A few days in Hobart .....

I suppose we could be almost anywhere but we are, in fact, in Hobart. The caravan has stayed in Deloraine and we have booked ourselves into the Mercure Hotel, in the Hobart CBD. We decided that the weather forecast being somewhat bleak, we would leave the caravan at home and splash out on a warm and comfortable base within walking distance of shops, theatres and restaurants.

Booking of the accommodation was made through wotif.com. Too much choice, of course, so we opted for the mystery hotel at $86 per night and a claim of 4 stars. It has worked out well for us, though 4 stars might be just a little ambitious.

Who invented valet parking? What a useless ‘benefit’ to be offered to the unsuspecting client. At the Mercure, that is the only alternative, unless you are happy to park in the street and feed the meters all day. Valet parking means a smiling person in a suit takes your keys and drives off in your car to an unspecified location. If you have left something in the glovebox, you have to ask the ‘valet’ to get it for you because it is forbidden for a client to enter the garage.

We tend to travel in an ad hoc way. Yes, we have suitcases like other travelers, but we also have the laptop, several shirts hanging in the back, spare shoes in the boot, and jackets, and a basket of fruit in case we need a snack, and Marilyn’s dressing gown is too big for the suitcase, and the camera is in the pocket in the door, and so on. We just leave everything in the car and collect it when we need it. The expectation at the Mercure is that you take everything with you because it is a great deal of trouble to get access to your car while it is in the garage.

It was impossible for us to gather up everything we might need so it was inevitable that there would be something that we had to ask for. It was a small blue box of makeup which she had left in the front console, and a pair of shoes. Should have been easy but the poor man came back with a plastic tub full of stuff, including the First Aid kit – everything except the makeup.

It was a total inconvenience and we were charged $8.95 per day for the ‘service’. Just as well it wasn’t $9 ‘cause I wouldn’t have paid.

One positive was their offer of three ‘extras’ for a cost of $49. It sounds like a con, but we were able to choose a $30 discount on extra charges, a bottle of wine, a cheese and fruit platter and to have our car washed and vacuumed. Has to be a bargain.

Hobart is looking good. The street flower boxes have been planted with Winter Kale which makes a nice showing at a pretty grim time of the year. It was cold and wet and the notorious cold wind blew through the Mall. All the sales are on and we spent some time scouring the Outdoor shops for the sort of clothes we need for traveling. I bought some lightweight washable trousers and Marilyn got a windproof vest and some easy-care shirts. These can be shoved into a suitcase, or a cupboard in the caravan and won’t need ironing.

One of the things we had noted when we chose to come to Hobart was that the Lumina Festival was on, and the Shakespeare Festival. Sadly, the days we were there was the quiet time, apart from a showing of Kenneth Branagh’s film of Henry V. Not a highlight, by any means. Although it is a great film, it’s a little dated now and we can see it on video anytime.

However, we re-discovered the State Theatre. When we lived in Hobart in the 70s and 80s, the State Theatre was a shabby little place which showed art movies and classics. There was just one small room with traditional cracked vinyl-covered seats which folded up when you stood up. It was run by enthusiasts, especially Adrian Jacobson, whose father had run it before him. Adrian was a teacher at Friends School and would slip out in his breaks to get prepared for the evening’s showing.

Something has happened while we’ve been away. The old theatre has been transformed. There are now six separate theatres, with between 30 and 150 seats each. The seats are classy and comfortable (one theatre has 2-seater leather lounges). At any time you have a choice of 6 movies, with the first screening at 11am and the final one at 9.15pm. The foyer is now a café where you can get a meal, or coffee or wine anytime. It’s OK to take coffee or wine into the theatre.

We saw four movies while we were there, though there were thirteen to choose from on this week’s bill. It’s hard to say which movie we enjoyed most as they all have something to recommend them. Watch out for Me and Orson Welles, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Ghostwriter, and South Solitary. The last is an Australian story set in 1927 on an island in Bass Strait. Miranda Otto goes there with her uncle who has been appointed Light Keeper. It’s a beautiful film, with superb scenery and outstanding performances.

