"...with memory to share my bed, and peace to share my fire..."

Here, today is Valentine's.

I actually have the fortune to get one each year, hand made from a dear faraway friend.

When I was young I celebrated this holiday a lot-

Now, sometimes I do not.  Of course, being 2-3 weeks away by post cramps my style.

 We are having a cool and rainy day.

I seem to be suffering from vertigo- and Yoga therefore has been a challenge.

Meanwhile, Zok finished the path and has moved on to adding topsoil, trailer load by trailer load, this will then be strewn with lawn seed.  Zok envisions a lush lawn growing up while we are away.

 

 I have been mostly just working my way though the Rosetta Stone program of Swedish, and enjoying the beach which has returned to its natural state (sans vacationers, school kids, and the summer Christmas season)

Our tickets to the U.S. are booked and also to return to Stockholm, so soon everything is going to speed up.

 

I also got a funny Valentine by email-

It helps to know how obsessed with this dog breed, the obsession is coming on about the thirty year mark.  They have gotten quite popular.

"Lions, Tigers, and Bears- Oh My!"

Zok and I had visitors, who politely brought a week of warm weather with them.

Zok and I (well mostly Zok) tried to get the new path for the backyard ready-however, Hobart is as Hobart is and we have businesses that you have to call, and call again to get them to meet with you so you can give them your money.

Basically it took over a week to get the large paving stones, and we still need to get the small stones that will go around the larger ones.

The final plan is to just throw down grass/lawn seed when we go back to Sweden and hope we return to a more grass than weeds and dirt.

Two of our guests were here in town to work, but one came just to see us and also to see these guys...

 Zok and I are still looking at bush properties.  I find it confusing trying to imagine the best scenario for the future, while I am enjoying the present.

I would love less street light and light pollution in general but that is relative.  I can still see the milky way from my porch here in Blackmans Bay this is a huge difference between the handful of stars I can see from Stockholm.  But, here in Tasmania a person can still choose to live miles away from the nearest light source.  

I did get to go into the ocean though - near the area where we have been looking and I must say I thought 'Yeah, I could live here'.

 

"...you ain't never gonna bring me in...I'm an outlaw baby..."

Now, Maria Island is an island that is a national park, and often the most commonly known fact is that the island is used for the re-establishment of endangered wildlife.  Most recently are the Tasmanian Devils who are living and breeding on the island.  But, Darlington was also the site of a probation station for convicts.   A lot of the information regarding the program has been lost to time, just as the convicts buried on the island were not recorded, and the bodies were buried in unmarked, mass graves.

I got to see what is left of cells that housed the young convicts that were housed on the island.  Standing in front of the very small, windowless cells- while looking out at the expansive ocean stretching out as far as I could see and trying to imagine, not only the time-period, but the disconnect between being a prisoner, in a small confined space, in an area that could easily carry the moniker of 'paradise'.

If you want to see more about the devils- there is a decent ABC/ITV Aussie Animals short series about the introduced, disease free Tasmanian Devils to Maria Island.

I can't find a decent link-but I am sure some googling will set you right.