Darlinghurst Blog: Plant Life: Bourke Street Cactus

Back in December last year when the City of Sydney council was building its Bourke Street Cycleway, there was a story in the Wentworth Courier about this large cactus, which was planted in a garden bed next to the footpath. 

The Wentworth Courier spoke to an appropriately named resident, Clare Verngreen, who with her green thumb had kept the cactus alive for over a decade. 

But because of the new cycleway garden beds, the City of Sydney council's landscapers had decided the cactus had to go because it posed a risk to passersby. 

At the time, my friend Ruby Molteno took a photograph of the plant and a copy of the Wenty article that had been taped up nearby:

"A large cactus in a Bourke Street garden bed is facing the chop because it does not fit into council planting plans,'' the Wentworth Courier reported. 

"Clare Verngreen, who has been tending the garden outside her Bourke Street home for more than 10 years said she was notified by a project manager on the Sydney Council bicycle path project that her cactus had to go.''

A council spokesperson told the local magazine that the cactus ''posed a safety hazard to people passing by" and had to be removed because the cactus is ''of a large size and protrudes outside the garden bed and unfortunately, replanting is not an option due to the size and the dangerous 20-30mm needles.''

Well, it seems that the council and Gardener Verngreen reached a solution to the problem, because when I was passing by on sunny Sunday, I couldn't help but notice the blooming marvellous cactus, which was weighted down with bright yellow flowers:

The cactus is thriving and is even surrounded by other flowering succulents so that it has actually become a little desert-style garden.

The flowers also look so healthy, as if they are really happy to have been able to remain at their home of 10 years. 

The council has since developed a draft Greening Sydney plan that means we will see more street-side plants being encouraged and also planted, which I think is the most marvellous thing.

If you want to pay a visit to the cactus while it's in bloom, the plant is located just outside 221 Bourke Street. 

Darlinghurst Blog: Detritus: Sydney Rides Festival Part II

I was determined to make it to the Sydney Rides Festival launch on Saturday but on the way to Taylor Square, I bumped into Ralf and Digger* and a bunch of other friends so that I only made it to the bike fair about 2pm. And by that time, most of the produce stalls from the Saturday Sustainable Markets were packing up, leaving a curious array of cycle-themed stalls.

There were a few men in tight latex pants, but the new breed of hipster cyclists were mainly represented with clothing stalls for the "Stylish Urban Cyclist", such as the one for CycleStyle (above), which sells reflective tweed cycling capes, iPhone-friendly riding gloves and "skirt garters" for holding women's hems in place. 

Cyclette (above) is another dedicated bicycle fashion label, which specialises in "sexy girls cycle wear for on and off your bike". Their designs include "Granny-Flashers" bloomers, strapless mini dresses, as well as handle-bar bags and fingerless gloves.

The cycling sub-culture is a curious thing; I didn't realise its followers were so dedicated. I was discussing the cult-like nature of bike-riders with a friend on Saturday when she told me the story of one of her old boyfriends. She said he became strangely obsessed with cycling and used to look with envy at the latex-clad cyclists who populate the Victoria Street cafe strip in the mornings. One day, he said, he would be lycra-clad too, and joining the cycling mob on their rides and coffee stops. 

And he achieved that goal eventually too. 

That old boyfriend would have been over the moon on Saturday. He could have bought back issues of dedicated bicycle magazine, Treadlie, or had his bike checked and tuned for free (both above).

My friend Ruby Molteno hasn't used her bicycle in over a year because the rear tyre went flat and she didn't know how to replace the inner-tube. So she took the bicycle along on Saturday and had it repaired for free. But because she is such a good person, she insisted on buying the cycle repairers coffee and muffins. Now she is hooning around the neighbourhood on two wheels. Look out pedestrians!

There were also electric bicycles (below), which cost about $2000. I took one for a test drive once when they had a stall at the Kings Cross Saturday Markets and it was fast and hilarious, and a little bit lazy too as I imagine I would initially use the motor for hills but would eventually become addicted to motor-driven sweat-free, non-pedalling.

Child cyclists were also going nuts at the festival and I was almost run over by a few:

CBD-based bike shop MC Cyclery set up a Games Arena for the day, which was mainly hogged by male cyclists playing some bike-back version of polo:

There were also a few deck chairs (below) for lazing in the sun. The same deck chairs arrived yesterday at Sydney Square next to Town Hall and the square next to Wynyard train station and will stay around for the next six months giving office-workers and other city habitue somewhere to relax. 

One little interesting thing that caught my eye was the chalk artist busker:

I've seen a fair bit of chalk art in my time but never have I seen this 3D version, which only works from a single viewpoint that the artist has set up on a tripod. It was very clever:

The fair was interesting but there wasn't as much live music as promised and when I arrived there was only one food stall selling tandoori wraps. If you like food stalls, check out the Night Noodle Markets at Hyde Park North, which opened last night and runs every weeknight from 5pm - 9pm, until October 21. I went once years ago and was disappointed but last night I popped in to discover that there are loads more quality stallholders as well as beer tents and DJs. 

