Well, the holidays are almost over.

Last weekend I went on my first camping trip in eight years with my boyfriend. We left Friday afternoon and came home on the Sunday; I slept in a swag for the first time and loved it – it was set up in just a few minutes and was much warmer and comfier than the tents I’ve slept in on previous camping trips. BF and I spent a lot of time debating between a swag and a tent and we eventually decided on the swag because we liked the fact it would be easy to set up on an overnighter – we definitely made the right choice. The weather wasn’t so good because it drizzled during portions of the second day but we didn’t let it spoil our fun. We had a campfire both nights which was nice. BF cooked damper on the second night. He also caught five fish while we were away but they were all carp. No luck with catching any callop, which was what he was aiming for. We had planned to stay another night, however the weather wasn’t on our side, so we decided to head for home.

This week has been slow so far. We are taking things slowly and just relaxing before school heads back. Next term is going to be busy, however there are only another 9 weeks before the summer holidays. I am looking forward to it already

…Well, at least for a short post.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 or so weeks since I last posted on my blog. It has been a very busy term and I’ve had a lot of other things happening in my life. It’s the first day of the term 3 holidays and I had to head into work today. Tomorrow I will be delivering photos to the Kidman Art Show, where I am entering three photographs in the “Through My Lens” section. I am back at work again on Wednesday; on Thursday I am going to a bookshop and on the weekend I’m going camping.

I have a lot less planned for next week but I want to try to take it easy in preparation for term 4, which is sure to be a busy, busy term.

I have a new camera – a Canon 1000D SLR, which I am still learning to use. It is a big step up from the previous cameras that I’ve had but I have managed to get a few good shots already, including the banner picture above.

Here are some photos from the last ten weeks:

I read Don’t Judge A Girl By Her Cover by Ally Carter today. It was awesome – I didn’t think it’d be out here in Australia for months and was all set to buy it online and then there it was!  It doesn’t come out in the US until June 9 so you can bet that I was plenty surprised. I’m not going to spoil it but I will say that it was awesome!!! and I am now going to have to find time to reread all three. I’ll have to see if the booksellers have released Shannon Hale’s new book The Actor and the Housewife early here too

I am rearranging things at home which has kept me busy. Work has been pretty busy as usual. I have also been getting some writing done… mainly on SR but also on another novel I have been working on since I was in High School (that is in the process of splitting itself into a trilogy). That particular one is fantasy and very close to my heart.

I still have to finish uploading my Tasmania photos to Flickr. Once that’s done I will be able to upload the newest photos I’ve taken.

It’s been a busy couple of weeks here. The days are flying by at work and I am as busy as ever. I am involved in 2 research projects which are keeping me busy, teaching 2 subjects I haven’t taught before in addition to dealing with teenagers all day. I have to admit, they do make me laugh sometimes. I wore a new hat the other day and although I received a few compliments from the kids, the comment I got most often was “What is that on your head?”

I saw Phantom of the Opera, which was awesome – it was a very large stage show and I was seated well back but the view was good and the large screens made up for not being so close to the stage. We had all of the main performers too, which I was ecstatic about – and I finally got to see Anthony Warlow as the Phantom. I would love to buy an Australian Cast recording and a DVD… Tonight is the last night. Next they go to Taipei.

I read a book today, which touched my heart: If I Stay by Gayle Forman. I picked it up a few weeks ago and have been meaning to read it but never had the time. Today I started it and pretty much couldn’t put it down. It is beautifully written and the story will haunt me for a long time to come. I recommend it.

I have been doing a little work on SR and it is getting there slowly. I’m hoping to get some more done tomorrow and then spend a full day writing on the June long weekend.

~Jewel

Just a brief update… more to come.

Tasmania was absolutely fantastic. We arrived back on the Sunday night and it was straight back to work on Monday. The week passed quickly and last weekend I didn’t post because I was relaxing, attempting to sort through all 1495 of my Tassie photos and also attending the raceday at Morphettville Racecourse to see Takeover Target win. Photos here soon.

