Blue Diamond Babes at Caulfield

Miss Roseiano on her way to winning the Fillies Blue Diamond Preview

It has been over a week in Melbourne that  we’ve had to endure hot and sticky weather, quite tropical in fact.

In the past I used to quite enjoy summer weather, but as I’ve got older I find it hard to endure  hot days, so it was with some trepidation that I wended my way to Caulfield on Australia Day for the Blue Diamond Previews meetings.

Fortunately trains were running on the Hurstbridge and Frankston lines, so at least I didn’t have to put up with the concomitant inconveniences of transport disruptions.

I arrived at Caulfield about twenty minutes before the first race as intended. This was the colts and geldings Blue Diamond Preview, one of the races I wanted to see.

Not many other people were in attendance, so I had no trouble getting to my favourite spot on the fence for action photography and finding a seat in the shade in between races.

The stalls area was blocked off for major renovations so general admission race patrons were limited to the front lawn area and Norman Robinson Stand.

Interestingly, first starters won both the Blue Diamond Previews, Daumier proving too good for race favourite Philosopher and prevailing over the challenging Rampant Lion in the colts division to win by half a length.

Daumier holds off Rampant Lion to win the Blue Diamond Preview

Miss Roseiano led the much larger field of the fillies Preview from the start, and couldn’t be run down by challenging fillies Written Swoosh and race favourite Latizia. She came in at big odds, being unfancied in the betting.

Miss Roseiano zooms up the straight

I stayed at Caulfield for the following two races, the first of these being the Evergreen Turf Handicap a race over 1100 metres. I can’t say that I’d ever taken much interest in any of the runners.

Asfoora beat Jilette by a length with For Real Life running third.

Asfoora  (no 2) and Jilette fight out the finish in the Evergreen Turf Handicap

Race 4 was the Listed W J Adams Stakes, another sprint over 1000 metres. Only four contenders were set to run in this race, one of them Enthaar, who started as the hot favourite. I’ve at least seen her race a few times, including on Zipping Classic Day where she won the Listed Doveton Stakes  from Streetcar Stranger.

This time however she ran last, over racing early in the race to fade in the straight, whilst Streetcar Stranger went on to win from Mossman Gorge and Esta La Roca.

Streetcar Stranger challenges Esta La Roca with Mossman Gorge charging on the outside

It was a disappointing performance by Enthaar, but no doubt she’ll be back in the winners stall again sometime or other.

Calling it quits after the W J Adams Stakes, I headed home, the trains coinciding nicely, but I faced a hot and sticky walk home from Ivanhoe Station.

I survived, and overall was pleased by the rare outing despite the challenging weather.

Let’s hope that the rest of the Autumn racing carnival is run in more tolerable conditions.

2022 So Far

Postcard from Gotham Book Mart 2002

As we no longer have a real cat to photograph with Bingo now gone missing for five months, I’ve been reduced to scanning old cards to illustrate my blog posts.

I have an enormous collection of cards, the bulk of which I keep in an old suitcase, so I went  through it today to see if I could find suitable inspiration for a blog post and came across the above post card.

It was acquired in 2002 when I went to New York to attend a book launch held at Gotham Book Mart on 11 November 2002. The card reads Cats at Work and features three ginger cats named Thornton, Mitchell and Christopher sitting in the shelves of said bookstore..

Invitation to book launch

Gotham Book Mart was a famous old bookshop situated at 41 West 47th Street NYC. It closed in 2007, so I guess I should feel privileged to have visited the place while it was still open. It also had a gallery which at the time of my visit featured photos of musician Patti Smith who hung out there when she lived in New York.

Patti Smith display with Whittemore books in foreground

Gotham Book Mart sign outside the shop

Back in 2002 the world was still reeling from the 9/11 (11/9/2001) fall of the World Trade Centre in New York. Terrorism had entered our world and nothing would ever be the same again.

Likewise in these times of the Covid pandemic which has killed many more people than died on 9/11.

