Citizenship Ceremony

It became official - we attended a ceremony to make us fair dinkum Aussie citizens. I couldn't decide which brooch to wear so I pinned them both to my jacket and asked a friend to decide. (I went with the cat.) Later, it fell off my jacket and, after hunting for it everywhere, I thought it was lost, but it was returned to me by the local pub, where we went to celebrate after the ceremony.

The cat came back

The citizenship ceremony was a special one to mark seventy years since it was first introduced. Our ceremony, for reasons I couldn't quite fathom, was an event held with selected individuals at Floriade, the weird floral festival of Canberra, in a marquee. 

Placed around the edge of the marquee were a number of outfits created by flower arrangements - wearable art, if you will. Some had signage explaining their rationale: others didn't. 

National Eucalyptus Day by Genel Jordan is inspired by the tree which 'is synonymous with the Australian landscape. In the spirit of National Eucalyptus Day, this dress celebrates, in a small way, the majesty and beauty of these iconic trees. The form of the dress takes its inspiration from the structure of the tall eucalypts of Australia's native forests, the hues of their bark and the patterns often found on their trunks. The decoration of the dress is inspired by the vast palate [sic] of colours and shapes of the eucalypts [sic] foliage, its flowers and the fauna which make these trees their home.' 

National Eucalyptus Day by Genel Jordan

Save the Great Barrier Reef by Nada Anderson 'seeks to focus people's attention on the current state of the Great Barrier Reef and the impact of coral bleaching. This is illustrated by the transitioning of jewel coral colours to the whiteness of the bleached dead coral. Climate change is having a devastating effect on the reef by increasing ocean water temperatures, which in turn leads to coral bleaching. Two consecutive years of coral bleaching in 2016 and 2017 caused extensive damage to more than two-thirds of the reef. We need to act now before it is too late.'

Save the Great Barrier Reef by Nada Anderson

'In Australia 1 woman a week is killed by domestic violence. Physical or sexual violence affects further 1 in 3 women and many more women experience the disenfranchised grief and trauma caused by financial, emotional and psychological abuse. Attitudes need to change.

White Ribbon Day is a bystander campaign that aims to prevent men's violence against women by raising awareness and dedicating revenue from fund raising towards education and support.

The white leaves in the dress bodice represent the 1 woman a week killed by domestic violence. The tatami window work on the skirt symbolizes the new growth that women experiencing domestic violence can achieve when provided with adequate support and resources. Colour has been used symbolically with white symbolizing protection and possibility, and green symbolizing renewal , growth and harmony. The gold leaf represents the courage it takes for women to leave an abusive partner.'

White Ribbon Day Australia by Tracy Dodt

'National Organic Week is a week that creates awareness of the benefits of organic methods and farming production systems. I have conveyed this in my dress by using organic products. These are products that have not been sprayed with chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or any other artificial chemicals.

I have also used organic lines, shapes, and natural colours and represented organic in the bottom of the dress where it flares out, it is light and very full. This symbolizes what an impact filling your life with organic products can have on you and your health.'

National Organic Week by Esmae Barry

'Each day in Australia 50 women are diagnosed with breast or gynaecological cancer. The Cancer Council's Pink Ribbon Day aims to raise awareness about these cancers and also help raise funds for research, support, services and prevention programs.

My botanical garment was created to honour all of those who have been diagnosed with breast or gynaecological cancers. Having a beautiful Aunty of mine go through the struggles of breast cancer has made Pink Ribbon Day an organisation that is truly close to my heart, and that's why I have created a very pink and feminine piece to represent strong, beautiful women who are affected by this disease each and every day.'

Pink Ribbon Day by Anna Carbone

I didn't see the rationale behind the following pieces (although obviously there is an allusion to the Aboriginal flag in the last one), but I think they are all stunning.

Surrounded by these beautiful, living pieces, full of thoughts and memories, we became nationalised citizens of Australia. We then had a drink with friends and rode on the Ferris Wheel above the gardens. 

