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RuthsArc

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Category Archives: remembering / musing

ANZAC Day 2020

25 Saturday Apr 2020

Posted by RuthsArc in remembering / musing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

WW Remembrance

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At 6am this morning, ordinary people stood at the end of their driveways, lit a candle, held a minutes silence, in remembrance of all who have served in wars and conflicts.

ANZAC Day is the national Remembrance Day for Australia and New Zealand, commemorating the landings at Gallipoli on this day in 1915.

Usually, dawn services are held at local cenotaphs but such gatherings are cancelled this year. So we were encouraged to “gather as one” outside our homes.

I could see three other sets of neighbours in our small section of street. I could hear the broadcast from the National War Memorial in Canberra. I held a candle and sprig of rosemary, which grows wild on the Gallipoli peninsula and is as much a symbol of ANZAC Day as the poppy.

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Everyday musicians were asked to play “The Last Post” on any instrument.

Our daughter played her saxophone and made these lovely lanterns out of milk cartons.

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Remembering the Yorkshire Dales

20 Monday Apr 2020

Posted by RuthsArc in days out, photography, remembering / musing

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

holiday

This time last year I was in the UK to catch up with family. I organised a mini break in the Yorkshire Dales, in the spring time.

My Mum, daughter and I stayed in a country hotel with views like these.
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We visited Aysgarth Falls.
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Also the 600 year old Bolton Castle.
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We travelled past Ribblehead Viaduct.
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And climbed Malham Cove to the limestone pavement.
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Happy memories. Fun times.

As there are a lot of lines in these photos I’m linking this to Jude’s 2020 Photo Challenge.

Piha Beach NZ

12 Sunday Jan 2020

Posted by RuthsArc in one with nature, remembering / musing

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

beach, New Zealand

We’ve just returned from a fabulous holiday in New Zealand. A highlight was returning to Piha Beach after thirty five years.

This secluded ocean beach was just as I remembered. It’s black sand and the towering Lion Rock, remnants of its volcanic history.

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The Brit in me still found it amazing to be in such a beautiful place, in such weather, on new year’s eve.

Open House Hobart

13 Wednesday Nov 2019

Posted by RuthsArc in days out, remembering / musing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

architecture, Hobart

Last weekend was the 7th annual Open House in Hobart, where the public could look behind the scenes of some of the city’s most intriguing buildings.

Here is a quick tour of the buildings we chose to visit this year.

Holy Cross Church serving Russian, Serbian and Australian Orthodox community since 1949
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City Hall rooftop and apartment – completed in 1915
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Construction House – 1956 office block with a five storey rubber tree growing up the stairwell
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Jarvis House – private home designed by architect Esmond Dorney in 1959
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Hobart Savings Bank – built in 1859 by The Quakers as a bank for the ordinary people. The rich man’s bank was next door. Now a private residence, we were able to walk around the old banking hall with safe, a small library, the basement terrace with unusual views of the iconic red awnings.
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My daily commute

28 Wednesday Aug 2019

Posted by RuthsArc in all about me, making changes, remembering / musing

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

me, work

On this day 5 years ago, I said goodbye to my London Banking career.

My daily commute then was a packed train through city suburbs into London Bridge Station and London Cannon Street Station.
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Today my commute starts at a bus stop overlooking the river and mountain, with a journey on an uncrowded bus passing the beach.

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There are several stops and depending on the weather, I try to walk a while rather than waiting at the nearest stop. I enjoy watching the seabirds, whilst walking and waiting – cormorants, oyster catchers, plovers, herons, dab chicks as well as gulls.

There is a bus stop with a shelter, up the hill which is convenient on cold or rainy days.
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Buses before 8.30am are an express route, picking up passengers this end but then non-stop into the city. I have to remember to get off at the local shopping centre and change to another slow bus to work. I’m sure one day I will be so engrossed in a book that I‘ll miss the interchange and end up across the bridge in the city centre.

Bushfire update

04 Monday Feb 2019

Posted by RuthsArc in photography, remembering / musing

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

seasons, Tasmania

Although the bushfires are still burning, the immediate threat to communities has been downgraded from the highest “emergency” alert level , to “watch and act”, so people have been able to return to their homes.

We are hearing more individual stories, not just the headlines. The personal tales of a difficult few weeks.

Hotel and petrol station owners who stayed in the evacuated towns, to help firefighters.

Friends evacuated, staying with relatives, their car loaded with some clothes, bedding, their “treasures” and vital documents. We’ve had interesting conversations at work about what we’d take and the diminished value of the “stuff” in our homes that we could live without.

