Saturday 17 May 2014

Time Out From Books- Joined the Hobart Walking Club

The view across one of the several marinas in the area.

I am lucky to live in one of the most beautiful places on earth and I would never leave it. I am a big follower of Miladysboudoir's blog (here) and I love the pictures she has posted up of walking in England where she lives and now Italy where she just visited.

She walks a lot. I have been loving the photos she puts up whether they are in sun or rain and she has really inspired me to get out and get to know the local area. I also dearly need the exercise.

There are still a lot of autumn colours on the trees. This old willow had beautiful little play areas under it to have tea parties and a hide out to read.



After hemming and hawing about it for ages I finally dove in and signed up as a provisional member of the Hobart Walking Club.  Today I did my first qualifying walk along the river Derwent foreshore. It was an easy, flat terrain walk and we got to look in people's back yards as we walked along the river.

I always love looking in people's back yards when on trains leaving cities and going through suburbs. You learn so much about a place by looking in back yards.   It was predicted to be 16 degrees C (52 F) and rain was 50%.  I woke up at 6 am and it was blowing a gale and raining. I thought, "Bugger- why did I have to commit to a walk today."   After letting my dogs out (the only reason I get up that early every day) they came in and we all went back to bed and set the alarm for 8:30.  I woke up and the sun was out and wind had died down.  It was a beautiful autumn day.

There seemed to be flowers everywhere.
So I'd like to share the photos of what is in the backyards of people living on the eastern shore of Hobart, Tasmania.  I live below the mountain on the western shore and I really enjoyed seeing my area of life from another perspective. This is a track I have never been on, didn't know it was there so it was exploring from a new level.  It was only a 3 km walk.

These birds are oyster catchers. I love their orange eyes and bills.  They accessorize so well when they go out.


The oystercatchers had cousins down the rocks a bit and they were a different variety.  Same orange eyes and beaks though.
More pretty flowers.
 We stopped at a person's residence along the way, had lunch and talked and I felt great because I was the youngest on the walk. Everyone was in their 70's, 80's & 90's.
Another back yard had a bit of kitsch around the bird bath.


The end of the trail looking towards the Tasman Bridge
 
They didn't think I would enjoy being with the slow turtles but I enjoyed them immensely and they had wonderful stories and adventures.  Great role models I think. I'll build up to the harder walks but I wanted to get a feel for it on this first day of something new.  Good fun.

10 comments:

  1. Gorgeous post and photos Pam. But, what do you mean by a "qualifying walk"? I do hope you qualified.

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    1. Evidently I am only a provisional walker. We must do three walks and a day long course about the gear you wear and safety etc before becoming a fully fledged member of their club. Evidently the Hobart Walking Club has a long history and they must assess if you are fit enough for their walks. Only a formality in this case I'm sure. :-)

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    2. Wow, though, that's serious. But worthwhile I'm sure.

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  2. Love those kitschy back gardens. One of the reasons I like to travel on the upper deck of buses - completely different view from the usual driver's seat. Great nature pictures too. Good luck with the group it sounds very nice - reminds me so much of my Weekday Wanderers where most times I'm the youngest member too! Barbara

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    1. I am finding it quite nice that I am the youngest as I often feel so old. ha ha Thanks for stopping by Barbara.

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  3. Thoroughly loved immersing myself in the photos, Pam! A walking club sounds just the thing, for those of us who love reading at home. Beautiful!
    Judith

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    1. Thank you Judith. Taking pictures is fun. Makes me not notice so much I'm exercising I think. Cheers

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  4. As I have gotten older I have become more and more of a nature person so I loved reading about your ramble. I have been pleased in our rather urban temporary digs to be surrounded by nature. We have a stream behind our very large apartment building which has hosted a few different types of water fowl (and a hawk trying to get at their young), and just the other day Lucy and I got to see a giant pileated woodpecker up close, multiple bunnies (babies, teens, and parents) as well as the cutest little field mouse--the trail of which Lucy was smelling so intently that she didn't see it scurry away into the bushes. And all with two blocks of our apartment.

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  5. It is amazing how some wildlife are adapting to city life. You'll have to visit Tasmania and I'll show you around this amazing place. That is once you're house is done, you earn lots of money to come to Australia and we have great book shops too.

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  6. Lovely pics Pam...I'm assuming you use more than just the camera on your phone for these.

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