Picnic on "the Coat Hanger Bridge", a Living Wall and the 200th ...

I am not sure my grandfather, Sir Ralph Freeman, the designer of the Sydney Harbour Bridge intended it as a picnic site – but times have changed in the seventy plus years since it opened. Would he have envisioned having a living wall in his home city of London, planted there by an American fashion house either?

The picnic seems to have been an incredible success – perched high over Sydney Harbour nestling amongst the steel girders with your own foods, or those offered by the organisers – wish I’d been there! Cows grazing on the newly laid turf – yes truly, and a piano player and buskers serenading everyone around (apparently honky-tonk giving families and new found friends a party atmosphere).

Hampers bursting forth with juices, fruit, fresh baked rolls, breads and croissants, fresh jams, yoghurts, flasks of morning coffee; while tablecloths laid on the grass, cutlery laid out, napkins passed round – I am sure there was champagne, or Buck’s Fizz, to charge a toast to celebrate the first of the probable now annual events.

This was certainly a different take on the arts festivals to which we’re normally accustomed – street level musicians, food stalls, theatres and wandering minstrels – a high-level picnic. It started early too at 6.30 am (set up 5.45 am) and lasted only last two hours .. so not a lot of time to absorb the views, the ambience, or your breakfast.

What would you pack for your breakfast at 161 feet ( 49 m) above the harbour waters below – a good old English of Devils on Horseback (prunes with a bacon wrap), Spanish Tortilla (thick egg omelette with mushrooms, potatoes), scotch eggs, baby tomatoes, stuffed mushrooms (with feta cheese), slices of melon, grapes, warm oozy buttered French bread with blackcurrant jam perhaps – perked up with a cafe latte, a bush tea or an English Twinings?

What a feast with which to take in the stunning cityscape of Sydney, its coastline, the Opera House nearby; a unique chance to walk the walk on the grass turf (10,000 metres of it) covering the normal eight lanes of bitumen; a chance to share with 6,000 others a piece of history – what will we get next ... a living wall perhaps?

That’s exactly right – a living wall it is .. planted as an interior by Anthropologie, the eclectic American retailer, inviting the customer to explore further – to experience the floors of bohemian chic .. be it textiles, furniture, home accessories, vintage 21st century apparel .. or to admire the planting of the living interior.

This vertical climbing garden, cleverly set next to the staircase, reaches 200 metres high dominating the 10,000 foot of retail space, incorporating 18,000 plants of 14 different species – sedums et al. These two-by-two-foot panels, that are three inches deep, containing numerous rectangular cells planted in special soil that retains the moisture, are watered via drip irrigation lines running between the rows of panels with rain water from the roof, as and when necessary. The skylight lets in some natural light, while the interior green walls will help clean the air in the building.

Photo courtesy of Decor 8 - the living wall and staircase, and two displays

The designs can be as eclectic as Anthropologie’s global range of goodies and can change with the seasons depending on what has been planted – different colours, plants that smell (like camomile or thyme), or that flower .. they don’t tell me if there are worms, slugs and snails mixed in too – or for that matter which plants have been planted? My sister-in-law on her instructed designated visit to give me the low down .. did not divulge the presence of slugs, snails nor puppy dog’s tails.

I was interested in the fact that I had to look at two websites to find out a little more information, rather than Anthropologie’s own pages. It seems that they have a cult following of bloggers and if you feel like a browse around – desiring things beyond our immediate possibilities .. they are well worth a look: these talented fashion, visually stimulating posts that have been put together. Decor8 and Pia Jane Bijkerk

Wall planting per the Green Roof site

So we have two living places – one vertical, already returned to its roots, perhaps to reappear for next year’s picnic, and a horizontal one (that has a guarantee of 15 years – well the States’ website says that!) – a visionary gateway to the hip retail therapy ahead. My grandfather designing the coat hanger, while his wife’s family absorbed the Hamley’s store a little further down Regent Street into their toy business .. while, all I can do is bring to fellow readers’ attention these quirks of fate by writing my 200th post today.

The stories amuse my mother and she loves seeing the pictures on the iphone! – as she finds it difficult to focus on a mixed page of text and pictures – so we can talk about all sorts of things and I usually have a picture to match. She loves it – and says what an amazing piece of technology, she likes to hold it and check the pictures out (where did you find them?) .. I have to master its’ amazing range of applications – not too good yet: difficult to concentrate on the mundane with other far more important life and death moments going on.

These pictures came from Pia Jane Bijkerk's blog - the amazing quintessential English tea at the press opening
My mother say these posts stimulate her and give her something to live for – as did my uncle – he couldn’t wait for the postman to drop a letter off, or for me to leave! if I delivered some, so he could read the next instalment!, or they look forward to hearing more, to see what this brain will think up next, where the stories will lead us. It’s a pot pourri of posts .. here’s to the next 200?

Dear Mr Postman – this strike is becoming a bit of a nuisance though the bills get through, as does some correspondence, which is nice to have at this time – new cards for my mother’s birthday in the middle of the month, and memories of my uncle from people unable to attend the funeral at midday tomorrow.

Hilary Melton-Butcher
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