Summer in Hobart is glorious. Temperatures generally in the mid-twenties, lots of sunshine but not the extreme heat or humidity of mainland Australia.

January feels like a holiday month, running over from Christmas and the New Year, “The Taste” food festival, MONA FOMA music and art festival, through to Australia Day. The kids on summer break, some businesses close for extended holidays.

For me, it has definitely been a holiday month. My work contract finished at the end of December and I am taking a slow approach to finding a new job. So I have had TIME during January.

Time to walk every day, along coastal paths, on the beach.

Time to stop and smell the roses, admire the structure of passion flowers, the delicate gum nuts in the eucalyptus trees.

Time to be calm, to be still, to balance stones on a grate. I blogged earlier about a community challenge to add to the stone stacks. Strong winds knocked them flat but several people seem to stop and build anew. My skills have improved no end, balancing nine stones on a few occasions.

Time to move photos to a hard drive. What a job that has turned into, but a joy to revisit holidays and favourite times and places as I attempt to reduce my photo archive.

Time to meet friends for coffee, a smoothie, or lunch. Time to chat, to relax. Time to enjoy a good book. Time to waste time.

I’m joining the “changing seasons” project, now hosted by Su at Zimmerbitch,
where you can get a glimpse of January through the eyes of other bloggers across the world.