Friday, January 18th .....

We’re still in Deloraine, enjoying the country life and the warm weather.  Other parts of Tasmania are having a terrible time with fires but we’re a long way from the devastation, at least for the time being.  We’re camped outside the Rotary Pavilion which is owned by our club and has a kitchen, and toilets and so on.  Last night, we were settling down to read when Marilyn noticed a car had pulled up beside us.  A woman got out of the driver’s seat, and climbed in to the back. 

Clearly, she planned to sleep there.  There wasn’t a sound from her until just after 6 this morning when we heard the car door.  Peer through the curtains and there she was getting something out of the boot, and then getting behind the wheel and driving off.  Marilyn’s imagination, of course, went into top gear.  Was she someone who had been thrown out by her husband, or had she stormed out after a tiff? 

I was a little more pragmatic.  It’s cheaper to sleep in the car than pay for a hotel and she was trying to save a quid.  Or maybe she was on government business and was fiddling her travel allowance, claiming for a hotel room and sleeping in the car.  She picked a good spot to doss down, a quiet well-lit spot with other campers nearby.  We’ll be interested to see whether she comes back toinight.  Whatever the reality, it was another little thread in life’s rich tapestry.

The paddock next door to us has a crop of onions.  Last year, the farmer had potatoes and the year before that was poppies.  Appparently, there’s profit to be made with lots of crops but the secret is to have a contract before you plant anything.  I was having a chat with another farmer the other night and I commented how big the field was. ‘Oh, well’, he said wisely, ‘it’s no good having half a crop.’  I think if I stay in Deloraine long enough, I’ll get a real education.

There’s not much else happening.  I’ve been busy finalising the Application Form for the Craft Fair.  At this time of the year, we have to decide on the theme, feature artist, slogan and so on.  We’re focusing on Textile Art – machine embroidery, quilts, clothing and wearable art.  This last item is red-hot at the moment.  The local organisation is called Art on Legs and they are happy to come on board.

Our slogan is ‘Be prepared to meet the maker.’ – a little cheeky but people might remember it.

I’m writing this while we watch a movie.  Marilyn’s going though an art deco kick at the moment and when she was at the library looking for Kerry Greenwood books about Phryne Fisher, she picked up a DVD of an Agatha Christie mystery.  It ticked all the boxes, 1930s, crime, Agatha Christie, and we hadn’t seen it.  The only problem was – it was CRAP.  We struggled through the wooden acting of the first part – bucolic policeman with a comic accent, and a hearty fellow with a bow tie, but we couldn’t bring ourselves to watch the rest.  We’re now going to watch Brave, the animated film set in Scotland (starring the voice of Billy Connolly).  Couldn’t be worse than the other rubbish.

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