shapeofthings: (Wandering)
Tonight I am going to this: MONA Bushfire benefit concert.

Yup, MONA, our crazy-beautiful private museum (MONA) and arts festival (MoFo) people are putting on a bushfire benefit concert tonight on the waterfront and I've just bought myself a ticket.

I could have gone for free entry. Our top-end taiko drummers are performing, y'see, and I was down to be a roadie, but given I was sick yesterday and I'm still limpy from the gimpy knee acting up I passed on my place to someone more able-bodied and was just going to go home and sleep tonight. Friends are catching the concert though, and it'll be ace to see my friends up on stage, the only Tassie act in a show featuring the likes of David Byrne and Neil Gaiman (MoFo just wound up and most of the acts are still in town). It makes me feel a bit better about missing the entirety of MoFo this year too. So after work I'll hobble down to the waterfront and spend a lovely evening in the wonderland I call my home town.

<3 Hobart.

So, yesterday, I started to feel a little less virus-ridden by the afternoon so I hopped into the car and took myself off for a scenic drive in lieu of the walk I'd planned. I picked up a pair of European back-packers in the city and let their destination dictate my route. They were headed out Margate way, so after dropping them off I continued down to the Channel.

At Kettering I stopped off at Nutpatch, a chocolate shop run by a family with a hazelnut plantation. It's a tiny shop and all the chocolates are made on site. I'd been planning on checking it out for months, only to find I'd arrived a little past closing time. The owner-chocolatier was still on site though and insisted I come in, handing me a creme-brulee choc as I entered and happily chatting away. After 3 free samples and a chinwag with Giovannni I bought more than intended and went on my way, following the coastline around to Cygnet in the golden late-afternoon light then shooting home through the Huon Valley.

One day I might buy myself a little place down the Channel somewhere. Perhaps the village of Woodbridge, so pretty nestled between the hills and the water and only half an hour to Hobart. I could have my own cottage and a garden big enough for a veggie patch, some fruit trees, a dog or two and some chickens. It would be lovely, and in my mind's eye I can see it, beautiful.

It's not what I want right now. For the moment adventure is calling and I want to immerse myself in the wider world. I think I'd want to come back here though. This place is home. Not Brisbane, not Melbourne, but my lovely little Tasmania with her wild country and kooky inhabitants, with more artists and scientists per capita than any other Australian city, balanced out by the most narrow-minded NIMBYs and uber-bogans. This strange little island where magic things happen and the Mountain sings to my soul.

<3 Tasmania.

Dawn5
shapeofthings: (Wandering)
I've just had "we all got caught up the fires and survived" drinks with the neighbours. Have I mentioned how awesome my neighbours are and that they have become good friends? I am so damn lucky to live here.

Anyway, they were caught down in Primrose Sands, which was cut off and under severe risk from the fires. I got in touch with them by phone yesterday and was very pleased to see them home today. My uncle and aunt in Lewisham are fine and prepped to evacuate should the fires worsen in their area. My friend in Bicheno is fine and the fire there is now under control. Likewise for the friends in Hamilton I was staying with on Friday night - all calm there now and no immediate threat. An uncle and aunt are still out of contact in Port Arthur, but there's no fire there at present so I'm not worried; just no power or phone communications or any road access.

Of course it's not over yet. The Repulse and Forcett fires are still out of control and if conditions worsen they could take off again. They're both huge too (~10 000 and ~20 000 ha respectively), with massive fire fronts. There's no rain in sight and conditions will remain warm for the rest of the week, though not as insanely hot as Friday, so the fire risk is still very real for a while and the firies are still working very hard.

Someone I know is coordinating the feeding of the fire-fighters up at the Repulse blaze. I've donated four-dozen eggs and some baked goodies and am on duty to keep supplying special-dietary-requirements-friendly treats for the week ahead. They're doing an amazing job and the least we can do is feed them well. Hopefully the garden will recover enough that I can also supply some veggies too in a couple of days. Although I've only lost a few young herbs, the growth tips and leaves are burnt on most everything in my garden, so we'll see how well it all recovers.

The Ladies are doing fine after spending Friday on ice bricks. The two brown girls are even still laying! People are chipping in every way they can to help those who've lost everything in the fires. Humans can be utterly brilliant sometimes.

In a few minutes I'm going to walk down to see Hobart Kat and take her some home-made lemon & raspberry sorbet. Kat's family home burnt down a few years ago, and although the whole family survived, the smell of fire is not a pleasant experience for her. Right now Hobart is hazy with smoke and everything smells faintly of burning. Sorbet will help.

