Category Archives: Derwent River

History of our Claremont by the Derwent River

6 Replies

It is one thing to muse on who my readers are but now I am focussing on our suburb of Claremont and its history. During my last walk I passed along the Derwent River foreshore of Claremont, discovered the Claremont Plaza, walked around the Claremont Golf course and spent some time in the Cadbury chocolate manufacturing factory.

Wikipedia informs me that “Claremont is a suburb of the City of Glenorchy, part of the greater Hobart area, Tasmania, Australia. It is named after Claremont House (at 12 Lady Clark Avenue, Claremont) which was built in the 1830s by local settler Henry Bilton, who named it after one of the royal homes of England.” When you read http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/claremont-landscape-garden/, which provides some information about Claremont House in Surrey England, you will learn that it was “Once a Dukes’ retreat and a playground for princesses…” I could find no information about whether any of England’s royal family ever visited our Tasmanian Claremont House. Probably not.

Information about the original owner of the House, Henry Bilton can be read at http://claremonthouse.com.au/history/history-private-ownership-1825-1940/. He first settled in Van Diemen’s Land in 1825 and in the following year he acquired the property on which Claremont House was built. Apparently Bilton’s occupation was a General Merchant and Importer.  The site http://www.watersideaccommodation.com/downloads/HistoricalSummarytheClaremontAustinsFerryArea04May07.pdf declares: “Claremont, or Lady Clark House as it has come to be known as, was built by the early pioneer Henry Bilton. Henry came to Tasmania on medical advice in 1825. He became a merchant and later a gentleman farmer. As the first importer of Leicester sheep to Tasmania he gained significant wealth and turned his attention to politics.”

The following photo of Henry Bilton comes from http://www.glenorchy150.com.au/gallery/.

Henry-Bilton-re Claremont

Detailed information about Tasmania’s 1839 (decades before the Californian settlement) Claremont House can be read at http://claremonthouse.com.au/history/.  Right now, the house is up for sale: see photographs and details at http://www.domain.com.au/property/for-sale/house/tas/claremont/?adid=2009725372.  Perhaps you might want to buy it!  There is no range of prices given, so the sale is ‘by offer’.

Claremont House, in the Greater Hobart Area, is located away from the Derwent River foreshore so I did not go near this during my last walk.

Claremont beside the Derwent River

Leave a reply

I have wondered why there has been so much interest from USA readers for my posting about the Claremont Bowling Club.  The Club is an ordinary lawn bowling club the like of which is found in every town and city across Australia.  My blog site statistics do not indicate which part of the USA my readers come from, so more research was required.

The name Claremont derives from the French for clear mountain, and was introduced into England by refugee French Hugenots in the early 18th century.  The concept of clear mountain works here in Hobart because our town of Claremont sits comfortably at the feet of Mount Wellington.

There a city named Claremont in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, USA. It was named after Claremont, also known historically as ‘Clermont’, an 18th-century Palladian mansion of Thomas Pelham-Holles, Earl of Clare less than a mile south of the centre of Esher in Surrey, England.  This New Hampshire city is located between the Ascutney State Park and the Hawks Mountain area to the west and Mount Sunapee to the east.  Presumably offering clear mountains.

In addition, Wikipedia informs me that “Claremont is a college town on the eastern border of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Claremont is known for its many educational institutions, its tree-lined streets, and its historic buildings. In July 2007, it was rated by CNN/Money magazine as the fifth best place to live in the United States. Due to its large number of trees and residents with doctoral degrees, it is sometimes referred to as “The City of Trees and PhDs.”

Our Claremont in the City of Glenorchy within the Greater Hobart Area is very different than the Californian town with the same name.

In America, the Gold Rush of 1849 opened up California so I suspect the name Claremont was probably given by someone remembering their English heritage when the town was created in the 1880s, or by someone who had travelled west from the New Hampshire town of the same name.  I understand that the peaks of Mount Baldy, Mount San Antonio, Timber Mountain and others in the distance overlook the Californian city.

So now I have either or both California readers on the west coast of USA and New Hampshire readers on the east coast of the USA.  Will the real reader/s stand up!

A sparkling night over the Derwent River

Leave a reply

Happy New Year to readers. There is something about New Year’s Eve which becomes a great distraction; the focus on midnight. We can never have a foot in both one year and the other like we can when we straddle the borders between states, countries or at Greenwich when you can stand in two time zones at the one moment.  Al we can do is surrender to the ticking and suddenly the next moment is on us.  As it was when 2014 came to an end last night in Australia.