I particularly liked The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as I recently read the Stieg Larsson trilogy. We missed the film when it was shown in Launceston and I was interested to see how Lisbeth Salander would be portrayed. She was wonderful and I’m glad they didn’t soften her awkward personality and make her too attractive. We can’t wait now for the second movie in the series. The Girl who Played with Fire will start at the State on September 29th. They expect it to stay on the bill for months, and Marilyn and I will make sure we are there to see it.

We head back to Launceston tomorrow, for the last-minute organization for the trip to Manila. I had a call today from the National Seniors Travel, asking for the final payment for our trip to Nepal. I’d forgotten that it was due so that’s a bit less we have to spend in the Philippines.

Election 2010 .....

Well, I’ve done my bit for the country, working from dawn to dusk to ensure that the populace was given the opportunity of voting in its new government. And, in their collective wisdom, the populace has voted to provide what looks at this stage to be a hung parliament.

It was actually a great experience to work at a country-town polling booth. It was an early start – 7.30 on a cold winter’s morning. The Tiers around about were covered with a thick coating of snow and the sun was shining so who could whinge about being up and about so early. So perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised to see the people who arrived early and were happy to line up at the door waiting to get in.

After that, it was a steady stream all day with a few ‘rush hours’ when there might be 20 or so waiting to have their name ticked off. There were four tables set up and it only took a couple of minutes for each person to identify themselves and to collect their ballot papers. We had to ask three questions: “What is your full name?” ”Where do you live? “Have you voted already in this election?”


The last question raised a few eyebrows and comments, such as: “Isn’t one enough?” “They’re lucky to get one, let alone more than one! “Why would I bother?”. There were a few comments written on the ballot papers too: “I won’t give my vote to anyone on this list!”; “It’s too hard.” Australians certainly don’t get too excited about their politics.

There are a number of jobs that need to be done as a polling official and each of us took turns at each one. I quite enjoyed crossing off the names and handing out the ballots as it was very people-oriented. Being a crowd controller or ballot box guard was not nearly as interesting. We had about 2000 through the doors so it was a chance to meet most of the town.

The hardest part of the job was counting the votes. Doors closed at 6.00pm and the ballot boxes were opened and tipped out on to tables. The voting papers then had to be unfolded and stacked up for sorting. The small House of Reps papers were easy but the much larger Senate papers took a bit of handling. There were only 4 candidates for the Reps but 24 for the Senate. We thought about the workers in some mainland electorates where the Senate ballots could have up to 100 candidates and be sized accordingly. Imagine unfolding papers which are nearly a metre long!

We stood around the tables, unfolding and stacking, then roughly sorting into major groups before finer sorting and counting into bundles of fifty. It was very hard on the back and we were delighted to be dismissed at 8.30. It was a 13-hour shift but not what you might call hard work. I hope I get the chance to do it all again in the future. Marilyn has also enrolled for other elections and is looking forward to the experience.

The one thing which surprised me is that none of my fellow-workers seemed the slightest bit interested in the results of our polling station. The votes were counted, the results phoned in to the electoral office, and no one asked what the numbers were. Of course, we were a tiny part of a huge process so our results meant little. Still, it might have been nice to know what our little contribution added to the big picture.

On the road again .....

I wish it were true but, in fact, the only bit of road the caravan has been on since the beginning of June is the bit between Hadspen and Deloraine.

I had my last radiation treatment yesterday. After that, there was no reason to stay in Hadspen any longer so we packed up the ‘van and drove away. We had been on-site for 11 weeks so it was quite a change to be mobile again. Because I am working at the election tomorrow (Saturday) we are now in Deloraine thinking about what we should do next week.

Before I get on to that, I should report that my 37 sessions on the linear accelerator (sounds like something from Dr Who) went without incident and the doctor says he doesn’t want to see me for 3 months. Ever the optimist, I read between the lines that all is well and have nothing to worry about.

The only grumble I have is that almost all of my appointments were around 7.30 in the morning. I would drag myself out of bed at 6, creep around so as not to disturb Marilyn, scrape the ice off the windscreen and drive, in the dark, to a deserted hospital where the bleary-eyed staff would tell me to “Go straight on through.” I need to say how impressed I am with the cheerful and professional people that I dealt with. Without exception, their people-skills were outstanding, especially at 7.30 in the morning.

Still, let’s not dwell on that slice of history. More important, what will we do next week?

