I had a grand old time yesterday, my aunt was visiting from Melbourne. It seems like such a long time ago that I did anything interesting. My aunt lives in rural Victoria, but does appreciate fine arts, movies and music. Someone suggested we visit the Archibald, good decision, I say.

The quality of the portraits was excellent, but I was drawn further into the landscapes. Occasionally, I will come across items of such beauty, it sends shivers down my spine. This usually happens with music mostly, but the first painting that caused the sensation was "The Fall" painted by Lindy Lee. It looks similar to this (but better!). The second experience was when viewing the landscapes of Eugene Von Guerard.

I am delighted to report, I had the same feelings yesterday. Initially I was viewing "The second fall, light into darkness" painted by Angus Nivison. An abstract aspect of this painting just called to me. Then I saw "Hillside: toward the sun" by Ian Grant. This paiting seemed quite simple, but the muted tones and composition were mesmerising. The winner of the Wynne Prize was very good, but did not stir the same emotions.

It used to be that I would try to interpret the artists meaning in every work. Some years ago, someone told me that instead, you need to able to extract your own meaning from each work. It is probably not always relevant, but I find that particularly helpful with the abstract works.

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One last note, on the way to Circular Quay, I was offered a test ride of the Segway. I'd seen them on EV World many moths ago. It was quite an experience, the controls were unusual. Lean forward for forward motion, backwards for backward motion. Sounds simple? You should try it, it is not as intuitive as you might imagine. Also at $10,000 a pop, I can't see them really catching on.