Monthly Wrap-up - October & Signs

For other signs from around the world check Tom's blog.

I spent the first 2 weeks of October recuperating from my hand operation, lying on the couch watching lots of movies and series from Netflix - "Sweet Magnolias", "The last letter from your lover", "The Noel diary", "Finding your feet",  "What's love got to do with it?" ...  I recommend all of these 😉

I also read a couple of books - "The horse dancer" by Jojo Moyes and "Glucose Goddess" by Jessie Inchauspe.

I very much enjoy reading health books and natural therapy books, and when a few weeks ago a patient at the clinic said "she no longer had diabetes" after eating her meals in a different order for 3 or 4 months, I was intrigued and researched this theory, and came across the book by biochemist Jessie Inchauspe, the "Glucose Goddess" which I ordered.

A very informative and easy to read book, which explains how we all (not just diabetics) need to balance our blood sugars to stabilize our hormones, lose weight, defeat sugar cravings, avoid chronic conditions like dementia, heart disease, diabetes... and her simple hacks to achieve good health and no need to cut carbs either!   Check her out on YouTube (video at the end of post).

Of course talk to your Doctor if you have diabetes (1 or 2) as this way of eating could mean you would have to reduce the medication you take.

As I couldn't drive during those 2 weeks I took the bus and train to go to Bethesda Hospital in Claremont to attend my first appointment with the Occupational therapist a week after my operation, and again a week later.

View from the waitroom of the Occupational Therapy offices at Bethesda Hospital

Friday 4th - Jose and I had dinner at Sebastian's Italian restaurant in the suburb of Victoria Park, which was no longer owned by Italians. 

Saturday 12th - Jose and I attended the "Portuguese Citizen of the Year Awards" dinner at the Portuguese club. The food was great - 1/2 lobster tail, and either a steak or a fish fillet. A slice of cake with strawberries was served later.

The event was attended by our Perth Honorary consul - John da Silva, by the Consul General of Sydney - Teresa Alvarenga, the Portuguese Ambassador in Canberra - Antonio Moniz, the Mayor of Cockburn -  Logan Howlett and the representative of the Mayor of Fremantle - Fedele Camarda.

The winners in six different categories were honoured by receiving a Portuguese guitar. 

Arts: Rudi Palmela

Community: Cátia Malaquias

Business: Paul John da Silva

Profession: Carlos Correia

Sports: Alessandro de Andrade Basto

Youth: Safira Letizia

The final award of the night - Citizen of the Year - was attributed to Catia Malaquias (OAM - Medal of the Order of Australia, named one of the most influential lawyers in 2021 due to her commitment to human rights and inclusion of people with disability.

The event was brightened by singer Pedro Cruz, who came all the way from Portugal.

Jose, me and our 91 year old friend Idalia, the award winners and the singer Pedro Cruz 

Monday 14th - I returned to work, wishing I could have stayed home longer, but with one other colleague on leave for 4 weeks, we would have been very short staffed if I took any more time off.

Thursday 24th - We had dinner at Yuki Japanese Restaurant. We tried some new dishes in the menu and approved of them. In fact there isn't much I don't like from their menu, the food is fantastic, the restaurant is always full, so it means people like their food.

Friday 25th - "No more blank walls" - the street art festival organized by Jerome Davenport, to celebrate street art,  with 10 murals  being painted in Subiaco from the 17th to the 27th of October.

Since I usually have Fridays off work I decided to take the train to Subiaco to check out the street art.

Most of the murals were still in various stage of being finished, some of the artists were on their lunch break when I went by, but as I said in my last post I met Jerome and we had a chat, as well as I chatted to a couple of other artists, one of them being Graeme Miles Richards, who painted "140 birds","Wombats", "Springtime in Bayswater", "East,West", etc.

Speaking to Graeme about his murals - 140 birds and wombats

There was an online map and I tried to follow it but didn't find one of the murals...and I'll have to go back one of these days to see the finished murals.

Tuesday 29th - I had a day off work and met up with retired colleague Jan to visit the Castaways Sculpture Awards at Rockingham Beach, a suburb about 40 min south of Perth. 

This annual event which started in 2008 celebrates artistic innovation and environmental awareness, with local schools and Western Australian artists creating artworks using discarded materials.

The event started on the 26th October and ended on the 3rd November.

