Day 12 - Tuesday

Tuesday saw an unannounced visit from the electrician. He offered some advice and opinions for heating and lighting but wasn't terribly reassuring. He has worked on the house over the years for various owners and confirmed it is both difficult to light and to warm because of the uninsulated Baltic pine covered walls and high ceilings. He also suggested the fuse for the computer equipment is close to meltdown...joy of joys. This is hard on the heals of the light shower we had on Monday resulted in a leak in the hallway...what happens when it really rains? Well apparently, unbeknown to me, it bucketed down at about 2.30am and it had no impact on the leak. Perhaps it's one of those freaky things, that the rain must be coming from a certain unusual direction? Fingers crossed....

The electrician took off with the door from the oven so he can replace the seals and just as I was leaving the house to visit the Margate Tip Shop (on his recommendation), he was on my doorstep again....this man has a phone phobia. Unfortunately, the seal he found in "the shed" was unsuitable so I have to wait until Thursday, after he has been to "town". I have to qualify this with the specific Cygnetite. Town for the electrician is Hobart (60 kms?). For the lovely lesbian ladies who delivered a most unusual pantry to me, also on Tuesday, town is Kingston (35 kms?). For me, town is Huonville - 17 kms, but I imagine that will change. Hobart seems like the end of the earth to me at the moment!

Floyd and I enjoyed our trip to the Tip Shop on the outside of Margate in a place called Bereta(?). It's about 35 kms each way on a windy road. You need to travel some distances but it only took 20 - 25 minutes. Managed to pick up a whole bunch of multiple light fittings and shades for the princely sum of $25...perhaps they will brighten up these rooms that currently have single globes and no shades hanging from a wire from the ceiling - clearly not a priority in the past.

Took a quick left on the way back, as I saw water and we headed to a marina - not sure but think this is where the Bruny Island ferry departs from. Here, we were slowly and noisily approached by the fattest Blue Heeler imaginable. The noise wasn't barking, it was the poor dog breathing like a blocked vacuum cleaner - poor mutt! Made Floyd look like a whippet and made me vow not to let him get any heavier.
There wasn't much to see so we moved on and on Floyd's insistence, made a brief stop in Snug. What a delightful name for a town...The butcher's window said they specialised in dog treats...at $50 per kilo, they will have to wait until I'm employed. I used to make them for Floyd and since I'm a lady of leisure now, I could get back to that again..... We did a lap of the block where they are building a housing estate - dread. There's some low cost housing there, perhaps the new style of commission houses that look like extra long nissen huts - like a log cut horizontally across the middle and look like they are made from corro in a variety of colours - very interesting. I really like the letterboxes...wonder if you can buy a Snug letterbox. Bought one from Mitre 10 the other day but the blandness is so overwhelming, I will return it on my next trip to town (Huonville) and wait til I find a more attractive option.

Stopped at the local servo to exchange an empty gas cylinder for the cooktop - only LPG here - and to fill up. Imagine my surprise, I was actually served! Adam introduced himself and advised me to relax into Cygnet time and accept service. SERVICE? I must have looked a bit uncomfortable. Adam, an NZeder, who lived in Melbourne for 10 years and is married to Teresa, lives high on a mountain outside town, where it snows every winter (which he is so looking forward to - freak!) and is building a B&B out of stone. The lesbians are also moving to Nicholls Rivulet to build their Utopian biodynamic farm & B&B. Good on 'em. Adam has several part time jobs and suggests that's how most locals enjoy the simple and many varied attractions of Cygnet and surrounds, this is so much fun!

Just before dark, decided to move my newly purchased (in Sydney) pre-loved bicycle. Can't describe the disappointment - I'm too bloody short to get my leg over the bar and reach the peddles - bugger! I was so looking forward to riding that bike....Will put that on the shopping list. I then tried to get the full gas bottle out of my boot...empty is one thing...Luckily, Mick, the good Samaritan turned up just in time to give me a hand and a verbal quote for the new outer fence.