Author: TravellinPenguin

What a laugh. Kempton is a small town about one hour north of where I live in a very rural area. There is one main road that goes through the town and it is quite long.

We had to meet at a tourist distillery that is in the town. It is a beautiful old sandstone building with very comfy leather lounge chairs in a beautiful room with whisky barrels and wood.

Six of us attended. I might add the temperature when I arrived at 10 am was 0 degrees C (32 F) and quite misty and foggy. 

Once gathered we went into the distillery, sat in the comfy chairs and ordered coffees. Their heat was lovely.

There was a whisky tasting in the next room that they create. They also sell various types of gin. Lots of different flavours.  I don’t drink much so I wasn’t drawn to it but the bottles were lovely with the amber liquid in it.

We then ventured outdoors where the sun had burned off the fog and the temperature was getting up to about 10 C. 50 F. We were well dressed so it all felt fine. Great weather for long walks and fingerless gloves kept us pretty warm. We needed our fingers to operate our cameras.

I laughed that the organizer called it Street Photography as there was no one in sight on the long road.  We did finally catch up with a couple of dog walkers.

We concentrated on some sheep, ponies and old cottages and then found some miscellaneous things to photograph. I will scatter a few of our photos throughout this post.

We then all drove to a local café up the road and had some lunch.  On the way home I stopped at a lovely bakehouse and picked up a delicious apple/apricot pie.  It was so good I wished I bought two. I didn’t think to take a photo but I should have.

Japanese proverb

It’s still winter here but the solstice has passed and the days are getting longer. Being so far south we start getting very dark and dreary around 4:30 pm. Did I mention cold?

This was a pretty quiet week with not much on so I just focused on wellness meaning I did not fall off the reformer at Pilates class. I have always had such good balance but now when standing on that moving carriage while doing squats I use the balance pole. It’s important to know your limits whether liking it or not.

I finished up the book The Force of Nature, about the three women walking the John Muir Trail in the North American rockies. It was an interesting read but not as good as the next bit of travel writing I am listening to.

My way-My way- a Camino memo by film director Bill Bennett. Bill Bennett was born in England and raised in Brisbane, Queensland. He started university as a medical student but ended up working as a journalist for Australian Broadcasting . He then moved into the film industry as a film director, producer and screen writer. He has won awards from the Aus Film Institute but I am not familiar with any of his films.

He is 59 yrs old and had wanted to walk the Camino trail in Spain for years but finally bit the bullet. He couldn’t say why but the story of his travels focuses on his thoughts of changing his competitive nature, anger, rudeness and a general bombastic nature. He doesn’t present as a very man to get along with due to his string ego and arrogant manner. He does come face to face with these traits and refers to himself as Bill (his arrogant self) or Camino Bill where he behaves in a milder, more gentle and generous behaviour. He wants to use this experience to change and he often sits in the backs of churches along the way to reflect on this entire experience and what it means to him.

I have read a few books about the Camino pilgrimage. Many of them dive into the history or the terrain almost completely. This book is enjoyable to me because he is excellent at describing people and sharing their stories. He loves talking to people. He loves stories. His wife accuses him of interrogating people but he can’t help himself as he really wants to know the stories of those he meets. He does mention the churches, the food and the climate and terrain but the main focus of his trip is the people.

I am listening to this on audible. I enjoy books on audible that are told in the first person. However the narrator is a woman and I didn’t check that when I downloaded the book. I thought it would feel like it was a woman doing the walk instead of the man. But that hasn’t happened. I have a very clear image of Bill being male and the narration has not bothered me at all. I hardly notice it. I will finish this in no time as I am really enjoying it.

I didn’t do any photography this week but I did spend time editing photos and studying videos and written work on street photography. I’ll post a couple of photos I edited.

This coming week will be much busier. I have my annual MS appt with my neurologist but that is a walk in-walk out appt. He says hello, checks my balance and hand strength and wishes me well for another year. I am fortunate my MS has always been quite benign.

I have a photo club meeting and an excursion to a small country town north of here to take photos. I’ll do a separate photography post on that.

