thank goodness this only happens every two years

The Castlemaine State Festival roles on, and my poor old tootsies are pretty much worn down to little nubbins

and the last week has all become a bit of a blur... certainly I feel like I must be the only person remotely involved in any of the visual arts in this area who wasn't exhibiting in some way, shape, or form.

there were a lot of studios / galleries / interesting exhibitions where photos would have been a no-no, and some of the singing related stuff I don't have pics of because I was too busy warbling

but here's your lot for today [ although it's actually from Thursday! ]

First and very importantly there was coffee - and paintings - at the Coffee Bean, then across to the Phee Broadway for some amplified Shostakovitch, then on to Faulder-Watson Hall for an exhibition of photography

followed by a walk up the hill and:

Up-from-Melbourne-on-the-train-for-the-day Corrie with another friend o' mine, Beverley Downie, who was one of several artists exhibiting at the Gold Commissioner's Vaults - where the bullion was weighed and stored during the 1850s, before being sent down to Melbourne, now a private residence but open for the Festival -


I apologise for the glare on the glass of Beverley's lovely embroidered landscapes but hopefully you get the idea.

Several sadly-unphotographed stops and modest purchases later,

we're back at The Old Gaol :
looking at one of Rob's posters from inside a tiny claustrophobia-inducing cell
a rather [ ahem ] 'interesting' installation as part of the Fringe Festival -

I have NO idea what it's supposed to signify

still at the Gaol: wonderful screen printed banners from the local primary [ elementary ] school kids. I think this one was the Maldon School... I used to be a primary level art teacher back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, so it's unavoidable that I take a special interest in what the kids are doing.

After collecting David, we all took in an exhibition of paintings at the Golf Course

and then back Chez Catsmum and replete with both afternoon tea and a light dinner, a tired but happy Corrie ready to head back into town and the train, while I, in my guise as member of the the Chat Warblers, proceeded on to 'flash' sing at

a] the Baptist Church before the evening performance of Dinner In a Dry Dam

followed by a walk across town, singing as we went

to

b] the IGA supermarket
- this was supposed to be across the road at the Theatre Royal, but when we got there, there was an amplified blues mob so we graciously decamped to the supermarket, which was not what you might call overly busy but we did get a nice response,

and finally

c] in the back room at Saff's cafe

complete with a very capable and amenable waitress attempting to get all our drinks orders sorted [ and while it doesn't look like it, there are probably 30 or 40 odd - some might say very odd - women there, all requiring refreshments apres-sing ]

and to end the evening, I walked alone, and perfectly happy and safe, all the way back across town to the starting point and the car.