LIFE:
It has been a sad week this week. We had to say goodbye to our old cat Cousin Eddie. He has been with us since he was 8 weeks old. He was never a robust boy. We rescued him from the Tasmanian Humane Society. But he really loved us and was smoochy right from the start. He sat with me every morning after his breakfast while I read the paper and checked emails. He used to ask Mr. P to be picked up and he would get on his shoulders and ride around the house. He developed a cancerous tumour and went down pretty fast in the last few months. It is so hard to lose a beloved pet. Grizzy and Pickles, our other two cats don’t seem to realise he’s gone but he was always more attached to us than the other cats. He did love the dogs and Peanut often washed his head a couple of times a day.
THIS WEEK’S BOOK:
This week I’ve been listening to an audio book. It is Theo of Golden by Allen Levi and beautifully narrated by David Morse. Published February 2026 by Fontana GB. I’m a little over half way but I don’t know if I’ll continue it.
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi is a warm and uplifting novel about an elderly stranger named Theo who arrives in the small Southern town of Golden, Georgia. After discovering a collection of hand-drawn portraits hanging in a local coffee shop, he quietly buys them one by one and sets out to return each portrait to the person depicted. As Theo meets the townspeople, he listens to their stories, shares his wisdom and kindness, and helps them see themselves in a new light. Through these encounters, the novel explores themes of generosity, human connection, grief, hope, and the power of truly being seen. Beneath its gentle surface lies a deeper mystery about Theo’s own past and the reason he came to Golden in the first place.
This is the sort of quiet, compassionate novel more focused on character, community, and kindness than on plot twists.
I really like the writing in this book. I can see the locations as thought I’m there.
Theo is such a gentleman, softly spoken with impeccable manners. The people of the town react to him in different ways. I do get a bit tired of the stories as many are predictable in their endings. Once I begin hearing the story I know exactly how it is going to end. It is a very saccharine book. Theo is like a grandfather Pollyanna. It is a very gentle, positive book and if one is feeling down I can see how the stories would lift a mood. I think, for myself I’d rather hear a story now and again and not just read through it in a few sittings. I’d be interested to know how others react to this book.
I think I’ll start another book and maybe just listen to 30 minutes of this book at a time. I do like Theo’s character a lot and I am curious how the book might end. Theo’s mystery might continue to be quite interesting.
TASSIE TRAVEL:
As it’s been cold here and sometimes rainy I haven’t done much photography.
Five of us from the photo club did do a Twilight Tour the other day of the historical Hobart Penitentiary. It went for two hours. It is a very good representation of the convict era of Hobart during the 1800s. We went to the basement and saw the tiny cells. There was a film that was told in a chronological order. Tasmania’s history is very harsh and full of very cruel practises as it is based on the convicts, transported here from the UK in the 19th century. The Twilight tour is quite dark and we had to carry electric lantern as we went up and down spiral staircases, into the old Magistrates court and the chapel to name a few bits of it. The tour ends as visitors stand under the hanging rope over the trap door. More than 200 prisoners were hung in this place.
(There is graffiti on these walls)
It is a wonderful museum of those times past and I would certainly recommend the tour to anyone who visits Tasmania and likes history. Very informative. It is listed on Trip Advisor if anyone wants more information.
(I didn’t stand too close the rope. I get it.)
I’ll stop at this as I’d like the length of this to not be so long.
I have a couple of other events but I might give them separate space.
QUESTION: Do you have a specific historical place near where you live that you would suggest visitors go to? Do you read much history? I might post up some of the photos of the items in the museum I photographed in a separate post.
Have a good week everyone and we’ll be back next week.
Travellin' Penguin 
I am so sorry about Cousin Eddie. You know you are doing the right thing, but it is such a heartbreak. Good that you have the other animals there for a cuddle. Sorry I didn’t write sooner, but I was away for a few days and am still catching up.
As for somewhere to visit in Melbourne, Lisa is right about the Library, which is a beautiful building and puts on interesting exhibitions of old books and other items from time to time. Williamstown on the Bellarine Peninsula is an attractive place to visit, especially if you have the time to travel there across the Bay from the Mornington Peninsula by the ferry, which I did some years ago. But it probably wouldn’t have much to offer to someone who lives in Hobart!
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There is so much to do around the wider Melbourne area.
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Ohhhhh I am so sorry you had to say goodbye to the gorgeous Cousin Eddie! Absolutely heartbreaking. F*&k cancer!
Hobart Penitentiary looks like a wonderfully creepy place to visit.
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Yes, the penitentiary is very creepy, especially after dark. Thanks fir the message re Eddie. We will miss him. Life is harsh at times. 🌻❤️🌻
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I’m so sorry about Cousin Eddie. I do know what a gap pets leave. Sounds like you have wonderful memories though.
I don’t think I’ll read Theo, as I don’t like saccharine stories either, but it sounds like now you are in you should finish it, at an easy pace.
Canberra is not very old but we do have places to take people. I used to love taking people to an old homestead on the outskirts called Lanyon, which at one time was also a gallery for Sidney Nolan’s Ned Kelly series. I haven’t been there for a while now. The other thing we often do is drive people around the original Embassy area because those buildings can be so interesting. (With more and more countries, embassies are popping up in various suburbs, but the original ones are in a compact area and worth seeing.) Of course Old Parliament House built in 1927 is THE must, and now it’s not a working parliament anymore it can be enjoyed by everyone.
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I am sorry to hear about Cousin Eddies. It must be difficult when your animals pass away. He seems to have had a good later life though, even if the beginning was tough.
I am living in the south of Sweden which until 1658 belonged to Denmark. There are therefor a lot of castles in this area and other historical places, easy to visit. I love history and most nonfiction I read is about history That also goes for historical fiction.
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Such an interesting part of the world🌻
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I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your sweet kitty boy, he was a pretty one. The Hobart Penitentiary looks so interesting! My favorite historic tour was of the underground of our town, which was lifted due to flooding back in the 1800s.
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So sorry about Cousin Eddie – we do get so attached to our critters… 😥
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Thank you Karen. It was very sad.
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I wonder what it says about me that me first thought was Fremantle Jail and then the Old Melbourne Jail, which, when I lived in Melbourne, had guided ghost tours.
For a not jail, how about New Norcia, Australia’s only monastery town.
I’ve been reading Heather Rose’s A Great Act of Love, so your Hobart Penitentiary was timely.
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I’ll google those places as I’m not familiar with them. I’m sure there are ghosts in Hobart. Not sure I believe in them but if they are here they would certainly be in the penitentiary. A very creepy place. Cannot imagine being incarcerated in any of these places.
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I’m sorry to hear about Cousin Eddie. Our pets are like family, and their absence leaves a big hole.
Re Theo: there’s a fad for sentimental stories, but I can’t stand ’em so thanks for the warning:)
There are so many interesting historical places in Melbourne, but my favourite is of course the State Library with its glorious dome. It’s a beautiful building and its exhibitions, permanent and temporary are always fascinating. Plus it’s a symbol of an era when the civic fathers (yes, they were all men) thought it was important to spend Gold Rush money on cultural institutions.
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If I get to Melbourne sometime I’d like to visit the library. I haven’t been.
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I will meet you there and we can have lunch in the cafe!
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That would be fun.Will keep it mind. 🌻
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Do finish Theo of Golden if you can. There’s an unusual development right towards the end.
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I am getting a feeling something is going to happen so I imagine I will finish it. I listened to another 30 minutes today after I wrote the post. I appreciate your comment. 🌻
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