I did of course visit ground zero whilst I was in New York and read the tributes in the side street.

9/11 Tributes near ground zero in Lower Manhattan

It’s a sad old world these days, quite different to 2002.

Back then digital cameras and mobile phones were out of the price range of the general public, so the camera I took to New York was a Ricoh film camera. The photos I snapped with it are mostly not worth saving for posterity, either my abilities or the camera’s being to blame for the poorness of quality. All I can say is that I’m glad I have a decent digital camera these days, and that my skill in using  it has improved.

So here we are twenty years on, in the early days of 2022 and it’s not much fun so far with cases of Covid skyrocketing throughout the country. The Government has been pretty useless in keeping it under control and seem to have given up trying to do so.

There are however things to look forward to, such as the Autumn racing carnival, which kicks off in earnest in a few weeks.

Luckily fully vaxxed persons will be permitted to attend, so I’m  hoping to get to Caulfield for the Australia Day meeting to watch the Blue Diamond Previews.

Since Christmas it has been pretty quiet on the home front and I’ve been nowhere other than to the Victoria Market and the supermarket for provisions.

My recent reading pleasure was a reread of Nancy Mitford’s Love in a Cold Climate duology – a deliciously witty satire on Upper Class life in England in the 1940s. A cosy comfort read in other words.

It’s hard to face another year of the Covid pandemic; quite depressing in fact. However I’ll soldier on and try not to contract the virus or get seriously ill with some other ailment.

Good Riddance to 2021

Bingo, still missing, on the prowl 2020

After enduring two years of the covid pandemic and its concomitant restrictions, I’m sure I’m not the only one glad that 2021 is almost over.

Not that anything will really go back to normal, but I am feeling cautiously optimistic for an improvement in life in 2022, despite the rampant Omicron variation that is afflicting the world at present.

What a determined little virus it is!.

Just when we thought it was safe to go back into society, being fully vaccinated and boosted, we feel uneasy once more and I for one continue to be vigilant when out and about and wear a mask.

2021, as years go, was pretty awful with very few uplifting experiences; in fact I can’t think of a single one. No wonder I seem to have grown more cynical this year!

The lowlight was of course the disappearance of our beautiful cat Bingo. We still miss him and feel bereft having no companion animal after numerous decades with cats being part of the household.

Perhaps we’ll acquire a new kitten in 2022, as it is very doubtful that we’ll ever see Bingo again. That’s something to look forward to at least.

I did not read any new books that blew me away with their brilliance or originality, but I did enjoy Neal Stephenson’s take on climate change in his latest novel titled Termination Shock, and Amor Towles ( of a Gentleman In Moscow fame) Lincoln Highway, a sort of road novel set in the 1950s with a cast of interesting characters.

Also read and enjoyed were the new Anthony Doerr, Cloud Cuckoo Land, and Panenka by Ronan Hession, author of the wonderful Leonard and Hungry Paul, my favourite recent comfort read.

The computer game discovery of the year was undoubtedly the Monkey Island series; a great time killer with the just the right amount of levity and absurdity to take one’s mind off the dire state of the world, and keep one’s spirits up.

This New Year’s Eve is a hot 38ºC, a sizzling summer day in Melbourne, but the Ivanhoe house being well insulated  is cool inside. As usual we will not be celebrating the New Year in any particular way – staying home and retiring to bed well before midnight.

We went to my brother’s place in Ocean Grove for Christmas lunch – a surfeit of sociability that  left me tired at the end of the day. It was however pleasant to see my niece and nephew again, and note how the great nieces and nephews have grown over the year since I last saw them.

Verry Elleegant winning the 2021 Melbourne Cup

It was disappointing to miss the Melbourne Spring racing carnival, but exciting to watch on my computer. I was suitably thrilled when Verry Elleegant won the Melbourne Cup as I’d had a wager on her of $3.00 each way and she paid generously, winning me $73.50.  I would have loved to have been there and have taken a photo of James McDonald’s extravagant reaction as she crossed the line, but with tickets costing $120.00, I gave it a miss.

