A Day at MONA

View from MONA ROMA Hobart Tasmania

Friday was the last day of DorkySon’s school holidays, and as he has been asking me for ages if we can visit The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) again I thought we’d better take advantage of a sunny day and go for it.

By happy coincidence, I’d received an email earlier in the week asking if I wanted to take part in a project organised by the International Currency Exchange, in which bloggers around the world would be sent £100 GBP and challenged to make the most of that money for a day out in their country. £100 GBP is equivalent to around $180 AUD, which would allow us to have a hugely indulgent MONA experience – how could I say no?!

We decided that rather than drive up the Brooker Highway to the Museum, we would instead get a taxi into the centre of Hobart and then take the MONA ROMA boat from the harbour so we could enjoy the thirty-minute ride up the river. Even before we’d set sail, DorkySon was thrilled because he nabbed a window seat on the boat and sat watching the workmen who are currently building the new Brooke Street Pier. As we set off, we got a great view of the Astrolabe and Mount Wellington, and then as we got a little further out we sailed right past the Aurora Australis and the new CSIRO research vessel RV Investigator.  He loved the graffit-style art on the walls, the sheep seats on the outdoor deck, and the resident (live) parrot. He also spotted some tasty looking biscuits for sale from the onboard bar, and persuaded me that he should have one as a second breakfast… Continue reading

One Year On

Hobart Tasmania

This time a year ago exactly, we were spending our last full day in Harpenden.

DorkySon had toddled off to his wonderful nursery for the last time, and he would come home a few hours later laden down with gifts and cards and photos of himself hugging the staff. I went for one last trawl of the local charity shops to see if I could find any bits and pieces for the flight – I got lucky, and picked up a collection of Shirley Hughes stories and a huge bag of toy cars for a couple of quid.

Our flat was a mess. The removal men had arrived that morning, and it was hard to move for all the sheets of packing paper, cardboard boxes, and enormous rolls of bubble wrap. That night, cupboards bare and crockery packed, we went for dinner at a local Italian restaurant. Somewhere between the tagliatelle and the tiramisu, immigration officers raided the place and started interrogating the kitchen staff. We headed home for an early night.

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DARK MOFO and the Winter Solstice

DARK MOFO Hobart 2014

What a lovely little weekend that was.

It was the winter solstice here on Saturday. The shortest day of the year was a sunny one, filled from dusk until dawn with light and brightness.

DorkyDad and I went out to the Winter Feast on Saturday night – a loud and lively celebration of local food. It was the only DARK MOFO event we went to together. DorkyDad had been to listen to poetry and music at the Odeon Theatre last week, and DorkySon and I spent a merry afternoon with our mops at Yin Xiuzhen’s ice sculpture, but Saturday night was special.

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Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter

autumn in Tasmania

Tomorrow – the first day of June – is the official start of winter in Tasmania. I like the way the seasons are marked so precisely into three month chunks here.

Autumn has been glorious. The sunsets over the last few weeks have taken our breath away, and the daylight hours have had a real crispness to them. Most of the rain has come at night. On the few overcast days we’ve had, the river has looked all the lovelier, infused with a glittering silver light. The mist here, when it swirls like magic down the Derwent, is called Bridgewater Jerry. It creeps through the pillars of the Tasman Bridge, stealing it from sight for an hour or two, but it’s nothing like Edinburgh where the haar descends for days and chills you right down to the marrow.

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