Howdy.
Nice day to dust off the pastels…….
The Admiral has taken off up the coast to camp with some mates. Solo sailing on The Ship. Also a rare night without guests - the last hurrah before the sun dips a bit lower and everyone thinks about the Sun somewhere else….which is excellent because we get the whole coast to ourselves. Not that we haven’t enjoyed meeting folk from all over the world visiting The Bay of Fires for the first time. Sort of makes you proud.
We live in a constant state of amazement most of the time these days. We still pinch ourselves when we have a coffee on the deck looking out to the Sea or when the sun sets behind Mt Pearson. We have been meandering through some interesting days of late - that pretty much sums up everyone I guess - watched the news lately? I must say though, the view of the planet is very shiny down here, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!
Air BNB world has been a big part of our routine. The trends of global travel can be measured here in a micro sense. Trends are discussed locally and understood. Our last three guests were from the United Kingdom and South Africa, but all living in Australia. Everyone asks what we think about the new US President. I find a shrug usually satisfies. Our social credit system within the realms of the digital world is quite good - all five stars. We got some digital certificates that say we are “Guest Favourite” and “Super Host”. We get a digital star on our listing. That surely must be a good thing. We could write a sitcom about it all!
To be fair, the Air BNB thing takes us an hour (or two if we go slow) to change rooms over and we have that down pat. Not including chats with the guests and breakfasts and coffee (we cook for our guests and they come up to the deck on occasions). that leaves us with around 23 hours a day left.
One of those couple of hours saw us on kayaks paddling around Grant Lagoon. The last time I was on a kayak was in Madang in Papua New Guinea where we found a bar in the middle of the jungle and paddled in. Seems like it is riding a bike (although it is lower in the water these days - I blame cheese). We meandered around the lagoon around the edges and through the middle before making our way to Binalong Bay beach, parking up and diving in the ocean, then paddling back. I congratulate myself for my excellent balance….until two metres from shore and the car I twisted and toppled in - mush to the joy of Debi. Any time I tell that story with Debi around she always finishes in with “until he fell in”. Something new though and no doubt will be a regular thing (not the falling in bit).
I have returned to the world of shipping. It is a good way though, gone are the profit and loss, LPI charts, holiday leave management and general chaos of global trade and shipping in hands on sense. These days I have the privilege of spending time on something new and contemplating how that came to be, what it is now and what it could be in the future. I write articles about interesting developments in the Tasmanian shipping and trading world. They are not published yet, but they are coming. It has me attending conferences with company and government leaders about what they are planning and thinking. It is quite exciting and inspiring.
A few months ago I was contacted by an old friend and colleague to see if I would be interested in teaming up to work on the future of trade for Tasmania and how that may look for the next five years. So we are doing exactly that and over the rest of this year I will be engaging with old friends and colleagues to chat about it before we roll it out. I am feeling quite honoured and humbled to be a part of the future of this amazing island.
I have watched Clarksons Farm and I think I can see some similarities (minus the Lamborghini tractor of course). Where Jeremey unfurls his black AMEX, I find myself on Facebook Market Place and the local tip shop. Old barn sides, oyster tanks, bits of old boats, windows, gables, chairs and mush more that I often get a slideways glare for. It is easier to explain a three dollar wooden chair from the tip shop than a new Lamborghini tractor in the shed - although one can aspire.
In those other 22 hours, beside sleeping of course, there is a constant list of things we are doing. All by choice though which is nice. Here are some examples without explanations:
Vegetable garden of amazingness, chicken paradise, dam emptying and relining planning, gable erection for temple of conservatorium water catchment for the oyster tanks, irrigation of the vegetable garden of amazingness, wood for sun tilting away weather, BBQ jam sessions with the neighbours, body surfing (not since I got hammered by crushed bluebottles though - lesson learned there), house selling, Ancestry dot com’ing - Debi got us all back to the 1400”s!), quad bike riding through the 27 hectares, magpie bacon feeding, currawong tomato deterrent system monitoring (a slingshot) and much more of course.
That’s life on The Ship presently - never a dull moment unless we choose it to be and there is always a good book on the go. Exciting days.
Thank you for reading my ramblings again – keep safe and see you next time.
Brett Charlton
PS: if you are an Instagram user, look up The Ship - Bay of Fires profile, we have had a photographer here and I am popping something on there most days (it is a project). It seems to be getting some attention which is nice.