Looking forward to 2022 I hope to go back to the track on Australia Day, for the Blue Diamond previews. In the meantime the Magic Millions meetings in Queensland in January are always interesting to watch.

Every year at this time I have expressed a hope that John Crowley’s Little, Big 25th Anniversary edition will finally be published.  This time there is every expectation that the book will be in my hands early next year. I hope I’m not proven wrong again.

Other books I’m looking forward to in 2022 are the new Jennifer Egan novel, The Candy House, a sort of sequel to her wonderful A Visit From the Goon Squad, and a new John Crowley novel called Flint And Mirror, both to be published in April.

I’m also intrigued by the news that G.H. Morris, author of the marvellous Brightside Trilogy that was published way back in the 1980s, has a new novel purportedly called A Brotherhood of the Disarranged being published in 2022.

Though world peace is standing on shaky ground at present with Russia and China rattling sabres, and with the covid pandemic continuing relentlessly to infect mankind, we can only hope that 2022 is an improvement on 2021.

Happy New Year for what it’s worth.

A Zipping Farewell to the Boss at Caulfield

Glen Boss parades in the mounting yard after riding his last race

For a change it was a warm and sunny day at Caulfield last Saturday and crowds were once again welcomed back trackside – if you were fully vaccinated that is.

As I hadn’t been to the races since All Star Mile Day back in March this year ,and was disappointed to miss the Spring Racing Carnival, I took the opportunity to finally use my Caulfield Casual Membership card and headed off to the Eastern suburbs.

This wasn’t without difficulty as trains from the city to Caulfield were not running due to the Victorian Government major works blitz that affected the Frankston line.

So I had to bus it from the city (or rather Burnley Station) to Caulfield and was obliged to stand the entire trip, which made it doubly tedious.

It probably didn’t take that much longer than usual, but seemed so, but I arrived at Caulfield in plenty of time for Race 2, the Sandown Cup which was my intention. My friend Rebecca was also there, so it was good to catch up with her. We last met on Blue Diamond Stakes day in autumn.

Though the race card was not that interesting there were a few horses I was looking forward to seeing, notably Spanish Mission in the feature race, the Zipping Classic where Glen Boss was set to ride in his last race. This race was later in the day, scheduled for 4.20pm, so there were six races to watch and practice photography on before that event.

It’s rare to see a race at 3200 metres, so I guess you could say it was a treat to watch the Sandown Cup which is run at the Melbourne Cup distance.

The winner, Dragon Storm who raced at the rear of the field, came into contention a short way from the winning post to score a narrow victory over True Marvel  with Sweet Thomas running third.

Dragon Storm (nose roll) about to draw level with True Marvel

Dragon Storm on his way to the barriers

Dragon Storm is New Zealand bred, a son of 2009 Melbourne Cup winner Shocking, and started at big odds, his form being nothing to write home about.

Race 3 was the Twilight Glow Stakes, a race over 1400 metres for three year old fillies. 

Lady of Honour led from the start and held on to win  by half a length from fast finishing race favourite Decent Raine. Lavish Girl ran third.

Lady of Honour burns up the straight

Enthaar, whom I  had last seen running in the Blue Diamond Stakes, started as favourite for Race 4, the Doveton Stakes, a sprint over 1000 metres, and didn’t disappoint winning comfortably over Streetcar Stranger with Yulong Command running third.

Enthaar on her way to winning the Doveton Stakes

Enthaar in full flight

It was a bright sunny day which you would think would be good for photos, but I was testing out a new camera  (D5600 Nikon) and hadn’t quite worked out the controls. If I could have found a way to turn on Active D Lighting, my photos, especially facing back towards the winning post may have been better.  But it has always been problematic at Caulfield facing into the sun.

There was a fairly big crowd in attendance, quite like a normal pre Covid race day, but Bec and I had no trouble getting to our preferred fence position for taking photos.

