Category: Fiction

Tassie winter morning in Hobart.

I am a bit behind in my posts as I’ve been busy while Mr P is in Canada and I have 4 little furry guys following my every move as they know something is different. They don’t miss much.

It has been down to 2 degrees C (35F) overnights and only gets a handful of degrees higher during the day time. Although the sun has been out quite a bit. My best purchase of the week was a polar fleece throw to put on my reading chair. However when our cat Cousin Eddie claimed it I went back to the end of financial sale and bought a second one and put it on the bed. Now there are two dogs and two cats taking turns on it.

I have been listening to audio books in the evening while I work on a puzzle. I finished Rebecca by old Daphne and we will discuss that at our book group this Wednesday.

I began the book Everyone in my family has killed someone by Benjamin Stevenson. It centres around a family reunion in blizzard conditions and the ramifications of the ostracised brother because he turned his brother in to police for the murder he committed. But of course another body turns up in the blizzard conditions. There are more entanglements and after getting through a bit over half of this book I tossed it into the charity box. I was just over it. DNF.

I am now really enjoying the memoir of Gina Chick. People overseas may not know who she is. The book is titled Gina Chick: We are the stars. She was the winner of a show here called ALONE Australia. Several contestants are individually dropped into very remote locations in the southwest of Tasmania. The contestants don’t know how the others are doing. They all give it up, one at a time for various reasons of not coping. The one who lasts the longest wins. It is a very gruelling competition but the money is great if you win. I don’t normally watch this show but because it was in Tasmania I did. Gina won it. She was quite the tomboy as a child and she loved nature. Her parents encouraged her in all her adventures growing up. As an adult she lost a very young daughter and she is also grieving for this child in the isolation of Tasmanian wilderness.

She is a remarkable woman. I love stories about strong women who participate in big adventures or travel.

************

My social life picked up this week after spending a couple of weeks at home just being a quiet homebody.

A friend of mine had a small birthday lunch at a local Vietnamese restaurant and it was a lovely time. The dessert was amazing. Wish I could have this every day but then it wouldn’t be very special.

Ice cream rolled in coconut, with chocolate sauce over it. Cream on the side and a shot of Kahlua to finish it off along with a raspberry.

Yesterday was spent having lunch and doing the Salamanca Saturday markets with another good friend. She had to find a gift for a long time family friend who has her 103 rd birthday. Then we toodled along in her Tesla (which she wants to sell since Elon became so crazy) to the university oval is to watch the last half of her son’s AFL football match. We caught up with her husband too. Nice chatting while watching a game in cold weather.

So today I am having a quiet Sunday with the slow cooker. I saw an easy slow cooker recipe for a chicken dish but not having all ingredients I changed it a bit.

About 500 grams (1 lb) chicken thighs, no bone. 1 brown onion cut up. Some crushed garlic. One jar of Sherwood butter chicken sauce and almost 1/2 cup peanut butter. Swish the Sherwood jar out with water after emptying the contents and toss that in. Stir it all up. Put cooker on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours. You could use cocoanut milk or add chilis or doctor it up anyway you want I guess. You might need to add salt and pepper but I don’t add salt until I eat it, if I need it. Anyway, I’ll thicken it up a bit and put it over some rice I think, it should give me a few meals this week. I’ll probably top it with plain Greek yogurt or sour cream. We’ll see how it goes.

Well this sums up my life recently.

I haven’t downloaded my Bruny Island photos as my desktop is in the spare bedroom and I have that room closed off because of the cold for a bit. I’ll get to those photos soon but I will add a Bruny Island sunrise for you below.

‘Librum furatur: per collum penderetur.”

Translation:

“He who steals a book: let him be hanged by the neck.”

This is from a little book of Book Curses by Eleanor Baker. Published by the Bodleian Library. It’s a fun little book of curses pertaining to books from ancient to more current times. I only have a few books this might apply to.

Sorry I missed everyone last weekend. I was gearing up for a three day photo excursion on Bruny Island, south of here abiut 45 minutes to the 15 minute ferry to get across. There were two originally signed up with the photographer leading us through night photography (I got the southern cross in the middle of the milky way, I think), sunrises, sunsets, rocky seascapes and a beautiful extensive garden full of birds endemic to Tasmania. Photos to come. The good news about this trip is the other participant dropped out so it was just two of us so had some high level photography tuition to myself. The bad news is it was very cold, down to about 3 degrees C for night skies (37.4 F). We also did a tourist three hour boat ride out into the Tasman sea around the cliff faces. We saw albatross, dolphins every where and many fur seals. But the last hour was pretty high speed and very, very cold. But great fun.

One of the photos taken from the boat on my phone of the tall cliffs of dolomite rock. Lots of caves along these cliffs.

I read the book Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier for July’s book group discussion. We do a classic each year. I had read it before but not for years.

Here is the description of it from Deep Seek.

Rebecca is a classic Gothic novel written by Daphne du Maurier and first published in 1938. It is a haunting tale of love, jealousy, and secrets, set against the atmospheric backdrop of the English countryside.

