Travellin' Penguin

…….to fill up and live. (Anne Dillard)

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This past week went quickly as this whole year seems to have disappeared. Here are some highlights.

For one thing I am looking forward to Wednesday as blogger Sue, from Whispering Gums (https://whisperinggums.com is going to be in town from Canberra and we are meeting for a coffee at Fullers Book shop. My home away from home. After following her blog for several years it will be fun to meet up.

I just finished an audible book I’ve been listening to. In search of greener grass by Graham Field. He rode his motorbike from the UK eastwards to Mongolia. He described the trip in detail. He wrote of the trials with his bike, wild camping, the people he met up with, the joy and the hardship. One of the best motorbike travel books I’ve come across. I absolutely love travel writing of people motorbiking, bicycling or walking to distant places. There was lots of information about Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Mongolia, the three countries he spent the most time in over four years.

I’m currently listening to Through sand and snow by bicyclist, Charlie Walker. Also from the UK he has bicycled to Kathmandu from England and then sneaked into Tibet and rode across it in winter, almost dying in a blizzard. He doesn’t seem as sensible as Graham Field was. He is quote foolhardy in his travels. He has just now been caught out in Tibet by the police and is trying to tell them he thought a Chinese visa was good in Tibet as it is ruled by China now. Even I know that isn’t going to work. Since I can’t do these trips I love travelling vicariously through others.

I also finished the book club read due next week of On a bright hillside in Paradise by Annette Higgs. it is the Tasmanian book I mentioned last post. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The only down side is it became a little too repetitious as the each part of the book is a different family character discussing their reaction to the same life events however they did tack on something new at the end of each part specific to them. . It is a pleasant read and would be a good long plane ride book as easy to remember what is going on with all one gets from interruptions travelling. I will look forward to what others thought of it.

On a walk to an Op shop I found an Agatha Christie book, Mrs. McGinty’s dead, I’d not seen before. I’ll have to get onto it as the cover does make me want to read it. It is obviously an old edition by Funlane of which I have not heard of. It is a slim book and would be a fun read on a bad weather day of which we seem to be getting a lot lately. Book groups end in November and are probably stopped until March so summer has a lot of time to read my TBR books.

Our photography group had a fun day Saturday when 10 of us hit the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens for the morning. 9:30 coffee got everyone fired up in the gardens restaurant which is very nice.

We took photos for the next two hours and then met for lunch. I had a Korean chicken dish with ginger on a bed of light noodles. It was quite good and the presentation required a photo. I will leave you with a couple of photos from the gardens. Considering our spring weather has been sideways rain, a bit of sleet and winds from the southern ocean with 137 kph gusts off the mountain, we were so lucky to finally get a lovely, no jacket but long sleeve day. Just perfect.

I will also leave you with a little exercise to share for fun.

I grabbed Frankenstein. “She died calmly; and her countenance expressed affection even in death. ” Be sure to mention the name of the book.

Now, onto the gardens…..

On Friday I decided to progress my Alphabet Photo challenge. I have upgraded my camera gear and have now gone to Canon mirrorless which I am loving. It doesn’t weigh as much for one thing and many more features. For the challenge I am up to the letter D. Looked on the map and saw Chauncy Vale is part of the Delta Den Conservation area. I will put a little blurb below that describes it.

The Chauncy Family

Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the oldest private reserves in the State. It’s the former home of Nan Chauncy, a multiple award winning Tasmanian writer. Her books were translated into several different languages and adored by many around the world. Nan’s writing captured a vivid picture of the Tasmanian landscape, it’s people and wildlife. She wrote to share her love of Tasmania- Her island shaped like a heart. She also portrayed issues surrounding early colonial life, isolation, identity, migration, enduring hardship, domestic violence and the aboriginals of Tasmania.

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The whole sanctuary is a valuable heritage and natural environment study site. Chauncy Vale, including Day Dawn and the associated outbuildings, are registered on the Tasmanian Heritage Register and in the Southern Midlands Planning Scheme 2018 – site of historic significance’. It has a long and well-recorded history of European use, with some sites on the property particularly recognised for their cultural heritage value, including Browns Caves, the Chauncy family house, Day Dawn, and garden and their surrounding areas. These sites are also an integral part of the Chauncy family legacy. The area is also thought to have been used extensively by Aboriginals and as a refuge by early bushrangers. It forms part of a complex environment with a rich diversity of ecosystems, varying from dry sclerophyll vegetation on sandstone to wet forest on dolerite. Nan’s husband Anton was a German refugee who migrated to Australia before World 2.

It is about a 50 minute drive from my home. As I headed out I stopped at a bakery known to be good and bought a pastie. I had a couple of bananas and a cold drink as well as water for my packed lunch.

I don’t often eat pastries so a pastie is a treat.

I parked the car and only saw one other car. There is no phone reception and it is quite isolated but the caretakers home is on the property.

