Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from 2007

Translation

Hello 2008!

The Night before Christmas It has been another hectic Christmas with the whole family flying in from various parts of the country to enjoy a bit of holiday frivolity in the land of the Lotus Eaters (or Banana Benders as Queenslanders are more often called) in our tropical North where no one wears anything but shorts. This year after all the travelling, we didn't go overboard on presents, but we did have a lot of family fun with murder mysteries and dressing up and lots of challenges Things started off well with some sumptuous cooking by my darling daughter which included three desserts and a chocolate cheesecake birthday cake for yours truly. As if that wasn’t bad enough, everyone else took a turn at cooking and tried to outdo each other, so the diet is well and truly down the drain and I’ll be lucky if I ever fit into any of my clothes again. A fine Christmas Angel A few nights before Christmas we did the grand tour of Brisbane’s Christmas Lights. The bus driver asked us to lead

Duck Hunting

At this time of year, it's not uncommon to see lots of baby ducklings around Wrest Point Casino. Duck Crossing Sign at Wrest Point Casino Alas, there' s not much happening there today, so I walk on around the Esplanade, past sailing clubs, shipwrights and chandlers.... Past the modest and little known Reserve dedicated to one of Hobart's most famous exports. Perhaps Hobartians are a little embarrassed about some of his exploits ... To the Sandy Bay Rivulet, where water testers are hard at work..... Testing the Water at Sandy Bay Rivulet - Chloe, Jess and Tamara They assure me that this is one of the most polluted creeks in Hobart. However, the ducks don't seem to mind. Look closely -double click - and you will see lots of baby ducklings. Not bad considering that this is almost the middle of a capital city.

What Drought?

Spring is supposedly here and the whole country is in drought, the worst in decades, including large parts of Tasmania except that is, for Hobart, where it rains every time I go out. Between the showers though, I managed to have a lovely time at the market. I got some fabulous purple ranunculus and some Iceland poppies. Couldn't decide between the two so the stall holder gave me both at a discount. I was also given free shavings of coconut ice since they had run out of my favourite indulgence - and some organic apples. *By the way, it is now scientifically proven that chocolate is an antidepressant, relieves pain and prevents mood swings (ABC News, 7 p.m. Tuesday, 2/10/07). When I told my son this exciting bit of news. He said, "What? And they needed scientists to prove that? At home, our pear tree flowered like big wedding cake for a day or two before the blossom was blown around like confetti. The fierce winds also brought down a lot of trees and left five hundred homes wi

Afternoon with Dick Smith

In my case a bit of Greenhouse Guilt has paid off. After my trips to Hokkaido and Mongolia last year I thought I should contribute a little to the "Save Recherche Bay" fund being promulgated by the Tasmanian Land Conservancy (TLC for short), which buys up land destined for logging to preserve it for future generations. Recherche Bay has historic connections to Rear Admiral d' Entrecasteau's search for missing fellow Frenchman, La Perouse in 1792 and was probably the first bit of Tasmania ever stepped on by Europeans. The bay is named after his ship and many of the islands and channels and even the Huon River in this area, were named and charted by him. I know there are many flaws with Carbon Offset Schemes - George Monbiot likens them to pissing over the side when when the ship is sinking, when we should be down in the engine room bailing (http:www.planestupid.com), but at least this is an established forest which is already sequestering carbon and one which

Alice in Kettering

Like Alice in Wonderland I stumbled into a strange world at Kettering recently. This is the place where you take the Ferry to Bruny Island and there are some pleasant places round about like Peppermint Bay, which has a great restaurant and Woodbridge, with its narrow crooked road, large old oak trees and quaint shops and vineyards. The road I usually take was closed and I ended up at an almost deserted hotel. Inhabited by strange creatures and mythical beings, it looked like a film set from Lord of the Rings. King Neptune guards the entrance. A mermaid gazes out to sea and wherever you look you come upon intricate sculptures by Swiss Australian sculptor Roland Gabatel. There's a Griffin grinning from the top of the chimney Giant Mushrooms lead the way to the door Entrance to the Oyster Cove Hotel. There are interesting sculptures inside too The mermaid's view from the verandah An exhuberant Merlin rises from a garden bed Strange creatures and mythical beings - even the gree

Year of the Blood Moon

Dear Friends, You must be wondering what is going on. Well it seems that my marriage of 24 years is about to end in divorce. This has made everything I was doing pretty meaningless - travel, writing, working overseas, doing up the house etc. and I have been miserable since June. It felt like someone had died. I think it was me. Now, after the coldest winter ever it is time to move on. For the last couple of weeks I have been in the nation's capital to see how the other half lives. On the surface Canberra is all public servants, anonymous high security apartments and tree -lined streets (the City of Masan in Korea is modelled on it), but every now and then you get a glimpse of what lies underneath. It's very international and restaurants of every persuasion outnumber every other kind of business at the rate of about twenty to one. I am not surprised that my son has been putting on weight. The rest seem to be delis and kitchen shops, although the clothes and bookshops are p
The sun is shining for the first time in months... Rosellas in the Garden Juvenile Molly Hawk at the tip The birds are coming back..... The First Blossom Hang in there folks... It's almost spring