Travellin' Penguin

I’ve been a bit fatigued the last couple of weeks but think I’m coming out of it now. Autumn is my favourite season so looking forward to getting out into some colours and maybe a country town or two with my camera.

I finished Helen Garner’s book The Season. I am not into Aussie rules footy much but I love Helen Garner’s writing. I listened to the audible in the evening while I worked on puzzles and she reads her own work. She has a wonderful reading voice and her intonations and sometimes sarcastic wit comes through. I laughed out loud a few times.

The Amazon blurb:

It’s footy season in Melbourne, and Helen Garner is following her grandson’s under-16s team. She not only goes to every game (give or take), but to every training session too, shivering on the sidelines at dusk, fascinated by the spectacle.

She’s a passionate Western Bulldogs fan (with an imperfect grasp of the rules) who loves the epic theatre of AFL football. But her devotion to the under-16s offers her something else. This is her chance to connect with her youngest grandchild, to be close to him before he rushes headlong into manhood. To witness his triumphs and defeats, to fear for his safety in battle, to gasp and to cheer for his team as it fights for a place in the finals.

I enjoyed this book so much and the relationship between her and her grandsons is wonderful. Helen is 80 now and the conversations between her and her teen grandsons were touching, funny and quite respectful most of the time. The boys appreciate her so much. It is a short read and you won’t go wrong with this book if you love Garner’s writing or love footy. She managed to make footy sound quite exciting even for me.

I think I mentioned I finished Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks. Geraldine is doing a book tour now in Australia but I am so disappointed she misses Tasmania this trip. She has been here twice before and the last time she filled the Theatre Royal when launching her book Horse. I see she does an interview with our prime minister so at least I can listen to that. That is a bit different for her but she is a journalist after all so it might be interesting. She is probably more riveting to listen to than he is (chuckle).

I have now sent this book off to a very dear friend whose husband sadly passed away recently and I will enjoy talking to her about the book when I visit in a few weeks. More on my quick trip to Sydney and Port Macquarie to see two of my dearest friends.

I am currently reading Death of a Rook for book group meeting in March. It is authored by Kate Atkinson. I am enjoying it quite a lot. It is a mystery in the style of the golden detective writing of the past. It begins very much like an Agatha Christie book. I will have more on this after our meeting.

Last week I spent some time focusing on some street photography. I am trying to think of small projects with my photography as it is better to have a goal for the time spent then to wander around aimlessly. I did a couple of street portraits then looked for little stories. That was fun and I will share those here.

We have been spending extra time with our dog Ollie. He has ear infections and allergies and his new meds clashed a bit with his regular allergy med. He became lethargic and seemed quite depressed. He took himself off to be alone and wouldn’t interact. We stopped the new medication as the infection wasn’t a problem anymore and he is back to himself again. We are probably taking him to the dog beach today. He loves that. I might tag a photo of that later so you can share his joy with Peannie, his sister

I need to catch up on some post reading as I haven’t checked lately who has written what lately but I intend to go back and see what I have missed. I have a habit of withdrawing from the world here and there and though my psychologist said that is one of the main signs of autism I understand it now. I need to recharge and let my batteries drain then the cycle continues. I always thought it was MS fatigue but evidently it isn’t. It is so weird to learn all of this at my advanced age. If only….I say.

Well, not to linger. Enjoy the photos and I’ll be back soon. Hope all of you enjoy this coming week. We never know what will pop up do we?

What happens on the streets of Hobart 🌻

Trying to work out what bus to take.

I am looking at a sunny 29C degree today and a weekend with no plans. I am getting through a couple of books this week and a couple of social events. I hit the gym a couple of times too. It is so much easier to get some exercise when the weather is nice.

In my last post I randomly picked the Ladies Motorcycle and Flying club book to read. I got into it a bit but it turned out I am releasing it to the wild as it is just too silly. I lost interest very quickly. I thought the audible might work better but listening to the sample narrator I gave that away. It is read but the author who does not have a great reading voice. Why do authors all think they have the voice to read on audible. Get an actor and just spend time writing.

I am moving on to our book group read, Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson. Our book group met a couple of weeks ago to discuss Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright. Fullers has 5 book groups that meet monthly, consisting of a total of 100 members spread across several different meeting times. Of the 100, we were told only 16 could finish this book. An interesting discussion began as to who is the intended reader for this book if only 16% of serious readers could get through it. The ones who did manage to finish it seemed to enjoy it and one member said it is the kind of book you need to just read and don’t ask questions as you go and it seemed to eventually fall into place.

Instead I turned my attention to Australian/American Geraldine Brook’s latest book, Memorial Days. In 2019 her husband, Tony died suddenly in Washington DC. His death occurred while she was in the middle of writing her successful book Horse. His death was a shock to many and this book tells how she coped with it. She struggled with the financial side of things as that was mainly his domain. She detailed what she had to do after his death. It prevented her from really grieving at the time. In 2023, after Horse was finished, she finally took time out to properly spend time alone and grieve while renting a remote shack on Flinders Island. For those of you who are not Australian, Flinders Island is a small, remote island between Tasmania and mainland Australia in Bass Strait. She and her husband had vacationed there previously and she walked through many memories. Geraldine is an Australian, American and still gets great comfort from being back in Australia. The chapters of the book alternate between the aftermath of his death and the time spent on Flinders. I found it interesting and quite gentle , especially on the island. I have met Geraldine twice on her visits to Hobart and like her so much. So I was really interested in hearing her voice again in this book.

i also finished a book I had started last year by Markus Zusak, Three Wild Dogs and the Truth. I attended the launch of this book at Fullers book shop last year, got started with it, put it down due to distraction and finally finished it. He discusses life with these dogs who are untrained and quite dangerous. Being fairly strict with dogs over my lifetime, I found his irresponsibility quite disturbing. The dogs killed his family cat after living successfully with it for several years, climbed a tree to kill a possum and bit the piano teacher of one of his children, requiring two stitches. They don’t come when called, knock people over at the dog park, yet his love for these animals is so incredibly strong he just can’t see through it.

