Folk Festival Week....

 

We fly into Hobart about 7pm on Sunday...and it is so smokey we can barely see the airport before landing.. The smoke is thick and heavy in the air  as we drive home.
It is no better in the Huon Valley...and we are glad to get indoors...

 

Monday and the smoke has cleared a bit..thankfully. We are counting our blessings that we are not in the fire threatened areas....but it does prompt us to have a bit of a re-think of our proposed house location...

 

We have a very busy day..dismantling and packing away the Advent/Christmas displays, setting up the windows with Folk appropriate books...preparing some big orders for post etc.
By the afternoon ,I have to take a 30 min snooze break...then its back into it as we have lots of customers through in the late afternoon..
I have a visit from Elke and daughter Rose..they bring us some Epiphany cake from their celebrations last night. Rose opened my Christmas gift yesterday and they were both delighted  with the embroidered bag I made..

 

 

We enjoy a salad dinner and are glad to get to our beds....

Tuesday is still quite warm in the morning...but a change comes through midway through the day ...cooling things off and clearing the air. The wind and showers bring the temperature down quite alot. We have another busy day. the boys make a Hypericum /Calendula Cream while I do orders and handle customers... Again we sell alot of books today...always people in the shop.
The bunting goes up in the main street ...so the Festival atmosphere mounts!!

 

We finish the day's work, have an early dinner, then treat ourselves to a viewing of "The Castle"...John's favourite movie.. (Hannah bought us a copy while in Sydney).. I don't think Tom was quite as amused as John...but it was nice to sit together...
I do a bit more washing etc to prepare for packing for next week in Sydney for the wedding...then its a read and to bed.

Wednesday is very cool... The tide is up quite high this morning.

 

 

Back at home the boys do their early morning read while I get on with chores..(John has already done an hour's work of potentising before I get up!!)
There are orders to do and John fills and boxes the Hypericum/Calendula Cream.
Tom does a few flits around town to see what is happening..then  its lego time.
The wall of Huon Community Church has been quickly painted to cover the graffiti...not brilliant but I guess better than the alternative..

The boys head into town in the afternoon to sort through more second hand books. They will stay in town for dinner..
More festival folk arrive in town as the day progresses...and there is plenty of action in the Town Hall next door as they set up sound equipment.
After work I have a walk up on the hill at Wattle Grove.. up top on our proposed house site the ground is dry and crisp...as I walk down to the old homestead site I note the ground is still green..food for thought.

 

 

The boys arrive in about 8pm with their booty...some lovely books amongst them..
We have a peaceful evening.

Thursday and there are already campers set up at Burton's..

 

 

There are more people around town...
I go over in the morning to the Festival Office(in Tom's classroom) and pick up our wristbands and a volunteer wristband too. (I'm selling CD's in the Supper Room venue Friday Night.)

Tom has a ball roaming around town and bringing back news..
We are very busy with customers and sell alot of books...nice atmosphere..
We also have a number of orders to get done.
The day passes very happily...
After work we go for a walk around town to see what is happening at Loongana Park, St James and Burton's reserve...Stunning fruit at the Community Garden

Then its home for dinner and a quiet evening at home (Once they finish sound checks in the Town hall next door!!)

Friday and it gets busier and busier as the day progresses..
Lots of people arriving in town...lots of customers looking at the books..
We have orders to do and John makes an Urtica gel..
Taking post up the street is a challenge today as there are so many people about...Its great.
The boys head down to Burton's reserve a bout 4pm for their 8 hour shift doing security on the camping area..
I am busy at the shop with customers until 6pm.
Sadie, Matthew and Hedley drop in for a chat . We have a delightful time on the floor while Hedley plays with the toys... Some tourists are in at the same time and decide to buy one of Matthew's books...so I get him to touch it for them  (they are already signed!!)/ They are so pleased...and Matthew gives them a big grin...nice.
I close up , race down to see how John is getting on then grab some dinner before collecting CD's from the Festival to sell in the Supper Room... my shift is 7-12.

 

 

As I head back across to the Supper Room, I see the choir "Shaking the Tree" doing an impromptu performance in front of the shop..terrific..

It's a varied line-up..Lindsay Pollak, Jo Quail, Maria Forde, Richard Gilewitz and Arwan.. (Anne the school principle comes to give me a break at about 8pm and go home and make a cuppa then have a quick look in at Carmel Hall and St James)... Anne comes back about 10.45 and offers to take over for me...a very kind offer as I am soooo tired.
I go down to try and get Tom to come home to bed...but of course he is having too much fun roaming about in the dark with friends...John and I can't even find him!!
I leave them to it and stop in at St James to hear Rory McLeod...just brilliant!!..
I go home and get to bed a bit after 12...not sure when the boys get in...