I realise, as I write, that some parts of the world are yet to reach midnight 2014. Australia is one of a very few countries to be able to celebrate entry into 2015 very early on. If you are not there yet, then I can only suggest you enjoy the countdown.

Tasmania and Hobart at the very south of the island in particular, have long days at this time of year. There is still light in the sky at 9.30pm (I know I know I know that many countries in the northern hemisphere, which stretch closer to the poles, have even longer days mid-year. I did experience the White Nights of St Petersburg in northern Russia in 2013.)

Hobart City Council stages two separate firework celebrations on New Year’s Eve; one at 9.30pm when the sky is not perfectly light and the other at midnight when the night sky is black.

Last night, nature created an early spectacle. At 9pm brilliant pink-red tinged clouds marbled across the intense blue sky over Mount Wellington, with the sun well set behind. The strident pinks rippled like the marks left when waves recede over sandy beaches. The unruffled surface of the Derwent River, singed with red, made my heart sing. Sensational.  As the mountain side darkened, spot lights from the headlight of cars driving up and down the mountain, and the street and house lights across the hillside suburbs on the western shore, began to sparkle.

Slowly, the under clouds developed grey tones and the air began to soften beautifully.  Magnificent. Gradually the clouds softened to transparent greys and whites patterning the sky over the mountain. A splendid ¾ moon gleamed nearby.

The first fireworks were well timed and blew their tops at 9.30pm as the last pink glow on grey clouds disappeared. 10 minutes of coloured light and light shapes flying through the air and the delayed booming bangs (reminding me light travels faster than sound) seemed to pass quickly. The grand finale was a crescendo of cascading lights falling from on high like a tree shaped waterfall. The light rained down. And the smoke drifted away down the Derwent River towards the mouth.

For a picture of one stage of the fireworks (although it seems mean by comparison with other stages that I saw) go to http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/thousands-of-tasmanians-party-in-the-new-year/story-fnj4f7k1-1227171557865.

Last year’s New Year’s Eve for me was dramatically different. I vividly recall 2013’s New Year’s Eve when I had a marvellous night along with thousands of others on the waterfront at Kowloon in Hong Kong.

20131228_183334

Then, after midnight, I had to walk many kilometres (along with everyone else like a swarm of insects packed across the six lane main road) back to my hotel because the train stations were so full that people couldn’t even walk into them, leave alone catch the trains.

Now we all have 12 months to consider where we might be and what we might do on New Year’s Eve at the end of this new year.  Best wishes.

2014 in review

2 Replies

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

In 2014 I made 153 postings. Not bad for the first year!

The section Useful Additional Information (https://walkingthederwent.com/about/) attracted a large numbers of visits over time.

The busiest day of the year was August 18th with 137 views. The most popular post that day was Floating Away (https://walkingthederwent.com/2014/08/16/floating-away/).

The next most visited post was The inspiration for my walk along the Derwent River (https://walkingthederwent.com/about/the-inspiration-for-my-walk-along-the-derwent-river/).

The page Frequently Asked Questions (https://walkingthederwent.com/about/faqs-frequently-asked-questions/) received the most comments.

Visitors to this blog came from 23 countries. The majority of readers were Australian, but hundreds of people from USA and UK found the site and many have become followers.  If you are not a follower currently and would like to be, on the right hand side of my Home Page below the glorious photograph of the Derwent River, you can add in your email address. Then, every time I write a new post, you will receive an automatic notice.

The top referring sites were Facebook, Linkedin, theparisreview.org, WordPress.com Reader, and buenosearch.com

Thank you to everyone who has sent me information and ideas over the past few months. I look forward to continuing the walk along the Derwent River over the coming months, and hope to receive more comments along the way.

Best wishes for a Happy New Year and 2015.

The end of the Rolex Sydney to Hobart 2014 yacht race

Leave a reply

This afternoon I needed to walk to Bellerive’s Village for basic shopping. Once there (20 minute walk) it seemed a waste to be so close to the Derwent River and not to walk around Kangaroo Bay to Bellerive Bluff and see if any more yachts were sailing up to the finish line.

Today has been exceptionally blustery and Mount Wellington keeps disappearing from view as rain squalls and clouds move across in waves.

