The Picasso Century at the NGV is now open and we went to see the exhibition today thinking crowds would be lesser before the school holidays. It was still pretty busy but great to see so many people in the city out and about despite the cold. We weren’t very prepared given the late morning tickets I’d bought so grabbed some coffees and toasties at Protaganist cafe at the Arts Centre Melbourne before heading inside but if you do get hungry, Bar Lourinha currently has a pop up restaurant at the NGV.
The exhibition is broken into two parts and I recommend walking outside to the pink open air Pond(er) installation – a reminder of Australia’s great inland lakes – if the sun is out, it’s good to catch some rays of vitamin D and rest your legs before viewing part 2.
Pablo Picasso lived through some very hard times over his lifetime including the Spanish Civil War followed by World War 2. It’s hard to imagine how much suffering and loss people had to endure over nearly a decade – there are no winners with war only pain and loss on both sides.
The winter solstice is fast approaching and I’ll be glad once it passes although I’ve been so busy at home and work – it’s been a welcome distraction from the dark days and nights. I still have tradies booked over the next 6 weeks at our place to do various bits and pieces but am looking forward to having a breather from house stuff before spring.
We’ve celebrated the solstice with an open fire outside in previous years and if you’re a BBQ lover, I’ve heard good things about Grill Americano in Flinders Lane which has a hand-built wood oven and Josper Grill. Further out, Olivigna at Pietro Gallus Estate in Warrandyte is holding two more Italian Grill Night experiences (at $75 per head) on Wednesday 6 and 20 July, which look delicious.
For full snuggle mode, you might want to lie down with a good book wrapped up in a quilt. I love the new Nancybird hand stitched patchwork kantha quilt (above) while today at Dymocks in Collins Streets, The Museum of Modern Love by Stella prize winning (and aptly named) Australian writer Heather Rose caught my eye, but I ended up walking out with Japanese writer Ken Mogi’s book (below) The way of Nagomi. I did have a shiatsu massage with my long time massage therapist Aliki Zouliou last week and it was just what I needed in trying to find some balance inside and out. Wishing you a peaceful week ahead.
Miss Rosanna 