If you want to help out those who've lost their homes to the fires, you can donate here: http://www.redcross.org.au/tasmanian-bushfires-appeal-2013.aspx (as you can see, I've donated my photos - hey, it's a start!). In the meantime, please send rain!

Hell's gate
shapeofthings: (Diva)

  1. I dropped my phone into a mug of tea on Sunday (talented, I know). After a few days to dry out, it works again!

  2. I have been officially made a performer at taiko! Unfortunately I'll miss my first performance opportunity next weekend as I'll be on my way home from a work trip to King Island.

  3. Said work trip to King Island has provided me with the perfect opportunity to pay [livejournal.com profile] flinthart a visit. It's been over a year since we've caught up in person, so that will be just great.


=o)

And we're not even British...
Hostel hijinks, Cusco, Peru. Photo by [livejournal.com profile] katmeow
shapeofthings: (Default)
Melbourne is trying her very best to seduce me.

A perfect blue-sky day, impossibly warm for this little Tasmaniac still shaking off the winter. Lying on green grass in the sunshine, shooting the breeze, drinking far too much coffee in funky cafes, spending time with my Melbourne peeps and the physical expression of joy that is taiko.

Today was a half-day of drumming and dance workshops with Wadaiko Rindo (and Corch & Leah). Tonight is a taiko concert. Tomorrow is catching up with more lovely friends, with nothing more pressing to do than enjoy myself.

Monday brings work in the Melbourne office, and a frantic 3 days it will be, but Monday night there is more drumming goodness with the Kodo & TaikOz concernt. Hooray! Then home again, home again on Wednesday night to my sweet little city curled around the Mountain.

Melbourne, you'd have a chance of stealing my heart if it wasn't already spoken for.

Cusco2
Cusco, Peru
shapeofthings: (Default)
Hola Victorians!

I land in your fine city this Friday night for too short a stay with too many things to do, but I would like to see you!

Saturday night: someone name a bar or pub with a good atmosphere and let us all convene there (say 8 pm onwards?)

I know not the good venues in your fine city, but somewhere relaxed, quiet enough to converse, a lil bit funky and not too expensive would be great.

Love you long time!

xoxo
shapeofthings: (Diva)
Melbourne
Catching up with wonderful Melbourne folk, no fixed plans as yet.
Arrive: Friday, February 10th @ 22:20
Depart: Monday, February 13th @ 08:40

Brisbane / Gold Coast
Visiting the family, because I didn't go home for Christmas.
Arrive: Friday, April 6th @ 13:25
Depart: Monday, April 9th @ 07:00

South America!
Chile, Peru & Bolivia with the amazing [livejournal.com profile] katmeow!
Arrive: Monday, July 9th @ 10:05
Depart: Wednesday, August 1st @ 13:35

A-wandering we will go!

_LW6
shapeofthings: (Diva)
Tonight I threw a belated Christmas/New Years gathering for my Hobart friends. The combination of not having cooked in well over a week, plus having Chef Espen on hand to help out meant I went a little over-board in the catering. I fed 8 of us and could have easily fed 12. There are enough left-overs now in my fridge and freezer that I'm not going to have to cook for the next week, plus I've accrued several new bottles of wine.

The evening was a riotous success, however, and it was great to finally get my friends together to meet each other. It's just a shame [livejournal.com profile] geodyne couldn't join us, but that means there will have to be a next time!

So what was on the menu?

  • Home-made roast garlic hommus with crudities

  • Pear, caramelised onion & OMG cheese (sheep & cow's milk with grape pressings - powerful) tart (gluten-free, of course)

  • Black quinoa mushroom & pea pilaf

  • Dahl fry with basmati rice

  • Chicken, olive & asparagus fritata

  • Kangaroo & lamb meatballs with native spices and pepperberry-elderberry sauce



And for dessert?

  • Watermelon, orange, mint & toasted almond salad

  • Mixed berry tartlets (gluten-free hazelnut short-crust)

  • Panforte



Friends were asked to bring a contribution. Martin brought enough anti-pasto to have fed everyone without me cooking anything (I had to stop him putting everything he'd brought out), Kat contributed some rather tasty salami and a bottle of red (still unopened), Nat brought another bottle of red (half drunk) and Mark and Anita brought some home-grown pink-eye potatoes and broad beans, which I'll cook another day, a bottle of white (almost finished) and a dessert wine (one glass drunk by me).