We fly to Melbourne on Tuesday 31st before flying to Manila on Wednesday. It’s the week before that which worries us. We could just stay where we are, in the house next to the school, with the wood fires, our easy chairs and flat-screen TV. Or, we could get back in the caravan, and set off to find another interesting corner of Tasmania, or go to Hobart to catch up with some long-neglected friends.

The problem is that Tasmania is moving in to the coldest and windiest part of winter. Do we really want to be in a caravan with snow at the door and the awning flapping in gale-force winds? We bought the caravan with the thought of warm summer nights in mind. Sensible grey nomads follow the sun but we haven’t got around to that yet. Maybe next year.

Marilyn would really like to go on a short cruise but there is not much available. We don’t fancy a 4-day cruise from Sydney to Brisbane or 7 days on the Murray and, anyway, what a crazy way to spend money when we’re about to embark on a 36-day holiday in the Philippines.

You’ll have to wait for the next post to see what we will decide to do. For now, we’ve decided to get the election out of the way and try to make a decision on Sunday.

I haven’t reported for a while on what I am reading (which is not much); instead I will tell you what we have been watching on the TV. A friend of Jamie’s gave him the last five series of Dr Who and we have been devouring them. Series 3 and 4 have the best Doctor and Series 5 has the best Companion. See how involved we are?

Did you notice the three music references in this post?

It's on the radio .....

ABC local radio has become a regular part of our daily routine. We listen to Tim Cox’s talkback show in the morning to get an interesting slant on politics and other issues. His regular callers are a motley crew: Gordon from New Norfolk with a plummy English accent and a sense of always being right, Don from Elizabethtown with his extraordinary Australian slang (jumpin’ kangaroos is a favourite) and Pat from Deloraine who is famous for her collection of garden gnomes.

Tim also has various guests and once a month he has Martin George from the Launceston Planetarium. Martin could talk under wet cement and is very knowledgeable about his subject. Tim always asks him what is worth looking at in the evening sky and this week Martin got very enthusiastic about a particular combination which would be best viewed on Thursday or Friday nights.

At this time of the year, we get a lot of overnight rain so we thought a lot of people were going to be disappointed. Not so! Thursday night was sparkling and, there in the western sky, was what Martin had been raving about.

There was Venus – unmistakeable - above and to the right was Mars, with its rusty tinge, below and to the right was Mercury, insignificant. Below and to the left was the beautiful new moon, with the shadowy full shape visible. Martin was right – it was a spectacular sight and well worth standing out in the cold to see.

Perhaps we were lucky. Within 30 minutes of gazing at the spectacle, the skies clouded over and nothing else in the sky could be seen.

I had a call from Anne, the principal of Giant Steps on Tuesday evening to say that Bill Shorten, Parliamentary Secretary responsible for disabilities, was visiting Giant Steps and would I like to come. I had been trying for some years to attract a significant politician to the school, so I jumped at the chance. With the election coming up in just over a week, politicians take every opportunity to be seen, and might be tempted into making a promise they may not make at any other time. Anne got a commitment from him that he would talk to the Tasmanian Minister for Education about increasing funding for Giant Steps. It may not come to anything but this is a man with some influence and who knows what might come of it.

The talk is that he was one of the prime movers in the plot to replace Kevin Rudd with Julia Gillard. We couldn’t resist asking him about it and he was quite candid in saying that he and others came to the belief that Australian voters were no longer listening to Kevin Rudd and there had to be a change.

Talking about the election, I had applied to work on polling day and received a call this afternoon offering me a day’s work at Deloraine. It’s a long day but I think it is worth about $339. With our big plans for travel, every dollar is worthwhile. When I worked at the polling booths in Wollongong in the 1960’s, I think I earned about $12.

I had an email this week from Kit Reventar in the Philippines setting our some ideas for our trip. On one weekend, she is hosting a reunion for people who worked with her during her year as District Governor. It will be held at her resort on San Miguel Bay and we have been invited to take part. After that, we will travel down to Legaspi to visit the Mayon Volcano. Kit suggests we might go further south to Sorsogon hoping to see whale sharks which frequent the area. It will be a long drive back to Calamba from there so, instead, we will fly back to Manila. We are becoming quite excited about the trip and are counting down the days – only18 more sleeps until we fly to Melbourne to join the big jet to Singapore and on to Manila.

