Grey is good

We have barely seen the sun in our short week here at Boat Harbour, but not only is the rain very welcome (especially down there in SE Tasmania), but the overcast skies and very clear air give a lovely light.

Sisters Creek, where it reaches the beach

This afternoon we walked the eastern half of Sisters Beach, just round the corner from BH, forcing our way through the immense crowds of people (ooh, maybe five all up?) and enjoying the views and the birds.

Rocky Cape from Sisters Beach

East end of Sisters Beach

Rocks and pools, Sisters Beach

Sisters has a very different character to Boat Harbour: more extensive, more houses, not as cosy, nor as pretty, but it's still a good place for a walk on the beach, even on a grey day. Our usual walk is up the beach and then back along the unsealed road that runs behind the beach. That way we get the sea birds for half the walk and the bush birds for the other half.

Yesterday we had a brief visit from a fierce-looking Brown Goshawk in the garden, and this afternoon we saw another (or could it have been the same bird?) dashing along the edge of the scrub at the top of the beach, hoping to surprise some unlucky honeyeater.

Far east end of Sisters Beach

The track back

When we got back to Boat Harbour the light was still grey on grey, so I took a pic of Table Cape through the telescope. Always reminds me faintly of the Parson & Clerk rock between Dawlish and Teignmouth, for those who know South Devon.

Table Cape from Boat Harbour

Now it has got chilly again, so the fire has been lit and Jean has just put a casserole of beef in red wine in the oven. Another tough evening ahead.

More storm: Inglis River

One of our favourite afternoon walks is the 6 km or so up and down the Inglis River estuary at Wynyard. Tramping round there the other day showed more evidence of the violence of the storm a few weeks ago.


The track had evidently been closed for a while since it would have taken some time to saw up all the trees that had fallen across the path.


It was striking how many trees were simply blown over, but actually snapped off halfway up. That may suggest a sudden violent gust rather than a prolonged blow. Anyway, there were many of them.


PS This may be an LBU (Least Bloggable Unit), but I have to keep up my quota.

Back at the shack

Jo says I must post at least two blogs while we're here at Boat Harbour for a week. So this is the first. We haven't been here for some months, so I need to show you what happens when you stay away that long.

The grass grows long.


Ants invade the kitchen.


New shacks pop up like mushrooms.


A row of new poles appears along the top of the beach.


And gales of wind (a mini-tornado, we hear) wreak havoc around the place. Our BBQ, left on the deck in the hope that someone would steal it, was blown over, despite heavy steel plates and a boulder on top to keep the lid on. Good thing it didn't blow through the glass doors.


But our problems were miniscule compared to what happened to the desirable (in situation, anyway) End Shack.


I guess that's the price you pay for having the most exposed site in the whole place.

Quite a few trees felt the force of the storm as well, though the damage was very localised, supporting the idea of a small twister.


But even on the third day of winter it's still lovely to arrive here and find the place warm and snug. With the fire on downstairs, and the gaps in the bathroom louvre windows blocked with newspaper, it is very cosy. Just right for our books and the crossword.

It's starting to get gloomy even now at 3.30, and we've already had our walk around the beach (18 bird species, despite the gale). Soon it will be time to stoke up the fire, make something hearty for dinner and open a bottle of good Australian shiraz.

Wish you were here.

Birthday Blog (a bit late)

'Tis the birthday season: Jo and I are now past, but Jess is still to come.

Celebrations are generally modest when you are 6#, but I must say that I had a very pleasant couple of days. Most of the 13th was spent in the bush with one of my PhD students. It was wet and pretty miserable, but a good preparation for what Jeannie had described as a surprise tea, and something that she hadn't tried before. After a soak in the bath all was revealed (hmm, should I rephrase that?), the meal, I mean. Paella, wow!

Paella at Casa Richardson

Huge Australian prawns and succulent Tasmanian mussels, all that saffron and the other herbs: yum! Washed down by a Marlborough (NZ) sauvignon blanc and followed by a lemon souffle sort of thing. Very nice.

And there was a little pile of presents: books, chocolates and tickets to the theatre that came via Texas (kinda).

Birthday presents.
Thanks, guys!

The tickets were for "I Am My Own Wife", a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Doug Wright, about Charlotte van Marlsdorf (born Lothar Berfelde) who lived through WWII and the communist regime in East Germany, accumulating a museum and running a secret cabaret in her basement during the communist years. The whole thing was played by one man, Robert Jarman, a very talented actor and director who is a one of Tasmania's living treasures. In two hours, he played no less that 35 characters, changing from one to another with amazing ease, and only a single costume change. The whole thing was both amusing and moving. The play was in The Backspace Theatre, which seats 50-70 people in the Theatre Royal building, so it was a very intimate performance, brilliantly enhanced by real rain on the roof at a stage in the story where Charlotte was explaining that she met another character only because of a rain storm! It made me wonder why we don't go to the theatre more often.

