Yesterday at the Mill

Things have gone very quiet at the Spring Bay Mill lately and some of us are getting worried.  The 10 Days on the Island Festival is on and, thanks to the Festival's website, we discovered there is an exhibition at the Mill.  No local advertising.  Steve and I visited yesterday.

As usual, just being at the site is magic.  It is hard for me to tell what is 'art' and what has just been left lying around.  This exhibition consisted of 3 walks:  Transition, Reflection and Pro-seeding.

The Mill hopefully is in the process of Transitioning to an arts hub with high end accommodation.  However there is a proposal to build salmon pens in Okehampton Bay with the land-based part of the business in Spring Bay.  The photo above shows part of Spring Bay.

You can follow this headland around to Okehampton Bay.  For the first time I could understand why Graham Woods has said he will not proceed with the Mill Development if the salmon farm goes ahead.  The farm will operate 24/7 so the noise and lights will virtually circumnavigate the Mill constantly.  Not good for high end accommodation.  I had objected to the salmon farm development on environmental grounds and because I think the levels at which the pens are stocked with salmon constitute cruelty.  Now I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that the salmon farm proposal is aimed at halting the Mill re-development.
On to other matters.

 I was thrilled to see dichondra growing - which has re-ignited my aim to introduce into our garden / lawn.  Back to the Exhibition.

Visitors are invited to climb the scaffolding

from the top of which you can view Maria Island and the lighthouse at Okehampton

and from which you are invited to make seed laden paper planes and launch them - Pro-seeding.

After all this art, of course you need a good sit down.

I continued on the Reflection walk but couldn't find any of the little discs of clay you were invited to contemplate upon and either throw into the dam or keep.

I did contemplate this eucalypt with wattle growing at its base.

Another look at the as yet unspoiled Okehampton Bay.

planter box made of caterpillar tyre

the image of Triabunna that many want to cling to

birthday greetings, bottle of wine

Thank you all.  I had a lovely birthday.  In fact I stretched it from St Patrick's Day to Sunday because I could.

Saturday morning I had breakfast in the sun and opened my cards and prezzies.  What a fabulous stash.  Thank you soooooo much.  Despite having these lovely new books, I indulged in one I got at the Pop Up Book Sale the weekend before.

Only Georgia will fully understand.  It proved, as promised, a hugely enjoyable book - perfect way to spend 3 days.

Not that I spent the whole time reading.  I've had this idea to paint this fence with engine oil.  On Friday I had my car serviced and the lovely Barrie not only saved the oil but gave me 2 lovely containers for future use.

And this is the result.  I can't see any difference either!  But perhaps after a few more coats it will have that creosotey look that I love.  One effect is that the area smells like a garage and reminds me of my first job working at the Shell service station in Klemzig.  One of my duties was to fill the oil bottles.  And feed the dinosaurs.
Steve cooked me lemon chicken and we had a bottle of wine with a cork!

feelin groovy

No place to go.  No promises to keep.  So far today is exactly as I hoped it would be.  So here's a bit of nothing in particular to suit my mood.

Remember the feather at The Bean's place?  Well the Green One used a skill she gained from her latest Botanical Art workshop to make from it this brush for Steve.

Photos from the Bean from our weekend before last of garden wandering.  I love that her interest in the detail is so apparent.

A strange thing happened last Friday.  I had arranged for a lady named Judy to pick me up from yoga and drive to Swansea to letterbox mental health promoting fridge magnets.  I had my camera with me because it seemed like a perfect opportunity to explore Swansea. Thus I was able to photo the shoes left, mosque-like, outside the hall where we do yoga.
When I emerged from yoga there was another Judy waiting for me to take me to Swansea to the Historical Society.  How this occurred I can't begin to fathom.

However the Historical Society made good use of me and I started the process of wrapping and labeling their fragile book collection.  Note that the floor is collapsing under the weight of the collection and death by compactus is avoidable only if you have a strong friend on the outside.

This unedited phone photo I took yesterday while Jill and I waited for Steve to do the supermarket shopping in Sorell.  We had taken Pharaoh Dog Jill to the dog beach at Kingston and investigated the Wednesday Produce Market.  Sadly I'd forgotten my camera.  The above is an Eileen Brooker mural showing Sorell in the 1930s.  Its a lovely, lively piece of art and I must tackle it again with a camera.  Or learn how to use the phone effectively.

And lastly one of Steve's workshops, this one featuring flying guitar pieces.

Will I still need her, will I still feed her

Always.  Though she is more likely to feed me.  Happy Birthday Lady Jayne.

Make my day!

Just when you think life can't get any better, the local shop starts selling artichokes.

season of mists

and it truly was.  This is how 1 March dawned.  Sadly it reveals that the window and camera lens need cleaning.  Later in the day I picked Pru up from the airport and brought her back to Tribes.  Given she was only in Tasmania for 4 days, I think Triabunna should be proud she wanted to spend one night here.

But then it is rather nice.  I drove Pru to Hobart on the Thursday, and Friday I was off to The Bean's for the Huon Art Exhibition Opening and prize presentation at Cygnet.  Sadly the Glorious Bean didn't win a prize this year - we think.  Anything that doesn't go to plan is described as Oscar-esque currently and this was the case with this event.  The presentation was entertainingly shambolic.  There was some beautiful work and I really enjoyed the music.
Saturday was devoted to my first Australian Garden History Society event in Tasmania.  We gathered at Peppermint Bay and walked to the Woodbridge Nursery which The Bean and I have frequently graced.  Other Society members bought up big.  The Bean bought a Bishop of Dover dahlia.  She is working her way through the Bishops.  Then it was on to Pav and Penny's garden at Nicholl's Rivulet.

The shed they lived in for 12 years while starting the garden.

Pav directing The Bean to the Wollemi Pine

A Happy Bean

assesses the pine for its portrait sitting

while I go for a wander.

The Bench at which we lunched far from the madding crowd.

The Bridal Walk under construction.

My favourite part of the garden.

Bit hard to see here but the cones on this pine are blue.

The final garden has been in the current owners' possession only 2 years and demonstrated the huge responsibility of taking on a garden which has been years in the making.

'

I only took one photo but may have more if The Bean sends me some of hers.  One of our party bought 4 gunnera plants.  'You must have a large garden', I said.  'Yes', he replied, 'these are to go around the lake'.

You don't need a lake with a garden like this.  Here are some photos I took on Sunday at the Bean Shack.

three ships a-sailing