2014-12-30 13.37.39  2014-12-30 13.39.41

It was clear to me that a major storm was passing and could reasonably be expected to travel across the Derwent River and saturate me. Nevertheless, knowing its only water and that my umbrella could be expected to be blown inside out with the wind, I walked on.  And it was worth it.

The wild water of the River showed peaks and troughs and there in the blurry distance, trying to keep close to protection of the land on the western shore close to Wrest Point Hotel Casino, two of the last yachts were fighting it out to see who would cross the line first.

2014-12-30 13.40.23  2014-12-30 13.41.19

At home I have checked and learned that the two were Maluka of Kermandie and Charlie’s Dream.  As I stood on that windswept shore, I could see it was a battle between the two but I was surprised to discover their finish time had only 3 seconds between them. Can you imagine?  After hundreds of miles/kilometres in some very testing weather, three seconds separated these two at the line. Inspirational!  The message for me was that one must never give up; I must keep pushing onwards.

Only two yachts are yet to cross the line. One is charging up the Derwent as I type and has almost reached the finish line (Southern Myth) and the other seems almost to be stalled in Great Oyster Bay slightly south of Freycinet peninsula on Tasmania’s east coast.  I can only imagine that yacht is taking it slow and easy to cope with the weather and arrive in one piece.  Many yachts have withdrawn from the race with expensive rigging, sail, rudder, lost masts, and other boat damage. Perhaps the last yacht, Landfall, is considering making landfall earlier than the Hobart docks.

If you don’t mind thickly padded appearances and wind-blown hair, then today is a wonderful day to be wearing your winter woollies and outside walking and filling the lungs with fresh (and it is fresh) air.

In the right place at the right time watching the Derwent River

Leave a reply

From my front windows I can look down the Derwent River, and when I am lucky, over the curve of Bellerive Bluff sloping into the water I can see tall masts suddenly appearing.  If I wait a few moments, the sails become visible and then the entire yacht sails into view, trying to fly to the finish line of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

Last night, my mind was full of stories and ideas. Earlier in the day I had relaxed in the large chairs within the Gold Class at the cinema courtesy of a friend, and been moved strongly by Russell Crowe’s new movie The Water Diviner.  We were both very impressed by the movie and were thrown into thinking and talking about World Wars, and the futility of lost lives and the consequences for families. Then later, once back at home, I finished reading our Tasmania’s Richard Flanagan’s Booker Prize winning novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North. Until then I had never truly felt the situation for our Prisoner of War soldiers forced by the Japanese army to build the Thai-Burma railway.  It is an extraordinary story, which made me feel quite breathless with despair about how different cultural values and beliefs can neutralise or destroy the natural talents of men.

So with two war stories swirling in my head, I dozed. When I woke from a half sleep at 2.20am I thought not of mud and death rather of water and the achievement of goals.

I ambled to my front windows and was brought wide awake. As I stood looking onto the dark Derwent River with the lights of streets, buildings and Wrest Point Hotel marking the western shore line, I realised something tall was slipping along behind Bellerive Bluff.  Within seconds the tall mast was momentarily blocking my view of bits of light on the other shore.  Before long the supermaxi was entirely in view and charging towards the finish line. I was surprised at its speed. Majestic. This morning, after checking the race standings, I now know I watched the third boat to arrive, Ragamuffin100.

Today’s arriving yachts have not been so lucky with the wind once they have come into my view. It’s almost as if once they pass Bellerive Bluff, the wind stalls.  I have watched yachts tacking across trying to make the most of a fickle breeze. Sometimes one almost passes another which had been way ahead.  It’s a beautiful clear morning in Hobart, and the surface of the Derwent River seems to be without a ruffle, but I doubt if any of the crew are thinking about that as they try to cover the last kilometre or so and improve their race standing and time.

Wild Oats XI took line honours for the 8th time when it crossed the finish line on the Derwent River

Leave a reply

I bussed into Hobart seeking a spectacle and I wasn’t disappointed. I looked seaward when the bus crossed the Derwent River on the Tasman Bridge.  Hundreds of boats of all shapes and sizes were out on the water  welcoming the racing yachts into and up the River. Picture postcard imagery.  Perfect.

Once in the city and amidst thousands of people, I wandered down to the wharf. I loved the festive atmosphere and the sense of great achievements.

The tallness of the supermaxi masts always surprises me, and seeing the mast on the glossy Wild Oats XI was no exception. Gasp. So tall I had to move my head to see from the bottom to the top; simple eye movements were not enough.

