Tentatively Tasmanian

  • Sunday drive: New Norfolk

    In keeping with our new Tasmanian tradition, Craig* and I drove to New Norfolk which is only about 32 kilometres away from Hobart. The landscapes were incredible – it might be winter, but there is still the ‘dry’ look that only Australia has. Gum leaves are never tree-frog green, but stay a browny grey, no…

  • No more tears

    I’m trying my hardest to be cheap to run. As our Air BnB is costing us a small fortune while we await settlement of our house and a complete repaint on the inside, I’m not only recovering from the cost of groceries in Australia but also personal grooming stuff. You know, shower gel, moisturiser and…

  • Stupid sinks

    When we decided we were coming back home and that ‘home’ was going to be Hobart Tasmania, we looked up realestate.com.au and domain.com.au and had a map of the city close by. We also have a lifelong friend who grew up in Hobart, who gave us some very tactful warnings about where to not look…

  • Pan pipes from hell

    Moving back home to Australia after twelve years away (gee I’ve been writing that a lot lately) means that we have completely fallen out of the system. Drivers’ licenses need to be reverted from French back to Aussie ones; the bank needs assurance that we are who we insist we are, and Medicare has no…

  • Un-fun essentials

    Moving anywhere, whether it be to a different house in the same city or across the world, always mean having to buy new stuff. It doesn’t matter if you’ve crammed most of your belongings into a trailer, a rental van or even a shipping container, some of your stuff either can’t fit, is not allowed…

  • The Nanna Cart’s Prayer

    Our Nanna Cart, Who art in the porch, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in Coles, As it is in Woolies. Give us this day our daily bread, especially if it is on special. And forgive us our trips in the car, As we forgive them that pull out in…

  • Beauty in the eye of

    I set up this blog to shake off the writing cobwebs, but also to see, share and genuinely appreciate the good things about moving to Tasmania. An honourable intention to be sure, but in my day-to-day wanderings, there are some alarming sights as well and that’s just my reflection in shop windows most of the…

  • Brrrrr

    It is the middle of winter here in Hobart and you’d think, as an Australian, I’d be aware of this. But after twelve years of living in Switzerland and nearby France, we left there in early June on a sunny 24C day and arrived in Hobart to 8C. No problem of course. We ensured that…

  • Mangled mammals

    As you can see by now, I adore alliteration. I know that all advice from successful writers is to Avoid Alliteration Always, but the way the words complement each other, typing it or saying it out loud is rather satisfying to me. Then again, maybe I need to get out more. Speaking of which, the…

  • Here you go darlin’

    It is weird to say that you’re in love with a bus system? Stuff it: I’m in love with MetroTas. Buses turn up every ten minutes where we’re currently located in Moonah and it was easy to buy a green credit card thingy from their office in Elizabeth Street, run by fifty-something ladies who all…