The reader feels torn between the love of these dogs Markus has and the dogs for him, yet the irresponsibility is really irritating. At least it was for me. Read this at your own risk, if you are a devoted animal lover. I could see both sides.

I am also doing a group read of sorts with my sister and two of my good friends. We are laughing our way through Mel Robbins, a social influencer on Tik Tok and Instagram and author of the best selling American and Australian book, The Let Them Method. it has been flying off the shelves. In Tasmania, Fullers and Dymocks could not keep it in stock.

The blurb-

The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can’t Stop Talking About” is a groundbreaking book by New York Times bestselling author Mel Robbins. This transformative guide empowers readers to reclaim their lives by focusing on what they can control and releasing the rest. With two simple words—“Let Them”—Robbins offers a path to free oneself from the exhausting cycle of managing others’ opinions, drama, and judgments. Through relatable stories and science-backed strategies, she provides the tools to prioritize personal happiness, pursue meaningful goals, and build authentic relationships. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking to unlock their full potential and create a life they love. 

A few of us are laughing our way through this as we see people discussing or trying to control others in several situations as we keep saying, Let Them! Just let them.

Her examples are, you find out you didn’t get invited to something- Let them…attend. A spouse wants to attend to a task you disagree with his/her method? Let them. Then it goes further to say, Let Me. Let those events you can’t control go to “Let Them!’ then you go to part 2 , which is ‘Let Me’. Just move past it and go your own way. There has been much humour in my circle of friends and family and it really does help letting go of small stuff you can’t control.

Of course, one can’t let them do some of the big things. If you know your partner wants to move your mother in law 3000 miles and pay for it, you might draw the line. But I find it is generally the small stuff that gets your goat!

Well, on that note I will move on a bit. What is something that made you laugh this week?

What makes you laugh?

This post is for Wad in Western Australian of Australian Legend who is encouraging us to discuss male Australian authors of the past.

I’m not familiar with too many Tasmanian authors of the past but I had fun researching them. The one I found to be interesting is Royal Tasman Bridges.

I was attracted to that name so I had to look into him. He was a very prolific author but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of information out there. So for fun I asked Mr. GPT app and he gave me the following. He went by a more common name of Roy Bridges.

Roy Bridges (1885–1952) was an Australian journalist and novelist, recognized as Tasmania’s most prolific author. Born Royal Tasman Bridges in Hobart on March 23, 1885, he was the son of Samuel Bridges, a basketmaker, and Laura Jane Bridges (née Wood), descendants of Tasmanian pioneers. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Tasmania in 1905. 

Bridges began his journalism career in 1904 as a cadet with the Tasmanian News. He later worked for The Mercury in Hobart, the Australian Star in Sydney, and the Age in Melbourne, where he advanced to chief parliamentary reporter. In 1911, he was a founding member of the Australian Journalists’ Association. 

Over a span of 41 years, Bridges authored 36 novels, many exploring themes of romance, convictism, bushranging, and historical tales of colonial settlement. His works often delved into Tasmania’s convict past and its societal impacts. Notable novels include The Barb of an Arrow (1909), On His Majesty’s Service: A Tale of Van Diemen’s Land (1914), and The Fenceless Ranges (1921). 

In 1930, Bridges returned to Tasmania with his sister, Hilda Bridges, also a writer, to their family property near Sorell. There, he continued to write until his death in Hobart on March 14, 1952. His autobiography, That Yesterday Was Home, published in 1948, offers insights into his life and family history. 

Bridges’ contributions provide a significant literary record of Tasmania’s history and culture during the early colonial period.

After reading what I could find about Tasmania’s most prolific author of the past I decided to look for one of his books. Nowhere to be found. There were one or two on Abebooks,com but ridiculously priced and all overseas. Then one popped up for $15.00 in a local antique store. I contacted the owner and picked it up a few days later.

The League of the Lord is an old, first edition hardback book published by Australasian Publishing Co in 1950.

“The League of the Lord” is a novel by Roy Bridges, published in 1950. Set during the convict era in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania), the story delves into themes of religious intolerance and the moral complexities of the penal system. Bridges often explored how the convict system impacted free society and the psychological effects on individuals. His works are known for their intelligent and iconoclastic approach to historical fiction. (GPT chat)

I doubt I will read it as the lines of text are very close together and it has very small print. At 358 pages I think it is too much for my eyes. Instead I will put it on the shaded bookshelf in the hallway where I keep my more collectable books.

I really enjoyed doing the research for this author and seeing how many of his books I could find online.

I also found a very interesting page of information with photos of him and his sister here from the Inside Story publication. The article alludes to his homosexuality without coming out directly. Men were hung in the 1800s for sodomy.

Have any of you Australian bookish friends have additional information? Thanks Wad for motivating me to learn about an Aussie author of the past.