Good Morning Everyone....

Thursday 9 June, 2016

I quite like this letter type format. I miss old fashioned letters.  Yesterday was the day the Domain Writer Group met. There are about 7 of us that meet each Wednesday from 12:00 to 2:00 pm on Wednesday. We have a day off on the third Wednesday of the month. In the second half of my 60's I am the second youngest. Our oldest is 91. These are very active women and I love being around them. 

This is the fountain in the  middle of the square.

We meet at Salamanca. Salamanca is an old section of Hobart in the Battery Point area. I won't say much about it because Google can tell you more about it than I ever could. I consider Google a good friend.

It was a very sunny day. After all of the rain we have had, including the worst floods in the north of the state in more than a century, the sunshine seemed a welcome relief. The floods were terrible with three people being swept to their deaths as they went about their work or tried to rescue their livestock. 

I thought I would share the area with you that is behind Salamanca. It was developed into a square several years ago and there are two book shops in the area.  One is a new book shop of which I don't shop in. I have heard the woman who works there make fun of customers and what they read. I left when I saw the eye rolling and what she said and have not bought a book from them since. How dare she judge what people read. I hate that. I am happy they are reading. Sometimes people get a little bit too trendy for their own good and this is a very trendy shop. She even wears a very trendy geometrical hair style (oops...cat claws)   She needs to drop her boots as she has become too big for them.

Deja Vu book shop

Inside one of the market alcoves there is a wonderful secondhand bookshop that has been there for several years. It is called Deja Vu. (They don't use computers so you can't visit it online.)

There is a good selection of Penguins but the prices are generally more than I will pay for them. However they are in very good condition and are lovely. Once in awhile if I find a hard to get vintage Penguins I will get one. After all you can read these books, not just collect them.

Our writing sessions have grammar nazis in it. I learn so much about the grammar taught to these older women when they were in school in the 1930's and 40's. Wow, they knew their grammar.  They can spot a split infinitive a mile away but of course that isn't such a crime nowadays. 

Our group has a topic each week that is optional. One lady is writing her memoirs of growing up in Holland and teaching school. She regularly updates us with her latest piece. Another lady, her sister who had tragedy in her life only writes about pleasant things now. She does not want to visit the past.

Someone else is writing a mystery. She loves all things crime history, horror and dark events. The discussions often become quite philosophical. 

View of the square from the other end. Upstairs are ritzy apartments.
Downstairs are all of the coffee shops.  The sun is quite low in late
afternoon as it is winter here.

We recently wrote on the topic of children. Two of us are childless by choice. The others are not and dote on their grandchildren now. That was an interesting discussion.  One woman who has children wishes his life was cut short.  If she had known how depressed and unhappy he would have been she would not have had him.  Topics come out of left field much of the time. I love the perspectives of the older women. I love their integrity, kindness and devotion to whatever they are doing at the time. They are the best role models I have ever had in my life. 

Grizzy waiting for me to begin my new book last night.
He likes to watch me read.

After the group meets we adjourn to one of the coffee shops in the square to continue our discussions.  Then we are not focused too much on the form and content of the writing but the discussion of the philosophy behind it. When the sun is out we sit outdoors and enjoy watching people enjoy the central fountain.  When it is cold we go inside and ask the management to please turn down the music as many are hearing impaired and cannot hear the conversation when it is on. The owners do so happily. It is very beautiful in the square.  I always go home buoyed and look forward to getting back to my desk.  

As an older person myself I love the stimulation to my brain. I need all the help I can get on some days. I am sure some of you understand.  What do you do to stimulate your brains, besides reading of course. 

My next post will tell you about the book Grizzy and I began last night. We are really enjoying it.

The penguin has a night cap. I have a night cat.