This week I read Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce, which was fantastic. I am also becoming quite addicted to Masterchef on Channel 10…

~ Jewel

Today was our first full day in Hobart. We left our accommodation and drove to the Cadbury Factory but decided that we didn’t want to pay the $7.50 entrance fee just to enter the shop (we didn’t have time to stick around and do the tour). After that we drove to Mount Wellington, which was shrouded in cloud. We drove to the summit and spent a few minutes up in the clouds – very cold and wet… we didn’t see much, either  

Our next stop was the Cascade Brewery and I spent a while walking around the gardens. Some of the flowers they had were quite beautiful – the honey bees here are huge and much fatter than the ones at home. I want to plant some of the plants in my garden at home… the colours were stunning.

After the Brewery, we drove to Hobart and into the commercial district for lunch at Constitution Dock. I don’t eat fish, so I ate plain potato wedges with sour cream. We separated after that; Dad went to take photos, my sister went shopping on her own and mum and I went together.

Tonight we went out to dinner at the Casino. We went to a buffet restaurant. It was nice – very small but the food was lovely and the service was quite good too. Now we are back watching the football – go Port Adelaide!

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Today we drove from Cradle Mountain to Hobart. We left early and drove via Deloraine, taking the scenic trip. It was a nice drive although it seemed quite long – that said, we stopped a couple of times for morning tea and lunch. The sunshine of the previous days had changed to overcast skies – which meant wispy clouds  were drifting across the mountains and most of the water we saw was grey to reflect the sky. We also stopped at Liffey Falls which was quite spectacular – the photos are below. We have three days in Hobart now – still planning exactly what we are going to do but shopping is definitely on the agenda

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Today we travelled from Strahan to Cradle Mountain. The drive was lovely. We stopped at Montezuma Falls but didn’t walk the full 3 hour walk as it was already lunchtime – instead we found the running water as shown in the pictures below. After the waterfall we stopped for lunch, arriving at Cradle Mountain about half-past two. After we had checked into our accommodation, we drove to the transit terminal and took the shuttle to Dove Lake.

We took the path to the boatshed first and took some photos, then we backtracked and walked to Glacier Rock (the large rock in the second to last photograph). After we’d finished, it was almost 5, so we caught the bus back to the terminal. We went to the tavern for dinner (I had schnitzel and it was delicious) and then came back to our cabin.

Tomorrow we drive back to Hobart… looking forward to taking some photographs on the way.

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Reflection, Strahan

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Boat, Strahan

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Cape Sorell Lighthouse

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Rushing Water near Montezuma Falls

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Toadstool

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Cradle Mountain National Park

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Cradle Mountain National Park

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Boatshed, Dove Lake

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Dove Lake, Cradle Mountain

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Glacier Rock, Dove Lake, Cradle Mountain National Park

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Dove Lake & Cradle Mountain

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Clouds over Cradle Mountain

Today my family and I went on a boat cruise from Strahan to the Gordon River and return. We drove down to the docks and left the car, before boarding the boat about 8:30am. The water was very still and calm… perfect for photos.

After leaving the dock, we cruised toward Hell’s Gate and out to the ocean. On the way, I went out onto the deck of the boat – it was very cold out there and I quickly went back in to put my denim jacket and some gloves on. The next photo is one of the lighthouses just before Hell’s Gate.

We sailed out past the breakwater to the sea (the water was smooth enough for the boat to bob, but not so much I felt seasick or anything), we then turned and went back toward Sarah Island, where we disembarked for an island to take a tour. I originally wasn’t keen on doing the tour but I ended up enjoying it.

After Sarah Island, we turned toward the Gordon River. Lunch was served on the way there – it was a buffet and I ate mainly salad, with some cheese and a bread roll. Following lunch, we stopped for a heritage walk through the temperate rainforest beside the river. The walk was quite interesting – there was a fallen Huon Pine that is older than Christianity… I believe the guide said it around was well over 2000 years old.

Back in Strahan we disembarked at the sawmill and had a look around there. I was looking for some stand out, interesting shots and I loved the macro shot that this rope provided. The photo of the boat is the one we took today, the Eagle. The last photo in the next set is a large Huon Pine log that is 800-900 years old and was felled in the Dennison River in the early 1960’s.

After we had finished in Strahan, we drove to Ocean Beach for a walk along the sand, It was lovely there, with ocean spray and mist covering the beach – very magical. When I peered through the spray, I saw a lighthouse. It was close to sunset… what an end to a beautiful day.

Tomorrow we drive to Cradle Mountain.