A lovely afternoon in the plains of Emu

Yes, mere months ago, I too would have thought that blog title was a complete oxymoron. But a lovely afternoon in Emu Plains we did have. In fact, I am thinking that my suburb snobby-ness may be dwindling.

Anyhoo, to the point Neen.

This afternoon we went to Penrith Regional Gallery and it was charming. We loved it.

In 1979, the artist Margo Lewers bequeathed her property and her art collection to Penrith Council. She left strict instructions that it must be used as an art centre for the locals.

Her and her husband Gerald, who was a sculptor, had lived on the property for years and developed a beautiful garden. Although it’s probably not exactly the same as the way they left it, the garden is still a work of art. We loved peeking out at it from inside the gallery and wandering through it afterwards.

The vegetable garden supplies the café where we lunched. We both had the corn fritters which were fresh and corriandery. Although at $17 a pop, quite the rip! I highly recommend the coffee though. Very good indeed.
They currently have a Japanese raked garden exhibition going on.
Apparently these gardens are created in the absence of water. They create a stylised landscape of white pebbles dotted with granite rocks. The whole thing is meant to imitate the flow of water and the land formations of mountains. It’s so minimal but so beautiful. We sat for at least 20 minutes enjoying the garden, wondering how something so simplistic could so wonderfully calm our chi.

There was also a bonsai display and E loves bonsai plants so he was in his element!

And then some other pictures that caught my eye.

Photos: 1. Night Caller, by Joanna Braithwaite 2. Sing to me, by Joan Ross 3. Egg comes first, by Joanna Braithwaite

Afterwards, we crossed the road and went for a lovely long walk along the Nepean River. It was raining, we got soaked to the bone and it was terribly romantic.

The perfect day really.