Light and shade

There is a giant alarm clock sitting outside my bedroom window.

It’s a weird brick tower in the garden of my apartment block. Every morning, on the dot of 6.10am, something inside it roars to life with a sound not unlike a huge gas pilot light being lit with a match.

I am not very good at sleeping in and there is no chance of me going back to sleep once I open my eyes.

But that mysterious 6.10am roar means I can keep my eyes tightly shut, roll over and doze until I hear it. Ace!

Oddly, despite sleeping in my new bedroom since February, I only realised the 6.10am timing last week. That’s probably a sign of how overworked my brain is lately.

On weekdays I usually tap away at my blog post until about 6.30am, then jump out of bed to walk the dogs. I am at my desk working by 8am and often remain there until about 10pm.

Well, not last night. I crammed far too much fun into my evening … and it was wonderful.

First stop, after a day working in the city, was the launch of Western Australian winery Cape Mentelle’s new Marri Collection, a range that highlights the four distinct wine varieties that have shaped the Margaret River region.

We sipped the wines while enjoying a photography exhibition by Vincent Rommelaere, from Australia Unseen, which featured stunning images of the region’s Marri treetops.

Cape Mentelle’s winemakers were there and I had a lovely chat to a Frenchwoman who moved to the Margaret River to make wine and fell madly in love with the beaches.

I don’t blame her – I have very fond memories of my holiday there with DD. Here’s a flashback …

I’d return there in a heartbeat … with a side trip to Esperance, oh and a boat trip out to Bremer Bay Canyon, where the nutrient rich edge of the continental shelf attracts orcas, sperm whales, giant squid and other remarkable sea life. That’s another bucket list destination for me.

As for the wine last night, the Cape Mentelle Marri range is priced at around $20 a bottle and the winemakers admitted they are particularly fond of the cab sav, but my favourites were the chardy and the shiraz.

After nibbling some delicious prawns and arancini balls it was time race off to the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney for a sneak preview of Lightscape, prior to Vivid Sydney kicking off tonight.

It was so lovely! My favourite installation was the field filled with coloured lights that had a whale’s head and tail breaching out of the grass, accompanied by a soundtrack of whale song (pictured main). Divine.

But I was pretty knackered when I finally tottered through my front door at 9.30pm!

I was also a bit jealous of DD being in Stockholm yesterday eating Swedish meatballs without me!