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*Poor little Digger is presently recovering from that surgery they give to animals when they reach a certain age and he has been forced to wear one of those funny, plastic Elizabethan-style cone collars, so that he doesn't nibble at his wounds. He looks very cute but I won't post his picture here because I don't think he'd appreciate it.

Darlinghurst Blog: Detritus: Personal Declaration

A New Sun Rises Over Darlinghurst, by Violet Tingle, 2011.

I mentioned in a blog post last week that I was celebrating a big change in my life and that I would tell you all about it. I added the news to the My Story blog post, but I am also going to tell you here because no one seems to have noticed it there and people keep asking me what The Big Change is. 

Well, I have a new job and I am now employed by the City of Sydney, which is not only a big career change for me, but a cultural change too and I am very excited and optimistic about this new challenge.

I would hope that I don't over-share personal information on this blog so that it becomes some kind of vanity project, but there is an important reason why I should let you know about my new job.

Basically, I now have a personal investment in the City of Sydney and I wouldn't ever want to be accused of bias in my blog posts, without first declaring that interest.

I occasionally write about events and what-not related to, or funded by, the City of Sydney, and that is not going to change. I just want you to know that the opinions, thoughts and adventures here on this blog are my own.

Admittedly, I won't be writing any posts that criticise the council but the blog benefits of working at Town Hall mean that I will be able to pop down to the City of Sydney Archives at lunch-time for research, while I will also be in a position where I can learn first hand about any wonderful events that are planned.

I still make no money from this blog; it has and always will be a labour of love. 

Thanks for reading, warmest wishes, Violet x.

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PS. The sunrise photograph at the top of the post was taken one beautiful September morning;  later that day I learned that I had successfully landed the new job. 

The digitally altered Coca-Cola photograph (above) is part of a promotion, whereby if you text your name to 0400 807 807 they will send you a personalised picture (28c or 29c per SMS, depending on the carrier). As part of the same promotion, the real Coca-Cola sign looked like this yesterday:

Darlinghurst Blog: Detritus: Sydney Rides Festival

I always had romantic ideas about riding bicycles. 

No spandex, sneakers and stack-hats for me. 

In my rose-coloured ideal I would be wearing a frilly dress, knee-high socks and Mary-Jane high heels, and with my handbag perched in a little wicker basket I would peddle my shiny red bicycle along flower-lined laneways, hair riding over the wind. 

I fulfilled that fantasy too, when I lived in my little studio by the sea. 

I had such grand dreams of riding to work for ever more too, but my enthusiasm was quietly quelled when I grew tired of that final, long hill on the road towards home. After that, my bicycle remained chained to a pole day after day, month after month, until it turned into a heap of rust and another cyclist wanted the pole and ended up sawing off one of my bicycle wheels to release it.

But now that I am back in Darlinghurst and the cycleways continue to be built, I am again entertaining bicycle-riding fantasies and this Saturday I am going to test my desires when the very first Sydney Rides Festival and Bicycle Film Festival Sydney are officially launched at Taylor Square.

The free street fair kicks off at 10am and goes until 4pm and will include food stalls, bands, the usual Saturday Sustainable Farmers Market as well as bike stalls and a Bike Arena with ''spectacular'' riding games, according to the flier I picked up last week, along with a Sydney Cycling Guide + Map. 

The Follow the Trail flier also includes details about other events being held during the Sydney Rides Festival from October 8 to 16. If you vote online for your favourite event you can also win one of five bicycle packages worth almost $1000 to start you pedalling, which would be good for me, seeing as I have already wasted money on one bike. 

One of the events that sounds good for someone like me - without a bicycle - include the Try-A-Bike sessions being held this Friday and on Tuesday October 11 (midday to 2pm), where free bicycles and free coffee will be on offer at Hyde Park South, for people wishing to go for a caffeine-fuelled spin.

I also like the sound of the Pirrama Park Family Fun Bike Day, which is the closing event of the festival on Sunday October 16, from 9.30am to 2pm. I may not have children but I'd be quite happy to hit the jumping castle, take in some live music and dawdle around market stalls at the park by the water in Pyrmont. The site is also the finishing line for Bicycle NSW's child-friendly 16km Spring Cycle City Ride, which begins at North Sydney and crosses the Harbour Bridge to Pyrmont, so it will be serious bikerama.

Another cool event is being run by the Youth Food Movement, an environmentally conscious international group of young people who would have been sickened and appalled by my recent adventure in McDonalds land. The Australian arm of the movement is hosting a Ride on Lunch on Saturday October 15, which is described as an ''urban food adventure''. The ride, which costs $17, begins at Eveleigh Markets, in Darlington, in the city's inner-southwest, and stops at venues that celebrate local and seasonal produce, which means riders will meet young urban farmers, gardeners, chefs and cooks who have a sustainable vision. Unfortunately, the ride is sold out, but if you sign up to the Youth Food Movement Australia Facebook page, you can receive notifications about future YFM events. 

