Year 3 of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 47

Week 47: Buildings.

"1960s Street". Sketch in finepoint Sharpie, with watercolours, white opaque Signo, yellow pencil and collaged road markings on watercolour paper. Based on a photo found in a Facebook image search.

Update:

Week 47: Buildings II.

"King Kong hug." Quick sketch in black and brown Sharpies with highlights in white opaque Signo and watercolours.

CBD

DAY 21

Thanks so much to Sue Tuckett and Graham "Garfield" Barnard for the kind invitation to preview "Captain America: The First Avenger" tonight at the Paramount Pictures theatrette. I wasn't expecting it to be in 3D in such an intimate venue. Excellent film - and great to see some friends from decades ago, such as Craig Walker and Quentin Saville!

Sydney Tower

DAY 10

Sydney Tower over Centrepoint, now a Westfield shopping centre.

BER - the second tour!

Yesterday, the whole staff was given a walk-through of our school's almost-completed new BER double-classroom and new BER school library. These are some comparison photos with the ones from my sneak preview of the library a few weeks ago:

























Down the other end of the school, a matching building, comprising a modern double classroom, with wet areas, storerooms and a glassed-in, shared withdrawal teaching space, is almost complete! On the floor is stored some of the shelving and furnishings for the library!





Mmmm, back at the library. Mind that last step: it's a doozy!:


As a colourblind man, I must trust my colleagues as to the colour of this door. But it's hard to miss, whatever colour it is!

I can't wait to get all the books and other resources out of storage. There was no time to cull books before packing (done by professional removalists, supervised by me), so I anticipate a massive and essential cull during the first few weeks of set-up. Thanks Kevin and Julia!

BER - the first tour!

Yesterday, as I informed an outdoor assembly of the students of the results of the 2010 CBCA Awards for Book Week, work continued on our new BER (Building the Education Revolution) school library at my school. They are now starting to prepare the grounds for paths and covered walkways.

Last Thursday, I had my first tour through the site, and was able to get the inside scoop! It's really coming together in there!



These wooden boards are protecting the new glass double doors of the main entrance. Behind me, an external vestibule area - complete with a toilet (luxury!) and a staff/grade/"special programs" room - is taking shape. This meeting room has very generous storerooms, and will have a sink and an interactive whiteboard. We are getting this room because there was no way to use BER funding to overhaul the existing staffroom. Adding this area onto the library plan has given the building some character, especially when compared to the long, rickety tin box of a demountable library - which the school was so used to having around, for over two decades.



This will become the spacious library office and circulation areas.

An IWB (the second one in the building) shall be installed on the far wall, about where that ladder is standing.


I venture into my office for the first time!


Circulation, as viewed from the location of the library's IWB.


Yes, we will still have a second door for faster exits.

Down the other end of the school, a matching building, comprising a modern double classroom, with wet areas, storerooms and a glassed-in, shared withdrawal teaching space, is almost complete!

Hand-over of the new buildings may be only about six weeks away, but I'm not holding my breath. I know that many school libraries are ordering shelving and furniture at the same time and I guess some delays will be inevitable. But the new library is really coming. We can almost smell it!

Pakled at the Pedlars' Fair

Today was our school's annual Pedlars' Fair. Glorious winter sunshine, amazing costumes from the younger students, all dressed as pedlars to parade with trays full of edible and collectible wares (to sell for just 1 Pedlars' Penny each ( =50 cents), and the older students running fairground games, activities and competitions, again for just 1 Pedlars' Penny each. There was also an exhibition of students' model making skills (bridges and buildings) in the hall.



How great is it that all I have to do is open my "Star Trek" wardrobe and select an alien costume to wear on the day?

Library on the move!

After one false start last Tuesday, the school library finally leaves Penrith Public School (almost) the way it came two decades ago... in ten segments.

I say "almost" because the segments leave us, each one decorated with a portion of mural, dating back to 1998.









To see the mural in closeup, please click HERE!

Big changes

Work began today on the builders' access route to the building site which is our school.

Building the Education Revolution (BER)

DAY ONE!

It's really happening! Preparations commenced today for the replacement of my school's old portable library with a permanent brick building. Two decades late, but it's coming!

Thank you to the now-infamous Stimulus Package!

A new stage begins

First day back at school.

Not too long to wait now. A new school library will be built on the site of the old one!

Meanwhile, in Sydney's CBD, some of my old Star Trek pals' favourite haunts have been slated for demolition:



the Greater Union Pitt Centre cinemas, on Pitt Street, where we attended the premiere of "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" - we came to call it "the pits centre" because we were disappointed that the oft-promised Greater Union Centre on George Street was still a deep hole in the ground, on the site of the beautiful old Paramount and Rapallo Theatres.



Next to the Pitt Centre was the former Mars Steakhouse, the upstairs left of this arrangement of shops, most recently an expansion of the Chinese restaurant on the other side of that level.



Further in, on the ground level, was the now long-lamented Fritzel's Schnitzels. Both restaurants hosted many a birthday function for Sydney Star Trek fans after a marathon of episodes at ANZAC House in the 80s.


Star Trek III: The Search for Spock premiere

Three in one - again!

I couldn't wait to share this picture of my new Max doll, from the classic picture book, "Where the wild things are" (by Maurice Sendak) - just in time for the release of the new live action movie. It was inevitable that he and Chook would cross paths. 13 November 2009.



I love this interesting juxtaposition of CBD buildings, amid the extensive rebuilding going on - and ongoing! - in the Pitt Street Mall. The reflection of Sydney's Centrepoint Tower can be seen in the reflective side of a building. 12 November 2009.



School students - the faces behind their puppet friends. 11 November 2009. I especially love how this little girl (below) has her puppet draped across her face in the main photo (above)!

A shot in the dark

Today's pic in my "365 Pictures project": a view of Sydney, 5.30pm, while descending the ramp from Central Station. Note the distant Sydney Tower between the two middle buildings.



What's really interesting about this project is that some of the pics, so far, have been one-off, chance-in-a-million, luck-of-the-draw shots, while others have been scenes I see every day, or every week - and yet I never know till I glance at them what will entail my one-shot-only shot.