The Provincial

Big drive to Hobart Saturday before last to pick up Steve's Mum's pearls that had been languishing at a jeweler for some time.  Big mistake.

All the fault of this chap.

It was the Christmas Pageant.

For a woman on a mission, it made crossing the street very tricky.

I had to tiptoe over picnic rugs and schmooze between children, which is always a dangerous thing to do these days.  I have to say people were very obliging and the spirit of Christmas shone through.  Unfortunately the pageant ended before I could catch the bus.  No one seemed to know where the bus stops were and I was given 3 bum steers.  Eventually a lady told me to 'look for the man in orange', an unusual Christmas instruction.  I found him - a Metro Buses rep - and he kindly escorted me to the appropriate place.  What he didn't tell me was that all the buses heading for the Eastern Shore were leaving from there so waiting crowds grew larger and larger and bus arrivals were very slim.  Eventually a bus stopping at Rosny Park aka Eastlands pulled up to a surging mob.  It turned out to be a determined but polite mob and all was jolly as the Big Bus took tired children, exasperated parents and one old lady homeward.

It was all in aid of this.  Mel's cherished Mikimotos, repaired and restrung.

The rest of the week proceeded normally, though we had 16 people for Malcolm's lunch on Tuesday which may be a record.  Such is Malcolm's generosity that there was still delicious chowder and sourdough bread to take home for lunch the next day.  Thursday was a big day with my 5pm hair appointment in Hobart.  I bravely parked in a multistorey carpark.  I have such an aversion to these places - so bleak and soulless, and someone's always getting killed in one in detective shows.  My lovely hairdresser has RSI and tenosynovitis so she's pacing herself, which is fair enough, but my hair was getting wilder and wilder.  All tamed now though.  Looking highly presentable, I dropped into the Three Peaks Gallery in Sorell for their Open Evening.  Georgia has some of her work there - if you click on the link you can see her and the back of John's head in one of the Insta photos.

It was a good event, made even better by a phone call on the drive home to say I'd won 3rd prize in the raffle.  It was also special that a didj player dropped in (even though I don't think Tasmania / lutruwita traditionally had didjeridus).  He hasn't quite mastered circular breathing but he's working on it.

Friday I caught up with Penny Lane!!!  I hadn't seen Penny for I don't know how long.  We worked together at Workskills in the 1990s and I worked for her when she had a small gardening business.  We called ourselves The Palmy Girls because we're both a bit mad, and we were younger then!  We rendezvoused in a Rosny Park cafe that I had long wanted to visit - Moto Vecchio.  I had expected to see a scooter inside but, no, a line of old motorbikes.  My parents would have loved it!  Penny and I were disappointed with the panini but the French Earl Grey Tea and melting moments hit the spot (and will doubtless stay there).

Saturday, back down the Tasman Highway yet again for a one hour consultation with the optometrist and then at least a 1 hour wait for the blurry vision drops to wear off.  I had to don sunglasses to cope with the glare and hence looked very cool when I dropped into the 3 Peaks Gallery to pick up my Third Prize.  What a grab bag of treasures that turned out to be!  I indulged in Sorell sushi, because that is one of my favourite things, as I read Tokyo Vice.  I do have a thing for Japan.  I have watched the Tokyo Vice series on SBS On Demand.  Sometimes it was a bit tough for me but I did love the tattoos.

There are things I've forgotten to tell you:

another good night

I wore my red wig and a tiara.

'Go West' in the sound track reminded me of Mum's birthday in 2013.

We managed to set up the camera in her driveway to capture us singing 'Go West', presumably because that's how you get from Wentworth to Adelaide.

Last time I was in Adelaide, Heths and I went to an U3A lecture at which this book was recommended.  It is excellent, ie it supports my hypothesis about psychology and evolution!  I was a little reluctant to get it from the library because of the guy's name - images of Harvey the White Rabbit and Mary Whitehouse.

Somehow The Third Man had come up in a conversation.  I like Graham Greene so ordered the DVD and book from the library.  Both excellent, though the book is a bit difficult to get used to.  It's written from a strange perspective because it was written at the request of a film maker with the intention of it becoming a film.

Another side of my life.  Picking up rubbish at Vicary's Inlet with FoTRs Bruce and Malcolm.  I noticed this log festooned with native pig face.  Very surprised that this drought resistant plant was thriving in water.

And, cruelly, it made me think of Bruce untangling this pennant thing for the Mental Health Week screenings.  Only Bruce and I would be daft enough to attempt that!