TASSIE IS A DEVIL OF A PLACE

Post 20 - May 3rd 2023

Tassie time was a diverse adventure

Ruth and I have just returned from our 11-day trip to the Apple Isle. We took the car across on the boat and had just over a week on the farm in the Huon Valley with Ruth's son Tim and his family.

It was some adventure, so many good times and fun times, a real adventure. Some crap times but that's a story for another day.

Ruth had not been to stay with Tim and Tamara and the kids Jack and Wren for 2-years, so it was a great catch-up.

And Tasmania, what a great place.

I have had many trips over from the mainland across the years. My older sister Veronica and the Linger Family spent 20+ years here, Veronica and Joff married in Barmera in 1963 and moved to Tassie as it was home for Joff. They farmed in a couple of places before settling in Penguin on the North coast and 3 of their 4 kids were Tasmanian born.

And for those who know I have been married twice and did spend time on both honeymoons in Tassie, mmmmm, be that 32-years apart but yeah, I did. Ok, let's not go there for now because that too is a story for another day. Maybe.

So, this trip. What an adventure, as said many many highlights.

This blog is of course tracking my Lewy Body Dementia journey so how did that impact the time away particularly with many moments being outside my comfort zone?

Look, it was not easy, in fact at times it was crap but I have really been very positive in trying to learn and implement strategies that help so much in awkward moments. And Ruth steps in when she knows I am off-grid with my thoughts and actions. I push-back and that cannot be easy for her, but we do have a neutral space it seems where, for now, I can still try things my way.

Feeling detached and isolated was a real concern for me while away. At times I had no idea where I was and what I was doing but again through learned experience I can and did minimise these times. 

The boat trip over and the trip home were really hard for me to navigate. No, I did not drive the boat, ha ha, but navigating the inner decks and different food outlets for example took a lot of concentration and determination.

Heading to Tassie we went on the day trip boat so sat on deck 8 in the passenger lounge, but the return trip was at night, so we had a cabin. That was hard.

Confined spaces are not my go at the best of times but being in a cramped cabin and trying to manage a rolling boat out in Bass Straight did really test my resolve. Suffice to say not a lot of rest or sleep on the trip back. And because of my LBD disposition to getting disorientated I could not leave the cabin when Ruth slept.

But the trip ended, and it was a relief to be able to head back to the car on deck 6 and eventually disembark the boat in Geelong on Tuesday morning.

With all that is unfolding with this LBD, Ruth is often reluctant to let me head off on my own when in public places but at times, as said, I still feel the need to test the water for myself.

Now, when I did get lost in thought, that meant I had to utilise my learned strategies and just stand and think it through. What I am finding is that somehow, I have been able to acknowledge to myself when I am in these troubled areas of my mind and feeling lost. So, by marking time both physically and with my thoughts it gives me the opportunity to get it together in my head. And again, somehow, I am then able to get things back on track.

An example on the boat was coming out of the loo, open the door, step into the passageway and think, do I go left or right? Once my directional radar was never in question but in this awkward LBD stage then my radar has deserted me. At moments like this I just hope I have taken note of landmarks outside the loo so as when I exit, I at least have some idea which direction to head.

But a simple plan is standing and looking around and making out I know what I'm doing, this buys me a little head-space time and I can then figure things out.

As Ruth reads this, I must confess to her that I did get it wrong a couple of times while on the boat and while away. That meant my alone time was longer that it needed to be. But Ruth, I did make it back each time, eventually. Some quicker than others but my spatial awareness is still mostly ok and it guides me in the right direction more often than not.

So, I know this awareness I talk about when saying that I mostly get the orientation right will not be with me forever but for now it is working. Yeah, as I often say I know how this will all end but I feel blessed to be in a position where I can still enjoy the times even in awkward and difficult moments.

Now that I am home in South Australia and look back over the time away, I do see many areas where things went wrong. Not major wrong as in personal safety but I did have a couple of silly falls, I do have missing chunks of time and I have pics that I look at and struggle to recall the moment.

And of course, I had the JonnyG funny LBD moments where I simply made some comical errors.

If I could not find something, I would check the rubbish bin, if I went in the wrong direction when walking on the farm I simply laughed and made it look as if I knew exactly what it was I was doing. Sometimes the hot water was poured down the sink instead of into the coffee cup, you know, basic fundamental faux paus that I am now prone to making at home or far away.

I only stood out in the rain twice, that was an improvement on a normal week.

Some nights were cold especially when I went to bed and forgot to actually get under the blankets and once, I did put the kettle on to make a cuppa' and walked off only to return sometime later to the 'whistle' the boiling water made the kettle make but as I was in the van on my own then no problem. After all, that's why I put a lot of water in the kettle in the first place, it is a safety thing so that it won't boil dry.