Even the stalls area was accessible though  it had changed quite a bit with new stalls areas making it confusing to find a particular horse. We did however manage to get a photo of Melbourne Cup third placer, Spanish Mission, in his stall.

Spanish Mission in his stall

Race 5, the Group 3 Summoned Stakes, was up next. Run over 1600 metres, it is a race for mares four years old and upwards.

Steinem  started as favourite and prevailed in the end fighting out the finish with Quantum Mechanic to win by a head. Perfect World was third a length behind.

Steinem (gold cap) fights out the finish with Quantum Mechanic

Steinem on her way to the barriers

Quantum Mechanic on her way to the barriers

By this time there was only one race to run before the feature, and this was the Group 2 Sandown Guineas, run over 1600 metres. I can’t say I’d ever heard of  most of the field, so the win by 20./ shot Blue Army meant little. He won by half a length from Blazerro , another 20./1 shot with race favourite Festival Dancer running third.

Three horse race – Blue Army, Blazerro & Festival Dancer

Blue Army  on his way to the barriers

Blazerro on his way to the barriers

The feature race was heralded by a band and singer and old Zipping, special guest from Living Legends, led the field into the mounting yard. The Zipping Classic (2400 metres) used to be named the Sandown Classic and run at Sandown until this year, the week after the Flemington Spring Carnival and was won by Zipping four years in succession from 2007 to 2010, hence the name change.

Spanish Mission was the hot favourite and Glen Boss was booked to ride him. Everyone was hoping that Glen Boss would go out a winner in this, but it was not to be. Sound, who won this race last year, made it back to back victories, narrowly winning from Dr Drill  and race leader Wentwood.

Spanish Mission failed to fire in the straight and finished fourth.

Zipping Classic finish – Sound (purple silks) about to overtake Dr Drill

Despite Spanish Mission failing to win, the crowd cheered Glen Boss back to the mounting yard., where he paraded for an enthusiastic audience.

Glen Boss delighted with the crowd’s acclaim parades in the mounting yard

Glen Boss will always be remembered as the rider of Makybe Diva in her three Melbourne Cup victories, as well as many other notable wins over the 36 years he has been involved in racing.

I left the course shortly after this so missed Glen Boss stripping off and throwing his various garments to the crowd.

Rather than face another bus ride back to the city, I caught  a tram and enjoyed a relaxed scenic trip through St Kilda to Flinders Street.

It was enjoyable being back at the races, and I must admit you do get plenty of badly needed exercise to and froing around the course. I was quite foot sore when I finally got home.

Weird & Wonderful – Treasures of the Natural World

Dodo postcard purchased at  Museum shop

Last Wednesday I took advantage of my fully vaccinated state and headed off to Melbourne Museum to see the current major exhibition Treasures of the Natural World, featuring a very odd collection of objects, both big and small, from London’s Natural History Museum.

This was my second attempt to get to the exhibition as I’d previously booked to attend on September 1st, but as whatever number lockdown came into effect on that date, the Museum was closed to visitors and only recently reopened.

As is the case in the new normal. you had to wear a mask and check in via QR Code to prove vaccination status, as only fully vaxxed persons were permitted in the museum.

I got there an hour before my scheduled exhibition entry time, so killed the hour by cruising through the main museum, naturally checking out Pharlap as I usually do when I go the museum, and watched the newsreel of him winning the 1930 Melbourne Cup yet again.

Pharlap display – horseshoes, saddle photo etc

As previously mentioned. the Treasures of the Natural World were a bizarre collection of curiosities, ranging from skeletons of extinct beasts such as a Moa and Sabre Tooth Tiger…

Moa skeleton

Sabre Tooth Tiger skeleton

…to a Cursed Amethyst and a Black Death flea (which you can’t actually see.

Cursed amethyst	Bubonic plague flea

Charles Darwin was naturally  featured with several items, a first edition of his Origin of the Species,  a page from his notebooks,  his tortoise and sketches of finches from his journal.

