Goodbye Tessa it has been nice knowing you.
Three days ago we flew home.
We spent a very enjoyable 8 weeks house sitting in Hobart. I fell in love with the dogs, made some good friends and discovered Hobart and surrounding countryside was a very interesting and photogenic place. I left hoping to come back again in the future to see more of Tasmania.
After torrential rain and storms along the east coast for most of the time we were away, the day we flew in the weather gods smiled on us. The sky was blue and the sun beamed down. “Unbelievable” said our friends.
We had heard about the storms and the damage to our beaches so hopping on our bikes we went to see it for our selves.
Burleigh Beach
Not too bad here, the sky is blue and just look at that tranquil ocean.
Then we walked further down the beach toward the headland and though it looks reasonable tons of sand has disappeared.
It is going to be a major job and expense to replace all the sand that has been washed away. Normally the sand covers the rocks along the beach front.
Next night we saw on the TV weather forecast that snow has fallen on Mount Wellington, Hobart will be very cold now.
We have a week before we head north to the next house sit, so it is shop for groceries, contact family and friends to say hello/goodbye and check out Matilda. Oh dear I think old Matilda was sulking about being left home for 8 weeks, she would not start. After a call to the RACQ the problem turned out to be a battery that had reached its use by date, easily fixed.
After all the activity I thought it was time I “took time out for art”. I have missed the past couple of weeks and time slips by so quickly. This week Lisa discussed the “Bones of art” (check her post here). Today is Sunday and Matilda is waiting for our next adventure so I decided she would be a good subject to try to capture her bones or out-line. Not so easy once I sat down and really looked at her, notice all the intricate dips and hollows along the side and the front almost had me beat. I must admit I have taken some artistic licence, but after I finished I took a photo so I could compare the sketch with the subject.
So here is my “Time out for Art”…
gypsy life 
Your drawing of Matilda is worth framing. You were untruthful you said you could not draw. Just like you said you could not cook, you are too modest..
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Ah but you taught me….
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I feel devastated with what is happening to our beaches, but they are dredging once again and again and again, as soon as they nearly get it right it happens again, love the drawing of Matilda, glad it was only the battery, looking forward to pics of Atherton Tableland, have NOT been there.Take care.
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It is beautiful up there lots of waterfalls
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You’re a very good artist! I haven’t house sit yet…but it’s on the list. Have a great evening. ~Sherry~
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Thanks Sherry for the kind comment, I am just getting back into sketching again it has been years since I did any art, I’m enjoying the challenge.
House sitting is a great way to meet people and discover new places
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What an amazing time you’ve had over the months in Tassy! I love your picture of Matilda.
The beach is such an ever changing environment and I really feel for those who have property that is being damaged 😦
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Yes we really enjoyed, and fell in love with Tasmania. Now we head to the Atherton Tablelands, tropical Queensland, for the winter.
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Great job on Matilda ! You captured her on paper very well. The sand erosion is a yearly occurrence here in San Clemente especially during the extreme high tides. You’ll go to the beach and suddenly there is a four foot drop below the bottom step. Then a couple months later the sand is back.
thanks for visiting our Blog, Mary
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Does your sand come back on it’s own? Or does it need help as ours does?
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Yes, the beach is an ever-changing part of my environment too. I remember when we got back here a few years ago, there was a ten foot drop down to the beach, where once had been a level path straight onto the sand. Steps had to be built and were washed away twice. House further along the beach had their swimming pools and gardens completely washed away. It seems to have settled now, but who knows for how long?
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Same problems here, further down the coast the million $ homes are losing their fences and gardens and are demanding the council foot the bill to repair the damage.
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You did a great job! Wow. Matilda should be proud! Great work, amiga!
The power of Mother Ocean is amazing, isn’t it? Sometimes she takes big bites out of the shoreline and then spits it back elsewhere. Hopefully she’ll adjust and take a bite from somewhere else soon and replace what you’ve lost.
z
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Wow that was a quick reply Lisa, thank you for the inspiration.
The ocean takes our sand round the headland and dumps it in the river mouth. They now have a pipe system set up so they can pump it back round to the beach, but it is a slow laborious job every year. But this is a major tourist area so they have to keep the beaches pristine.
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there is some major beach loss in the area where i live, but the muni is also allowing ‘beach mining’ and the trucks often run for hours at low tide and take away the sand.. then a few miles down the beach the ocean seems to take that sand and i suppose attempts to repair the damage. so sad.
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Sad to hear about the sand being taken. What do they do with it?
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they use it for construction with concrete…
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