Hobart calling

 Steve has been in a lot of pain this week.  In addition to his usual arthritis pain, he had toothache.  The day to visit his dentist finally arrived and it necessitated going to Hobart.  Due to my expert driving we got there an hour early so killed some time somewhere I have long wanted to have a look at.

Look familiar?

Not the good old River Rat aka Azaria, parked to minimise the need to walk.

This may help.

Yes, we're in Battery Point with the unmistakable Empress Towers, a nestled cottage and views across the Derwent.  The attraction was the The Signalman's Cottage as seen on Restoration Australia a while ago.  Mission accomplished, Jill PD and I dropped Steve at the dentist for his 1.5 hour appointment.  It was tempting to rob a bank in anticipation of the account, but we chose an equally historical activity and walked the Hobart Rivulet Track in South Hobart.

Here is a painting of the Hobart Rivulet some time ago - John skinner Prout from memory.

It is somewhat changed but still a very pleasant walk with some features extant  This is Milton House about which you can read more here .

I was particularly taken with the native planting that has been very thoughtfully used.

I got some ideas for my own native Tassie patch, including massed dianellas.  I've usually seen them planted individually.

On our return walk to the car, I was a bit annoyed by these people on electric bicycles whizzing past us.  Transpires they were parents picking up their children from school.  I couldn't wait around to see how this was actually effected.  Did the children run behind?  Were they donkeyed / dinked?  Did the bike carry provisions which were munched as they all walked home?  More research is needed.

One little chap who didn't make it home was Wildfred Bandicoot who died in a car accident according to his epitaph.

Season of the which...

It is that glorious time of the year when the self-sown seeds develop into little plants, and decisions have to be made:  weed out or keep for later foraging?  Yummy fun.

going to the portaloo at day break has its previously unseen pleasures

sea holly and transplanted lavenders outside Steve's Studios 1 & 2

bit of clearing out  for the next plan...

which involves converting this dark corner to natives

fungi on a chopped pittosperum

looking back to the dark corner from the netted Cox's Pippin

 

finally got something to grow in the window box of Studio 3

where potager and Tassie native garden meet

main self-seeding and future foraging area

the private corner where I take bucket baths in the absence of a bathroom

simple pleasures - rhubarb in Georgia's kitchen

our Chinese New Year feast

🐯HAPPY🐯 YEAR🐯 OF🐯 THE🐯WATER🐯 TIGER

🐯🐯🐯

The Domestic Front

 The deck is finished and the bathroom just begun.

cruddy but homey bathroom as it has been for over 2 years, awaiting builder

demolition commenced last Saturday

concrete floor sheeting went in today

In the meantime this is our wonky 'amenity'.  It looks like the Tardis from our kitchen window.

looks quite good from this angle

Jill PD is taking all this in her stride.  In fact she loves the party atmosphere as The Daves strut their professional stuff:  Dai The Build, Dai The Slave, Dai The Plaster.  The plumber's name is Jack.

Holiday fiction reading is continuing

with one beautiful non-fiction.

I have met Madam Cyn for lunch at Magnet Court, Sandy Bay,

and collected my long-promised birthday present from Rosa Norte.  Sadly the lemon tree is so large that Steve couldn't fit all of me in the picture.

I actually made this cake, though I used almonds and kirsch instead of pistachios and orange flower water.  I made it for our 21st wedding anniversary.  I was going to do a whole Wedding in Wentworth Revisited but I can't get to the photo crate which is beneath all the new bathroom fittings in the shed.

Steve and I (and half of Triabunna) had our booster shots in the Community Hall which was once home to the glorious Orford Odeon: $5 admission, $3 red wine, $2 Mars Bar, $5 raffle tickets.  Those were the days.  The films were good too.

And there was the first BBQ Chez George.  She has a special area for such events, and beautiful it is too.

The Strange and the Beautiful

 We are having strange weather.  Wet and warmish.  The garden and I love it.

wild evening skies last week

It is that beautiful time of abundance again, at least in my little world.  Steve buys apricots whenever he leaves Triabunna.  Our trees have not done us proud this year.  The cherries come from various sources.  The first of the O'Henrys' peaches.  Perfection as always.

yesterday's lunch using up ham, cheese and herbs from Friday night pizzas

The orchard may fail but I do good herbs.

the split mulberry tree behind the pub

continues to produce abundantly

the shed at the pub

The annual Spring Bay Studio exhibition, this year called Go Figure, is on so we swanked along last week after masked tai chi at Suzie's.

I love this piece by John, one of our Soiree mob.  Entitled Warhorse and Songbird, it makes me want to weep at the loss and destruction of war, and brings to mind Sebastian Faulks' novel Birdsong.

This joyous work is by one of the Sunday Swimmers.  Talking of which

before the tsunami

after the tsunami

Not really, of course.  But there were warnings on the news this morning, and local residents came out to notify us, which was lovely.  Some stayed on the beach, possibly in anticipation...  We were alert but not alarmed, although I was aware of my own hypocrisy -  I who rant incredulously when people attempt to drive through flood water and put emergency services at risk.  But I must say Dot and I did enjoy hamming up the photo-shoot, and bewailed the loss of the Spring Bay Theatre Troop (or whatever we were called).

May Tonga and surrounding areas be safe.

And the rains came

As forecast, we had good gentle rains and I was able to finish off a few books. 

I have shown you this one before.  The Floosie gave it to me.  I have now read it cover to cover and am much wiser in preparing my garden for wildlife, though I'm not expecting to be rushed by echidna, quolls and bandicoots.  It is such an engagingly written book that it's like going on a garden tour with a friend.  The photos and detailed information are amazing.  Best of all, a wild-life friendly garden is the perfect reason for leaving the garden to its own devices.  But I have to plant a lot more small and prickly shrubs for the wrens and finches.  The plants don't have to be endemic, or even Australian natives, but I think that is what I'll plant.  Still keep the fruit trees and vegie gardens.

I came across designer Axel Vervoordt via his castle featured in Desire to Inspire , which is my daily read.  I got this book from the library and lingered over every page.  I love his design philosophy and came to understand my own ideas better.  He lives in, and designs for, a different stratosphere where money is obviously no object and ancient artefacts can be casually thrown (actually, artfully placed) around a room, but I agree with his tenet that it's about finding the right place for things.  As far as I can see, this is the only book of his which the library has - sadly.

Sandrine sent me a heavy, cubic parcel which I was sure contained a Christmas pudding.  In fact it held 3 books of which this is one, and a very mysterious one.  Called The Bidders by John Baxter, apparently an Australian writer now living (possibly dead) in Paris.  It is a very strange story.  Turns out to be a love story but I think is really just a vehicle for him to show off his knowledge of the dodgy tricks of the art and auction world.

This one I'm still reading.  Having dabbled in some Tasmanian history research, I'm stunned at how the researchers, admittedly academics, have discovered and pulled together so many sources.

Still reading this one too.  Naturally I thought it would be about life in New York, which it is, but particularly the gay scene in the 1960s and 70s.  Who knew.  Golly gosh.