Showing posts with label not. Show all posts
Showing posts with label not. Show all posts

Friday, October 28, 2016

The not so quiet life

The not so quiet life


We were under the impression that life outside the big city would be quieter, more peaceful, with plenty of spare time for simply sitting and admiring the view. The opposite has turned out to be true. Well, its definitely quieter in terms of noise (I find it hard to sleep in Sydney hotels these days due to the traffic noise) but not in terms of things to do. In fact, we find ourselves doing much more here than we ever did in Sydney, partly because it is so much easier. Its easier, quicker and cheaper to drive into Hobart to see a movie or a show or eat out than it was to do so in Sydney. And then there is so much to do in our own local area, and even more as the weather warms up and festival season starts in Tasmania.

The most stressful period at work for me ended at the start of this month. I flew back to Tasmania on the Friday afternoon after a week working at a conference on the Gold Coast, a fantastic event that takes months of preparation from many people and creates a lot of pressure. Its the same every year, so I know what to expect, but that doesnt make it any better. That night we dressed up and went to a Halloween Ball in the Franklin Palais. Saturday morning there was unpacking, chores... on Saturday afternoon, American guitarist Richard Gilewitz and local musician Steve Gadd played at the Palais. Friends handed over a large bucket of herbs from their garden for our chooks. We had a lovely home meal. Sunday afternoon we spent at the
Longley International Hotel enjoying smooth ska and reggae from Hobart band Lively Up! (right) and on Sunday night we were back at the Palais for the monthly movie, this time a truly terrible French film called Breathless, enjoying a chat over shared plates of food at interval. The weekend was so full, I didnt have time to worry about the past week, what needed doing or what lay ahead. My left eye stopped twitching, the chest pains stopped and my right arm (the mouse arm) stopped aching. I felt brain dead, but happy.

We love the social aspect of life here, going to functions where you know half the room, trying and seeing new things that we might otherwise never have done in Sydney because it was all too hard. If you think moving to the country means becoming a hermit, think again... unless thats what you want, of course.


The not so quiet life

Sunday, October 9, 2016

Went to Agfest Did not buy a tractor

Went to Agfest Did not buy a tractor


On Saturday, we made the trek up to Agfest 2014 in Carrick for the first time. Somehow, we made it back home without buying a tractor. Organised by the Rural Youth Organisation of Tasmania, this is one huge agricultural festival. There was a bewildering array of farm equipment on offer, including some absolutely enormous machinery with matching price tags. There was livestock, fishing gear, food, craft, irrigation, wine, tools, clothing, services... pretty much anything for anyone in agriculture, from the large farm business to the smallholder. There were sheep dog trials, dressage, a 4WD track, a historic tractor parade, entertainment for the kids - a top day out all round. Apparently it had been pretty wet on Friday, but we got lucky. There was still plenty of mud, but we enjoyed mostly clear skies. We walked and walked all day and finally saw almost everything, before collapsing onto the bus for the trip back to the Huon. Well definitely be back.




Went to Agfest Did not buy a tractor