Ruth did however tell me later that her and Tim could hear the 'whistle' from down in the front paddock and she laughed to herself thinking, 'Ah. he's forgotten that he had the kettle on'. 

Yeah, it was same as normal, nothing new.

And I did talk to myself at times but again being on the farm then the chooks and dogs just looked at me rather oddly, but I knew I was ok because they would not give me up. 

Overall, that is all fine, nothing to really see here. I am getting used to these things happening. 

Ok, time to end this now. Again, a long post but one for me that I was happy to write, Tassie was fun and penning this post was a good mental experience and therapy for me in these awkward LBD days ...

Thanks for checking in, really appreciate ... Go Cats ...

And please check out the pics below, yeah plenty there but it details the Tassie trip for Ruth and I and it is a love for me to tell our life journey and travels through my many pics ...

Now, let's finish with a JonnyG funny ...

A tourist was entering Tasmania and the border patrol at the airport asked him if he had a criminal record ... the man replied, "No, sorry I didn't realise that was still a requirement to enter Tassie"

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The Tassie trip in pics

Racing ... who would have thought that there would be no local racing in Tassie during our 10-day long visit ... even so, Ruth and I still paid a visit to Elwick Racecourse which is the home of the 3 racing codes in Hobart ... the Globe Hotel in South Hobart was our 'go to' venue for watching the racing from Australia, Lethal Thoughts won at Mornington, Eureka Storm ran second at Geelong both for our TRL Vic Husslers ownership group and then Fixated ran third at Naracoorte for our miRunners ownership group during our Tassie trip ... and of course Ablett Bear was a part of the racing days ...

Time on the property of Tim and Tamara in the Huon Valley meant lots of animals ... and we made some good friends, the resident dogs Badger and Mungo adopted us from day one and we did have a great weeklong friendship ... the chooks, wow, so many, all shapes and sizes but again somehow the chooks gravitated our way, I think the extra food we handed out MAY have encouraged them but not totally sure, loved the chooks ... had a dam full of Tasmanian Trout in our front yard, they were also happy to have some extra food, they didn't do a lot really but were fun to watch as they swam past ... and we even had a visit from a possum, only stayed 2 nights and then went back to the forest but was so cool ... 

Food, yummie food ... so, what did we eat on the Tassie trip ... ok, on the boat heading over to Tassie I had what is shown in pic #1 but I don't remember what it was, apparently, I have dementia so naturally my memory at times goes missing ... Wallaby Pie cooked by Tamara was delicious, I just tried not to picture the wallaby as road kill so simply ate with my eyes closed, but gee, it was not too bad ... found a random Chinese take away in Glenorchy on our travels (Ruth and her mate Sari from Google got us lost) but as luck would have it, up pops this place and the food was darn good ... oh, this little lass had a birthday during our stay so we shared cake with Wren, Happy 3rd Birthday to you ... and no trip would be complete without a feed of fish and chips, so we made our way to Kingston Beach and ate our fill ...

Tassie signs, mmmmmmm, some rather odd offerings to say the least, this is the 'best of' but it was a hard choice, left a couple of doozies off this pic collage ... so, I'm guessing this hospital in Latrobe does not have enough patients so it is advertising for more by advising motorist NOT to use their brakes, CRASH ... now, I'm asking you, is there any other way to pass cyclists other than safely? ... not sure about that animal, we certainly don't see that sign in Australia but on the Apple Isle, apparently this bloke is a bit of a devil and roams the terrain ... NOTICE, the bottom bit was interesting, 'Please do not climb on the roof of the train' well ok I say, all good, but I'm thinking that does not happen a lot despite the sign, well maybe James Bond or Jack Reacher might do it but that would be it I'm reckoning ... and Tom Dick & Harry, had to include that sign, my dear Mum would often use the saying, 'any Tom Dick or Harry' so I figured this building in Hobart might be where this trio lived ...

The things you see out in this big wide land on your travels ... now, that looks like an elephant in the paddock, wow, who would have thought, rather odd I thought ... flying chooks as big as Jumbo Jets in Victoria, love my chooks ... now, this cafe is in the ferry terminal at Geelong, it is called the Anchors Rest - who calls a cafe the Anchors Rest in a boat terminal, scared the crap out of me before sailing across Bass Straight, I mean, what do they know that we don't? ... yeah, that boat, the Tassie Titanic in Devonport ... oops, how did that pic get in here, ah well, might as well leave it, Cats play the Cows this week at Kardinia Park so it will be relevant then, Go Cats ...

