Logging off

31 Tuesday Jan 2023

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It’s many months since I’ve written here so it seems time to close this blog down with a final post.

Almost eight years ago we packed up our life in the UK and I wrote about our adult gap year travels. The blog was a perfect way to share our adventures with family and friends. 

As we settled in Hobart it was a way to connect with local bloggers and to share photos of beautiful Tasmania with a wider audience. I valued this online community.

We got full time jobs, life got in the way and the blog took a back seat. I purposely spent less time on line so struggled to keep up with other bloggers and to create posts.

So in 2023, life is good. We are approaching eight years in Hobart. I’m now an Australia citizen. Our daughters are still living in Sydney and London, but we have spent joyful, relaxed times together in the past few months, catching up face to face after covid. 

I still enjoy taking photos and have recently rejoined a “photo a day” challenge on Instagram. So please catch up with me there … ruthsarc. 

Thanks to everyone who took the time to follow this blog, to like my posts and send comments. Best wishes to your all.

High Tea

27 Sunday Feb 2022

Posted by in days out

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I’ve spent a relaxed time with girlfriends, enjoying High Tea at the local Riversdale Estate. The setting was delightful.

The food was delicious, presented on tiered cake stands. Sandwiches, savoury pastries, scones, with jam and cream, various cakes and desserts. We chose different teas, some black, some fruit or floral. 

Happy Sunday.

Evandale Penny Farthing Festival

22 Tuesday Feb 2022

Posted by in 52 challenge, days out, remembering / musing

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On Saturday we watched the Australian National Penny Farthing Championships, held in the historic village of Evandale in central Tasmania.

This year’s event was a scaled back event due to covid, yet still fun a fun day out. Races were run over a triangular course around the village. There were various races, sprints, mens’, ladies, juniors, veterans, relays and obstacle (run, carry and push the bike, ride it). Also ,a 20km road race.

There were food and craft stalls, an interesting village store. Some locals dressed in 1800’s costumes. 

When the championships started back in 1983 the penny farthings were originals. Now many have been newly manufactured.

Changing Seasons – January 2022

31 Monday Jan 2022

Posted by in all about me, days out, photography

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It’s been a month of long summer weekends and hectic weekday workdays. 

We’ve been to the beach most weeks, for lazy barefoot walks and late afternoon swims, refreshing on the hotter days.

We’ve enjoyed blueberry picking, as well as continuing to buy delicious summer fruits from local growers. A wet spring has produced a bumper crop of large juicy cherries.  

Earlier this month, Hobart hosted the 5th Test of “The Ashes”, a long standing cricket challenge between Australia and England. As this was the first time a game has even been held in Tasmania, the locals were rather excited. Various city buildings were lit up in the “green and gold” colours of Australia and there was a joyous atmosphere around the city.

I’m moving to a new role within my current company, so handing over my own workload to someone new whilst learning new tasks has required overtime on work days, therefore my weekends have felt extra precious.

The month began with the final days of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, with the visiting yachts moored up on Hobart Waterfront. 

The month has ended with MONA FOMA, a music and arts festival. The highlight is a fabulous laser light show across Hobart with a soundtrack. These photos show the lights from various spots in the city.

The month has flown by, after a slow start I have already started ticking things off my “52 things in 52 Weeks challenge.  Here are my first weekly selfies to sum up my January 2022.

This is my contribution to Ju-Lyn and Brian’s monthly “Changing Seasons” challenge.

52 Things in 52 Weeks

22 Saturday Jan 2022

Posted by in 52 challenge, all about me

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I need to send this out into the universe. I’m committing to “52 things in 52 weeks” challenge. Some are daily, some weekly, some are one-off challenges. I want 2022 to be a memorable year for positive reasons, not just another year living with covid. Some things I’ve done before but there are several brand new ideas too. In no particular oder ….

1 ~ Visit the Northeast corner of Tasmania  

2 ~ Visit Ben Lomond and drive up “Jacob’s Ladder”
3 ~ Spend more time out in nature
4 ~ Create new health habits and make them stick
5 ~ Exercise before breakfast on week days
6 ~ Pay it Forward
7 ~ Reduce our environmental impact
8 ~ Review and reduce our rubbish and recycling every three months
9 ~ Do something special on public holidays
10 ~ See a show at The Playhouse, Hobart
11 ~ Swim in the ocean on Christmas Day
12 ~ Keep my diary up to date, include sketch noting
13 ~ Complete another year of Photo a Day 
14 ~ Change my job within current organisation
15 ~ Update our driftwood Christmas tree throughout the year
16 ~ Complete another year of Sentence a Day journal 
17 ~ Learn more about indigenous culture and history
18 ~ Read a meaningful book every month
19 ~ Visit a new restaurant every 3 months
20 ~ Attend two workshop to learn new skills
21 ~ Try a new craft activity
22 ~ Ride an e-scooter
23 ~ Go to a drive in movie
24 ~ Fly in a sea plane 
25 ~ Go to a basketball match
26 ~ Visit all exhibitions at TMAG Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery
27 ~ Take part in a painting workshop
28 ~ Revisit MONA regularly 
29 ~ Get to a healthy weight and maintain it
30 ~ Add a new recipe to our diet every two months

31 ~ Try a new ingredient every month
32 ~ Go to a Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra concert
33 ~ Review and use photography techniques 
34 ~ Join a reading challenge
35 ~ Ride a Jet Ski 
36 ~ Take a moonlit walk on a beach 
37 ~ Review and reduce my photo catalogue 
38 ~ Visit the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens every season
39 ~ Grow more veggies and herbs
40 ~ Make use of local library and street libraries
41 ~ Visit Phillip Island
42 ~ Visit Brighton Beach, Melbourne, to see the beach huts
43 ~ Reduce my alcohol intake, have alcohol free weekdays unless special occasion 
44 ~ Go to a live comedy show
45 ~ Regularly go to the local farmers market 
46 ~ Visit Canberra
47 ~ Go Blueberry picking
48 ~ Visit Evandale for their Penny Farthing Fair
49 ~ Decide on blog direction, expand my blog network 
50 ~ Try six new tea flavours
51 ~ Sort out my wardrobe and be realistic 
52 ~ Take a selfie every week for a year 

Fruit fresh from the Farmers Market

16 Sunday Jan 2022

Posted by in one with nature, photography

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It’s set to be a short season for some of our summer fruit. Partly due to weather, hail storms which has damaged some crops. Also the lack of pickers due to Australia’s border closure, lack of back packers and casual workers.

So I was delighted to buy these delicious fruits from the local farmers markets. Hopefully I can get to some Pick Your Own farms next weekend.