Plot Summary

The story is narrated by an unnamed young woman who works as a companion to a wealthy American woman. While in Monte Carlo, she meets the wealthy and enigmatic widower Maxim de Winter, the owner of the grand estate Manderley in Cornwall. After a whirlwind romance, they marry, and the new Mrs. de Winter moves to Manderley, only to find herself overshadowed by the memory of Maxim’s first wife, Rebecca, who died under mysterious circumstances.

The housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, is fiercely devoted to Rebecca’s memory and subtly torments the new Mrs. de Winter, constantly reminding her that she can never replace Rebecca. As the protagonist struggles to adjust to her new life, she begins to uncover dark secrets about Rebecca’s true nature and the events leading to her death—revealing shocking truths that threaten to destroy Maxim and Manderley itself

I imagine most bibliophiles have read this but it may have been years ago. I enjoyed it very much. Rebecca is very much in love. There is much miscommunication. Mrs. Danvers is creepy. And there is a murder thrown in as well. All within the beautiful landscape of Cornwall. What;s not to like.

I got back from Bruny Island on Friday late afternoon and Mr P headed off to visit family in Canada the following morning. He was kind enough to organise an early morning uber so I didn’t need to drive him out to the airport in the cold. It was much appreciated.

I will be pet sitting for the next three weeks. I’ll pop in a photo of my charges.

Well there has been more going on but I’ll catch up later. It is getting late. I hope everyone has a good week. Let me know if you’ve read Rebecca and did you like it? Have you also seen the 1940 film adaptation by Alfred Hitchcock? I saw it years ago but I see there is a more recent adaptation on Netflix so will have a look at that.

Cousin Eddie age 11. He was in hospital all week with pancreatitis and inflammation of his bowel. He is a bit of a high stressed boy so quite fragile at times.

Grizzy 8 Very laid back all of the time.

Ollie age 5– Such a big doofus.

Peanut (Peannie) such a little mother to everyone. Bery bright. She is a mixture of Pug, Bichon, Toy poodle, Miniature Poodle and Maltese and 12.5% companion dog unknown.

BOOKS

I have been invested in an Oliver Sacks book this week. It’s called On The Move.

Oliver Sacks (1933–2015) was a British neurologist, writer, and professor known for his compassionate and deeply human portrayals of people with neurological disorders. He combined clinical insight with literary skill to explore the ways brain conditions shape identity and perception.

His most famous works include:

“Awakenings” – about patients who were catatonic for decades due to encephalitis lethargica and temporarily revived with L-DOPA (later adapted into a film). “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat” – a collection of unusual and fascinating neurological case studies.

He was known for bridging science with humanities.

On the Move: a Life is Oliver Sacks’s candid and moving memoir, offering a deeply personal look at his life beyond his public identity as a neurologist and author. In this autobiography, Sacks reflects on his early years as a shy, curious boy in London, his struggles with identity as a gay man, and his passionate interests in weightlifting, motorcycles, and travel. He recounts his medical training and the formative experiences that led him to become a compassionate and unconventional doctor, often drawn to the most unusual and overlooked cases. With honesty and humility, Sacks reveals his inner battles, professional triumphs, and lifelong quest to understand the human mind.

As a speech pathologist I enjoyed his writings and case histories on Tourette’s syndrome, Autism, and other neurological disorders as he discussed various aspects of language development affecting these disorders.

I also enjoyed hearing of his motorcycle journeys in various parts of the world.

BOOKISH LIFE

On Thursday night we went to a very interesting book launch at Fullers bookshop by author Bruce Wolpe and ABC correspondent Sabra Lane. The book discussed was What Trump’s Second Term Means for Australia. The audience really got into this discussion and it was an interesting event. I liked the description Ms Lane gave to Trump’s administration- a term of whiplash. Question time at the end of the event was lively. Fullers book launches generally go for an hour. People arrive for 5:30 when the speakers begin. The conversation goes for 45 min. Then there are questions for the next 15 to 20 minutes. Attendees pay $10 or $12 and that includes a glass of wine or a soft drink. We go to a lot of these events and they are always so much fun. We see the same faces but it is lovely to see so many young people come as well and get involved.

PHOTOGRAPHY

I drove to a wetlands lagoon just north of Hobart one day and took a short walk. I was curious what birds I might see there this time of year. Mainly ducks and cormorants. There were as many rabbits around the place as birds. Not much happening but it was good to get out.

COMING UP

In two weeks I’m on Bruny Island, south of here for several days for another photography excursion. This one will be seascapes and night sky if not too cloudy. I’ve not done Milky Way shots before so a new learning curve. We might see an aurora as there have been quite a few lately. We’re also doing a Pennicott boat tour into the Tasman Sea for cliff faces, and wildlife. Maybe a whale? Dolphins? Seabirds and lots of seals. I have a new box of seasick tablets and looking forward to see if they work.

I also have another Fullers bookshop event this coming week but more on that later.

Our 8 kg+ (18 lb) cat Grizzy escaping winter.