Today we went on a red and white cruiseboat called the Eagle. We cruised out through Hell's Gates which was a very dangerous opening to the sea from Macquarie Harbour. It was named this by the convicts who were sent to Sarah Island.
Emma here - The cruise was lovely. The crew were very accomodating and allowed passengers to spend time all over the ship, including up with the Captain... bit of a highlight for the kids! We enjoyed our trip out through the tight squeeze of the Gates, back into Maquarie Harbour to check out the fish farming, rambled over Sarah Island and had a brief walk through the forest. I met a lovely Mum of three girls called Kath, a community nurse and farmer from Western NSW. She used to be an ICU nurse from out our way. We got on like a house on fire. One of the things we are learning on this trip is how many strangers are really friends we just haven't met yet!
In our normal lives, we are too busy or believe our dance card to be too full to admit any more friends and we stop reaching out (or "hiring" if you watched the Seinfeld episode on this) . Not on this trip!! It's great to be able to enjoy reaching out again. A bit sad to know these guys aren't keepers, or at least we didn't make an effort to keep in contact. If I had lived in bygone days, we probably would have corresponded for a number of years and perhaps, if lucky, seen each other again once or twice in our lifetimes. But we would have had a wonderful, lasting friendship. These days with all the ways of being in contact it's all too hard, and we often don't even try. Other friends we've met along the way we have exchanged details with but not kept in contact. I guess part of it is how truly busy this time is with small children, schooling bigger children, travel and enough work to keep food on the table. The trip is so busy but there is lots of time being in the moment. We can share those moments with other travellers but find it hard to make time for staying in touch with new friends, let alone old friends. I guess the great thing about good friends, old or new, is that regardless of how busy you are and how little you do keep in contact, when you are together it's wonderful and like no time has passed at all since you were together. It seems like I am working up to saying just be grateful for this blog! But I really am not! i am just grateful for friends old and new and this adventure!
In our normal lives, we are too busy or believe our dance card to be too full to admit any more friends and we stop reaching out (or "hiring" if you watched the Seinfeld episode on this) . Not on this trip!! It's great to be able to enjoy reaching out again. A bit sad to know these guys aren't keepers, or at least we didn't make an effort to keep in contact. If I had lived in bygone days, we probably would have corresponded for a number of years and perhaps, if lucky, seen each other again once or twice in our lifetimes. But we would have had a wonderful, lasting friendship. These days with all the ways of being in contact it's all too hard, and we often don't even try. Other friends we've met along the way we have exchanged details with but not kept in contact. I guess part of it is how truly busy this time is with small children, schooling bigger children, travel and enough work to keep food on the table. The trip is so busy but there is lots of time being in the moment. We can share those moments with other travellers but find it hard to make time for staying in touch with new friends, let alone old friends. I guess the great thing about good friends, old or new, is that regardless of how busy you are and how little you do keep in contact, when you are together it's wonderful and like no time has passed at all since you were together. It seems like I am working up to saying just be grateful for this blog! But I really am not! i am just grateful for friends old and new and this adventure!
So enough philosophising...
The trip finished with a meander through the last or second last working Huon Pine sawmill in Tassie and with our tourist dollars dutifully spent on our Huon Pine chopping board and rolling pins (despite Dom's dogged attempts to get the wooden pear...slightly less useful in a caravan) we headed back to the caravan park, exhausted and ready for an early night.
The next day Mum and Dad headed out before us and we spent a little time in the skate park before heading North to Cradle Mountain. We missed The Ship That Never Was the show that runs everynight in Strahan as the founder of the theatre company died and everyone went to his funeral. Fair enough, I say. I guess it just goes onto the list for next time!
The trip finished with a meander through the last or second last working Huon Pine sawmill in Tassie and with our tourist dollars dutifully spent on our Huon Pine chopping board and rolling pins (despite Dom's dogged attempts to get the wooden pear...slightly less useful in a caravan) we headed back to the caravan park, exhausted and ready for an early night.
The next day Mum and Dad headed out before us and we spent a little time in the skate park before heading North to Cradle Mountain. We missed The Ship That Never Was the show that runs everynight in Strahan as the founder of the theatre company died and everyone went to his funeral. Fair enough, I say. I guess it just goes onto the list for next time!