The yacht was tied up and people, whether on or off the boat, were hugging and shaking hands, their tanned faces full of smiles. The crew had not slept but were exhilarated. Publically broadcast speeches followed. The sun beat down and it seemed the air reverberated with good will.  Today was definitely full of joy for those who have arrived safely in port at Hobart.  ABC Online was the first to transmit a story of the win.  Have a look at http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-28/2014-sydney-to-hobart-yacht-race-winner/5990156 for colourful action photos, and a video.

The great and wonderful Sydney to Hobart Yacht race is about to enter the Derwent River

1 Reply

For 69 years annually on Boxing Day (26th December), over 100 yachts have set sail from Sydney Harbour for the internationally renowned Sydney to Hobart Yacht race.  Their well-trained crews have great ambitions of becoming line or overall winner depending on the size and class of their yachts.

The website (http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/about-the-race) explains this race is an egalitarian event, attracting yachts as small as 30-footers or large maxis, sailed by crews who range from weekend club sailors to professionals from the America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race circuits. The Rolex Sydney Hobart Race 2014 is a classic long ocean race open to anyone who owns a yacht that qualifies for this challenging event and which meets all the safety requirements of a Category 1 safety race.

Today is the exciting one for Hobart residents, thousands of yachtie fans and plane loads of tourists who expect to see the first two towering maxis come over the final line later this afternoon.  As I type this posting, an Australian yacht Wild Oats XI (which has won the race 7 times) leads the USA maxi Comanche which is trailing by 10 kilometres. The rest of the fleet are over 140 kilometres north and none of those yachts can be expected to arrive until tomorrow at the earliest.

But, for today’s two maxis, the big trial will be sailing the final 11 nautical miles of the Derwent River to the finish line.  A change in the wind is forecast and this could be to Comanche’s advantage.  The history of this race is littered with leaders who are overtaken during the last leg on the Derwent due to fickle, conflicting or no winds. Currently the winds around Hobart are north-westerly 15 to 20 km/h and are expected to shift south to south-easterly 15 to 25 km/h in the early afternoon then become light in the late evening.

As I sign off, Wild Oats XI has entered Storm Bay which is the last expanse of water before the Derwent River.

Check out the website http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/ for stunning photos of the yachts and in a few hours you will see the arrival of the first two in Hobart, on this gorgeous sunny blue sky day.

Kingston Beach, Tasmania

Leave a reply

I found a tiny laneway, squeezed between residential properties, which extended from Roslyn Avenue near where I was staying in Kingston, down to Kingston Beach.  The downward stroll took 6 minutes and, later, the return trundle uphill took 10 minutes.  The easy accessibility to the beautiful foreshore is an asset for locals.  I loved the closeness of the lush vegetation along the pathway and then the openness of the Beach extending before me once I reached the Esplanade.

The morning was overcast with a moderate breeze, but the weather did not deter families, groups of children or a kayaker from enjoying the beach and water.

In the photo below the lone kayaker sets off to enjoy a paddle. The land which can be seen across the Derwent River is the South Arm peninsula. Standing on Kingston Beach, I could identify key points along that piece of land which I had walked during Stage 1 and 2: Gellibrand Point, Opossum Bay, South Arm, and Fort Direction Hill.

Kayaker

I followed a path along the foreshore northwards to Browns River and then I retraced my steps. Looking towards the mouth of Browns River as it enters the Derwent River.

Pathway along Derwent at KB

At Browns River, one side of Mount Wellington looms in the distance.

end of Kingston beach road

Kingston Beach and Browns River are located within the municipality of Kingborough as part of the Greater Hobart Area. In the photo below the waters of Browns River can be seen meeting the Derwent River.

Sign

Nearby I discovered a plaque (photo below) and its message surprised me. Browns River was named in 1804 (you can read more about Robert Brown at https://www.forestrytas.com.au/assets/0000/0185/tasfor_12_10.pdf).  From the reports of my earlier walks in this blog, you might recall that Risdon Cove was established as the first white/non indigenous settlement (on the eastern shore, and quite a few kilometres upstream from the mouth of the Derwent River) in September 1803. I find it quite extraordinary that within months of the first white settlement (in fact Brown named the River in April 1804), despite the difficulties of making a new home in this foreign land, new arrivals were off and about checking and naming other edges of the Derwent River. It wasn’t until July 1804 that the area around Sullivans Cove (the site for the central part of the current city of Hobart) was set up for permanent residency. Sullivans Cove is much much closer to Browns River than Risdon Cove, so Brown had a long way to paddle.

