How amazing is this photograph? Belco Pride set against the New York skyline. Priceless. Canberra photographers had their work on display in New York at the recent groovy Photoville festival, with a pop-up village of shipping containers transformed into temporary exhibition spaces in the heart of Brooklyn Bridge Park. The Canberra contribution, called Canberraville: A Rolling Grounds of Contemporary Fiction, presented a microcosm of the national capital including four images from local photographer Lee Grant’s brilliant Belco Pride exhibition. The project was a collaboration between the Centenary of Canberra, the Australian Consulate in New York and Canberra Lab, which represents local architects and designers, and which was selected to install the exhibition. It was curated by local architect Ronan Moss, from Canberra Lab, and Julian Hobba, program manager arts and culture for the centenary. The other photographers featured included Alex James and Stella Rae Zelnik while PhotoAccess contributed a range of work. The result was the slightly surreal sight of a local images including the blown-up, paste-up of the tattooed Belco boy set, against one of the greatest cities in the world. Moss said it represented the “changing spirit’’ of Canberra and the growing confidence of Belconnen, with its potent mix of students, public servants and communities from around the globe. “The work was about Canberra seen through a contemporary lens,’’ he said. Grant, meanwhile, said it was wonderful to see her work on display in such a context. “I thought the use of the paste-ups was very Belco,’’ she said. “That was kind of cool to see that.

Floriade really is for the young and old. One-hundred-year-old Joy Hart, who lives at St Andrew’s Village at Hughes, enjoyed her first ever ferris wheel ride, taking the plunge, so to speak, with her grand-daughters Vanessa Bryden and Nicola Bryden on a recent visit. Mrs Hart, who turns 101 in January, had heard on the grapevine at St Andrew’s that the best view of Floriade was from the top of the ferris wheel. So she wasn’t about to miss out. “She really loved it,’’ her daughter Jennifer Hatch, of Wanniassa, said. “We had no idea it was her first ride on a ferris wheel until she got off. She was very excited about it.’’ It was a change of pace from Mrs Hart’s usual interests which include crocheting. Mrs Hatch said her mother always credited an active life for her longevity. “She played a lot of sport. She played tennis up to her 40s and then played golf until her mid-80s,’’ she said. “I think it’s in the genes. Her mother lived until three weeks short of her 100th. And she has a brother who is 90 and still does 20 push-ups every morning.’’ And enjoy the last weekend of Floriade with opening hours 9am to 5.30pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Popular “home cook’’ – that’s what she humbly calls herself – MasterChef favourite Poh Ling Yeow is conjuring up some delicious-sounding dishes at Floriade this weekend. It’s a bit of a whirlwind for the 2009 runner-up of the cooking program, only returning home from Paris on Thursday in what was her first real holiday since MasterChef catapulted her into the limelight. “I didn’t really go fine dining at all. I kind of wanted to eat bistro food and live and eat locally. I think the favourite thing I had there was the baguette and the butter,’’ she said, with a laugh. At Floriade, she’ll be cooking Chinese pork and cabbage dumplings and a Malaysian chicken curry, the dishes both a nod to her heritage. “I want to show people making things from scratch doesn’t have to be difficult,’’ she said. Poh has proven you don’t need to win MasterChef to gain a career from it – inspiration for Canberra’s contestant from the most recent series, Rishi Desai. “I wanted him to win, I really wanted him to win. I was so disappointed when he got out,’’ she said. “I think the thing that drives a career after a media stint like that is really just having a genuine love for it and knowing who you are and what you want to represent in food. And for me, I just wanted to teach home cooks to be better home cooks. Because that’s what I am, a home cook.’’ Poh’s demonstrations at Floriade will be at 2pm, 3pm and 4pm on Saturday and Sunday.

An eagle-eyed reader wanted to know why NSW Governor Marie Bashir was in uniform for the recent International Fleet Review on Sydney Harbour while Governor-General Quentin Bryce, commander-in-chief of the Australian Defence Force, was not. Well, we went right to the top and asked the Governor of NSW’s official secretary and chief-of-staff Brian Davies. He tells us Ms Bashir was in uniform because of a personal – and unique honour – conferred upon her by the navy, rather than any requirement of either office. “The Governor of NSW was in uniform as Honorary Commodore, Navy Warfare Training because she was the first honorary appointment made by the Royal Australian Navy in its 100 year history,’’ he said. “This is a personal appointment and is not linked to the Office of Governor per se.’’ So there you have it.

Westfield Belconnen and Westfield Woden will be attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the most makeovers completed in 24 hours, aiming to beat the current record of 720. Each person has to be styled in a new outfit, along with hair and makeup. It’ll take place next Friday and Saturday. Check out the shopping centre’s Facebook pages to register.

Congratulations to staff at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in Canberra who were confirmed on Friday as being the top national team for this year’s Cupcake Day for the RSPCA, raising an amazing $9933.35. Across the nation, the day raised a “PAWsome’’ $1.5 million to fight animal cruelty. The RSPCA pet expo is also on Saturday from 10am to 3pm at its headquarters at 12 Kirkpatrick Street, Weston.

• Queanbeyan Uniting Church Spring Fair on Saturday from 9am to 1pm in Rutledge Street, Queanbeyan.
• St John’s Canberra Community Fair on Saturday from 9.30am to 1.30pm, Constitution Avenue, Reid.

• The Black Mountain Wildflower Ramble is on Saturday from 9.30am, meeting at the Belconnen Way entrance, just before you get to Caswell Drive. Look out for the balloons. Experienced guides will lead this relatively easy walk. Bring morning tea, sunscreen, water and wear sturdy, enclosed footwear.
• The Old Bus Depot Markets go retro on Sunday with fashion, homewares, furniture, jewellery and more. The markets are on Wentworth Avenue and open from 10am to 4pm on Sunday.