I began the walk back to the caves. The sign said 45 minutes so not too far. The path is relatively flat but the earth was dry and quite warm and sunny. Snake weather so I spent most of my time taking a few steps, stopping to view the view the scenery, the checking the path ahead.

As I walked I almost stepped on a blue tongued lizard. It startled me as it blended in so well with the track. I also heard a crash through the bush and raised my camera to shoot a large forester kangaroo but he was too fast and lots of bush in the way. My attention went back to the lizard. I like these guys. Completely harmless and their tongue is indigo blue coloured which is so unusual and interesting. He wasn’t going to move so I squatted down beside him and said, “Say Cheese!”

I continued up an incline and did not run into anymore wildlife. I did stop to listen to the many bird species there but it was the wrong time of day for photos as they were high in the canopy.

I finally arrived at the first cave. It is small with the larger ones above it. I did not continue up the rocky steps as they were covered in bush and stones and slippery. With no one around and no phone reception my sensible self kicked in. There was a makeshift bench I sat on and enjoyed my lunch. Then another shorter path took me back to the car park. I didn’t see a single bushranger but my imagination had them there, hiding their loot on the myriad of caves further up.

I really enjoyed the beautiful spring day out and now I need to find somewhere to go beginning with E that I have not photographed before.

I read this book after visiting the Nan Chauncy house and property there earlier this year for the first time on a tour. The house is interesting. An old bush shack, very cozy in a humble but beautiful setting. The book was fun but very dated and some language that is not not PC.

I hope you enjoyed our Tasmanian day trip. Until next time 🌻🐾🐾🐾

A key to unknown chambers within the castle of one’s own self. (Franz Kafka)

I hope this find everyone well. I’m keeping busy but will try and focus on a couple of things both bookish and not.

Still exercising a lot with walks but weather slowed me down a bit in the past week. Will keep at it with gym and walks tomorrow.

I have been walking to the library on my gym days at times as it is on the way. I checked out the book The Boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy.

The sales blurb reads: “book for all ages, a book for all time.
Adapted into the BAFTA and Oscar winning short animated film.

Enter the world of Charlie’s four unlikely friends, discover their story and their most important life lessons.

The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse have been shared millions of times online. They’ve also been recreated by children in schools and hung on hospital walls. They sometimes even appear on lamp posts and on cafe and bookshop windows. Here, you will find them together in this book of Charlie’s most-loved drawings, adventuring into the Wild and exploring the thoughts and feelings that unite us all.

‘A wonderful work of art and a wonderful window into the human heart’ Richard Curtis”

Many of you will be familiar with it as it has been quite popular. It has beautiful inked lettering and sketches.

I finally finished my car book, This much is true by Miriam Margoyles. I was beginning to think it would never end.

I am well into Frankenstein for Adam’s book group and really enjoying it. Much different than what I was expecting. I haven’t read many books written in the 18th century and I am enjoying Mary Shelly’s writing. It is hard to believe she wrote it at age 19.

The other book I’m reading for book group is a Tasmanian book by Anette Higgs. On a bright hillside in Paradise. Paradise is a fictional small town in northeastern Tasmanian. The author wrote the story based on the tales her grandmother told her of when the Brethren came to town in the 19th century. It features a family and each chapter is a different telling from the perspective of each family member. I went to the launch of this book several months ago and picked it up. Mr P took it on his trip to Canada and enjoyed it. Now it’s my turn. The characters are well drawn and the imagery is very strong of the Tasmanian bush. I am enjoying it.

Outside of bookish news- tomorrow begins National Bird Week and the great Australian bird count. They ask people to download an app, register and spend 20 minutes in a favourite place each day and record each bird you see. I have participated in the past as a member of Birdlife Australia, a conservation organisation that lobbies for environmental changes to protect birds. They also feature stories and photography in their magazine about birds. I have always loved birds and feel a real connection to the ones who live in our yard, especially the old male wattle bird, our tamish, escapee, neighbourhood cockatoo who comes for seeds and sometimes taps on the window if we don’t pay attention to him and the magpies who sing their beautiful song. We used to get little flame robins bit not seen one now for several years and the superb blue wren population is down too but Indo see them around from time to time.

This coming week it looks to be quiet. The weather should warm ip by Tuesday and the rain and wind will rest a bit. We had shocking winds yesterday with hard rain. My last art class at Fullers is Tuesday evening. Drawing class. Has been fun but I am not a natural and fine it quite embarrassing at times. It is good to learn things to remember how it is for those who struggle in schools. I;m much better with technology which I find easy but ask me to draw, tone and shade a composition. I’m better with a camera. It is all about practise and more practise.

That wraps up the time since my last post. I’ve enjoyed reading your blogs bit just not a lot of time or energy to always comment. Hope your week goes well.

If you live outside of Australia you can hear the magpie’s call

here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYEYc8Ge3nw