Honeysuckle

I used to cycle through the Dorset lanes buoyed up by the heady fragrance of honeysuckle. At the time it made a lot of things easier.

Now I cycle to work along the Honeysuckle foreshore in Newcastle. Honeysuckle grew along the banks of the Hunter River (Coquon) long before the settlers came. The wattle birds were attracted to the emitted soft scents and had no inkling of the dirt and destruction that would be caused by the deposits of coal found in this new settlement.

Today the area is paved, the dirty railyards have gone (not in Tighes Hill or Carrington thanks to Port Waratah) The pathway linking the inner city suburbs is fringed with salubrious high rise apartments mostly housing the newly retired coming up from Sydney. They are attracted by the harbour, the beaches and the harbour life.

Old warehouses are being turned into expensive dining options, gyms and museums. Former dockland is being landscaped with sculpture and seating areas around the reclaimed boat sunk in the harbour many years ago.The boat had been used for target practice and was unceremoniously sunk. Now it has a new life, deconstructed and reassembled into an installation wafted by the sweet smell of garlic at a nearby Italian restaurant.

Installations come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and I recently heard that the piles of books or unorganised items loitering around your house could be said to be wondrous art installations. Welcome to my gallery!