Settling In

Two weeks and counting. New house, new job, and now a new golf club. One decision still to be made - new fellowship.

Over the last two weeks much change has taken place. We continue to adjust. During the process we have welcomed family and shared with them in exploring parts of southern Tasmania.

So what have I learned in these past two weeks and 4 days?

• Tasmania is hilly... a great contrast to the landscape we travelled in the last six months.
• Roads are winding... but the views are impressive.
• Locals are friendly... and very helpful.
• Historic buildings are everywhere... and most towns and villages have more than their share. The weather is great... when the sun is shining, but chilly when clouds come over.
• Amazing work is being done... and I am impressed by the people working in many of our programs.
• Administration is demanding and complex... and never ending if programs are to function, people be helped and lives changed.

Exciting times, and more challenges to come.

New year, new home

The early days of 2010 were spent finishing our small amount of packing and preparing to move to Hobart. On January 12 we headed to the Spirit of Tasmania and sailed across Bass Straight.
We returned to the state we have left twenty two years earlier.

There was a sense of familiarity as we landed at Devonport and made our way to Hobart via Launceston. A few days on and we are settled in Moonah. Our gear arrived as expected, and the unpacking process has been largely accomplished. Not everything is in its correct home yet, but we are getting there.

Our last home in Preston offered views of other houses and wonders of Northland Shopping Centre. Here we have a view of the Derwent River and Queens Domain, a hill the obscures any further view down the estuary. In the foreground if this vista is my workplace, a stately old mansion that has served many different purposes over the years. As we head off to work we also gain a perspective of Mount Wellington from the front of our house.

These things come at a cost. The vertical dimension of life in the physical realm is one of the facts of life in Tasmania. Having previously lived in the north of the island I had failed to appreciate that most of the inner suburbs of Hobart are akin to the steeper areas around Launceston.

This week it is back to work. After twelve months of choosing our own pace and place we are now gearing up to get back into a work-life routine. It starts in earnest on Wednesday.