Jane - AnArt4Life

John Pickup OAM (1931-2023)

It is with deep regret and sadness that we have to inform all our wonderful subscribers and followers that our dear friend and team member John Pickup OAM died peacefully in his sleep. John was in his 92nd year.

Travel

The Penguin Post Office

Port Lockroy's post office is situated on the northwestern shore of Wiencke Island, one of the islands of the Palmer archipelago. Adrien de Gerlache discovered the archipelago in 1898, and since then it has hosted research stations for both Argentina and the United Kingdom.

Travel

Awe Inspiring Antarctica - Part Two

Continue exploring Antarctica cruising through the Lemaire passage, the ship inched forward through the 1km wide with steep sloped mountains crowded in on each side. Mostly blue skies, no wind, sea ice glistened on the flat and glassy water offering some good reflections.

Travel

Awe Inspiring Antarctica - Part One

Antarctica is the windiest place on the earth where wind speeds of more than 350 kilometres per hour have been recorded. It is also the highest, driest and coldest continent covering 14.2 million km² - the fifth largest continent of our planet - almost double the size of Australia!

Celebration

HAPPY CHRISTMAS 2022

Wishing everyone who celebrates Christmas a wonderful day with family and friends. And remember - ARRIVE LATE AND BE SAFE!!

Celebration

Melbourne Cup - Hats are the Essential Accessory!

Melbourne Cup hats and fashion are the hallmark of Melbourne Spring Racing glamour. It would be a dream to wear a hat created by Rose Hunter who has won numerous awards over her career as a milliner which spans more than 40 years. Photo: Jane

Mansion

Magnificent House Museums - The Wallace Collection

The Wallace Collection is located in Hertford House, Marylebone, formerly the London home of the Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace - bequeathed to the British nation by Lady Wallace, Sir Richard’s widow, in 1897. Image credit: my own photo

Neighbourhoods

Arts Precinct - Bayside

Sharing the space of old industrial buildings is a thriving community of artists tucked away in individual studios. This hidden gem is located in Advantage Road, Highett - just a short walk from my home in Sandringham Victoria.

Mansion

Magnificent House Museums - Hallwyl House

Hallwyl House in Stockholm was a palatial residence built as a winter home in 1898, for the Count and Countess Walther and Wilhelmina von Hallwyl. The museum stands as a unique testimonial of the lifestyle and décor of the late Victorian period in Sweden.

Museum

How the humble pencil assisted in WWII

Derwent Pencil Museum chronicles the invention of lead and coloured pencils and how the humble pencil assisted during WWII

Animals

Nairobi and a final African delight

On to the chaotic city of Nairobi - what a contrast. Masses of animals replaced with masses of people, beaten up old cars and so much traffic that on the main roads, slow enough to allow vendors to tout their wares

Animals

Mighty Maasai Mara

The Mara Triangle takes up 1/3rd of the Maasai Mara National Reserve, an area of 510 km². Bordered by the Tanzania/Serengeti border, the Mara River and the Oloololo/Siria Escarpment.

Mansion

Magnificent House Museums - The Johnston Collection

The Johnston Collection is located in a terrace house on a quiet suburban street in East Melbourne which was the final home to William Robert Johnston (1911-1986). Known as Fairhall, it’s a hidden little known treasure.

Animals

The Leopard

There are some days when you just need to stop and remember that the great and magnificent also need protecting.

Animals

Sensational Serengeti

I'm sure most of you are enjoying "images from Jane's travels in Africa. Today you can experience the wildebeest migration - almost first hand. And be amazed!!

Mansion

Magnificent Mansions - The Hermitage - Museum

The State Hermitage Museum is one of the largest museums in the world. It includes over 3 million exhibits. Its foundation dates back to 1764, when Catherine the Great purchased a big collection of Western European paintings.

Mansion

Magnificent Mansions - The Hermitage - Winter Palace

The Winter Palace which was the official residence of the Russian monarchs from 1732 to 1917 and along with four other buildings forms complex we know as The Hermitage.

Mansion

Magnificent Mansions - Catherine Palace

On the outskirts of St Petersburg is Catherine Palace. Named after Catherine I, commissioned by her husband Peter the Great, in 1717. Their daughter, Empress Elizabeth, chose Catherine Palace as her chief summer residence.

Quiz

National Animal of Tanzania

The other day I tested your knowledge of animals by asking what is the national animal of Tanzania where I am visiting at the moment. Check this post to see the answer.

Mansion

Magnificent Mansions - Peterhof

On the outskirts of St Petersburg, Peterhof was the favourite residence of Peter the Great. It consists of a set of palaces and gardens that until 1917 was home to the Tzars. They are known as the Russian Versailles and are an UNESCO World Heritage site. Image

Africa

Tantalising Tanzania

Our Jane is in Africa at the moment enjoying the "out of world" experience this continent offers intrepid travellers. Here is her first post "from Africa 2022" which has been delivered with Jane's fabulous journalistic flare we have all come to enjoy so much.

Mansion

Magnificent Mansions – Yusupov Palace

St. Petersburg was the capital of the Russian Empire from its foundation in 1703 until 1918, the year in which Moscow became the capital. One of the most famous palaces is Yusupov Palace – home of an important aristocratic family in imperial Russia.

Mansion

Magnificent Mansions – Hearst Castle

Perched atop a Californian hill, halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles at San Simeon, Hearst Castle is a stunning tribute to the incredible wealth of one of the 20th century's most important businessmen and his extravagant tastes.

Mansion

Magnificent Mansions - The Alhambra

The Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex on al-Sabika hill, on the banks of the River Darro located in Granada, Andalusia, in the south of Spain. My own photo.

Mansion

Magnificent Mansions – Sanssouci Palace

Sanssouci, located in Potsdam near Berlin in Germany, was the summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, (from 1740 until 1786). It is often counted as a German rival to Versailles.

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