Food and Drink Reflections

Just because I love Belgian beer and reflections, and we had the right glass and lighting conditions.

Another weekend; another fancy breakfast - going out for breakfast with Him Outdoors after accomplishing domestic tasks is one of my small pleasures at the weekend.

Our friend's daughter turned 21 and, in that way that people do in a community, we were invited to her birthday bash where there was pink, cake, and fluffy dresing gowns. It's winter and it's cold. Also, young people today... Happy Birthday!

Dirty Janes and Half-Cooked

One of our friends, Emma Dryden, is in a band called Half-Cooked. We like her and think she is very talented, so we went along to the Pot Belly to see her in her latest project. The photos are very blurry, but I think they give enough of the vibe for you to get the picture (do you see what I did there?).

Him Outdoors was ruuning a race at One Tree Hill, so I went along to be supportive wifey and to get some fresh air and exercise myself.  

Later in the weekend, we went out to Fyshwick to get some shopping and we enjoyed a trip to Dirty Janes. I haven't been to this place before, but it is a huge warehouse full of vintage treasures. Nearly 100 stallholders offer collectibles, antiques, homewares, furniture and clothing. One could spend the whole day here, pottering about and viewing what's on offer. We browsed for a short while and then had breakfast at the adjacent Salter's Cafe.

I also read about the namesake of the place. Although there is no explanation for the missing apostrophe, this is her story:

'Dirty' Jane Dumphrey was born in the back half of a two-room stone cottage in Northern Ireland. She came screaming into the world as chickens pecked the room's dirt floor, and her father, the local rag and bone man, was miles from home in his pony cart.

By age five, Jane had joined her fathter on his run, taking over by the age of nine. She learned to spot valuable items to turn a profit and charm the locals into parting with precious things in exchange for hard-to-find clothing.

By her fifteenth birthday, both Jane's parents were buried in a pauper's grave, and the squire had claimed her home. She walked to Belfast with a bundle under her arm and what littleshe had sewn into the hem of her skirt.

Jane found a place in a poor house where the stout English owner expected equal quantities of cleanliness and godliness in every boarder. Jane's quick aptitude found favour with Mrs Fahrney, and she soon gained a position as a scullery maid in a good doctor's house. 

The doctor's house was grand, Jane spent months blacking the hearths and polishing the silver until she met Bill, a man from the wrong side of the tracks.

Bill persuaded Jane to steal some rare treasures from the doctor's collection. To cut a long story short, Jane was caught by the doctor's butler, presented to the bailiff and 'hung out to dry'.

Jane was found guilty of stealing a carved ostrich egg and transported to Australia on the Surrey I with 27 other female convicts, arriving on the 13th of July 1840. On the voyage to Sydney, Jane served the captain and his wife. George Sinclair sensed a quiet determination in Jane. He sent her with a letter of introduction to his cousin Tom Gully who owned the local general store at the trading outpost of Gundagai.

When the young orphan arrived on his doorstep, she was caked in so much mud from her 240-mile journey he immediately christened her 'Dirty Jane'. Over the years, Jane worked for Mr Gully, learning to order stock and keep shop. She helped Mr Gully identify the valuable knick-knacks customers brought in to trade for basic commodities. Tragedy arrived in 1852 when the mighty Murrumbidgee flooded, taking Tom's life. Good man that he was, he left his business to Jane.

'Dirty Jane', as she was known, continued to run the prosperous general store, buying and selling all things brought to her from local and outlying communities. Something here at Dirty Janes we are very proud to carry on.

On the 13th of May 1883, 'Dirty Jane' died of old age.

Sydney Sister

Before we begin, a quick update on the to-be-read pile at the side of the bed. 

 

And now to Sydney. My sister was heading over to the UK again and had got the cheaper version of a flight, which included an eight-hour stopover in Sydney. This meant Him Outdoors and I went over for the weekend so that we could spend the day with her. The day we arrived, we went to the Flaming Galah Brewpub to sample their wares. 

Seeds of the Future by Lloyd and Jenny Kelemen

We then went for a wander through town to the National Maritime Museum where there was an exhibition of Wildlife photography (more of which elsewhere), and we admired the art in the foyer.

The Last Leg by Claire Bailey, 2006

Claire Bailey writes, 'the whole fabric of our culture is influenced by the migration of people arriving by sea'. In this sculpture, the Western Australian artist comments on three recent waves of migration. Her British parents were part of the great post-World War II migration to Australia. As a child she watched Vietnamese refugees arriving in bots that hardly seemed bigger than a bathtub. She has recently witnessed the desperation of boat people from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Last Leg comprises six boats (three of which are displayed here) crafted from twigs, rusted wire and the ballast tank of a lifeboat. In using brittle materials, Bailey encourages us to reflect on the fragility of many migrant vessels and the courage of all those who have embarked on these voyages. 

Waterside worker safety posters

Produced by the Association of Employers of Waterside Labour to promote workplace safety within the stevedoring industry, the poster concepts were devloped by the association, often in response to a rise in particular types of workplace accidents. The artwork and printing were done by contractors, in this case by Clem Millard, one of the artists of the Wharfies' Mural. Millward was a former waterside worker and union member. These graphic prints were designed to be displayed in the poster boxes that featured along the waterfront in the 1960s.

The Wharfies’ Mural, on display next to the Tasman Light, is an exceptional artwork and also worthy of a post all of its own. We mooched on through Darling Harbour to the Chinese Garden of Friendship (again, another post) and then to the little Batch Brewing Company Darling Bay taproom.

Located in The Exchange in Darling Square, this would probably be a delightful loocation in summer as there are lots of dining options nearby as plenty of different food stallas are also located within the building and the local laneways. However, it was winter and it was cold and wet, so it wasn't quite as appealing a spot to sit and relax, but we know we can come back later. 

We had dinner at Al Taglio in Surry Hills, an upmarket Italian restaurant featuring lamb ragut gnocchi, smoked chicken pizza with foam, and tiramisu in a glass. Delicious!

The next day The Weevil arrived so we met her at the airport and whisked her off on the ferry to Cremorne Point.

There's a beautiful walk out there through the gardens and by the shore, so we headed along to breakfast at Mosman Bay. 

We then carried on fortified to Sirius Cove Beach, with views across the harbour.

And we finished off with a trip to Freshwater Brewery, after which I regretfully took The Weevil back to the airport and waved her through security as she headed off on a plane to the UK.

In the evening Him Outdoors and I went to Staves Brewery, which was located down a rather dingy alleyway, and had a tasty curry for dinner. 

We started the next day with breakfast at Edition Roasters, where we sat down with our legs in a pit, below the floor level so it felt like sunken dining. A little bit of a strange experience, but very tasty food!

Once again, we stolled through town looking at the artwork, until we reached the Art Gallery of NSW for the serious stuff (in another post).

The Canopy by Jacob Nash

Archibald Memorial Fountain, Hyde Park

Frazer Fountain

We then enjoyed the Spirit of Art Noveau exhibition and, as Alphonse Mucha created posters for champagne houses, among other things, we felt it necessitated a glass or two of bubbles to appreciate the finer points.