From evening heatwave to morning frosts....

We returned to Hobart last night to a scorching 30 degrees...(glad to leave the humidity of Sydney behind). We'd had a wonderful time at the Opera, had dinner with Hannah, visited my Dad, and been to Rozelle Markets where John found a couple of bags of books for the shop...

There was alot of bushfire smoke in the air, giving the sky a dramatic appearance..

Our flat was roasting, so we opened all the doors and windows and even though the smokey smell invaded the rooms, we did manage to get a bit of a breeze through to cool things a little.

During the night, there was a cooler breeze ..
Monday morning and although grey, the temperature was 24 degrees..(10 above avaerage...and the expected high for the day) Some lovely sights on my morning walk..

Great feeling to get 2 loads of washing hung out on my new clothes lines in the carport...its the simple things that make life grand!!
We sold alot of books today...many of them were brought in by a woman last week...so quick turnaround!! Just had a bloke in asking for a book on leadlighting...I knew where we had one and he was so delighted...Terrific.
There has been a very pleasant cool breeze blowing through the building as we opened the front doors to circulate the air a bit...
Tom happily went off to scouts after he helped bake an Orange poppyseed cake..

A beautiful evening..

We were all rather glad to bet to our beds after our busy weekend and really hot night last night.

Tuesday and it was a mild morning..I did a thorough wash of shop windows to begin the day today..
The boys enjoyed their morning read.

Tom in back to swim program again..only two days this week though..
Mark and Luke arrived about 7.30am to repair the attic hatch ladder and attend to a few other issues..
I went into Hobart for most of the day to do some shopping..picking up a new iron (amongst other things) as my old one began to burn up last night..(bit scary).. Had a lovely time at Spotlight and roaming around looking at some interesting fashion/shoe shops..
John held the fort at the shop managing orders and customers.. He said there was a constant parade of deliveries next door to the Town Hall thoughout the day. They are gearing up for the Southern Exposure Art Exhibition that opens on Friday night...
On my way back from a post run I saw Ned and his wife Kim arrive to unload his exhibit piece ..John went out and gave him a hand to carry in the cabinet..
Ned and Kim came into the shop later and stayed awhile for a chat ...was really lovely. We watched more exhibits arrive...

Tom outdid himself this afternoon...getting on with homework, unpacking his bag etc ...all without prompting!! Brilliant
A cooler evening, but still cosy in the flat.
Wednesday and the air is decidedly cooler... I saw the first frost of the year at Burton's Reserve on my walk today..Brrrr. Stunningly beautiful day though..

I went over to Tom's Kitchen class today 9.30 to 11am.. Enjoyed helping with the preparation on Potato Salad, Pumpkin salad and  Zucchini Soup...My group made the egg mayonnaise...good fun.
Roy the kitchen teacher has oodles of enthusiasm and Brian his regular volunteer is a big booming-voiced teddy bear...the kids love him..No other mum's today...only Mrs Purkis(retired Prep-teacher) Felicity (Brian's wife) the class teacher Mrs Brain and  me. Its organised chaos, but it seems to all come together and we sit to enjoy the meal together at the end of the session...Everyone scuttles off pretty quickly at wash-up time though!!.
John had a few orders finished when I got back...the rest of the day was very quiet..John got on with a few jobs, then had a quick snooze then went to get a coffee...I did some knitting...(it is quite an adjustment to feel comfortable with these quiet patches in the day)
Lovely afternoon sun...

Paul Thomas called in to ask us if we will present our award on Friday evening (We are sponsoring the Student Award for Excellence at the Southern exposure Art Exhibition)

After homework etc we went for an afternoon drive over the hill to Woodbridge and back via Gardner's Bay...such a lovely evening. They boys stopped to look for Chestnut seed  pods..

We had thought to have some dinner at Peppermint Bay...but they are closed Wed night...so ended up back home and splurged on hamburgers from Devour...fresh made by Danni...yum.
Thomas slept soundly as usual...what a darling boy..

Thursday and I began the day giving the flat a good going over with the mop while the boys had a read.. John had to take off early to a Dental appointment (but was back in half an hour as the Dentist was unwell).

Tom got into a drawing project and found it hard to stop to go to school..

We got on with a Melbourne order and the rain began to fall...quite a grey morning...

As the day progressed we had more customers through the shop...really lovely..
The sun came out during the day and warmed things up a bit... nice and sunny in the flat..

Lovely quiet afternoon of usual routine...homework, a walk up the street for dinner ingredients, a bit of drawing in sketch book (Tom's latest passion) and reading...

No Zumba next door tonight due to the Art Exhibition in the Hall.(They Zumba'd in the School drill hall).

It was a cool evening out but nice and cosy indoors..

The boys had a read while I pottered in my new space...planning a few sewing projects (other than "the dress")...got out my Concertina and was pleased that I could still play a tune or two!

Friday and it is quite cold and grey this morning..I decided to give the back windows a good clean for our visitors...Hannah and Ben Reid arrive for an overnight stop tomorrow...Yay...

Anne from Lovett Gallery called in to make sure we were coming to the Art Exhibition Opening Night tonight..

The window guys arrived to replace the cracked windows in the shop and Tom's room...(hopefully now the wood frames have settled there will be no further issues..)

Customers strolled in around lunchtime...often the case as they are probably day trippers from Hobart....

A couple of regular customers brought in books for us to buy...I'm glad John takes care of that..a tricky business deciding which books to buy and at what price...

Robert Armstrong..(the Mayor and former owner of the Green Inn) dropped in to have a chat and a look around...he had just been judging the Mayor's Award at the art show next door..

After work Tom and I did the post run then baked a chocolate cake for the visitors...we had early dinner

We strolled over to the Art show abour 6.20pm to find a group of people already lined up to go in...The doors opened and people streamed in...a big night with a large group of people enjoying a glass of wine , a chat and admiring the exhibition..

Matthew Evans Opened the show after introduction by Paul Thomas...

John did the honours for Southern Swan announcing the winner of the Student Excellence Award and presenting the cheque to young George.. A really nice evening..and not a long walk home!!

Saturday and a bit grey out but not too cold.. Tom togged up for sailing and John dropped him down to the Sailing Club while I did some washing and food shopping..

We had a leisurely hour reading the Saturday papers..awaiting Hannah and Ben's arrival...

They arrived about 11ish...

we had a quick tour then went for takeaway coffee at Lotus Eaters..

Then down to the Sailing Club to see Tom finish up for the morning and to lend a hand with the pack up.

Back home and after Tom had a hot shower we tucked into lunch... fresh baked baguettes and salad..

After lunch we drove up to Wattle Grove and had an extensive walk of the property...a lovely afternoon... even spied some wildlife up a tree...

Home again for Chocolate cake afternoon tea.. John had a snooze while we had a look at the Art exhibition next door and Hannah and Ben stocked up on provisions for the week..

The weather began to close in  during the afternoon...nice to be indoors..

After a rest period of reading and lego play...

we drove over the hill to have dinner at Peppermint Bay....ordering the sumptuous Slow cooked Lamb Shoulder...(a 45 minute wait...but worth it) Tom settled for  Spagetti Bolognaise..

After our drive home everyone made ready to head to their beds fairly early...

Hannah and Ben want to get an early-ish start in the morning, Tom was exhausted after an energetic day, John was busy on the computer in the shop researching books and I had a quiet read in bed...a perfect end to a lovely day...