Tasmania - Hobart in the Winter

Tasmania - Hobart in the Winter

I arrived yesterday early in the morning to be met
by two women holding up a sign with my name on it.
I was expecting my host Helen, a fantastic potterer
and instead it was Kitty and her friend Jolene.

They immediately drove me to 7 Mile Beach, a beautiful
sandy beach that very few people know about, so Kitty
said. Only problem it is on all the maps and a bus
line ends right at one of the natural entrances to it.
Then they drove me to Mount Wellington to view the
true beauty of southern Tasmania and Hobart. Only
problem that time was that the road was closed due to
snow and there was a very huge rain cloud covering the
entire mountain top.

Off to a public house (pub) and some great discussion
about mutual friends, creativity and truly living life
in our own manner. We even talked about Andre and
Judy (hello from Kitty).

Then onto the city to drop off my things and meet up
with Helen and Andre for lunch. They both are
excellent potterers who work in Tasmania and other
countries as consultants in ceramic or pottery
factories. They will be leaving for the Phillipines
soon and have worked in Spain and India.

Kitty and I walked around the main city centre with
her as my guide. Off she went to make phone calls to
promote my talk tomorrow on creativity which she set
up and I wandered throughout the shopping areas of
Hobart: walking strees, malls, internal walking
streets.

Andre picked me up later at Kitty's apartment to join
Helen at her ceramics class at the TAFE, sort of a
technical and arts and crafts school, day and night.

I actually successfully "threw" a plate.

Then Andre and I went on to eat at a Cambodian
restaurant. Those who know my eating habits know that
was a risk. A few chocolate bars later after eating
dinner I was fine.

Onward to their beautiful home outside of the city.
The house is wonderfully filled with art,
predominantly ceramics of varied types; theirs and
many other artist;s.

In the morning I experienced their backyard, studios,
kilns and the tremendous views of the bays and river
beyond them. The end of their street 200 m away is on
the river, very wide river, the size of Sydney Bay at
spots.

This morning Andre drove me to Kingston, a further out
suburb to see more views of the bays, river and
moutnains. Rainbows to the right of us, to the left
of us, in front of us and behind us. Andre laughed
and said that they usually take all the forest and
water beauty for granted until they travel out of
Tasmania.

Melbourne was also a mixed and great series of
experiences: the city, the new friends I spent time
with talking, eating, walking, touring, the people in
the shops, the parks, the food market.

The greatest experiences of all the great experiences
(superlatives...mine are limited and may seem
over-used..what the hell). were the people I spent
time with:

Ed, Ian, Mary, Roger, Sue. Ed and Ian creativity
consultants. Mary my host. Roger and Sue here loving
and very friendly neighbors. We shared, laughed, some
times so hard we cried with joy over things we each
found funny.

Off to the Botanical Gardens to walk the harbour and
to give my presentation on creativity. Then back to
Salamanca, artists shop district and to Barbarery
Coast, oldest area of the city and then off to see a
local presentation of DEATH OF A SALESMAN.

Have a wonderful day today. You deserve it. Besides
it is always you choice even when traumatic things are
happening. Smile as often as you can. Laugh even
more often. Cry when you need to and sometimes just
for the hell of it even when you don't know why you
are.

With love from wandering Alan