Robert Jarman as Charlotte van Marlsdorf.

Two and a Half Days in Margate

Margate Christian Church
Spiritual Journeys exhibition 2009

A few years ago some folk from church started this community festival, in a gentle parody of Ten Days on the Island, the State-wide festival. It has largely been take over by others now, but the church still puts on an art exhibition on the theme of "Spiritual Journeys".

There are some wonderfully talented folk about and the pictures below will give a little impression of the show.

Father and Son
Seth Isham, calico and foam.
Certainly the most striking work!

Tree of Life
Elizabeth Smith, Mixed media.
The picture doesn't do it justice. It's three-dimensional and the timber background catches the colour of the dry Midland paddocks so well.

My Protector and Shield, Ps 91
Merran Diekfoss, Huon Pine and granite.
A small beauty from Merran this time. Carved from one piece of pine.

Resurrection
Rachael Bremner, mosaic.
My favourite, I think. Done in glass shards, but somehow catches the velvety texture of poppy petals.

The Prodigal Son
Rebecca Brogan, pen and ink.
For once the reflections in the glass add to the photo!

Put Me Together Again II
Merinda Young, fused glass.
Another of Merida's wonderful plates.

Just a pity that, at least this morning (Saturday), so few people came. But we were competing with the school fair, so perhaps more tomorrow.

He ain't heavy

Couldn't resist sharing these.

And to make it clear that the new arrival is George Emery Maurice Richardson. I got the spelling wrong first time round.

His big brother is pretty good, considering. And as for little brother, he just eats and sleeps.




Grandparents are allowed to dote a bit, aren't they?

Last Days in Cornwall

How quickly it all recedes! I guess having a new grandson helps, but in just a week my trip seems far away. I should finish off the story.

After Easter Sunday with the folk at the Wadebridge Christian Centre I had a delightful visit to Trewithen Gardens, just outside Probus, where Jean's parents used to live. The gardens here are fantastic in the spring if, like me, you appreciate camellias, rhododendrons, azaleas etc. I wandered round snapping happily and finished with a cream tea. Then a walk along the muddy river from Tresillian to St Clement and back.

Wadebridge Christian Centre
They were happy, and they clapped, but I enjoyed their fellowship.

Trewithen Gardens

So many beautiful camellias

Just like home!
This is E.G. Waterhouse, which we have at the front door.

Not just camellias

Cream tea at Trewithen
They make their own clotted cream.

Between Tresillian and St Clement
The oak woods come right down to the water.

For my last day in Cornwall I drove to Rock, on the other side of the Camel estuary from Padstow, and walked to Polzeath, scene of many family holidays 40 or 50 years ago, and then out around Pentire Point.

Polzeath
Not so very different to the old days

There was a very reasonable swell coming in, forming a nice point break at Daymer Bay and an even bigger break (but a long paddle, as I well remember) at Polzeath. The cliff scenery at Pentire was spectacular, and I even met an old friend!

Daymer Bay point break

And people riding it

Bigger at Polzeath

The path to Pentire Point

Cliff scenery, Pentire Point
A fine example of pillow lavas (Ruth please note)

An old friend!
Cepaea nemoralis, the subject of my PhD thesis. An unbanded yellow out for a stroll.

ANZAC Day today
And I was surprised to learn that these famous lines were written on Pentire Point.

That's it for the UK trip.

What's in a name?

Just a quick update: Grandson 2 is to be called George. Other names still slightly fluid but Emory Maurice is likely. I'll confirm that.

He's doing well. Came home with his Mum last night and seems very contented. Angus is coping well, but his further suggestion of Tank Engine as a name for his brother wasn't taken up.

Stop Press! New Baby!

As of 4.15 this afternoon the Richardson clan has increased by one.

I can't tell you his name because he doesn't have one yet, but Angus refers to him as Baby Lucy, since that's the most recent baby he knows, but I doubt the name will stick.

We were able to see them this evening, just a couple of hours after the delivery. Jess was tired, but well, and Baby Lucy was sleeping peacefully. He weighs about 3.4 kg and has quite a lot of dark hair. I can see no family resemblance, but while I was holding him he looked like Chairman Mao. That will probably pass off.

Hugh is staying with Jess and the baby tonight and we are looking after Angus. He is coping with the excitement well, and hopefully will sleep all night!

Pictures follow; captions unnecessary.