Waiting

Waiting in a bookshop in Melbourne airport
Waiting to cross the ocean
Waiting to meet up with my fellow wanderers
Waiting to escape the mundane
to discover something extraordinary.

Watching the constant stream of people passing by, I can't help wondering - where are they all going and why? Some look tired and frazzled. Some look relaxed and happy. Some are dressed to the nines, tottering along on painfully high heels, others are so casual slopping along in thongs, they should be lying on a beach.

Every single time I am in an airport, there are announcements "Passengers Ling Ping Lee and Sam Low, please make your way immediately to gate 22. Your plane is ready to board." How can people be late when they have obviously already checked in for their flight? Aren't they keen to get on that plane? I know I am? I am here - early - waiting - not wanting to miss out on the promised adventures.

The pain of the ordinary - the promise of anything not.

"Masquerading as a normal person day after day is exhausting." unknown (read on a card in the bookshop)

Introducing Harriet

Harriet is a wise old lady who is well travelled, likes meeting people and seeing new places, and lives life at an unstressed, unhurried pace. She is a good example to us all. Harriet is going to be the tour guide for four middle aged women as we wander around New Zealand for 2 weeks. Our journey begins on Boxing Day!

As you can see, Harriet carries everything she needs on her back. She knows just what she requires to be happy and comfortable, and does not carry any extra unnecessary baggage. I hope we can learn from her as we all pack our backpacks for New Zealand.

You can read about Harriet's namesake here: https://www.australiazoo.com.au/our-animals/harriet/

OTD

OTD - Obsessive Travel Disorder

I have been officially diagnosed with a serious case of OTD - Obsessive Travel Disorder.


Over the last 12 months, not only did I spend 2 months travelling Canada and the US, but there were also numerous weekends away in Melbourne (to visit my granddaughter and her parents), weekends in Hobart for mountain biking and museums, weekends at Cradle Mountain, Maria Island, Mt Field, and my little house in Queenstown (the Tasmanian one - not NZ!) Since returning from Canada in July I have been had 7 weekends away from home! Next weekend I will be bushwalking at Lake St Clair for 3 days.

And - more trips are organised and in the planning!!!

New Zealand in a campervan and walking the Routeburn Track with 3 other wandering women for 2 weeks from Boxing Day.

San Francisco for a few weeks from January 18, to await the birth of my second grandchild!

Central Australia - later in the year as a trip for my little brother's 50th birthday.

And I have so many other travel ideas rushing around in my head! Who knows what will surface next!

"Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you ought to set up a life you don't need to escape from." Seth Godin

Writing

I am back - and

I write!

 

This month I have had the exciting pleasure of having two short stories published! Yay! This is a first for me and the beginning of a childhood dream to be a writer!

 

Earlier this year, without really realising what I was doing, I wrote two stories about walking in the Tasmanian wilderness.

 

The first one "Nothofagus gunnii Snow Fall" is about a woman walking at Cradle Mountain who trips and falls. The second, "Bessell's Creek" is the true story of four brothers, one of whom was my great-grandfather, who discovered gold in a creek east of Launceston in 1878 and started a gold rush.
 

Both have been published in anthologies of short stories. Please consider buying these books. They both feature Australian writers telling a variety of stories, some of which you may not like, but some of which you might love. I hope, you at least enjoy my stories and I hope they are the first of many more to come.

You can purchase the e-book version  "Bessell'sCreek" in Stew and Sinkers  for $2.80 which is a 25% discount  by using this coupon code - TV48F which expires on 16 October 2013.  click on http://www.stringybarkstories.net/The_Stringybark_Short_Story_Award/Bookshop.html The printed version is also available at the same link for $14.95

 

'Nothofagus gunnii Snow Fall" was highly commended in the Tasmanian Writer's Prize, run annually by Forty South publishers. You can purchase it at http://www.fortysouth.com.au/writers-market/book/183 for $14.95

 

Farewell

Today was our last day of fun and freedom. The weather was perfect for our last day of riding at Whistler. We had a blast riding from 10am until the lift stopped at 8pm, with breaks for food and drink of course. Lost count of the number of runs we did - must have been at least a dozen in the main park of the bike park, and one long run from the top of the Village Gondola all the way down Whistler Mountain. We are both going to be stiff and sore - well, we already are.

Gloria has been cleaned, ready for packing in to her bike box tomorrow. When we get home she will have a well earned rest and a fork service. She has performed brilliantly throughout the trip - not one single problem, not even a flat tyre. And Jill managed not to fall off! Can't say the same for Joel, but only a few scratches and sore hands for him.

So - tonight is our last in our little home on wheels, ie the motorhome. First thing in the morning, we drive back to Vancouver to return it and pack and begin the long flights home.

This is where we have been:

 It is really only a very small part of Canada but we have travelled almost 10,000km through 3 Canadian states and 2 US states. And we have seen a lot of mountains, wildlife, rivers, lakes and it has been a wonderful experience. Thank you for coming along on my wayward wander.

Farewell Canada.

Gloria is on top of the world

Today, along with the normal bike park riding, we did the Top of the World Ride. Talk about epic riding, like alpine hiking on steroids! Rough and rocky trail but stunning views!

This involved 3 chairlift rides to the top of Whistler Mountain at 2182m, followed by 1507m of vertical drop as we rode back down to the village. It took us 2 1/2 hours to do, mostly because we kept stopping to admire the views, but it was a long trail and we did get a little lost lower down on the hill, below the alpine area.

View from the third chairlift:

Views from the top:
That is the top of the chairlift.

 Looking down in to the valley. Whistler in between and around the two lakes.

 

Joel near the start of the ride:

 

 

 Gloria on the way:

Beautiful!

Beaver tail for lunch today

Canadians eat beaver tails!
Deep fried with cinnamon and sugar. I had mine with apple as well. Yum, yum, yum!!!

I thought they'd be tough and leathery, but, no, they taste like donutty pastry - which is what they actually are - shaped like a beaver's tail. Very delicious.