Origin of the Species First Edition

Page from Darwin’s notebook

Darwin’s Tortoise

Finches illustration from Charles Darwin’s Journey

Palaeontology appears to feature quite a few women, notably Mary Anning and Dorothea Bate who unearthed rare fossils in the 18th Century and early 19th Century.

Mary Anning information display

Mouse goat skull discovered by Dorothea Bate

There were extinct beasts such as this fish

and a giant crab

I was pleased to see a model of a dodo

And a reference to the Famous Piltdown Man fraud

Piltdown Man jawbone

In all it  is a fascinating exhibition if your tastes run to the weird and wonderful.

Various exhibits were accompanied by short films depicting digitally inserted extinct animals in action. For instance there is an impressive film of a Moa stalking through the Museum of Natural History and another of Dodos fighting and socialising.

A final photo is of an ostrich egg purportedly owned by T E Lawrence given to him by Charles Montagu Doughty, English poet, adventurer and explorer.

Ostrich egg owned by Lawrence of Arabia

It takes an hour or two to go through the exhibition, depending on how long you linger at the exhibits.

I must admit I enjoyed it quite a bit and highly recommend it  as a curiously interesting and enlightening experience.

Painted Ladies

Paintings after conservation treatment

Many years ago there used to be an Antiques Shop opposite the Queen Victoria Market in Elizabeth Street that had many beautiful things for sale. After doing my market shopping I was wont to drop in to the shop and browse their wares. The owners of the shop were a mother and son who were lovely people and knew their trade well. They also grew to know my taste in antiques and I rarely resisted buying the objects they tempted me with.

I purchased many items from them over several years, antique glass vases, a Japanese kimono, a mahogany writing box, an embroidered silk scarf to name just a few items I acquired at the time.

This blog entry however relates to my acquisition from the said antiques shop of a pair of small (7” x 5”) portraits painted on cigar box lids.

Initially I had them hanging in the hallway of the Northcote house, but took them down for some reason and stored them away in a cupboard. And there they stayed for decades.

Paintings in original state before conservation treatment

However, they were never far from my mind as after watching the ABC TV show The Repair Shop, and observing the rejuvenation of various objects brought in to the shop, especially the paintings that had been cleaned and touched up, I wondered if my old paintings could be given the same treatment, as they were dark and yellowed with age and a bit chipped. In my reckoning they are over 100 years old.

A search on Google for ways to clean old oil paintings convinced me that if I attempted such a process I would be sure to stuff it up, especially as the paintings were very old and reportedly can be tricky to clean.

Though the paintings are probably not that valuable, I did a further search on Google to see if there was a painting conservator in Melbourne who could do the work. There are a few, but I settled on Helen Gill who has a studio in Brunswick and by all appearances knew a great deal about the process and had years of experience in conserving old paintings.

Helen had just reopened her studio after the Covid lockdown, so I took the paintings to her and she completed the conservation work in a surprisingly short time. I must say that she did a wonderful job on cleaning the old paintings, and also rehoused them in their original old frames.

Though the cost for this service was quite expensive, I was happy to see my old yellowed paintings restored to their original colours and thought it was money well spent.

Who knows who these young women are, but I suspect they were painted by John Mather, a Scottish born artist who was active in Australia at the same time as the famous Heidelberg School.

The paintings are signed with the initials JM, and by chance some years ago I bought a card that had a painting by John Mather on its front and included a signature that looked remarkably like the signature on my paintings – a stylised JM.

John Mather also was acquainted with Louis Abrahams, – indeed painted a portrait of him - art patron and tobacconist associated with the Heidelberg School, who supplied the artists with the cigar box lids on which they famously painted and displayed in the 9 x 5 Impression Exhibition of  1889. The back of my paintings contain the name of an obscure cigar brand  - Chiamosta - that were manufactured in Dusseldorf.

Whether my speculations are correct will only be solved by having the paintings valued by an expert.