Marilyn spoke to our friend Tony today and heard about big changes in their lives. Their beautiful house in Baranduda, near Albury, is for sale and they will be spending more time at their house at Spencer on the Hawkesbury River. Karen has already given up her job and Tony will finish at the end of the school year. We can’t wait to sit down with them to flesh out the details.

We had sad news this week. A friend of Jamie’s from his time in the Southern Highlands took his own life. He moved to Launceston a few years ago and he and his partner have a young child. We’re told that suicide is on the increase in Tasmania and, in fact, all over Australia but it really means something when it’s so close to home.

This weekend, we are in Deloraine sorting out the clothes we will need for our trips and tidying up the storage and getting rid of a few more unneeded items. We will leave Hadspen caravan park next Friday, after 11 weeks. While we are overseas, the van will be in storage and we will leave it stocked up with what we will need when we get back, especially with clothes for warmer weather. Of course, you can’t guarantee that November will be any warmer than August but we live in hope.

Watch the birdie .....

They say that when your life changes so do your perceptions. Perhaps that’s right as we’ve found that, since we have had more time on our hands, we have become more aware of what’s happening in our natural environment. We now find ourselves taking more notice of the weather, for example, how the day changes from bright and sunny to dull and overcast, in a matter of minutes.

This week we have particularly noticed what the local birds are up to. There are quite a lot of birds in the caravan park. Magpies draw attention to themselves because of their beautiful call and their apparent lack of fear of humans. There are a couple of adolescent magpies who hang around near our van. Today, they were involved in some play fighting, wrestling around and chasing each other in the air. Even though they still have their adolescent plumage, they fly around with twigs and blades of grass in their beaks. I don’t know whether they are really building nests or just learning how it is done.

There’s a pair of plovers who have nested in the bark garden between two sites opposite us. Luckily, the park is nearly deserted and the two sites are being re-grassed, or the birds might find themselves having to put up with some grey nomads on their doorstep. Plovers nest on the ground, out in the open, so they have to put up with every kind of weather; this last week has given us rain and frost, so it can’t be much fun for the bird whose turn it is to protect the eggs.

Today, the gardener was using a whipper-snipper, and seemed to be oblivious to the little bird which was hugging the ground and trying to be inconspicuous. Marilyn and I were enjoying a cup of coffee in the sun and could see there could be a problem, so she ran down to warn him. The plover was beside herself, flapping her wings and screeching. Happily, the eggs weren’t affected but the gardener’s only comment was, “They’re a bloody nuisance, those birds.” Marilyn was not impressed!

The next thing is he appeared on his ride-on mower. Marilyn said, “If he brings that mower near the nest, he can have the caravan park to himself, ‘cause I’ll be leaving.” I suppose she would have taken me with her, but he kept his distance so the threat wasn’t put to the test.

During the afternoon two sulphur-crested cockatoos came to visit. What a couple of drama queens! Everything they do is accompanied by screeches and flapping and raising the crests. They can’t even fly quietly! By comparison, a pair of Yellow Wattlebirds were getting to know each other in a wattle tree – all very low-key and subdued.

Yesterday, we were walking along the Tamar River when a cormorant came to the surface with an eel in its beak, wriggling and struggling. The bird flicked its head around trying to subdue the creature and suddenly it was swallowed whole (well, how else could he do it? He doesn’t have any teeth to chew it). As we watched, the bird dived again and came back with another, smaller, eel. The same procedure and the eel disappeared down the throat. The cormorant seemed to be having trouble keeping its dinner down and there was a lot of head and neck movements before things settled down.

Today our walk was around the golf course at the Country Club casino. There are lots of birds there, very tame and used to people. The native hens and coots are particularly pretty and we saw a Little Pied Cormorant as well, smaller than the larger variety we had watched yesterday.

I dug out my well thumbed copy of What Bird is That? I notice it was first published in 1931 and my edition was put out in 1980. It’s a useful book but the illustrations are copied from the originals and don’t represent the true colours very well. Maybe the Father’s Day fairy might bring me a new one.

It’s just three weeks tomorrow until we fly out to the Philippines. I have only eight more sessions at the hospital and we’ll plan to leave the caravan park immediately after that, either the 19th or 20th. We’ll just wander around until we leave for Melbourne on the 31st and will store the van somewhere safe until we get back about October 6th.