Him Outdoors with brewing chums

General Philosophy flying the flag

All smiles from Gindelle

Newest Aussies

You can take the boy out of Burnley...

Views from the top:

Calamity Sue, Emma Cake, and their shadows

This is the image on the diary page this week. I am so lucky and grateful to be a citizen of three wonderful countries. 

At the weekend our weekend walk around The Pinnacles took us past some beautiful scenery and a bearded dragon. He/she was merely trying to sun himself/herself (they can be either depending on the temperature) and wasn't entirely appreciative of being photographed. 

Markets and Mead

It's been a while since I've been to the fresh food markets at Fyshwick. Things have changed - there is an additional space, called the Niche Markets, which features more boutique shops and food outlets. I took some photos of the various wares on offer. 

Not everything is open yet, but there promises to be a range of goods to purchase from furniture to clothing, and coffee and doughnuts. There's also a florist and a barber, and due to come is a cat cafe - that should be fun for cosy feline cuddles!

Beautiful prints at Flamingo + Sass

Amid the fabrics and glamour, there are also flowers and greenery at the rather gorgeous Urban Jungle florist.

Hunger pangs are also catered for with a range of eating options. I love the ramen noodles from Umami. The Korean-born chef, Den Han, has previously worked at Chairman and Yip and Tipsy Bull. While waiting for this stall to be open he had a pop-up noodle bar outside Plonk, which has been providing the perfect warming lunch over the cold winter months. 

The doughnuts from Krofne are also super-tasty baked to a Croatian recipe with flavours ranging from salted caramel and strawberry glaze to vanilla custard or rosehip jam. The nutella variety is a firm favourite.

Nutella Krofne Donuts

Ramen from Umami

The reason I was there in the first place was to work - although some might say that facilitating a tasting of the fabulous offerings from Four Pillars gin is not exactly a tough gig. The Spiced Negroni gin showcases spices such as Tasmanian pepperberry leaf, cinnamon, West African spice grains of paradise and Indonesian cubeb, along with fresh ginger. It is highly aromatic, rich, spicy and my pick of the bunch.

Four Pillars Gin line-up; not your usual suspects

And on my day off I walked up Mt Painter with Him Outdoors and we rewarded ourselves with breakfast at Little Oink, a cafe at the bottom of the mountain (it's really just a hill, but if the cartographers call it a mountain, so will I). 

From the top of Mt Painter

A Street Library found en route

French toast with added deliciousness

A perfect breakfast

It was a thrill to find this in the mail! Now I just need to attend the ceremony, take the pledge, and be a citizen. This pleases me. I struggle with the concept of being a citizen of two countries, a resident of another, a tax-payer in all three and a registered voter in none. That's going to change.

We have been invited to a Canamerica dinner by some new friends. Combining celebrations of both the USA and Canada's national days, all food is to have a North American theme. We are encouraged to take along a suitable dish, so I have cracked out the recipe books. Because one of these friends is an Oregonian, and we have recently had such a great time there, I thought I would honour the state.

Individual pear cobblers

The following day Him Outdoors wanted to suss out the local meadery - so we gathered some friends together and headed out to Win's Creek Meadery in Murrumbateman. We've driven past the old cottage many times and always thought it would make a great pub - the building is an old Traveller's Rest Inn, complete with corrugated iron roof and wooden verandah. It has a beautiful room with a large open fireplace but, unfortunately, the fire wasn't lit when we were there and it was freezing. We sampled a selection of meads and shared a couple of pizzas. 

The locale doubles as Bindaree Bee Supplies and features a gift shop displaying beeswax candles, home-made ceramics, stained-glass ornaments, soft furnishings, and (naturally) honey.

A sort of mead flow-chart

Him Outdoors, Dr Kay and Patience Itself

We did enjoy the food and drinks, but the place was so cold that we all kept our coats on and were not inclined to linger over the produce. Instead we pushed on to Eden Road, where we tasted some fine wines, bought some more and took them home to carry on the afternoon in comfort and style. 

Wine-tasting crew