Browns River plaque

The photo below looks back towards the centre of Kingston Beach from the Browns River northern end.

kb 2

I loved the trees and was especially impressed by one of the flowering gum trees next to the foreshore walkway.

gum blossom

The stroll from the one end of Kingston Beach to the other takes about 15-20 minutes and represents approximately 1 kilometre of the Derwent River’s length.  Immensely pleasant.  If you haven’t enjoyed this part of the Greater Hobart Area, or it’s a while since you have travelled here, then I strongly recommend you make a visit.

Fish and chip shops, cafes, a sad looking motel and Duncan’s Beachfront Motel Hotel are located across from the beach.  Some readers might know Slim Dusty’s song ‘I’d like to have a drink with Duncan’ (refer to http://www.lyrics007.com/Slim%20Dusty%20Lyrics/Duncan%20Lyrics.html for more information). Jo will recall the hilarious fiasco at a fashion parade in Darwin when this music coincided with a bridal dress being shown on the cat walk.  I wonder who Kingston’s pub is named after? Anyone know?

shops and cyclists  Motel  Duncans pub

Along the street travelling away from the beach towards Hobart, you will pass an assortment of outlets including hair salons, service stations, a community hall and, very surprisingly, the Wafu Works which is a shop selling vintage authentic Japanese fabrics.

Japanese Wafu Works  Japanese fabric shop

Simple street art in the form of inset mosaic panels have been incorporated in the pavements.

Mosaic in pavement  Street mosaic in pavement

This part of Greater Hobart is very attractive, and I am vowing to visit more often.

On tip toes above the Derwent River

Leave a reply

The home in which I took a holiday in Kingston overlooking the Derwent River until the afternoon of Christmas Eve (I moved back home to Bellerive late that afternoon), was interesting. All houses absorb my attention for the objects they contain and their general ambience.  I moved into an environment the like of which I had never experienced; I moved into the home of a dancer.

Red satin ballet shoes, holding memories, hung in the hallway.

20141223_101557

Nearby, other used ballet shoes hung on hooks sometimes alone and sometimes clustered together.  Two satin blacks were paired with pale pink shoes.

20141223_101514

Further along, a lone shoe encrusted with silver sparkles, glittered greyly in the lowlit hallway.

20141223_101459

I reasoned that the shoes hang as reminders of great movements made, of painful toes, of the grandness of storytelling with the body, and of fabulous tutus and magical music.

When on the stage, dancers move rhythmically and the spectacle of dancer’s en pointe seems delicate and fragile.  From my comfortable theatre seats, their professional satin ballet pointe shoes have always looked soft, even when the platform tips clunk onto the stage with a dull sound.

Then I touched these pre-loved ballet shoes and recoiled. The shoes are worn-out at the wooden flat toes where the silk frays dirtily.  They are not pretty to look at now. But my greatest surprise came when I felt these ballet shoes. They were hard and unforgiving to the touch. Now that I have handled these shoes, I no longer feel attracted to watching a ballet being performed. Or maybe if I do attend a performance, I will wince with the memory of the way the shoes feel.  What an extraordinary sacrifice dancers make in the pursuit of their passion.

Getting out into the air at Kingston Tasmania

2 Replies

Twenty three minutes of walking, mostly along Auburn St in Kingston, was rewarding for the profusion of native and exotic vegetation, the family of pardalote birds, the friendly locals, the lone sulphur crested cockatoo, the occasional glimpse down to Kingston Beach between houses, and the still silvery almost disappearing Derwent River.

Kingston Beach from Auburn St v3

At the end of my walk was the Channel Court shopping centre (http://channelcourt.com.au/directory/) at Kingston with new and old parts ( I am yet to walk to the Kingston Shopping Centre). Perhaps years have passed since I was here and the building extensions and diversity of dozens and dozens of shops surprised me.

I found what I needed, made my few purchases and was eager to leave. So many people, so many trolleys, so many bags, so many cars, so many travellators where people forget they are meant to continue walking, so much tinsel, so much ‘festive’ music,  and so much to consume if you want to keep spending. Overlaying all that experience was the deadening sound of air conditioning noise which all shopping centres have.

