The final Work contract.In Tasmania of course.

[ausfox]

Many thanks for your exhaustive report drron

 

[drron]

Mrsdrron had now gone home. I however was feeling really washed out and put it down to my 5th month working and no decent OS holiday for nearly 3 years. However some have been complaining of feeling like this after the vaccine booster. Back home in QLD mrsdrron has ben feeling the same. just maybe.
The first Sunday I had lunch at a Mexican restaurant adjacent to Royal Park. It did have my favourite Peruvian beer.
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despite some reasonable reviews the food was forgettable.I had a baked pulled pork burrito. No identifiable pork.
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Then a crispy beef empanada. As in another thread I thought the beef would be crispy. In fact it was the casing as it had been deep fried.
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Not recommended.

 

[drron]

After that lunch I decided on going to the summit of Mt.Barrow. But you really can't walk to the top. The only way to walk it is towalk on the road and that could be dangerous. The views though would be fantastic.
Left Launceston on the A3 heading towards Scottsdale. A right turn on C404 takes you to the top. So of I set.
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And the first clear view of Mt. Barrow. Easy to recognise as it has the TV,radio and phone towers for Launceston. You often see it coming in to or out of LST.
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A lot of scree fields.
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Lovely views.
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[drron]

The road up is rather hairy in a small car without much clearance. The road is narrow and I passed an F150 coming down. Fortunately he had stopped to take some photos in a small wider area. My car was next to the drop off.I must have been close to the edge and got by him with ~ 6 inches to spare. The other problem is wash aways on the sharp bends. the car bottomed a couple of times but made it to the top.
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You used to be able to climb to the top up those stairs but access has been cut off.
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The views from the car park.
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[drron]

The view on the other side towards Ben Lomond.
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A cairn that obviously had a plaque on 3 sides so no idea what it was for.
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There are 2 peaks on Mt. Barrow. It was possible to walk to the other but that is now barred.
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[drron]

A couple of large black clouds were approaching, the wind picked up and it was getting cold so time to descend. The drive down was much easier as I knew the line to take through the washouts. Plus no cars were coming up.
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[drron]

Down off the mountain and looking back.
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Very productive production of hay.
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[drron]

The next weekend I was feeling really washed out,no energy or desire to go out and about. I am blaming the booster jab as mrsdrron back on the Sunny Coast felt the same way. I forced myself to go and see one of the Mona Foma displays. a few tonnes of ice with dancers on top. What could possibly go wrong on a hot summers day.
On the way I pass another church that has been sold to finance the redress scheme.
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Walking down to the gorge reserve were a few native currant bushes...

Then the display.
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Surprise the ice had melted.
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Going back to the car you pass several specimen trees including the giant Redwood.
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[drron]

Further up towards the car park a good display of hydrangeas.
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[RooFlyer]

On the way I pass another church that has been sold to finance the redress scheme.

I think only about 2/3, maybe 3/4 of the funds raised by the Anglican church selling off many of its churches and cemetries in Tas is going to the redress scheme. I know of two places where they've been prevented from selling, when local community had proved (with lawyers) that the church had no title to sell. Several more local rural churches I know have managed to be bought by the community but disgraceful that they needed to do so. One or two at least now being turned into multi-faith places of worship. I once met the Bishop Richard Condie and asked him direct why they didn't have his cathedral and adjacent former deanery on the market. Met with a stony silence. Aweful man for what he's doing.

The former Deanery, in central Hobart - not for sale; I reckon would bring at least $1 mill in current market.

 

[drron]

I believe the amount of sale money going to the redress payments is only 50%.
Earlier I have mentioned the historic St. Mathias Church in Windamere which the community raised money to buy. The Church still doesn't guarantee it's future. here is the website of the community Organisation that mobilised to save the church.

- Windermere Church Forever

Windermere Church Forever About Our Group Community Funding the future Contact Us & Membership More Information Make a Donation About Our Group WCF Inc – Windermere Church Forever Incorporated – is a group of Tamar Valley residents whose goal is to ensure the long term future of St Matthias’...

www.windermerechurchforever.org

 

[RooFlyer]

I believe the amount of sale money going to the redress payments is only 50%.

