END OF THE TRIP

It's almost a month since I managed to post anything here. The time on the mainland was varied and interesting and I'll try to write about it eventually, but tonight is the end of my time in Hobart. I've got my suitcase more or less packed and ready for the morning. I fly to Melbourne with my daughter Katharine at 8:50 a.m. and we have the day there. We both head to Toronto, but on separate flights on Thursday, Jan. 14th. I'm feeling sad about leaving Tassie--everything about my time here has been wonderful. But it will also be good to have some time to remember and think about it all, instead of just adding more experience to the bounty.

Today we went to Bonorong Wildlife Park and saw, among other things, several Tasmanian devils scampering about their enclosure. They looked quite healthy. There are also Foresters kangaroos there, echidnas, bandicoots, wombats (including a small orphan called Mavis who lives in a plush pouch), emus, and koalas. I have mixed feelings about zoos, but I do enjoy seeing the different animals.

It's very hot here, and dry--there have been a couple of bushfires today, in the Derwent Valley. In Melbourne the temperatures have been in the high 30s, but I hear they've begun to drop. We have a tour of the ballet school there tomorrow, and then the late afternoon for wandering around in the downtown. We're meeting poet Andrew Sant for supper in Fitzroy before heading back to our motel near the airport.

It's my intention to continue with this blog once I'm settled in again in Toronto--using it as a way to remember and reflect on my experiences here. But it may be several days before I get to that.