I am not an enthusiastic shopper and very quickly I looked forward to the return walk home.  In particular, I was hoping to get a good photo of this side of Mount Wellington. However, since the rain has stopped, the rising steam is clouding the base of the mountain. Unfortunately, except when I am close up with glowing colourful flowers, the silvery air washes out the landscape.  So I will return another day and hope to click a definitive shot of that spectacular natural edifice.

I am on holiday watching over the Derwent River

Leave a reply

Yesterday afternoon I left home, for a week, to live in a unit above Kingston Beach which overlooks the wide expanse of the Derwent  Harbour in Tasmania’s south east.

In future, I will walk along the edge of the Derwent River below as part of my stroll along the Derwent from the eastern shore mouth to the western shore mouth and then from Granton to the source.  Here I am located very close to the mouth on the western shore. I feel tempted to walk the last kilometres this week, and then go back to Berriedale and walk the remaining distance to Kingston. The weather and Christmas commitments will influence the decision.

I am living in a leafy suburb where the rain has pattered through most of the night.  The ground is moist, the air is clean, and the vegetation looks delightfully healthy. This morning, despite slight drizzle, I have taken photos from and around where I am living to give me a sense of place.

20141223_092336 20141223_092147  20141223_092341

The water and the air over the Derwent River are pale and silvery. The sky and water blend softly over disappearing hills so that they all seem to slip from my eyes. Details are scant. Focusing is difficult.  It is not surprising that the photo below shows no water detail.

20141223_092053

Last night in the evening’s continuing light (today is the longest day of the year) I looked across the Derwent River and could identify the land on which I walked in parts of the first three stages of my walk.  The entrance to Ralphs Bay is marked by Trywork Point to the north and Gellibrand Point in the south stands proud at the northern end of the South Arm peninsula. I can see the northern parts of the suburb of Opossum Bay and, further south, the hill above Fort Direction intrudes into the light wispy sky.

Today is the sort of day when ‘you can leave your hat on’ (rain hat that is) and I am enjoying my holiday so much that I have been ‘singing out of key’ around the place … thanks Jo Cocker. Devotees will remember Jo Cocker’s fourth album was titled “I can stand a little rain”.  Bring it on!

Glorious rain

3 Replies

Yesterday, I was excited by the weather and exclaimed “Oh this is so tropical!”

The day had been warm and humid with brooding clouds. Then, all of a sudden, I watched the weather front coming across Mt Wellington and the thick strong flashes of lightning. Booming thunder rolled through the air. Gradually the mountain, Hobart city then the Derwent River disappeared from view and rain spots larger than a 50 cent piece splattered and splashed heavily on my balcony.

Within seconds, the largest hail I have ever seen cracked down. Solid ice balls half the size of golf balls, settling on my garden, balcony and the street.  Torrential rain.

Five minutes later bits of sun struck through the rain, the mountain became visible again, and the storm had passed. But the white hail remained like a lace cover on my property – for almost 20 minutes. Marvellous!  Today’s newspaper has a story with an online video – have a look at the hail on http://www.news.com.au/national/tasmania/freak-storm-brings-hail-and-heavy-rain-to-southern-tasmania/story-fnn32rbc-1227158393426

I wondered how others around Hobart fared.  Friends told me how they were caught in the wildness of the storm and were drenched even when they used an umbrella. Others remarked on the deafening noise of the hail on a tin roof.  To quote from one email (thanks An) “Some of our garden is less than happy. I had to pick all of the rhubarb as it had honeycomb leaves, my begonia lost all of its leaves and flowers, the water lilies are shredded as are most of the magnolia leaves. I feel sorry for the cherry and soft fruit growers. We had a few drifts of ice near our lemon tree and the cool air was quite spectacular! Our gutters overflowed due to ice too. Quite an eventful afternoon.”

We all seemed to love the drama of the storm.

 

And what are you doing in the week before Christmas?

Leave a reply

Life before Christmas this year is conspiring to prevent me from taking a much-longed-for next walk along the Derwent River. Stage 10 seems so elusive. A weird flattish cloud hovers over Mount Wellington and the Derwent River is a silvery expanse striped with white ridges blown up by the wind. The sun is out and the temperature warm.  Perfect for walking.  Last week the problem was the weather and this week it is my unexpected and changing commitments that are delaying further exploration. So … apologies to my followers for the lack of new stories of discovery. Meanwhile, I hope you are making some of your own in your local area.

Looking forward to plodding again along the Derwent River.

Leave a reply

Australian cartoonist Leunig has a point of view that I understand well.  It reflects the simplicity of walking.

Leunig as jpeg