I love this building

I go to work everyday in a Harry Seidler designed building and everyday I pause in the lobby and take it all in.

The space, the glass, the lines, the acoustics, the everything.

I love it all.

There are shadows .

#harryseidler shadows

There are lines.

The sails are glassless at the moment and I kinda like it.<br /><br /><br /><br />
#harryseidler

There are curves.#thissundaylife is saying sigh I do quite love those #harryseidler curves.

There is glass, lots of glass.

I love this building oh so much.<br /><br /><br /><br />
I go to work everyday in a #HarrySeidler designed building and everyday I pause in the lobby and take it all in.  The space, the glass, the lines, the acoustics, the

And most importantly, there is the wave. Love the wave.

Modernteering across Brisbane

Last Sunday, I joined in the company of about 40 people in a Modernteering adventure (a word to describe an “orienteering” adventure where the control points are examples of modernist architecture) across Brisbane.

The starting point was a house in Aspley. When I heard the adventure was starting in Aspley I knew it would be a good day. There are so many nice houses in Aspley and every time I drive through Aspley I go down another street looking for those perfect modernist houses or design elements that are scattered over Aspley. This house was one of them and and the owners have spent the last couple of years working on the inside and are about to start working on the exterior. My favourite feature of this house was of course the balustrade but I did love the soaring sloped ceilings and the delightful lounge area below the corner window.

The next house was in Ashgrove and was an example of a  extension/conversion of a classic Ashgrovian post war timber house with a slightly modernist bent. The wall storage system was just gorgeous. 

Next up was Tarragindi to a house that I would cross the river for. Yep, I would become a southsider for this house. It is a house that was perfectly designed for the site it sits on. Perfectly sub-tropical and modern and Brisbane. It had lines,  more lines and more lines so much so that I  just kept getting lost in my admiration of the lines of the house. I would stand outside the house or in a corner of the room just absorbing all those lines.

The house was designed by an architect as his family home and was built in two stages as money allowed completion of the build. The current owners bought it from the architect about a year ago and one of the best things about the house tour was that the architect was actually there to talk about the house, the design and anything else you wanted to ask. I spent a lot of time pouring over the plans trying to soak up as much of the house as I could.

The last house of the tour was in Carina for a house designed by Donald Spencer and the current occupants are the third to own it, the house is quite “Palm Springs Modern” in style and when you look at the other houses in the street it would have been something really quite out there and I’m sure that the residents of the street at that time would have looked through their net curtains and wondered what that house was. I can almost here them whispering “It has now dining room!”, “The kitchen is just two tiny strips of bench behind a three quarter height wall that backs onto the living room”, “They have to eat outside!”

It really is a house and a half and it seems quite fitting that one of the current owners is a Tiki Carver! I adored, all the glass walls which brought so much light into the house and the way in which the house just flowed from one room to the other and from outdoors to indoors.

The last point was lunch, where we enjoyed delightfully kitsch sandwiches with fillings such as chicken and pecan, salmon (tinned of course) and two others that I can’t remember now. All on white bread of course!

The tour was run by Chris at Australian Modern and it was a fantastic morning out not only to explore delights of Brisbane but also the chance to catch up with other Brisbane bloggers (Brismod and Carmel of the now hibernated Make Mine Mid-Century) and to meet a whole bunch of new people who all have a place in their heart for Modernist architecture and design in many forms.

I’m very much looking forward to the next MAD (Modernist Architecture + Design) house tour when ever it happens 🙂

Float On to teenage dreams

This time last Sunday night was I was blissing out to one band in particular that I recall from early years of High School. Custard and in particular one song, Girls Like That (Don’t Go For Guys Like Us), I can’t tell you how many times I taped that song when I was younger. It was number 3 in the Triple J Hottest 100 for 1998. I was in Year 8. The start of a few years at high school where I was one of a few who listened to Triple J and an even smaller few who listened to Triple Zed. I’ve got having older brothers to thank in part for that. Musically, I was more of a Switzerland, though for all intensive purposes I still am – we’ll leave that however to a later discussion.

Custard

Above is Custard at The Hi-Fi as they took part in a flood relief concert called Float On along with other 90s greats; Regurgitator and Screamfeeder as well as some more contemporary acts in the likes of Kate Miller-Heidke, Gentle Ben and His Sensitive Side, Hungary Kids of Hungary and Little Scout.

Float On was one of the best mutli headlined shows I’ve been to in years. For so many people in the audience it was a total throwback to the days when they were younger. I heard someone say, that they’ve never seen so many 30-40 year old men in a moshpit. It was a sight. It was a common thread amongst the “contemporary acts” in their banter to talk about how this was such a teenage dream to be playing alongside the likes of Custard, the “Gurge” and Screamfeeder. It was almost like an episode of Recovery, which I really wish was still around because triple j tv, you’re just not in the same league.

Back to the music though because until we get that time travel sorted out there is only so much one can natter on about the past.

Custard – Girls Like That.

and some more 1998. Regurgitator – Polyester Girl

Quite possibly my favourite Custard song. Music is Crap. Oh gosh, let me tell you I had a smile that stretched from one ear to the other when they started this song.

Screamfeeder – Hi Cs

Regurgitator – the song formely known as

I strongly recommend checking out this collection of videos from the night. You too can indulge in some fine music that sums up an era in Brisbane music.

