Reflections

In the year or so since we moved down from the hills of Franklin into the centre of town, I must have taken hundreds of photos of the Huon River, it's different moods, the high tides and the low, sparkling water and gloomy, its boats and birds and more besides. At one point I had to stop taking my phone with me when we walked Gretchen. Every day something would catch my eye and I would whip out the phone. It was driving David crazy. My phone was filling up with river views. Now, with restrictions on what we can do and where we can go during the pandemic, I've never been more grateful for our twice-daily dog walks along the river. It's calm and reflective. Just what we need right now.

The three amigos

In the camping ground on the Franklin foreshore, there are three greedy ducks that can often be seen around breakfast or dinner time, accosting people sitting outside their campervan, caravan or tents. They stand patiently in a queue, waiting for food. Cheeky chaps. But cute. And yes, it's the same trio each time.

Six cygnets

We'd heard from our friends at the good ship Yukon that there were cygnets around in Franklin, and on one of our dog walks along the Huon River in Franklin this week we got lucky, spotting this pair of proud parents with six beautiful tiny babies! I don't recall seeing so many in one batch or such little ones before. They came close for a look before sailing away across the river, hopefully to a safe spot.

Here's to a brilliant 2018

Not keen on crowds, we opted for a very low key, hassle-free new year's eve. We started with early evening drinks and snacks with our visitors from NSW and assorted Franklin folk at the Landcare walk on the banks of the Huon. The wind mostly held off so we could enjoy a chat, a champagne and a laugh with this beautiful backdrop. Then home for a curry, a beer and fireworks on the telly. Happy new year to you and yours! May 2018 be fabulous.

The traditional Christmas Eve cruise on the Huon

For the third year in a row, we spent Christmas Eve with lovely friends on The Nancy, a 100 year old motor launch now owned and run by Franklin's Living Boat Trust. We cruised through the Egg Island Canal and around the top of the islands before heading back down the Huon River towards Franklin. It's great to see the other side of properties we normally see driving past on the highway. The weather was very 'Tasmanian' - a bit of sun, a bit of rain - but it didn't matter one bit. Our skipper Martin definitely got a bit damp at the helm, while the rest of us were able to retreat under cover with snacks and a beverage. Plus, we were rewarded with a stunning rainbow, the pot of gold somewhere at the bottom of the river between Franklin and Huonville. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Specially steam boat

Last weekend there was a steam boat rally from Franklin up the river to Huonville and back. In fact there were all types of powered boat - electric, motor and human - all looked so beautiful out on the Huon on a hot sunny Sunday morning. We would have loved to take up the offer of a ride on the Nancy, but we were looking forward to meeting old friends from Sydney at Willie Smiths for lunch, so we had to pass. It was such a beautiful day to be sipping cider too!

The title of this post comes from a Thai restaurant menu David and I have kept since the 1990s. The description of each dish was generally one word more than its name and provided no additional clue as to its contents. So the dish called 'Steam Boat' was described as 'Specially Steam Boat.' A tropical cocktail bore the description 'A refreshing tropical'. We were none the wiser.

Christmas cruising

It's the second time we've done it, so it's a tradition now. A Christmas Eve cruise on the Huon, aboard the beautiful Nancy, with good friends, food and a drop or two of sparkling. Thank you to skipper Brian and crew Nell for ferrying us rowdy lot through the Egg Island Canal, up river towards Huonville and back again. Glorious sunny weather too. How lucky we are.

Build me a boat

And then there were three! A third St. Ayles Skiff built in Franklin was launched on the Huon River under a perfect sunny blue sky today, as part of the Swiftsure Regatta. The community gathered on the shore to wish her well. Speeches were made. Scotch whisky was poured over the bow. She was named 'Freyja', after the goddess from Norse mythology. The Little Boat Choir sang appropriately boaty songs, and into the water she went, alongside Billie and Imagine. Wonderful.

The water is wide, I can't get o'er
And neither have I wings to fly
Build me a boat that will carry two
And both shall row, my love and I.

[folk song of Scottish origin]

Calm water sailing

One afternoon this week we had a special treat - a sail on Huon River on board the beautiful Yukon. It's hard to believe she's been living in Franklin for five years now, along with her lovely owner family, David, Ea and their sons. You too can sit back and enjoy the views, take a look around below deck and hear the story of the ship's restoration and journey from Denmark - book your 90 minute calm water cruise here.

Mid-winter feasting

Work done for the week and gumboots, beanies and thick, woolly socks on, it was time to head to the Huon Valley Mid-Winter Festival at the Apple Shed in Grove.

A feast of local produce awaited. Red Brick Road scrumpy cider, a pork bun from Fat Pig Farm, a hot cider from Willie Smiths, some goat chilli with corn chips and sour cream, a Lady Hester sourdough doughnut with rhubarb and whisky jam and a McHenry sloe-gin chocolate from Cygneture... oh my god. All superb. The burning man ceremony was a hit with the crowd again, and with glowing fragments of straw streaming into the crowd I was reminded of a recent article by Sydney broadcaster James Valentine on why a festival like Dark Mofo could never happen in Sydney. Put simply, too much OH&S getting in the way of common sense and good fun. We managed to miss much of the musical entertainment this year, but we did take a walk through Woolfzinger's Cider Show Alley, where I heard a young fellow say, "Mummy, does that man have eyeliner on? Are those real eyeballs on the back of his head?"

This is one seriously well-organised event, as we've come to expect from the teams at MONA and at Willie Smiths. We've had a lot of rain and that morning nearby Huonville saw some of the worst local flooding in 20 years, but the not-quite-Glastonbury level mud was tempered with truckloads of mulch and sand. We didn't have to queue long for anything despite the big crowd, there was plenty of seating, all undercover, well-organised parking a short walk away, good-humoured staff keeping the place clean and loads of fire barrels to stand around to keep warm... just amazing. It was brilliant fun - again - we'll be back next year for sure.

From the water

Taking advantage of a warm late Autumn day, yesterday we took Gwendoline (a.k.a. Tinnie McTinface) for a spin on the Huon River. I say "spin", but she goes at a relatively sedate space with her small outboard motor. Sporting our new red and yellow life vests, we headed out from Franklin, through the Egg Island Canal (startling a pademelon living on the island), around the top of the island, then south towards Castle Forbes Bay before turning for home. It was a seriously pleasant way to spend a couple of hours on a sunny morning. From the water, you get a completely different perspective on our village and the surrounding hills. We're both keen to do more exploring next time favourable conditions arise. Today would not fit into that category. We're back to the wind and rain of last week again at our place.