Van Diemen's Land

Due to cheap Virgin flights, and a love of spontaneity, last Friday morning myself and some good Tully women embarked on a short trip to Hobart, Tasmania. We became wide-eyed explorers of the Salamanca district...

We toured the alley ways, and the galleries...

I found a tiny copy of Shakespheare's Sonnets which I have long been after on the mainland. I should have known I would find it amongst the quaintness of, here...

The Salamanca Fruit Markets, was where we explored the local grocery selection. Found amazingly good apple juice and unspeakably pure dairy; still in bottles, like a step back, in time, and up, in quality...

The galleries, were little shops and vice versa -

I left my heart in many o' them...

We met with dear friends who led us on a scenic journey to Battery Point, where we ate amazing food and admired gorgeous European Style housing and the great Mount Wellington...

On Saturday the main street in Salamanca became a buzzing place of arts and crafts, fresh food, local delicacies, live music, colourful characters, and charmingly freezing weather!

Later as we walked through the city I chose to interpret merely the latter part of this Bushells Tea sign for my own purposes!

But it was the sea that did something to me. I had never before been so far South of my beautiful home country; and to stand on the dock knowing if I jumped on a tall ship I could sail to Antarctica, was something special...

The Lord loaned us some sunbeams to help savour the moment.

And the Aurora Australis was in dock...

I could not get enough of nautical rope.

And all be in all, I can say that if ever I had to leave beautiful Canberra, I could, and would move to this beautiful scenic, and every-so-slightly-wacky place! Artistry flows here. Like the perfect waters. I feel myself drawn to come back again and again. To write songs about the things I have seen, and felt here.

I think you need sometimes to get away. In order to come back. So as to see, everything clearly. There has been such delight, and unexpected therapy, in the reflection, of far away waters.

Shell xx