The weekend is full-on...we take turns minding the shop and going out to look at concerts and just soak up the atmosphere...fabulous...
We sell stacks of books and enjoy having so many people sharing the space with us
I do Contra Dance workshop and Dance...just thrilling to dance again...I do so love it..
The pictures will tell the story...

 

Morris men in the carpark

Lindsay Pollack setting up in Supper Room Fri evening

 

Kristina Olsen

 

Shaking the Tree festival choir workshop

 

Susie and Danny Spooner having a chat out front of shop

 

Jacob and Laura playing great swing

 

 

Lotus crowds

 

Hurdy gurdy man at Red Velvet

 

Crowds at Loongana Park listening to performers

 

Local -Helen Thompson singing Gregorian Chant

 

Danny Spooner

 

Stiff Gins

 

Zulya and the Children of the underground

 

Karavena Flamenca

 

 

Festival Procession about to start

 

Rory McLeod plays yellow trombone

 

 

Danny Spooner sings a couple of fishy songs

 

 

So many more performers were seen and experiences with lovely customers....wonderful...but exhausting!!

The boys will finish the Festival seeing Lindsay Pollak's show...I am going to the Festival Cabaret at 7 in Carmel Hall...

Then its off to Sydney tomorrow for Tom and I to gear up for Jess and Aaron's wedding on Friday..

John will fly up on Friday..

Heading to 2013..HAPPY NEW YEAR

Sunday we have a nice easy morning...John potters with books and I do some more sewing.
John has been having coffee withdrawals as RV was closed yesterday and only opens at 12pm today.
We are first through the door at 12 and have lunch and coffee...yummy!!.

 Back Home Tom harvests a nice bowl of strawberries.

After a snooze, we go up to Wattle grove to do a bit more dead tree clearing..

 

 

 

 

Back home for a quiet evening...

NYE....and we have quite a busy day. It's a grey start...but lovely out..
Lisa Romero (one of our regular prescribing therapists) is dropping in to visit today as she is visiting Tassie. John has a lovely time showing her through the shop and his wonderful plants in the garden..
Later in the day Neil our local GP drops in an spends about 2 hours browsing and talking about his interest in Aircraft. Tom delights in showing him the telescope...
Liz drops in with a gift..her special New Years Day cake...Scottish Black Bun.

 

Ned and family call in to say hello...they have come over for lunch...
In between visitors we have a number of customers and sell some books...
After work we rest before heading to Judy's place at Ranelagh for BBQ dinner and games of Petanque. (Judy is a customer who works next door in the Town Hall)
There are only a few guests...Jan and daughter Rachel, Judy and 3 shy Japanese girls and us...so its a quiet evening. We enjoy a delightful meal and make our farewells at about 10.30pm...too tired to see in the New Year..

HAPPY NEW YEAR.....John is up and pottering while Tom and I enjoy a sleep in...
We have a wonderful slow morning... I finish my dress and make a wrap to go with it...

 

 

 

John and Tom get the Hypericum Oil filtering...
John wanders up for a coffee and I go for the walk...nice
We have some lunch and a snooze...
About 3-ish we drive into town. We have a lovely walk on the banks of the Derwent at Sandy Bay...

 

 

 

 

Tom has a long play in the great playground...while John and I are the "old folks" sitting on the park bench..

 

 

Then park at Battery Point and walk down to have dinner at Taste before going to inspect the fleet.
We are pleased to spot Maluka Kermandie the last arrival...such a little boat...

 

 

 

 

Tom enjoys a last look at Wild Oats..

 

By the time we get home we are glad to have a quiet read before bed.

Wednesday is cool and grey again..very quiet out early..

The boys read while I get some orders underway.
Tom is a great help today...typing up some labels and helping me get the medicines off the shelves.
He unpacks orders, helps me dust shelves...terrific.
John is busy in the lab with the Hypericum oil filtering and clean-up of bottles..
We sell so many books today...as there are alot of tourists coming through...really nice.
John gets to work on the Renodoron...as the flint he ordered has arrived. He grinds the flint then the gastroliths (stomach rocks from crayfish) and mixes them into solution before a filtering process..

The day passes quickly. We hear it will be hot tomorrow and a scorcher on Friday.
Tom and I head to Sydney tomorrow...so John plans to move the potted plants into the carport and keep them well watered through the day....

The temperature is record breaking for Hobart on Friday...John reports it is like a blazing hot Sydney day..The thermometer in the car registered 43 degrees as he drove though Huonville around 3.30..on the way to the airport.

We enjoyed a lovely visit to Sydney..Tom and I caught up with dear family and friends..did a final adjustment to the wedding dress..John arrived Friday evening...we saw a fabulous Opera ..La Boheme...city sights including John's favourite Dragon's Blood tree, lunch at Watson's Bay Park, Paddington ...then home..