ANMM volunteers Christmas party, 2010

Summer berries with vanilla mascarpone

Have you ever been to a function and the food is attractive and appetising, you feel that you would rather look at it than eat it? I did! I went to the Australian National Maritime museum volunteers christmas party 2010 at the Bayside gallery, Darling Harbour. The view was absolutely stunning, the people I sat with, Mr & Mrs Flavin, were charming and interesting, (who also happened to win one of the door prizes, courtesy of Captain Cook cruises), and that memorably and finally, the food was divine. I think that when it comes to the aesthetics of food presentation, it is the plating in regards to colour and plate that appeals to the eye and the nose is the key. It certainly was not disappointing to the tongue as well.

Spring 2010

We are now on the last legs of 2010 but unlike last year, we have a very wet start of  summer. I am not complaining but just appreciating the beauty of the natural world and the awakening to new life. This positive outlook and hope for the future in my life is reflected in a lot of optimism in Australia today. The prosperity and growing financial confidence is very obvious and we all start to be feel confident in flexing our credit cards again.

A word of caution though, try not to overdo it and spend beyond your means this holiday season. Why not spread your money around? For example transfer your money from account to account (unless of course you have a huge amount put aside already, in which case it might be better off in a term deposit, but by then this advice is really irrelevant to you dear reader, since this post is for financialy struggling people, like this author for instance).
Hope is in the air and when there is hope and optimism we are likely to see the beauty of nature.

ECOLOGIC- about freshwater

As an educator, I have always been conscious of how we, artists & designers (specifically those specialising in the practical and material based disciplines like ceramics, textiles, wet photography, jewellery, glass design and the fine arts of painting and sculpture, etc) that consume a lot of fresh water. It seems to be a huge concern for all of us that we must be ethical in managing and disposing of waste water, finishing chemicals and solvents because it makes sense financially and ecologically. You might find this teachers resource useful.
(FRESH WATER (Image provided by treehugger.com all copyrights reserved))

Freshwater is not only the most valuable resource in the future but also right here and now. Australians today buy expensive and wasteful bottled water arguably more than any country in the world.
Find out more and see the Powerhouse museum exhibition or click on the above teacher's resource link.
You only have to visit any convenience stores springing up all over Sydney and see how many brands there are on offer but that's not my point. It stands to reason why green business should try to manage our fresh water supply while it is the rainy season (the wettest year since 1959).