My friend Ruby Molteno is really keen to check out some of the events that are being held as part of the Bicycle Film Festival, in particular a screening, on Friday October 14, at the Sydney Opera House's Playhouse Theatre of Bill Cunningham's NY ($17).  

Cunningham, 82, is a fashion photographer for the New York Times who rides on his bicycle around New York's streets, snapping the stylish locals. His online, On The Street column, features his images with his running commentary of the people and their outfits and is really quirky.

For more events and details, check out the websites below.

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Sydney Rides Festival

One Week - Two Wheels.

Heaps of Art, Film and Fun.

Follow the Trail.

October 8-16, 2011

www.sydneyridesfestival.net

www.bicyclefilmfestival.com

Across the Border: Potts Point: Retailers: Shop Local!

Stop. Don't spend any more money (if you have any) and save it for this weekend when Potts Point celebrates the City of Sydney's and the Potts Point Partnership's new campaign, Shop Local! This Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 50 of the best Potts Point retailers and small businesses will be swinging open their doors to offer special discounts for local residents as well as the occasional glass of complimentary bubbly. 

I found the Shop Local! campaign's chic little flier (above) in my mailbox this week and I have to say that despite the fact that I already purchase most of my clothes, books, gifts and food from the local area, this weekend sounds like a lot of fun. And they have dubbed the area, ''The Point'', which is kind of funny. So on Friday night you can tell your friends you're going down to The Point and they will think it's some new small bar or something.

The celebrations begin on Friday night at 6pm when ''Champagne corks start to pop'' in a number of retailers who will be offering late night trading, special discounts and ''Taste a Plate'' specials. Top of my list is clothing store Becker Minty (above), on Manning Street who promise ''refreshments and special offers for locals''. Special offers sounds good, because the last time I went to their store in the old Post Office building (since relocated) I dropped about $700 on a frock. And no, I didn't regret it; I just didn't eat for a few weeks.

Other shops staying open late include the excellent Potts Point Bookshop (above), local institution Macleay Bookshop (until 9pm), excellent gift and homewares shops, Macleay on Manning and pocket-sized Plum Interiors, as well as women's shoe shop, Booty, clothing store, Mon Petit Chou, and new kid on the block, Pour Tous by Davidson and Beaumont down on Elizabeth Bay Road. There are others listed on the flier, which you can download from the Potts Point Partnership website.

After all that shopping, pop into Llankelly Place's KL Kitchen (above) or Tomatillo Mexican Grill on the strip for a Taste a Plate special. The cute little flier doesn't quite explain what exactly that Taste a Plate is, and neither does the website but I imagine it means a discount or special of some sort. 

Saturday is Meet the Owner day at dozens of shops in the area including my big fat favourite Greek cafe, Ithaka Kafenion (above). Black Bull Butchery is running an all day Know Your Meat class, which is always a good thing, while new Llankelly Place gallery space, The Cross Art Projects, is hosting a talk by environmental activist Jack Mundey, who is the present chairman of the Historic Houses Trust, from 2pm. Sounds interesting. 

Bounce Walking Tours are also offering a special Art Walk of Potts Point, which promises to take in the area's ''past, present and future''. It runs from 11am to 1pm, costs $20 and includes admission to the historic Elizabeth Bay House (below). 

If you can't make the Bounce tour on Saturday, don't fret, Elizabeth Bay House is also open on Sunday from 10am to 4pm and costs just $4 to have a snoop around inside. 

Before visiting the house you could pop into the James Dorahy Project Space, hidden in the Minerva building on Macleay Street, for a glass of bubbly and an exhibition viewing from 11am to 1pm. 

There's also a guided tour happening in Woollomooloo, the Green Bans Art Walk, which begins at 2.30pm. But when I went to the Performance Space website it appears that it has already been booked out. 

Oh, well, there's always the Cafe Dov garden party from 3pm to 4pm, a $15 Brunch at the Librarie from 10am to 2pm or jazz at the Becker Minty owned Velluto Champagne and Wine Bar from 7pm.

I'm sure I recognise that deer (above), which was featured in the Shop Local! flier as coming from artist Gary McEwan's excellent gift shop, Bang! And yet there is no mention of him in the campaign. So I will mention him here. McEwan and his shop (below) on the corner of Macleay and Orwell streets are definitely worth visiting. 

There are also dozens more shops involved in the campaign that I couldn't mention here. Visit the Potts Point Partnership website for more details.

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Shop Local!

Appreciate The Point

August 26-28, 2011

www.kingscrossonline.com.au

www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au