Some of the school exhibits

When I returned home I changed into old clothes so I could go and pick  mulberries from a tree, offered by a "Buy Nothing" member. Back home I made mulberry jam.

Flowers from my garden in October

SIGNS:

Hacks from the Glucose Goddess to stabilize your blood sugars

Explaining insulin resistance

Monday Murals - Black Swans

I love murals and street art. If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme is for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  Once you start looking you will find murals everywhere.  The "Monday Mural" meme goes live on Monday at 12,01AM, Perth, Western Australian time. Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters. Looking forward to your mural finds this week.

Thanks Sami 

The black swan (Cygnus atratus) is a large waterbird species endemic to Australia and mainly found in the Southeast and Southwest regions. They are rarely found in northern or central Australia.

They are the state bird emblem of Western Australia, which was formerly known as the Swan River colony. Perth's northern and southern suburbs are divided by the Swan River.

Black swan  mural at "Pasta in the Valley" restaurant in the Swan Valley area of Perth.

This mural of the iconic Black Swan , was photographed at Perth Airport a while ago.

Another swan mural in Wolf Lane, painted by James Giddy

Monday Murals - Bees, bees, bees

I love murals and street art. If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme is for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  Once you start looking you will find murals everywhere.  The "Monday Mural" meme goes live on Monday at 12,01AM, Perth, Western Australian time. Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters. Looking forward to your mural finds this week.

Thanks Sami 

Remember the "Hope" mural from Wolf Lane that I posted on the 28th October.    A few streets away, this mural of bees on the walls of Pirate Life Perth at 440 Murray Street, was also painted by Perth artist Jerome Davenport.

                    

On Friday 25th October, I visited the suburb of Subiaco (just west of the city centre) where 10 murals where being painted. The street art festival - No More Blank Walls - was organized by Jerome Davenport (above artist) and took place from the 17th to the 27th October. The murals were still in the middle of being painted, but I enjoyed seeing some of the artists painting and I even spoke to 2 of the artists.

By chance I met Jerome and told him that I worked with his mother in law, and told him about Monday Murals, so he asked that I give Dr J. the name of my blog so he could have a look :)

I'll have to return to Subi one of these days to take photos of the completed murals.

Sneak peak of one of the murals that were being painted in Subiaco: 

Monday Murals - Electrical boxes in the city

I love murals and street art. If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme is for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  Once you start looking you will find murals everywhere.  The "Monday Mural" meme goes live on Monday at 12,01AM, Perth, Western Australian time. Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters. Looking forward to your mural finds this week.

Thanks,  Sami 

Various electrical boxes in William Street in the Perth central business district, painted with Aboriginal art symbols. No mention of artists.

Monday Murals - Once upon a time

I love murals and street art. If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme is for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  Once you start looking you will find murals everywhere.  The "Monday Mural" meme goes live on Monday at 12,01AM, Perth, Western Australian time. Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters. Looking forward to your mural finds this week.

Thanks, Sami  

Painted in July this year by Jacob Butler aka "Shakey", at the old Harper’s Building in Wolf Lane, in Perth's city centre. (Same alley as last week's mural)

Inspired by Perth’s history and the entertainment style of the time the artist came up with a scene that tied the eclectic mix of personalities together, depicting a snapshot of a comical yet calamitous sequence of events involving the historical tenants of the Harper Building in Wolf Lane. You can see Nathaniel Harper overlooking what should’ve been a mundane collection of a Maple’s piano. Surely it couldn’t be that easy though…

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1799tdn7wd/

(short movie of the inspiration for the mural)

"Shakey is a young, self-taught artist based in Fremantle, who in many mediums including acrylics, oils, pastel and aerosol. Jacob’s essential tremor that existed from birth got him branded ‘Shakey’, giving him his unique, free-flowing, intuitive style. His art career began in 2013, when he experimented using paint and colour for the first time whilst decorating his workmate’s hard-hats.

Since becoming a full-time artist he has been invited to paint live in front of large audiences for private concerts, gala balls, weddings and large charity events internationally, with his paintings yielding very successful results due to the raw energy put into his work whilst under pressure. Jacob’s passion and energy for art is contagious, his mission is not only to be the best artist that he can be, but also to inspire others to get painting. This was recently recognized within his nomination for a Disability Support Award, due to his successful art workshops catered for those living with disabilities. His story has been covered by the West Australian, Channel 7's Today Tonight, Radio and an award winning short film titled: Shakey’s Story."