I totally over-catered, but I had much fun spending the entire day exorcising the culinary ideas that had been building up in my head for the last few months that I was never going to cook for just me. Plus I got old friends together and introduced good people to each other. It was a grand event. Now I just need to deal with the vast amounts of food remaining given my freezer is now chock-full and the fridge is heaving.

Good food, great friends, sweet life. Happy new year.

Sleep FAIL

Dec. 18th, 2011 06:54 am
shapeofthings: (Default)
Last night the Awesome Hobart Kat came over. We drank wine and gin, ate sheep's cheese and curled up on the couch to watch Julie & Julia. It was an utterly lovely evening, however I temporarily forgot that alcohol is not my friend. I trundled off to bed a little after midnight, nicely tipsy and fell straight asleep, only to wake up at 4 am with a body too over-loaded with boozy sugars for sleep (and a brain that decided to fret over a small worry). Annoying! I finally accepted that I wasn't getting back to sleep at 5, so got up to enjoy the dawn and made cake.

Yes, half past 5 in the morning, on about 3 hours sleep. is clearly the time to start baking. I have a dozen Christmas cupcakes (bischoffsbrot, if you're wondering) in the oven now, plus a loaf of seed bread gently rising in the warmth. The cupcakes smell amazing, but I cannot try them! They are being baked as gifts for friends, and since I'm not eating them and Housemate had normal flour in the house they are made with wheat. After almost 5 years of cooking entirely gluten free it was very strange to bake with wheat. There was only one flour to measure! No getting the right ratio of corn starch to rice flour to soy flour, no adding xantham gum to bind; very odd indeed. I'd also forgotten how wheat batters handle: its so sticky! Hopefully they taste as good as they smell.

Once the bread is done I'll have to decide what to do with the rest of my day. I'd planned to go hiking, though I'm not sure how I'll manage on so little sleep and there's plenty of things I could be doing around the house. I'll venture out to the Farm Gate market when it opens at 9 to pick up some fresh local veggies and hopefully some goat (I haven't had goat in years, but I hear there's a new seller at the market with locally raised, happy Boer goats and Dorper lambs. Mmm, happy ethical meat is tasty!). I have an afternoon tea date with my new friend Norm, a retired geologist who lives out the back of Wellington, where I go walking, and gets a little lonely for company. Then I think I shall have a quiet evening and make an attempt at an early night. A decent night's sleep would be a very welcome anomaly.

Oh, cake is done. Onwards!

Last Of The Roses
shapeofthings: (bloop!)
All friends are wonderful, but the company of dear old friends who've known you for years is a true joy indeed.

Sprung
shapeofthings: (Diva)
Blah, the change to Summer Time always throws my routine out. The clocks go forward but my body clock does not budge and I find myself unable to sleep before midnight.

I have been doing some pen & paper writing, so my poor journal is getting a little neglected. My apologies. I haven't been doing anything particularly exciting though. A very quiet weekend at home was had, catching up on much-needed sleep. Saturday was wintery, with snow up on the mountain. I stayed inside in my thermals all day. Sunday brought the promise of summer and I sat outside in the bright sunshine for three hours, reading a book.

I haven't been for a proper walk in the forest in far too long. Five weeks since I've been on the mountain. I'll make an effort to get out this weekend; hopefully the weather will cooperate (I was going to be poisoning gorse on an island in the Franklin River, but that's been cancelled now, so I'm a free agent yet again).

***


I really should write a post or three about my Victorian adventures. I've been back for 5 weeks now and am still yet to write anything. Let's see...

* Saturday August 20th - flew to Melbourne, recovering from the 'flu. Lovely dinner out with K, [livejournal.com profile] wonderloey, [livejournal.com profile] trissemeister, [livejournal.com profile] wilso & AJ

* Sunday 21st - Hello larangytis. Day 1 of 6 with no/limited voice. Slept, lazed around and generally did very little until I lost it and cleaned K & WL's kitchen

* Monday 22nd - K and I drove down the Mornington Peninsular, exploring Portsea, Sorrento & the old quarantine station & army base right out at the end of the peninsular. In the rain. Lost voice entirely on the way home, enjoying the experience of a proper Melbourne traffic jam (not moving anywhere for a good hour)

Mornington6 Mornington2


* Tuesday 23rd - off to Daylesford with K and [livejournal.com profile] nurseysarah for a totally mute day of pottering about in 2nd hand-bookshops, crafty shops and foody places with a lovely stroll around the lake. Lots of driving and a very late night, capped off by a personal relevation, clearing an emotional blockage. Benfits of laringytis: nobody can hear you cry.

