Toots

You certainly can't guarantee what the weather is going to be like that's for sure. I've been to Hobart and along the south coast when it was nearly 40C. That was in a January a number of years ago. We used to come to Tasmania from Sydney round about Easter time for a few days and the weather was always perfect. I've found the weather doesn't settle until just after Christmas but it can still change very quickly. We could do with a bit of rain now. Everybody's lawns are looking a bit parched and the farmers are using irrigation systems on crops.

While you are in the Hobart area and if you have time, take a drive to the Huon Valley and also the little town of Cygnet. Lovely places and worth a visit. They are approx. 45 minutes drive from Hobart. I think you would really like them.

A lot of Tasmanian retirees tootle off to Qld during the colder Tassie months. As i've said before the winters here don't bother me at all. They aren't as cold as for instance Canberra or Bendigo and Ballarat. I can handle the colder weather no problem but I don't like cold WET weather.. Thankfully, the wet days don't drag on and on and on.

An interesting thing I learnt the other day. Taiwan is slightly smaller than Tasmania. It's population is 23.5 million. Tasmania's population is just over half a million. I definitely know where I'd rather live.

I've flown a couple of times with Malaysian and no complaints apart from the bloke next to me taking off his shoes and his feet absolutely reeking and a sh!t of a kid behind me kicking the back of my seat. Oh the joys. Nothing to do with the airline though.

Launceston is inland and Devonport is on the coast. Devonport is rapidly growing and spreading out but where I live I can walk to the shops/cafes/cinema/library also a few minutes walk to the beach and the river. Launceston is in a dip so it can be colder in the winter and hotter in the summer. It's a very nice place but the same as most large towns ........... it has its rough areas to avoid. It has also retained some lovely old buildings as has Hobart. The Tasmanian weather suits me just fine. I really dislike hot, humid weather. During winter, Devonport can have really stormy weather off the Bass Strait but it doesn't rain for days on end. There are a lot of lovely frosty mornings. The frost has usually gone by 9 am. Inland towns are much colder at that time of year and also get snow. Today it's 25C. I've just been for a swim at the local beach. Very busy with tourists. Campervans all over the place. You will get a good idea of Tassie when you come in February. I'm a bit of a country bumpkin so I'm not interested in nightlife or shopping malls. Hobart and the surroundings areas may suit you far more than smaller towns. There are many very small towns scattered around Tasmania but even I wouldn't choose to live in them. Too remote for me.

Do you want to live in a large town or in the countryside? Lots to choose from. We live in Devonport on the NW coast and enjoy life here. I have very good friends who live in Dover on the south coast ............ east of Hobart and they also enjoy life there. Inland and the mountain areas can get very cold in winter. Hobart and Launceston can also get very warm to hot during summer. There are a LOT of retirees from the mainland here in Tassie. Housing is still reasonably priced though not as cheap as it used to be. Plenty of houses for sale over $million and seem to be snapped up. I can't tell you the best places to retire to as everyone has different ideas about that. Probably best if you come down here and check the place out for yourself.

After a hectic but enjoyable week in Sydney I am glad to be back home and enjoying the peace and quiet and the sunshine in our back garden. There are four little finches who seem to have made the lemon tree their home and Mr and Mrs Blackbird live in the shrubs in the front garden. A finch and summery pots near the back door.

We were in The Duke of Clarence on Monday and yes, there are definitely hand pump on the bar. Enjoying a week with my old pal from Lancashire whilst she is in Sydney for a visit with her son.

Quite so. The place is heaving with folk not only from VIC but also WA (should I be looking at them with some suspicion?) NT, NSW, SA, QLD and ACT. The roads are busy and the campsites are full.

Lovely Boxing Day weather here in Devonport. 22C River Mersey

@Bobj, I am so sorry to read about Jo.

I'm in Tasmania and know people who are receiving treatment for cancer. One of them, now in remission was treated during Covid. The others are currently receiving treatment. As far as out of pocket expenses ............... I'm not so sure as a couple have private health insurance but the other people are retired and relying on Medicare. They say apart from prescriptions (at a lower cost for pensioners) there have been no out of pocket expenses. None of them can fault the treatment they are receiving. I don't know what it's like in other areas of Australia for cancer treatment but I would think it's similar to here.

The east coast of Tasmania where there are some lovely seaside towns.

Armidale definitley. I also much prefer the scenery around that area. Griffith, as you say Bob is just flat. Not my cup of tea. I always remember newspaper headlines years ago "Mafia amongst the vineyards" referring to gangland murders and drug trafficking in Griffith. I've no doubt things have improved drastically since then.

I have LOTS of memories but I do remember odd things such as a couple days after arriving, walking along a Sydney beach and hearing someone calling my name. Lo and behold it was an old boyfriend from my teen days and on another occasion in a Sydney pub not long after that bumping into someone else I knew from years ago. Small world. Also remember that when I started work in Sydney a few days after arriving how the sun shone every day during the week and poured with rain every weekend for weeks. I was a bit miffed about that. I also recall that at that time the Australian cost of living was cheaper than the UK for just about everything. How times have changed. It was really easy to find a very nice flat with harbour views for a very reasonable rent. We didn't stint on having a good time socially and were able to save. We also rented a lovely house (fully furnished) in Fairlight, next to Manly beach. It belonged to a ballerina and her husband who went on a tour of Europe with an Australian ballet company. The rent there was also very reasonable as she wanted us to care for her many house plants and garden. While we were there we looked at a house for sale at Avalon Beach. It was $70,000 but we just couldn't afford it then. It was right on the beach. Wonder how much it is worth now. After that we packed up and went to Perth which was much more affordable. Babies arrived and our carefree days were over for the time being.

Tomorow we are meeting friends in the little town of Bothwell. It is one of the most important Georgian towns in Tasmania. Beyond its historic significance it is a quiet, pretty agricultural town on the Clyde River. Governor George Arthur named Bothwell after a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland which lies to the east of Glasgow. Bothwell was settled in the 1820s, mainly by Scottish farmers. In its early days, fire-and-brimstone sermons were delivered in Gaelic from the town’s pulpits.

Good to hear you are doing something positive about a later move. You were obviously far, far happier in Europe. Good on you!

I am one of those odd people who has absolutely zero interest in the Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games. They totally bore me. I've never sat through an opening/closing ceremony. I feel no patriotism whatsoever to any country competing. On the other hand I am a lifelong supporter of Liverpool FC. Can't stand cricket even though my husband and sons have played cricket for years and love going to watch it. I support Scotland when they play rugby. Other than that I'm not interested.

It's 41 years for me. Where did all that time go! Ridden the highs and the lows but it's mostly been a good life. No regrets

It's a long weekend here. Monday is a bank holiday for "Recreation Day". The circus is in town ................ all the way from Western Australia and the weather is very pleasant.

I'll always support Scotland, particularly rugby .................... not that they win very often.

The train takes 25 mins from North Ryde into the city via Chatswood. From where we lived we would have to get a bus to the station. I just took the bus from outside our house into the city which took approx 35 minutes depending on traffic and if there were any holdups on the freeway or harbour bridge.

I'm now way out of touch re the cost of houses in Sydney but just had a look at the cost of houses where we used to live in North Ryde. Good grief! We lived very happily there for years but the prices are now just ridiculous and I really can't see how they are worth that sort of money. At least here in Tassie you get your money's worth. Houses here are clearly advertised for sale with the price and sell in approx 3/4 weeks sometimes quicker than that. Sydney is a rip off but I supposes that's where the work is.

Have you picked your dogs up yet? Hope they are fit and well after the long trip and quarantine.