I have Adam’s book club at Fullers mid week to discuss The Sea The Sea by Iris Murdoch. Looking forward to that. Then later in the week is an Agatha Christie play at our Playhouse theatre with a couple of friends. Should be fun. Sets are always good for her stories.

That about wraps up the week. I have been thinking about the books I read and rather than writing plots and thoughts of a book I have finished in my book journal, I have started to think of the image, a picture that represents the book. If your book was to be illustrated what would the photos be?

For The Sea The Sea I see a photo in my mind of the rocks and the angry waves upon them. I also see the living room of the old house as though a set from a play. In My Way- My Way I see Bill Bennett limping down a dirt trail with fields on either side of him. A clear sky overhead. Another image is of him sitting in the cafe having his Coke Zero with four glasses of ice as the Spanish only seem to put two cubes in each glass and he wants as much ice as he can get.

Question for today: What is the image in your head of the current book you are reading or have just read? What is the first photo that comes to mind? Think what is your first illustration that comes to mind?

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” 

LIFE…

You awake in the morning, listening to the rain. The bed is warm and cozy. Your fuzzy dogs are near. What do you do?

I got up, made a hot coffee, jumped into my gym gear and drove to the gym where I proceeded to do a 30 minute jog on the treadmill, some arm weight machines, and a lot of stretches while listening to geared up tunes. I had to tell myself winter cold is a state of mind and you’ll feel really good if you get yourself some exercise.

While I prefer to walk outdoors it isn’t always possible or comfortable with the cold rain.

BOOKS…

I am almost finished with the latest book I’m enjoying called Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin.

This is the story of three women in their fifties who hike the 200 mile John Muir track through 200 miles of mountains.

From google– The John Muir Trail passes through what many backpackers say is the finest mountain scenery in the United States. This is a land of 13,000-foot and 14,000-foot peaks, of lakes in the thousands, and of canyons and granite cliffs. The John Muir Trail is also a land blessed with the mildest, sunniest climate of any major mountain range in the world.

The trail is 211 miles long and runs (mostly in conjunction with the PCT) from Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney, in California. Winding through the famed Sierra Nevada, the JMT visits some of the crown jewels of America’s park system: Yosemite, John Muir and Ansel Adams Wildernesses, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks end of google

I am enjoying the camaraderie of the walkers with each other and others on the trail. The adventure is high. It is an arduous track and the challenges are hard at times not to mention the enormous lightning storms around them with little shelter. The blurb on the book compares this book to A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. I wouldn’t go that far. Bill Bryson is a much better writer than this one as he is a professional writer and he is also much, much funnier. There is a bit of naval gazing from the women which Bryson doesn’t do but I would still recommend this book to readers who enjoy stories of middle aged or older women who get out of their comfort zone to take on challenges, whatever they may be.

PHOTOGRAPHY…

I did a good walk in town of a few kilometres walking around Hobart, then up to North Hobart to a cafe for a cappuccino and a slice of lemon tart. The cappuccino was a bit of a disappointment as I ordered it in a cup and it was served in an espresso cup. Who does that? I was in too good of a mood to complain. I don’t know if it was a newly hired young staff member or a money saving exercise by this particular cafe who has been known for that but I just moved on. Such a first world issue.

On my local travels in Hobart and back to the bus stop I chatted to some women I found interesting. Either their culture, dress or smile attracted my attention. Here are the three lovely women.

COMING UP...

I have an 85th birthday lunch this week with a dear friend. Then Tuesday I have another dinner with some of my older friends. One is 89 and she just had a bad fall but she’s already up and about and back to her job at a community centre she works at. We are a tough bunch. Other than the social business, we should all engage in for better health, I hope to have a photography day out and of course two more gym sessions.

Now feeling so self righteous for my gym work today I’ll be sure to have a slice of cake or two this evening to celebrate. I made the cake yesterday and cake is a treat to us so I don’t feel bad at all.

ANIMALS…

GETTING TO KNOW MY READER FRIENDS…

What is a challenging or memorable experience you had out of or in your comfort zone?

Until next week, stay well.