Maria Island Walk

Last week I spent four glorious days on the Maria Island Walk, a gift from my wonderful husband. Together with a couple from Sydney, a couple from New Zealand and our two guides, I trekked along beautiful white beaches, climbed up Bishop & Clerk, stalked wombats, listened to the birds and learned about the island's fascinating history. Our guides prepared delicious meals, from pancakes for breakfast cooked on the barbecue to fresh salads and rolls for lunch, a range of sweet treats for morning or afternoon tea, to risotto, mushroom soup, even quail for dinner. And a good range of Tasmanian cheeses, beers and wines to sample. The outdoor hot showers at the camps were a real treat at the end of the day too (pictured below). Luxury hiking at its best.

I took a notebook and pen, planning to write about the experience and other random thoughts as I normally do when travelling, but my head was completely empty. No thoughts at all really, except where to place my foot next. No decisions to be made other than whether to have a glass of pinot gris or pinot noir. It was the perfect brain cleanser at the end of a long year. Highly recommend this trip if you want to get away from it all for a few days.

Australia Day 2017 in Franklin

Huon Valley Council has been rotating the location of its annual Australia Day breakfast, awards and market through different towns and villages in the valley. This year it was Franklin's turn. Our dear old dog Baerli can't walk far now, but we thought she would make it around the oval, so we decided to head down the hill for it. It was a beautiful summery day along the river. Locals were taking fruit picking backpackers out rowing. It took us a long time to get around the market stands on the oval because so many people stopped us to ask what breed the dogs are (no not Burmese Mountain Dogs, they are Bernese, you know, from Bern in Switzerland) and pat and cuddle them. Little girls especially seem to love the dogs, it's so sweet. On the way around we gobbled a gorgeous sourdough doughnut with raspberry jam and a coffee. I feel a bit ambivalent about Australia Day, but it was nice to see some newly minted Australian citizens proudly holding their certificates and smiling for photographs.

Pumphouse Point

 In January last year, I thought I might book a night or two at Pumphouse Point as a special splurge for our wedding anniversary in May, but it was not to be - already booked out. This time I booked in October and have been looking forward to it ever since. It lived up to the hype. After a weekend of walks in the beautiful Lake St Clair National Park and surrounds (more on that later), gazing at the stillness of the lake, wildlife spotting (not one, but two close-up wombat encounters), eating good food and drinking lovely Tasmanian wines, my shoulders have dropped and I am relaxed and refreshed.

What happened to January?

Of the 31 days in January, I only spent six here at home in Tasmania. Unfortunately this meant I missed the summer festivals that Tassie does so well, like MOFO and the Cygnet Folk Festival. It also meant my summer gardening efforts were, well, pretty much zero or wasted. I came back to many kilos of broad beans that had to be picked, blanched and frozen immediately. Loads of snow peas. Tonnes of rhubarb. And after that, pretty much just weeds.

So where were we? I had work meetings in California in mid-January, so we managed to fit in 10 days holiday in San Francisco beforehand. It was my first visit to that lovely city and we stayed in an Airbnb right on the Powell-Hyde cable car line and two blocks from the famous Lombard Street. It was enough time to see almost all we wanted to: the Golden Gate Bridge of course, Sausalito, Alcatraz, a hike on Mt Tamalpais, Walt Disney Family Museum, wine tasting in the Napa Valley, hopping on and off historic cable cars and street cars. Then back home for five days and off to Singapore, again for work, but still managed to squeeze in a few sights. It has been great to be home for a few weeks, even though we were both knocked out by some horrible lurgy picked up on the flight back. So now the end of February is rushing up on us, and we are savouring the beautiful summer days and long evenings.

Show Day

This year I did not work on the Hobart Show Day public holiday. It's always a tough one, as the rest of Australia is still working and it's a busy time of year at work. But we took the day off and David and I went to the show. As I have mentioned before, I love a good agricultural show - seeing the cattle, sheep, goats, poultry, the farmyard nursery with the cute yellow ducklings, the horses and even the rabbits and cavies. We patted one of the rabbits and I think it was the softest thing I've ever touched. You can keep the dagwood dogs, the fairy floss and the showbags, but it was still an entertaining day out - although an expensive one for families. It must be said that the Woolworths fruit and vegetables display is not a patch on the one at the Sydney Royal Show and I was disappointed that the old chairlift is no longer there as that part of the showgrounds is now a big construction site. But it was a good thing to do once anyway. Some churros, hot chips and an ice cream later and it was time to go home.

I am in love with...

... my hiking boots.

We got back on Monday from six days walking Tasmania's famous Overland Track. Through rain, mud, huge puddles, hail and sun, over many rocks and countless tree roots, my feet remained completely dry, warm and blister-free the whole time. David and I each bought a pair of these boots in Grindelwald in Switzerland last year to replace old ones falling apart. I think they are the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned. I truly love them.

I'll post a few of my favourite photos from our trip soon, once I get a chance to look through them.

Summer holidays

... are over, and it's back to work for me today. Here are some of the things we got up to on our short and relaxing Christmas break. Happy new year! 2013 is going to be a ripper. Now there's an Aussie expression I don't use often enough.

Took the dogs to the beach

Cooked, ate and washed up a lot

David got out on the bike in the nice dry weather

Visited Ida Bay Railway again on New Years Day with visitors 

The beach at Deep Hole, end of the Ida Bay Railway