I chatted to our client who has family members staying in her small three bedroom, one bathroom home – 14 people including teenage boys!, 4 dogs, 10 guinea pigs, 2 birds and 3 cats. They had two slow cookers on the go so people could eat in relays, the washing machine was going non-stop, mattresses everywhere, no room “to swing a cat”. Her fingers crossed that her plumbing doesn’t get blocked or break down.

Another elderly client “wasn’t taking any chances”, she was packed and ready to leave in a hurry as she’d lived through the devasting fires fifty years ago that left 62 people dead, 900 injured and over seven thousand homeless.

A young couple who hadn’t seen their baby son for days, he’s with his grandparents while they stayed to defend their home and farm buildings from ember attacks and to feed the animals.

A local fisherman sailed 11 tonnes of donated supplies to two cut off towns on Friday, food, drinks, pet food, toiletries and sanitary products. Shops are empty as the road south had been closed.

Anxiety levels have been high with this fire, as the threat and evacuation dragged on. Pets have gone missing, unused to their temporary surroundings. The prolonged smoke has caused its own health issues.

There are always a few helicopters flying over Hobart, small rescue helicopters, tourist flights, private aircraft. But now there are large noisy helicopters heading to and from the airport, fire fighting craft, water bombers, helicopters that you can hear before you see them, loud thundering craft that sound like the opening scene from “Miss Saigon”.

We’ve had a couple of calmer days, but the fires are expected to burn for weeks and there is little rain forecast for February.

Children are due to return to school this coming week after the summer holidays. There are contingencies for students and staff will relocate to primary and high schools in the evacuation area.

We are seeing the best of people, a strong community spirit, helping neighbours, stangers and huge gratitude and support for all emergency service crew.

On a lighter note, the smoke filled atmosphere has produced some stunning sun rises and sun sets.

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Goodbye 2018

31 Monday Dec 2018

Posted by RuthsArc in photography, remembering / musing

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

photos

We’ve had another busy and happy year here in Tasmania. As 2018 draws to a close, here are a few of my favourite photos of the year.

Views of Hobart from Mount Wellington
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Port Arthur
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Wineglass Bay
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Fruit pickingIMG_0649

Salamanca PlaceIMG_1286

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Wombat on Maria IslandDSC03019

Dark MofoIMG_E6030

Sailing with Dolphins at Freycinet DSC01921

Lunar Eclipse in JulyIMG_6703

Wishing you all a very happy new year.

“5000 Poppies”

04 Sunday Nov 2018

Posted by RuthsArc in creativity, remembering / musing

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

art, Australia, WW Remembrance

As we approach Remembrance Day and commemorations to mark one hundred years since the end of the First World War, there is a beautiful tribute at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
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“What began as a small personal tribute by two Australian women to honour their fathers who fought in World War II, became an international tribute of respect and remembrance to those who have served in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations, their families and their communities.”

“Lynn Berry and Margaret Knight set out to crochet a humble 120 poppies to “plant” at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne Australia for Remembrance Day in 2013 in honour of their fathers who fought in WWII.”

“The idea sparked a massive community outpouring with tens of thousands of contributors, from Australia, New Zealand and beyond, making hundreds of thousands of beautiful handcrafted poppies.”

March 2015 – Melbourne Flower and Garden Show.
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Anzac Day 2015 – Melbourne’s Federation Square for the city’s centenary of Anzac commemorations.
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May 2016 – RHS Chelsea Flower Show, London
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July 2016 – Fromelles France
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Remembrance Day 2017 – Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne
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Remembrance Day 2018 – Canberra Airport
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I am honoured to have crocheted just a few poppies for this project, these artworks, these tributes.
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All photos and quotes from 5000 Poppies.

Changing Seasons – October colour

31 Wednesday Oct 2018

Posted by RuthsArc in remembering / musing

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

seasons

It’s been a colourful month. Colourful recycling.
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Colours of Hobart waterfront and the Hobart Brewing Company.
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Colours of Maria Island.
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Colours of the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens.

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Colours of our “happy jar” at work.

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This is my contribution to Su’s “changing seasons”

Round the World Yacht Race 2017-2018

29 Sunday Jul 2018

Posted by RuthsArc in photography, remembering / musing

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

boats

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Last December we had the privilege to see all of the Round the World Yacht Race competitors in Hobart.

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This weekend the race was won by “Visit Sanya” when the yachts arrived back in Liverpool, UK, after eleven months at sea. “Visit Seattle” came in second place.

History has been made, as both these boats were skippered by women. Australian, Wendy Tuck, aged 53, became the first women to win any round the world yacht race. British skipper, Nikki Henderson, aged 25, took second place.

Congratulations to both women and all the teams involved.

#respect
#womeninsport
#thisgirlcan

The yachts leaving Hobart.IMG_9950

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