The crowd enjoying The Gurge
The Gurge and the crowd

The only way I think the night could have been any better would have been if Sekiden were playing as well.
Sekiden – Up in the Air

Weekend Mornings

There is one thing that I always try to make time for on at least one morning of the weekend and that is to have a slow breakfast on the deck couch with a pot of tea (Sencha Peach from T2, muesli with yoghurt and fruit or toast with Vegemite and some reading material. It may be the most recent book I’ve got out of the library or it will be an issue of Real Living.

tea and magazines

Whilst, the above activities are not affected by the weather, the following is. If the sun is out and I can’t tell you how happy I was that it was out this morning, the hum of the washing machine downstairs is the sound of a weekend morning. This of course provides the following outcome.

washing on the line

Georgie took me to the Valentino Retrospective at GOMA this mid-afternoon as a belated birthday present. Whoa, those outfits are amazing, some are plain crazy, some are beautiful, others are amazing. The work and detail is just incredible.

I took this photo on the way past QAG heading towards GOMA.

Cement Paradise

Riverfire tonight

It’s Riverfire tonight and it is quite windy… We’ll have to see how it pans out but fireworks and the amount of wind we’ve got at the moment tends not to make a good show.

This is the last year for the F-111, well so they say since last year was meant to be the last as well, frankly I’ll believe it when it doesn’t do a flyover next year …. There are no Roulettes this year which is quite a 🙁 for me. I love seeing them doing all their formations etc instead there’ll be some Black Hawks flying about …

Riverfire from the Beach at Captain Burke Park

I made pizza muffins earlier – basically this recipe but with more veggies in. They’ll be snack food tonight along with some Lebanese pastries I picked up on the way home from uni this morning.

I had my first uni exam this morning, 9am on a Saturday … I was fairly confident going in, going out well, I’m still confident I’ll get a decent mark but not as confident as I was going in.

Some collected links from the last little while which I’ve been meaning to share.

1, 2 ,3 ,4.

Yep, a while has passed hasn’t it?

Today is Saturday, I love Saturdays. In particular the day time, it is always just a fantastic day to get a lot of things or not much done or of course everything in between.

I’ve just got back from visiting Grandad, he has developed a bit of a cough which is no fun but I would say that that is pretty much the norm at the 10 day mark judging on previous stays. He should be going home on Wednesday which will be great for him, particularly in terms of the ability to get some fresh outdoors air. Got plenty more crochet done, I only have two balls left of the Noro Taiyo that I am using for my blanket. Will have to get some more pretty quickly.

Saturday Morning, 287/365
Saturday Morning, 287/365
I read the Saturday paper in two parts. I read everything bar the magazine, travel and entertainment sections and I save them for Sunday morning.

Sunset Service, 286/365
Sunset Service, 286/365
Yesterday, there was a sunset memorial service in ANZAC Square. Not sure yet what it was in aid of as I can’t find anything on it in the usual sources.

Perfect Landing, 285/365
Perfect Landing, 285/365
Thank you newspaper delivery person for getting the paper perfectly on the steps 🙂 Oh Thank you so much! Most mornings as I walk out the door to work, I survey the front yard to see where the paper has ended up this time. Typically it goes “through” the steps into the garden beneath the steps. If I’m lucky it is on the path but I was super lucky on Thursday morning.

10:19, 284/365
10:19, 284/365
ahh a mid-week day off, taken from my desk looking out to the kitchen and the Mag-Blok on the VJs.

Art in the corridor, 283/365
Art in the corridor, 283/365
Grandad has now been in hospital for a week now, so I’ve been spending a fair bit of time up there -> getting a lot of crochet done, going through a ball every two days.

Toowong War Memorial, 282/365
Toowong War Memorial, 282/365
The day after, the memories are not forgotten.

New suit, 281/365
New suit, 281/365
Herringbone had a fantastic clearance sale in Brisbane the other week and I picked up this most gorgeous suit. It’s called Busby. This is the jacket and this is the pants. I called the store front the next day to see if I could source a matching skirt … unfortunately the design is a season or two ago so no skirt for me :(. In addition to the suit, I also picked up two shirts, a gorgeous cashmere jumper and a belt.

Art in Ipswich, 280/365
Art in Ipswich, 280/365
The Ipswich Art Gallery is a little gem. It is small, it only really has one exhibit space but boy they get some fantastic exhibits.

Vespa choice, 279/36
Vespa choice, 279/365
If I ever had a Vespa, it would have to be in Sienna. That almond ivory colour is just pefect though I think a brown seat would be much much nicer than the black.

Le Bon Choix present
Le Bon Choix present
Almond Croissant with a cup of Autumn Spice tea. A Friday present from my desk buddy.

Fine Lines, 278/365
fine lines, 278/365
Taking a detour via the valley on the way home

Back to the Wesley, 277/365
Back to the Wesley, 277/365
Grandad went back to hospital today for his next round of skin grafts. I am extremely lucky that I live a 2 min walk from the hospital which makes it very easy to visit

Easter Presents, 276/365
Easter Presents, 276/365
I celebrated Easter a few weeks late this year. A Chocolate Crackle base with condensed milk and coconut grass and a handful of eggs all bagged up in a pretty bag with a label.

And that is the last ten days 🙂