ANOTHER WEEK- June 14-20 2026

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.