August August

Love August!

My birthday comes along at this time of year and I still harbour that little-girl anticipation of celebrations, not to mention gift-getting, even though, if asked, I don't actually feel I need or want a lot of frivel...much prefer sourcing out the perfect present for other people in reality.

In Brisbane, August (also) = Exhibition: the mighty Ekka, the annual horticultural show, the RNA, a rose by any name...more echoes of childhood! A sun-shiny week when the Westerlies blow icy, all sorts of nasty flus abound, as the first summer fashion forces itself out on brave (very) young things.


For the young the Ekka was - still may be, although somehow I doubt it - a bit of a rite of passage: eventually you were deemed old enough to go alone and unsupervised in the company of friends to spend a day and an evening riding the big dipper and the octopus, feasting on dagwood dogs and get-your-cheerios, and collecting trophies from the sample bag pavilion. Young girls and young fellows strutted their stuff - too young perhaps for boyfriends and girlfriends, but old enough to be aware of display.

Pre-Dreamworld days, we loved the Ekka, with its something-for-everyone...baby animals for the kiddies, floral dioramas for the Mums, spivvy cars for the Dads, handicrafts for the Nannas, and traditional pit-stops like the wood-chop and the silhouette cutter's stand that were as predictable as night following day in a world otherwise full of flux and change.

August this year involves a number of wimcee ventures: a workshop, an exhibition entry, a market - more of these shortly or visit me on facebook to be kept up-to-date.

Have great weeks!

wimceexx

Hey Green Tamborine...

So what do garter-belts, wooden clogs, caravan-shaped tea-pots and sub-tropical rhubarb have in common?


Terrific Trev fancied some R&R over the Labour Day long week-end, so off we went to the fabulous Escarpment Retreat, which is next but one to St Bernard's Hotel on "Mount" Tamborine.

"Mount" because it's not really a mountain in the strictest sense, more of a small plateau-hillside settlement. But the vistas are extraordinary due to the plummeting cliffs of the Scenic Rim, and the flora is pure Gondwanise:- massive figs, thick tarzanesque strangler vines, ancient cycads, dappled sunlight, leaf canopy and all...beautiful! About 90 minutes from Brisbane, it's the perfect week-end get-away.

St Bernard's is a scene-stealer itself. This grand old hotel has been a local land-mark since 1898. In it's accommodation-based hay-day in the 20's it boasted a tennis court, a large swimming pool fed by a creek, walks to visit the five local waterfalls, and extensive gardens on the edge of the escarpment - all perched right on the cliffs with a view north-east to the Gold Coast and islands of Moreton Bay.

I remember family day trips up to Tamborine when I was a child, with St Bernard's the destination for lunch: a choice of roasts, with vanilla ice-cream and caramel sauce to follow... such were the heights of culinary sophistication in Queensland in the early 60's. But served up by maids in uniform on fine china, silver cutlery and starched white tablecloths.

The Gallery Walk on the Long Road is an eclectic mix of dress shops, galleries, craft and nick-nacks, with a variety of eateries, brewery, wine cellar, a cheese factory, and a couple of hum-dinger ethnicentric pit-stops including the (German) Cuckoo Clock Nest and the Dutch Bite Cafe and Clog Place. I love a genuine Black Forrest cuckoo clock and a bit deft china along with the best of them...Tamborine is a bit like that; all oblique if not downright obvious references to a vague Continental heritage. The Tamborine Mountain Teapot Shop features some pretty wild creations imported from England; the Polish Place serves up food, drink and objects d'art in the Polish tradition. When I was a student we used to drive up to savour coffee in a brass kettle and a potato and bacon hash at the long-gone Swedish Cafe, with it's blue and yellow flag painted roof, when IKEA was just a twinkle in someone's flat-packing eye.

We also shared out retreat in a general rather than specific sense with this year's garter-belt and gasoline convention - a colossal coming together of hot-rods through the ages, most in pristine nick, with rockabillia excelsis thrown in for good measure! Bands, balls, a massive show-ground festival - ladies of all ages done up from top-to-toe in 40's/50's fashions, and greased-back locks and sharp shoes for the blokes. Spectacular! Time for a quick visit to The Shop Time Forgot and Kitty's Vintage Kitsch, the mountain's retro mega mecca.


We wined, dined and did some gentle trekking to make up for it all - the non-leech-infested Sky Walk for one (someone mentioned the 'L' word to TT), and the Curtis Falls track for another, the latter setting off from one of the prettiest picnic grounds in s-e  Queensland.

All in all, a fabulous retreat...and just slightly la-la land enough to be great fun!

Have great weeks!

Exhibitionist!

Gallery Frit, Imbil.

I have a mini-exhibition at Gallery Frit, Imbil, running through April. The curator and owner, Christina, has established Frit in Yabba Road, which makes me think Flintstones, but the local waterway is the Yabba, and this is main street Imbil, with the gallery housed in an elegant old Queenslander. My work is cheek by jowl with some other lovely and eclectic pieces and it's an absolute buzz to give my work this new home for the next few weeks. This is pop-up wimcee - because I am not attending markets at the moment I've basically provided my market stall for the show - everything from paintings to cushions, feather head-dresses to children's quilted jackets, and one monkey soft sculpture...

Imbil is simple to get to - head north from Brisbane, turn left at Eumundi, turn right at Kenilworth, and then take the turn-off left to Imbil and the Borumba Dam from the Kenilworth-Gympie road. Easy-peasy.

 

Not for me though. I decided to be clever and follow my nose, and the nose chose a round-about trip via the Mooloolah Valley, up the Razorback to Montville, back-track to Maleny, and finally down the steep descents to Kenilworth and the Mary Valley. It was a beautiful morning and I loved every minute of the lush hinterland countryside en route, but I was about an hour and a half late for my appointment with Christina as a result and unable to really enjoy the surroundings as much as they deserved.




With mention though of the Blackall range, of Maleny and Montville and Mapleton, of Kenilworth and Kilcoy and Cooroy, you'll appreciate that this is all utterly picturesque country, from lofty views to towering rainforest to lush pasture. Parts have suffered from flood in recent times so are also looking for support and to grow their tourist industry. If you're up for a country ramble in this glorious autumn weather we've been gifted lately do take a drive, and if you have the opportunity stop in at Gallery Frit too. It's open 9-3, Wednesday-Sunday. You can't miss it - right next to the only petrol bowsers in town!

Have happy weeks!

Boutique Marketing at Portside!

wimcee will be at Portside, Hamilton, in Brisbane, this Sunday, August 8th, for the Boutique Market, from 8a.m., so pop in, browse the new stock, or just say hello! We have been caught up with a large and happy family celebration, but I have new skirts, new bunting, and various other spring-time delights ready for the season's change.

Happy 90th, Harold!