Travellin' Penguin

‘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.

It seems the things we remember the most in life are the big events, the big adventures. We have the international travels or visiting a community in our own country with diversity different to where we live. The births, the deaths, the weddings, the milestone birthdays. But what we don’t always remember are the micro-adventures. Our day to day activities that make us laugh, or cry. The events we go to such as a film, a good book we share, a quiet time with our pets or someone in a shop who is just so friendly or helps us when we need it.

We constantly hear about how we need to live in the moment. So without going on any further I found that I was thinking of the micro-adventures I had this past week. I’ll start with a bus ride into town on Tuesday. A morning at the gym doing well in the treadmill that sometimes seems too hard. Running errands and chatting to people in town then a pleasant bus ride home.

Wednesday had me at the gym and successfully completing all the activities in the Barre’ class. I felt happy that I finally achieved a particular exercise I have struggled with. A small adventure achieved.

The evenings had me reading Helen Garner’s book, This House of Grief.

I’m having the adventure this week of following two trials. The first is the book This House of Grief by Helen Garner. It is a powerful and meticulously crafted true crime narrative about the trial of Robert Farquharson, an Australian man accused of murdering his three young sons—Jai, Tyler, and Bailey—by deliberately driving his car into a dam on Father’s Day in 2005. All three boys die.

Summary:

The book follows the legal proceedings from Farquharson’s first trial through appeals and a retrial, with Garner attending court almost every day. She offers a deeply personal and observant account of the unfolding drama—not only focusing on the facts of the case but also on the emotional weight of the tragedy and the complexities of justice.

Farquharson claimed the crash was an accident caused by a coughing fit and a blackout. However, the prosecution argued that he murdered the children to punish his ex-wife, Cindy Gambino, after their marriage broke down. Garner explores this horrifying possibility with compassion but without sentimentality.

Throughout the book, she reflects on the nature of grief, truth, memory, and the fallibility of the justice system. She captures the personalities of the lawyers, judges, and witnesses, weaving in philosophical and psychological reflections.

I am at the appeals process at the moment but it is not a story one enjoys but the way Garner writes about the trial is fascinating. I just love her writing.

My next micro-adventure was loading the dogs up in the car and taking them to the dog beach. I really enjoy watching their goofy antics and watching them play. Watching Ollie fall off a tiny bank into the river was quite funny. He was so distracted by smells he walked right off the bank of the small river that runs through the beach and fell in. He popped up absolutely drenched wagging his tail. Dogs don’t react the same way people do with an annoying occurrence. People generally swear if they fall into a river. The dog thinks it’s fun. He is such a dorky dog at times.

On Friday my friend and trainer from the gym went for our weekly coffee and sat discussing the second trial of the Mushroom Murder case that is currently running now in Victoria.

Erin Paterson fixed a lunch for her in-laws and the mother in law’s sister and husband. She made a beef wellington. However the lunch had death cap mushrooms in it and the in laws as well as the sister died. The fourth victim, the sister’s husband survived after several weeks in hospital. Her husband from whom she is separated from pulled out the night before so didn’t turn up. Erin claims she did not know the mushrooms were the death cap variety. She claimed she bought them from a nearby Asian grocer ( but can’t remember which one) and the local supermarket. Her reason for the lunch was to get advice from these family members of how to tell her children of her cancer diagnosis she recently received. However, turns out she did not have cancer.

The ABC has been running a podcast from one of their journalists that updates listeners if what happens each day in the courtroom. I have been following it all week. The summaries may happen as early as next week. Another micro-adventure.

Lastly, Saturday had my photography friend and I at a hot rod show in a small village north of here. It was called Rat Rod and on display were vintage classic cars and hot rods. The cars were beautiful. The day was cold and foggy but as the sun rose it became a lovely winter’s day.

I have scattered the photos here so hope you enjoy them.

What micro-adventure did you have this week!