DaylesfordSwing1 DaylesfordFriends


* Wednesday 24th - sleeping in and running errands in Melbourne city. Caught up with L and talked/mimed through a recent misunderstanding that looked like costing us our friendship. Investigated interesting-looking places and bought a hiking backpack to take my camera gear as well as some decent-sized memory cards. Failed to buy a set of Cokin filters due to no customer service and insufficient knowledge of what I was looking at.

* Thursday 25th - K and I set off to explore Gippsland. Meandering drive down to Inverloch, exploring the coast road, a walk along the inlet and sunset at Cape Liptrap lighthouse. An evening of wine, port & local cheeses, cozy in our hired cabin.

LiptrapLight


* Friday 26th - up and on the road by day-break, headed to Winsons Promontory National Park. Arrived to find most of the park still inaccessible following summer floods, but made the most of the parts we could get to. Lovely walk up Vereker Outlook. Very long drive home via Dumbalk & Mirboo North, thinking I could make a life somewhere like that. Exhausting day, voice returning.

PromWalk PromWallaby
PromTrail PromDewDrops


* Saturday 27th - up before the sun again to take K & WL out for their surprise: a sunrise hot-air balloon flight over the Yarra Valley. At least that was the plan. Due to morning fog it was past 10 am when we finally got into the air after several hours of waiting around. The operation was run by cowboys but fun was had (although it turns out balooning is a little too sedate for me). Home for an afternoon of doing laundry and packing.

Balloon5

Balloon9 Balloon6 Balloon3


* Sunday 28th - home again, home again and realising how glad I was to be so. There's nothing like leaving to make you realise what you've got. Utterly exhausted, back aching and off to work again in the morning.

***


Boo to not being able to access the mosaic maker I've been using from werk. You'll have to deal with odd-sized photos instead (if I wait until I get home this post will never happen).

Right, on with the day then. There is much work to do and many new adventures to plot. Well, just as soon an I finally catch up on sleep...

busy-ness

Sep. 26th, 2011 10:45 pm
shapeofthings: (Wellington)
The lovely Miss [livejournal.com profile] zenandtheart has been visiting for the last few days, and much fun has been had.

There's been epic cheese consumption, drive-by tours, surprise snow, chocolate pudding, sun-lazing, drunken cookery, Monday-night cocktails, the dish-fairy and much excellent conversation.

Meanwhile work is getting scary with everything behind schedule and much to complete before christmas. My non-work time leading up to christmas is also looking remarkably busy, but the next few months are filled with exciting plans and many good things to look forward to. It's going to be a great summer.

A&T


=o)
shapeofthings: (Default)
_fuzz


Tomorrow morning I pack my bags once more and fly home to Hobart. I have had a most excellent little holiday, but I am ready to be home again now. I've had a chance to put my brain back together a little better and I think I'm ok to cope with my day-to-day reality once more.

I am tired, my muscles are a little sore and after 6 days of laryngitis-induced near-silence I finally have my voice more-or-less back. Grand adventures have been had and shall be posted about once I'm home and have sorted out the photos. I'm on an alcohol and cheese break as of now for the next month or so while my body recovers from the abuse and neglect of the last 3 weeks (work trip to Brisbane, back in Hobart but too sick to do anything, then far too much wine & cheese in Victoria).

Life, eh?
shapeofthings: (Default)
Ada1
Ada tree walk, Powelltown State Forest, Victoria


So, I am in Melbourne, having a holiday. Except I am still recovering from the 'flu, so am doing very little other than sitting around wasting time on the internet, which I could do just as well at home, so seems like a waste of my holidays. Tomorrow, however, things shall improve, as my friend Kelv and I are heading down the Morning Peninsular for a day of exploring.

This is not the holiday I was planning. Originally I was booked on a freaking awesome tour across South Australia, including a scenic flight over a flooded Lake Eyre, with a weekend in Melbourne tacked onto the end. I was ridiculously excited about that trip: Going to lots of places I'd never been before, seeing the desert, seeing Lake Eyre, meeting new people. But it was not meant to be: the tour was over-booked and 3 days after booking I discovered I wouldn't be going after all, and due to other commitments I couldn't reschedule the week off until October, when the lake will be drying and the wildlife dying. That didn't sound like so much fun, so plans were changed and here I am in Melbourne, having a nice time, but not quite the experience I was after. Perhaps it's just as well though, seeing as I'm still a little sick.

