Now That I'm Here

   This is a short account of my time in Hobart since the big move. After waiting in vain for a few weeks, while I hoped that the builders would come to convert the garden shed into a visitors' quarters, (as my little house has only one bedroom), I have now finally unpacked all my belongings and managed to fit them into this very compact, little home.
   When Oki moved to his house up at Kandos, his main possessions were planks of wood, electrical wiring, telephone and computer cables, bits of metal sheeting, tools and other men's business!! My main possessions are books, extra books, CD's and DVD's, more books, further books, some kitchenware, clothes and still more books. Amazingly, I managed to fit most of my books into this micro-house, although they do fill every nook and cranny in the place. I've included some photos to show you what my little house looks like, now that I have christened it as my own.
   The building conversion, by the way, still hasn't happened, but I have finally found a lovely builder who is about to start the job next week. Then, whoever feels like a little holiday in Tasmania, can come and stay with me. I have yet to make some new friends, having been more concerned with settling into my house first of all. However, once the building work is completed, I will join a bowling club, an astronomical society, take up a new game called croquet golf, join the local pool, try out U3A and Probus, and early next year, restart my job as an after-school tutor, which I miss doing very much since having to stop my job up in Sydney.
   There are some lovely, friendly neighbours in my street, including an interesting lot who live in the housing estate opposite me. When I first moved here, I was told it was government housing for the elderly. Well, the information I was given wasn't quite accurate. In fact, the housing estate over the road is for mentally defective people. This might sound a bit risky, but I have found these particular neighbours very nice, all the same.
   The first one is called Moggy, a toothless ex-boxer and renowned alcoholic who is regularly escorted home by the police in a drunken stupor. He is very friendly to me and says that if ever anyone tries to threaten me, he will come to my defence and punch them to the ground! This is very comforting to know!
   The man who lives next to Moggy is called Lawrence. He is a kleptomaniac and has been banned from all the shops in Hobart. To do his shop-lifting, he goes down to the next town called Kingston, where they don't know about his reputation as a thief. He is a real gentleman to me, and is always very talkative and friendly to both Monty and me.
   Next is Veronica, who seems perfectly normal until you realise that everything she has just told you is a total lie. She is very convincing, but is obviously a compulsive liar.
   Then there is Linda, a lovely, gentle woman who mutters to herself along the street and suffers from schizophrenia, the poor thing.
   There is another woman whose name I keep forgetting as it is a strange name. She is lovely, but suffers from severe brain damage as a result of a terrible car crash that she survived. She has a carer who comes each day to look after her.
   There is also a ninety-three year old woman who lives in the last little house on the estate, but I have never met her. I'm sure she would be a lovely person too.
   Other neighbours in the street are Francis, in her mid-eighties, who is as fit as a fiddle in both mind and body, Shana, a librarian who works at the State Library, Bill, a very friendly middle-aged man, and my young, next door neighbours, Andy and Claire, who are about to renovate their house and hope to have a baby soon. They have a beautiful, young, black Labrador called Rosie, who goes to Doggy Daycare most days, while Andy and Claire are at work. Monty and Rosie get on very well.
   My friend, Janniene, came down for a part business-part pleasure few days recently, and we had a brilliant trip up the East Coast and down through the Midlands last week. I've included a few photos of our trip for you to see. Going up to the summit of Ben Lomond was the highlight of the trip for me, although the beautiful east coast scenery was lovely too, and the historic villages of Evandale, Ross and Oatlands were also wonderful.
   Most weekends, I find a new beach along the Derwent River for Monty and me to walk along. So far, we have walked along Howrah, Bellerive, Long, Nutgrove, Tranmere, Taroona and Cornelian Beaches. We also enjoy regular walks along the Hobart Rivulet which is just nearby, and to a couple of local parks and playing fields.
   The shops are just around the corner, so living in South Hobart is a very handy place to be. Nearby, Sandy Bay has some great restaurants, and I have taken a liking to the shopping centre out at New Town, with its beautiful views over Mount Wellington and the valley beyond.
   There is a very interesting, new art gallery called The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), and it is a brilliant place to go and see exhibitions. It is located a ferry ride away, in Berriedale, just north of the city, in spectacular surroundings. It has a mirrored entrance and then plunges underground, being carved into sandstone rock. The art is very professionally exhibited, without any labels, and visitors are handed a combination iPod/GPS which not only tells you what you are looking at, but also knows exactly where you are, as you wander around this multi-level gallery, so that it can tell you what artworks are nearby. It also allows you to save your tour, so that when you get home, you can view every picture or sculpture you have seen in the gallery from the comfort of your own computer. The iPod also gives you the chance to love or hate each piece of artwork that you look at, so that you can have your say and see the statistics of what other members of the public liked and hated, which I found good fun and very interesting. I've included a few photos of MONA for you to see.
   Well, that's about it for now.  The next time I write, hopefully the outside visitors' room should all be finished, and I should have joined some clubs and met a few people. Having lived through my first winter down here, I have loved it, enjoying views of a snow-capped Mount Wellington every day for the past three months. The snow has all melted now and Spring has arrived in Tasmania, with all the blossom in full bloom.
   The only thing I haven't liked about living in Tasmania is the exorbitant electricity prices. Being a state that is fully powered by hydro-electricity - the cleanest and greenest electricity of them all - and with only a small, island population to support, electricity down here should be the cheapest in the country. However, thanks to a combination of greedy Labour politicians and big business, it seems that Australians everywhere are being bled of their hard-earned money, all in the name of global warming and saving the fragile planet, of course! Don't get me started on politics - it's just too miserable to think about, watching this country going rapidly downhill. I no longer watch the news or current affairs shows, as they put my blood pressure up. I enjoy the happy, simple programmes such as "Bargain Hunt", "Escape to the Country" and "Heartbeat" on TV, and "The George and Paul Show" on weekend radio. These programmes make me feel a lot happier, and probably healthier too. See you next time.