Penguin, what a lovely little town on the North Coast of Tassie ... my family connection to this spot meant I had to make it a must to visit on this trip, first came here 46 years ago and had many visits over the years but it had been awhile so I'm back ... love the resident town penguin, this big bloke has been here in this spot for many many decades ... Ruth found the Tardis on the beach front, even borrowed a book to bring home as a read first and then as a Penguin keepsake ... ah, the Penguin Hotel, home of the John 'Hopper' Danvers Legend, here Elle from the hotel explains to Ruth and I what the 40+ year legend is all about, we just listened and did not give up the current location of Hopper ... even the bins in this town look so darn good, each one is adorned with penguins and an elderly town resident makes sure the paint work is fresh and up to date ... Penguin, great town in Tassie, thanks for being so welcoming to Ruth and I ...

Had such a great time with Tim and Tamara on their property in the Huon Valley, hard to do this place justice in a handful of pics, rural living at it's best ... for each pic here I have so many others that show this property at it's very best, well done guys you have a gem ... the house is purpose built to take in everything the property offers, built to personal plans, it has amazing views, is very ecofriendly, built to get the best of the sun, hydro power from their own creek pump, water pumped again from their own creek, just brilliant in so many ways, all planned to personal perfection ... the trip in at night on the road heading to the farm through the towering pines is nature at its best, oops road-kill, bummer ... our home for the stay, this is the bus that was home for Tim and Tamara for 5 years before they finished their house, was easy to settle in here ... our front yard for over a week included this manmade dam built in a stategic spot to collect water run-off, the dam is filled with Tasmanian Trout correctly sourced through the Tassie fisheries department ... and then of course we added some personal touches, yep, we flew the flag, Go Cats and the Mere Kat stood guard the entire week and a bit ... 

Cataract Gorge in Launceston ... another place with great family history for me, my parents Jimmy and Joan Green came here on their honeymoon in December 1950 ... I first visited in 1976 and it's another place I have been to a few times over the past 47 years ... this trip, somehow, I got coerced into taking the Chairlift ride across the Gorge, don't know why, don't know how I managed but I did, maybe this dementia thing has taken away my fear of ALL things height .. dunno' but I did the darn trip, with Ruth, she smiled, and she moved around, moved around a lot, I sat rigid and just wondered what the dickens I was doing ... the lady at the pay booth for the Chairlift didn't help my cause, I cited a weight issue for Ruth and I but this lady, with a straight face, said "You'll be right sir, there is a 1000kg weight limit" ... SERIOUSLY lady ... anyhow, apparently the views were breathtaking ...

Ruth had time with her family on the journey ... Tim and Tamara and the kids Jack and Wren ... family pic time on our last night in Tassie, hard to get everyone on the same page as is often the case with a family pic ... had some really good home cooked meals, Wallaby pie night was brilliant, homemade Pizza night not far behind ... Wren had a birthday during our visit, she turns 3 and had a cake with the trimmings, good fun even for the oldies ... Tim and Mum went shooting down in the front paddock, think a few tin cans felt the sting of a few rounds from the 22, but no buffalo was seen, or shot,  apparently ... and we all had a long Sunday walk to explore the property, so many spots to see, the forest scenery was just superb, so good ...

Our animal clan also enjoyed time in Tassie, these little dudes have become a part of our travels and we enjoy having them along on the journey ... I think it's fair to say they are everywhare ... I must say some of these little critters have become household names and dare I say even have their own Facebook profiles ... so, Ablett Bear is our go to clan member, he pops up in most places and is loved by millions, well, you know what I mean, Go Cats ... Mere Kat has been around almost as long as AB, he is the lookout member of the group and does a great job, we have never lost an animal to predators ... Cyril K. Bear and his partner Penny have been added along the journey and travel with us, they have a love of donuts, think they get that from you Ellesha in Pyramid Hill ... and now the new kids on the block appear, Little Sam, Owl and Topher are very close as a group and they do make a good fit into our clan ... hey, there are others, oh my, lots of others but for this set of Tassie pics, we call it quits here ...

On a trip such as ours you just naturally see some great sights ... again there are far too many pics to add here so this is just a couple of, shall I say, random touristy things ... starting with that boat again, the Tassie Titanic that was our vessel to get to the penal colony and back to Australia again ... now, this odd structure is at Ulverston on the North Coast of Tassie, not sure why it looks this way but something definately looks wrong! ... Bellerive Stadium in Hobart, home of AFL in this neck of the woods ... had a few visits to Huonville and the river here is a nature masterpiece, just stunning, a real gem in this part of the Isle ... the Tasman Bridge, did drive across just for the fun of it but no sign of the Lake Illawarra, but then we did not snorkel, yeah that's a bit dark but it is what it is ...