Ada4
Ada tree walk, Powelltown State Forest, Victoria


Today I'm resting up, tomorrow we're off to Mornington, and Tuesday we're heading to Daylesford with the lovely [livejournal.com profile] nurseysarah. Wednesday I'm taking a day to myself to wander about Melbourne city and perhaps make some camera-related purchases, then Thursday-Friday the plan is to head down to Wilson's Promontory National Park for an over-night adventure (that reminds me - must look into accommodation options). There are spare seats in the car, should anyone else fancy tagging along.

Saturday morning I have a surprise in store for my lovely hosts, but the evening is free for social things, then Sunday I fly home again, ready to start another working week and no doubt very pleased to be back in my own bed.

Next holiday though, I'm definitely doing the tour someplace I've never been thing.

Ada5
Ada tree walk, Powelltown State Forest, Victoria

Diva

Jun. 13th, 2011 02:03 pm
shapeofthings: (Diva)
I had forgotten.

I don't just dance. I own the damn dance floor.
shapeofthings: (Me)
Dear wonderful Melbourne-type people,

I am travelling to your fine city next week for work and have managed to extend my trip to be there for the entire weekend (28-29) as well.

I currently have no plans, other than to spend time with as many of you lovely, lovely people as I can manage.

What's happening? Where should I stay? What should I bring?

Yours in anticipation,

T. =o)
shapeofthings: (Wellington)
Cradle1


Good morning!

I have no idea why I'm awake an hour before the sun this morning, but I am, so I decided I may as well get up and see what the day has to offer.

I got back from Cradle Mountain yesterday evening, tired and completely blissed out on life. I had a fantastic time, trekking about a beautiful place with brilliant company. My friend Nat and I have drifted in and out of each other's lives for 19 years now, but after this weekend it feels like we've finally got to know each other properly, as remarkable grown women. I have many pretty images to share with you all.

Reality has been something of a rude shock after a long weekend of wilderness bliss, though I did very much enjoy a long soak in a hot bath last night! And now it's the start of a brand new day. The sooner I head into the office, the earlier I can escape this afternoon, so I'd best make the most of this pre-dawn never-when.

Love & light,
T. x

Hansens3
shapeofthings: (Default)
Good friends, Brisbane

...back in Hobart, and on a mega Brisbane come-down.

xoxo

BrisLove

Back

Sep. 7th, 2010 08:02 pm
shapeofthings: (Duckie)
UrbanCanyon


Ah, Melbourne! I could write a love song to that city and I wouldn't be the first.

Nine days right in the heart of urban Australia, in all of it's beauty, ugliness and diversity was exactly what we needed. Coming home again has awakened that sense of displacement: that Tasmania just isn't where we belong. But it's still home for now.

The trip was wonderful. Every day brought another friend and further discovery. We know the most wonderful people.

What did we do?

We shopped and the markets, flirting with the workers.
We drank litres of red wine and ate far too much cheese.
We walked all over the heart of the city, exploring until our feet ached.
We saw art in galleries and on the city's walls.
We enjoyed much good coffee and befriended wait-staff.
We shopped for things that Hobart just doesn't provide.
We went to the movies and we went out dancing.
We revelled in the warmth and incredible welcome of our wonderful friends.
We had the best holiday we've had in a very long time!

Architecture

Melbin!

Aug. 24th, 2010 09:07 pm
shapeofthings: (Duckie)
Rough plans are in place for our upcoming Melbourne adventures.

We arrive late this Friday night, and will be staying at K&L's for the weekend. No fixed plans have been made for this weekend, though [livejournal.com profile] nurseysarah is heading to a doof and we may tag along.

On Monday we collect Webby from the airport and shift our base of operations to a hotel on Southbank. We'll be spending Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday running around the city exploring and generally enjoying being somewhere with more than 200 000 people. We are free to meet folks for lunches, after-works and evening adventures.

We don't have fixed plans for Thursday-Friday yet, but a day or over-night trip to Daylesford or one of the wine regions is on the cards.

Friday night we'll be back in the city, and likely back at K&Ls for the weekend.

Saturday the 4th we'll be joining nurseysarah & zenandtheart on a sojurn to St. Andrews market, followed by an afternoon & evening of socialising and cooking as Miss Manda's place. Plans are afoot to head along to My Aeon afterwards to get our dance on.

Sunday the 5th will be a fairly quiet one as we have to be up at ricockulous o'clock on Monday morning for the flight home.

We'll both have our phones on us, so if you're keen to catch up please give one of us a call to organise something.

Looking forward to spending lots of time with all you wonderful people.

xoxo

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