I think you're right; thats what I had originally, but couldn't find anything to support it.

 

[RooFlyer]

And I just looked up one of the churches close to my heart - one of my siblings and his partner are laid to rest there.

I, like them, assumed the sale to the community was a forgone conclusion. Have a read - absolutely disgraceful conduct by the Anglican Church; note the church has been de-consecrated.

Community Church of St Barnabas – South Arm – Tasmania

stbarnabas.southarm.tas.au

 

[drron]

Seeing I had 4 months in the last house I decided to grow some veggies I planted some mixed heirloom tomatoes, chillis lettuce and spinach. Unused to tasmanian crop growing the wallabies had eaten all the lettuce and all but 2 spinach plants. They also had dramatically pruned the tomatoes. Though with regular watering mant tomato seedling came to life in one bin plus some marigolds.

So I protected the plants and they have gone wild.
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Have started to harvest. Exponential amounts.
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[Major]

Did you have to spray for bugs?

 

[drron]

Not yet. I did use a little tomato dust when I erroneously thought the tomatoes were being eaten by grubs.

 

[drron]

After mrsdrron left I was able to listen to an Oils concert.Just opened all the front windows and could hear it all.
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The next Saturday went to the Harvest Market.It is a masked event with good acceptance but social distancing doesn't rate a mention.
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but I had a good murtabak. It also is on the Amex shop small program
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And Australia Day marred by the rescue helicopter circling looking for a women in her 20s. Didn't end well.
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But mrsdrron returned and there were better times.
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[mrs.dr.ron]

My view

 

[drron]

On the first Saturday mrsdrron was back for her last visit we went over to Perfecta cherries at Ulverstone to get our last cherries of the season. On the way back we stopped at East Devonport to see the destruction caused by Goliath which takes cement from the Railton plant to Melbourne.
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The damage was considerable.
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We then stopped off at our favourite Latrobe eatery -Bellys. Mrsdrron had the crumbed scallops and I had the salmon with a seafood sauce. Both very nice.
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The owners are a lesson in how to manage a restaurant in a pandemic. They only closed down for 1 week back at the very beginning of lockdown. They already had a takeaway business but increased it with selling those restaurant meals that were suitable for reheating or freezing as takeaways.
When dine in began it was a maximum of 20 in a room. They got council permission to set up tables on the footpath and the RSL whose building the restaurant is in let them rent their bar and meeting room as the RSL wasn't allowed to use them. So from there on they have had their pre covid number of diners. The RSL then realised that it was much easier and probably more profitable to let that arrangement continue but have their meeting room back one day a month.
This time they have now taken over the pizza place 2 doors down as the Belly's takeaway and pizza place. However since the opening of Tasmania's borders on 15/12 theirrestaurant business is down 20 - 30% but still better than pre covid. Great to have a good news story. talked to one of the owners who gave all the credit to their staff. Now they obviously have treated their staff well but put themselves in a position to be able to do that.

 

[drron]

Sunday and lunch at the Joseph Chromy winery. the menu is for 2 or 3 courses. I had a starter and main whilst mrsdrron had a main and dessert.
My dishes were a wallaby carpaccio and the pink ling. Both very nice.
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However mrsdrron's experience was not as good. She ordered the lamb but asked if it was possible to get it medium to well which is the way she likes her lamb. told that was OK but it came like this.
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rare. so she asked if it could be taken back.It came back rather quickly obviously put under a very high heat.It came back black but still rare inside. Plus the potato which she had on the dish had disappeared. Probably as it was also very black. It was like this before.
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The berry meringue was good but mrsdrron's mood understandably was not.
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We went for a drive afterwards and I drove from evandale past Clarendon and Nile to the highway at Conara. Not a great idea as not that attractive. Though I noticed this place.
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It is the home on the large Vaucluse Estate. The house is now a B&B but every date I tried it was unavailable.

Vaucluse Estate Tasmania — Vaucluse Tasmania

www.vauclusetasmania.com.au