Lunar Eclipse

 Last week we saw a great eclipse of the moon and this post provides pictures of the event. The evening started cloudy and I was unhappy that I might miss the eclipse.

But then the cloud decided to clear and the next four images show how the shining moon progressively disappeared to be replaced by an orange-colour over a period of about an hour.

AS

The Big Chill

 Last weekend, 15-16 May 2021, the Armidale Reigonal Council staged a brand-new event at Curtis Park down on Armidale's creeklands. It attracted a large number of people for several good reasons. The weather was brilliantly clear and reasonably warm for mid-May with the temperature 15 C or maybe a little more. Secondly, it was a food festival with a mssive variety of food-stalls supplying ethnic foods (I had a Turkist meal), or top quality foods produced locally or regionally. Alongside, there were many local breweries selling their wares - and I tried a couple of brews including a ginger beer from the Welder's Dog. Also available were various wines - and our disctrict has its own  "appelation controlee" as the French would term it. Other stalls were selling locally produced household goods of various kinds. Finally, and this really appealed to the younger generation, bands played jazz and rock numbers for much of the time. The volume was so loud it almost deafened me ... and I have a hearing problem.

So there you have it! A place to meet up with people like Dot and I did by prior arrangement. A place to sample delicious food and drink. A place to enjoy balmy weather and soak up the sun. A place to listen to 'popular music'. A place to walk gently around eyeing local produce and services. No wonder it was packed. The place even had the local constabulary to keep an eye on things. Let's have a look at some pictures of the event, starting with the entrance policed by the Armidale Regional Council.

Here's one of the several local bands in action.

Heaps of chairs and bags were provided to accommodate the listeners.

The craft breweries and wineries were groups together.

Likewise, other local craft producers were grouped together.

The came the foodies like the orange duck kitchen

The organisers provided heaps of tables and chairs in the middle of Curtis Park to accommodate people eating their lunches or sipping wines and beer.

As I noted earlier, there was a police presence but, surprisingly, on horse-back. Here they are awaiting a drink.

And also roaming around the park.

Here's Dot eating her interesting meal ... and in the left background there's Maria Hitchcock OAM, leader of the New England Visions 2030 group of which I'm a member.

And here, finally, is the royal flush of the event ... a collecion of portaloos. I've left the image small in case the picture reveals someone important exiting one of the toilets

It was a lovely event that I'd willingly attend next year if offered. And did any one looking at tthe pictures see any clouds in the gorgeously blue sky. Armidale's a great place to live for its many events and great environment.

AS

Armidale's New Secondary College - Open Day

 

When Emily and Rebecca went to High School here in Armidale back in the 1990s our town had two public schools - Arnidale High and Duval. They naturally chose the latter which was much closer to home and they had a good time there. Emily even became school captain in her last year there. Sadly, the NSW government decided to merge the two schools. That meant the closure of Duval and the total remodelling of the other, which my wife Dorothy attended many years ago. In the process, the two became the Armidale Secondary College.

Duval was home to the secondary college during the reconstruction of the other, and that concluded in late 2000. Consequently, at the start of 2021, Duval closed ofr good and all senior kids who go a pubblic school now have to go to the site of the former Armidale High. Despite its population of just 25,000 Armidale also has 4 other private high schools! Despite this, the new school is now home to perhaps 1,200 students. Many residents we know have been clamouring to have an open day so that they can see the improvements made and to some extent memorise their past attachment to Armidale High. Well, yesterday (Saturday 8 May, 2021) awarded them with that opportunity and we arrive thre quite early to meet up with friends. Let's simply say that everyone we met was astonished by, and happy with, the new school, which we were able to amble around freely.

Above we can see two parts of the old Armidale High where Dot received her education, below there are several views of the many modern structures added to the portfolio.

The new school has pods of classrooms for each year of study. Two such class-rooms are shown below.

And each cluster of rooms seemed to have a break-out area where kids could meet and maybe have a cup of coffee or other drink and eat lunches. Dot is standing closest to my camera - a Google Pixel 5.

The next picture shows some sort of utility area where things are stored.

Here's what looks like a collection of canoes.

Going outside for a moment we saw a lovely view across town to Mount Duval in the background - one of the highest parts of New England at about 1,400 m. (or 4,600 feet).

And here's the college's agriculture facility, which had class-rooms, storage pens for presumably sheep and cattle (none present while we were there), and cages for chickens.

If I recall correctly we're looking at the home economics facility, equipped with cooking facilities, wood- and metal-working equipment and scienntific laboratories.

Below, we can see one of the staff members explaining to interested visitors the capacities of these laboratories and workshops. There was even a geological collection as shown of the right.

Back on the old building, we explored how it too had been reconfigured for the future. We were taken aback by its focus on music with rooms full of drums, guitars and pianos.

All in all it was a fascinating exploration of the new facilities and the reconfigured old ones. There was even a pop-up cafe where we bought drinks and nibbles.

AS