Blossom, the Captain and friends K and A take their tastebuds and travel Tasmania ...

Day One – travelling

Traditionally the second most difficult day of any trip, just after Coming Home and immediately before Laundry Day (often spent frantically searching for a launderette with machines that work, and feverishly assembling coins).

Having spent most of the previous week tidying and cleaning the house, assembling garments, providing for pets and house-sitters, shopping and all the rest, the Captain and myself were rather tired. Nevertheless this was absolutely necessary stuff: Coming Home is usually the darkest of all holiday days, and returning to a house that is beautifully tidy softens the blow considerably. There is little worse than finishing a fabulous holiday by returning to a house covered in dust, un-emptied rubbish bins and the flotsam of a hurried packing job.

On this occasion, my luggage had been mostly packed for several days, allowing me to finesse it for weight and suitability. This is a very good thing as, having retired exhausted and slept the deep sleep of righteousness that is the hallmark of a good spring clean, our alarm inexplicably failed to go off in the morning leaving us much less time to get ready for departure than we expected.

No matter how little time we had, however, I draw the line utterly at a hurried breakfast. A trip is not worth taking if it does not begin with a good, healthy and hearty breakfast. One needs plenty of energy for the day, particularly after an exhausted sleep filled with uneasy dreams of hairdressers (don’t ask), taken lingeringly over a paper or good book, bathed in sunlight from the window. Pesto scrambled egg with fresh tomato and a slice of toast, with coffee, set me up nicely for the morning.

At the appointed hour, our friends K and A showed up with their car, ready to drive to Sydney and thence take the airplane to Hobart. Their very small, extremely clever environmentally-friendly car only has limited luggage space for four adults and everything they need for two weeks, which is why the Captain and myself were sharing a modest-sized suitcase, and a smallish soft-sided bag. Needless to say the case is impressively full, although we are able to expand our luggage somewhat in Tasmania where we will have a larger car with more luggage space.

A very pleasant trip to Sydney, delightfully followed by luncheon in a very nice café with A’s charming parents. I had a delicious little lamb pie served with mushy peas cooked with feta cheese and fresh mint, followed by biscotti and a cup of tea. We treated ourselves afterwards to a taste of Jamon Iberico from the specialty butcher shop next door. After this jolly luncheon and treat, A’s parents dropped us at the airport, promising to look after the car for us. What a sweet couple they are.

Pre-check in is a MARVELLOUS invention! We sauntered into the airport, cruised past the check-in queues, strolled through baggage drop (where the staff member was delightfully charming), drifted through security, taking time to exchange polite smiles and g’days with the very pleasant security staff members, and as at this time, are taking our ease in the departure lounge as we await our flight.

Flying has undoubtedly become more difficult since … well, since that very very terrible event that nobody likes to recall … but it is possible still to have a good experience. The key is, of course, to be prepared. We urge you to read your airline’s luggage and security policies before you get to the airport, and to pack carefully with security and ease of travel in mind. Arrive at the airport much earlier than you really need to, and take advantage of the cafes and bars to relax in style as you await your airplane. And do treat the airport staff as the friendly professionals they usually are. Pay attention to what they say, be polite and charming and you will find that they will do their very best to make your trip easy and enjoyable. This proved to be the case for us, a special thank you to the very charming security guard who took the time to say hello and wish us a nice afternoon as he scanned our luggage.

Now, for Darla’s sake, here is my chosen travelling day outfit: a pair of wide-legged black sailor pants from Retrospec’d Clothing. A witty black-and-white striped tshirt (from, I believe, the House of Suzanne). A divinely wearable black velvet flared jacket from Gallery Serpentine, which goes with nearly everything I own.  A black beret. A pair of extremely comfortable black mary-jane shoes, all leather, from Colorado (these shoes are hardy and very very good for one’s feet, and look equally nice with trousers and skirts.) And finally, my trusty Anne Taintor messenger bag, which neatly fits the dear little notebook upon which I am typing, a novel, my wallet and coin purse, my sunglasses, a bottle of water and an inflatable pillow for my back. This comprises my entire carry-on, and it is a perfect size for travel, has a good strong comfortable shoulder strap and is pretty and witty enough to attract smiles from passers-by. A nice messenger bag selection, Darla – you were quite correct, my dear!

This outfit and accessories look, if I may say so, quite chic and neat, but I do not think it is necessary to sacrifice comfort when travelling in style. I am extremely comfortable – may I suggest, more so than I would have been in jeans and sneakers, as the trousers are comfortable and roomy and the shoes allow my feet to breath. I am not particularly burdened, and there is nothing I needed to fuss with to go through security. My watch and rings are the only significant amount of metal I am wearing, and there is nothing in my bag to cause any security problems (I purchased the bottle of water in the airport after passing security). Even my shoes would have been easy to remove if I was required to at Security. In short, I breezed through the airport experience looking and feeling very Darling.

This is all for now until I arrive in Hobart, it is time to resume cheery holiday conversation with the Captain and our friends …

… Back again, relaxing in our hotel room after a sizeable seafood dinner (stand by for photos later, which I can’t be bothered downloading tonight.) Our first glimpse of Tassie was ridiculously beautiful: the green green land and sparkly water looking their very best in the late afternoon sun.

We picked up our pretty pale blue car and checked into the Fountainside Hotel, which is lovely: nice rooms with new-lookinf attractive fittings, very friendly staff and convenient to many things. This was a good thing because in the zero degrees night we scurried directly to Murres Lower Deck restaurant at Victoria Dock, where we made our valiant way through enormous platters of very fresh and tasty seafood. Not to mention a beer. My companions decided on the Boags, which I thought was slightly cheeky given our proximity to Cascade; I had a Cascade Draught which is a lovely scoffing beer, good with seafood and hard to find in Canberra.

After dinner we attempted to have a nice stroll but were defeated by the chilly wind, and instead had a frenetic scamper, getting our bearings for tomorrow.

We have been told that there is some dodgy weather coming, and so we are tossing up what will happen tomorrow. If the weather holds out, we will seek a patisserie breakfast and walk to the Salamanca Markets, plus a few key purveyors of quality gourmet foods, to stock up for tomorrow’s trip to Tarraleah and our self-contained accommodation. If the weather is bad, we will seek a hotel breakfast and drive to the Salamanca Markets, plus a few key purveyors of quality gourmet foods, to stock up for tomorrow’s trip to Tarraleah and our self-contained accommodation.

Time to retire now, and spend time with the Captain and K&A, sipping our Mercury Cider and listening to the Beatles.

Until next time I have internet access, Charming Friends …

Blossom Darling