Skip to main content

Christmas Carols in the Caves

The tourist brochure claims that "Magic Happens ..." in the Jenolan Caves in the Blue Mountains (180 km from Sydney, NSW).  It was truly Christmas Magic last weekend at the annual  Carols in the Caves concert.  We started from Newcastle at 6am, but it was worth the long bus trip there. It was a cool invigorating day, and we enjoyed the amazing vistas on the way, having lunch in the courtyard of the iconic Caves House as well as the beautiful carol singing. It brought out the "child" in everyone...
Angels and bright stars appeared from nowhere in cave grottoes...
 Shepherds watched their flocks under the cave canopies...
Like any show, there were times when the drama is backstage ... how many men does it take to organise a star's wardrobe when the costumes fall from the back of a truck inside the Grand Archway of the Jenolan Caves?  Yes, this is my husband Jim helping ... he just happened to be there! 
Ably compered by Peter Vickery of Master Chef  fame and with proceeds to the Westmead Children's Hospital , Carols in the Caves is  recommended to instill the spirit of Christmas in even the grumpiest Scrooge. 
And  happy birthday to our grandson who will be six years old tomorrow. 


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

12 Days .... festive or not?

Days 5 & 7 - the Gold Rush Era Stamp Series   It seems so long ago now since we were celebrating Christmas and New Year.... hope you enjoyed a great festive season. I took some time out, not doing much at all but I did set myself a little challenge of doing some tidying up which meant spending a little time each day using scraps of fabric and paper  to create something a little playful or as the mood took, useful!  Unlike the long projects I usually undertake, this was a 12 day project ( 12 days of Christmas ) - completely random, but finishing half done projects or recycling.  For example the first photo shows some collages  I did on days 5 and 7 to use a postage stamp release, the Gold Rush Era series, first issued in Australia 1981 ... yes I probably have had it in my stash since then!   Completing some other little projects was very satisfying .... On Day 1, I assembled a folded  paper folk cube from a kit my daughter gifted to me las...

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks ....  The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and  message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or  my husband or from off cuts gifted to us  from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks.   Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt  or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as w...

Too Precious to Waste

 Stitched tea bags/ old doily "tea lights" - Wilma Simmons  More than a year ago, a decision was made.  The annual exhibition of NCEATA ( Newcastle Creative Embroiderers and Textile Artists) 2015-2016 will have the theme "Mottainai". Mottainai in Japanese refers to more than just physical waste (resources). It is even used to refer to thought patterns that give rise to wasteful action. Grammatically, it can be used in Japanese as an exclamation ("mottainai!") or as an adjective phrase ("it feels mottainai"). There is no plural form. The collection of mottainai things could be called mottainai koto ( もったいない事 ? ). As an exclamation ("mottainai!") it means roughly "what a waste!" or "Don't waste." [2]  A simple English equivalent is the saying "waste not, want not." A more elaborate meaning conveys a sense of value and worthiness and may be translated as "do not destroy (or lay waste to) that ...