sarah vs the world

Not a video game, not a comic, not a band, but an amazing adventure continues...

Friday, November 30, 2012

Getting busy in Hobart....and warmer!

So the past few weeks have been getting quite busy.  We start bumping in the Taste Festival this week and all of my fabulous team are starting to roll into Hobart.  I thought it would be good to get the blog updated before then.
Where did we leave off....I have been a few more places since last post.  The Royal Hobart Show Days is a public holiday here so I went with Brett who I used to work with at the Malthouse (who lives here now) over to Bruny Island for the day.  You take your car on the ferry and then drive around.  It was not the best day weather wise, but we did manage to stop by an amazing antique shop, eat some lovely smoked fish, have a liqueur affogato at the strawberry farm (it was too early for strawberries), hit the cute museum and crash an opening day BBQ of the Bird Watching Festival.  I seem to only have taken one photo of the day.  But it was a good time.
The Only Photo
 
I have managed to get out to MONA a couple of times.  Once to just have a look at the art, and the other to head to their free outdoor concert called Standing in the Shadows of MONA.  I got to see the fabulous Theatre of the World Exhibition, plus sit in the sun, drink their beer and watch the Southern Gospel Choir.  Very amazing place.  I am sure that this place helps with the new travel buzz that Hobart is creating.  If you haven't heard, both Lonely Planet and Trip Advisor are rating Hobart as one of the top 10 cities to visit next year....so I am obviously ahead of the game.
Lovely Exhibition
 
One of my favourite things about MONA....the info on the ipod touch.  They give this to you instead of having signs on the wall.  Art Wank.  Ha.
 
Moo Brew....not suitable for bogans.  Brewed at MONA
Southern Gospel Choir on the MONA permanent lawn stage
I have also managed to get up to Freycinet...albeit for one day.  This was not enough.  I will have to return after the Festival.  This is a beautiful part of national park (I now have a membership for the year to all the national parks in Tassie) on the east coast of Tasmania.  It's about 3 hours away from Hobart, but it was stunning.  Photos speak for themselves.  Absolutely not to be missed when you come visit me here.
Creepy balancing giant rocks
Freycinet Lodge...quite a nice hotel, but the really swanky one is Saffire (good luck affording that!)
Me on the rocks overlooking Coles Bay
Richardson's Beach near Freycinet Lodge
Wineglass Bay....amazing!
Followed by the pano shot....
I also managed to get away to Sydney for literally one night to see Radiohead.  I had bought tickets ages ago...when I was in Puebla...and it was an amazing show.  The whole 24 hours was pretty crazy.  I booked a little studio apartment near the venue where I always like to stay in Sydney.  When I got there, I got a ridiculous upgrade for free.  The put me in a 2 bedroom penthouse apartment with its own private rooftop terrace.  I had grand plans to do a bit of shopping in Sydney whilst I was there, but instead, I got some picnic food and spent the entire afternoon up on my terrace.  Only came down at dinner time to meet up with Megan (Retka) Tidd for Peking Duck in Chinatown before the show.  Andrew Mackonis and his friend of the Opera House met us, and we all had an awesome time!  Great show...crazy set.  Fun stuff.
The ticket
My rooftop terrace
The picnic (finished the book that day as well)
The daytime pano view from the roof over Darling Harbour
The Radiohead set
The nighttime view....
After getting back from my 24 hours in Sydney, it was time to get ready for the Hobart Christmas Pageant.  That Saturday was really my first event in my new job.  All went really well and lucky for us the weather stayed nice.  The star attraction was by far Jimmy Giggle (apparently he is a kids show host and mostly adored by mothers) and of course Santa.  The parade went really well.  I really enjoyed being out of the office and just on the ground again.
The Australian Army Band
 The Steamroller (one of 2 in the parade)
Santa's Float
The famous Jimmy Giggle
I am continuing to settle into Hobart.  There are things I find everyday that make me like it more and more.  My apartment is really starting to look nice.  Haven't bought a house yet, but my bank has just pre-approved me so hopefully soon!
Another cool art project I put together for above my bed
The Wall of Travel Photo Project - am keen to get a world map in the middle with connector strings
The record player I recently bought
My bedroom on a sunny afternoon
All of the row houses in my street...and I still can't believe I live in one.
This was a piece at CAST - Contemporary Art Spaces Tasmania.  Very close to my house.  It's needlepoint and sadly you can't see the giant gold chain that hung it to the wall
There is a group of these cute little birds that hang out at my gym.  I am not sure what kind it is, but I bet the bird watchers on Bruny Island would have known...rosella maybe?
I have already been spending a bit of time at the waterfront working...getting ready for Taste, but it is beautiful
One of my favourite things about about Hobart.  Too hard to explain to the non-Australians why this is funny, but it has to be the best thing I have seen since I have arrived.  I love Hobart for this.  And the box is green and everything!
Over the past few days, Nick Harmos and Adam Lenderyou arrived to join the team.  Nick and I went to Salamanca Market on Saturday before we picked up Adam. We rented them a house in Battery Point which is very close to the Festival site, so I am guessing I could even be there a fair bit.  While we waited for the guys to put the finishing touches on the house (and I mean they were literally there with chop saws, paint, plumbing gear and all) we headed round the corner to Preachers, my favourite local pub in Hobart for a bit of a Sunday session in the lovely Hobart sunshine.  I also managed to get a bit of Christmas shopping done.  I think it's the warm weather throwing me for the first time in a while.  Not to mention the fact that I will be very busy at Christmas time.  But I will be sure to have a bit of an orphan's Christmas for those who are around in Hobart with no where else to go.
Preachers
The others will start to join in the upcoming weeks as we get busier.  Looking forward to a fantastic event and following it up with being a punter at MONA's MOFO Festival.  Should be an uber-good summer in Hobart.  Hoping to make good use of my National Parks pass....there is just too much to see here!
Come visit if you get bored.  You are guaranteed to love it.
Miss you all.
Lots of Love,
Sarah xo