet my friend, I had to walk back up the centre island between the two roads.

And to my delight I found this gorgeous, discreet public art/poetry installation underneath a stand of towering gum trees.
Several glass columns inscribed with tree poems and literary quotes adorned the area. Depending on the light and dappled shade, the columns reflected back various tree-ish images and patterns.

An island of beauty and serenity and reflection that made the unexpected detour seem serendiptious.

I've spent some time on google trying to find out the who, why and when of this lovely installation, but I struck out. If anyone knows more about this work, please leave a comment.

To finish off this lovely walk through the Gardens, I'll show off a couple of 'Sydney in Autumn' pics, just because I can & just because Sydney looks glorious in any season!

It was pretty cool on the ferry trip home, so instead of braving the front of the boat, the sunset pics are filtered through the scratchy glass windows!

This post is part of Saturday Snapshot

Five Bells by Kenneth Slessor

Kenneth Slessor (1901 - 1971)

Australian poet, journalist & war correspondant. 

Born in Orange, NSW.

Moved to Sydney with his family when he was two.

Five Bells (1939) is his most famous poem.

About his artist friend and colleague Joe Lynch, who drowned, Five Bells is an ode to Sydney Harbour, time, memory and the past (wikipedia).

Australian writer Hal Porter described Slessor as: 

 "...a city lover, fastidious and excessively courteous, in those qualities resembles Baudelaire, as he does in being incapable of sentimentalizing over vegetation, in finding in nature something cruel, something bordering on effrontery. He prefers chiselled stone to the disorganization of grass."

If you would like to read the entire poem, please click here.

For now, I have selected the final stanza (below), as my own homage to Sydney and it's beautiful, dangerous waterways.

I looked out my window in the dark
At waves with diamond quills and combs of light
That arched their mackerel-backs and smacked the sand
In the moon's drench, that straight enormous glaze,
And ships far off asleep, and Harbour-buoys
Tossing their fireballs wearily each to each,
And tried to hear your voice, but all I heard
Was a boat's whistle, and the scraping squeal
Of seabirds' voices far away, and bells,
Five bells. Five bells coldly ringing out.
Five bells. 

 

 This post is part of Saturday Snapshot & AusReading Month.

The City at Night

A recent excursion into the city allowed me to captured these lovely shots of Sydney at twilight.

Sunset over Cockatoo Island and Gladesville

Waiting for the ferry

Approaching Circular Quay

This post is part of Saturday Snapshot.

Autumn in Sydney

We've had a glorious autumn in Sydney. 

This week we have had some beautiful sunsets thanks to the burning off going on in nearby National Parks.

I thought I would share a few quick pics of my favourite ones.

Happy Saturday Snapshot everyone!