I may well post again about the natural beauty of Tasmania, the prolific roses and lavender, the water, water everywhere you look, the wildlife, the hills and mountains, the minor excursion into the forest, the fairy penguins, the beach, the midlands, the Peter Cundall Pilgrimage to the Botantic Gardens, but first we must get the most important things out of the way.

Shopping….I shopped my way around the Huon Valley, antique shops, Salamanca Markets, Hobart, Swansea, Bicheno, Campbelltown, Ross, Oatlands and even the airport where I bought a book on the way home.

Here are some pictures of purchases for all of us to enjoy.

One brass teapot. Essential buying I am sure you will agree.

Assorted jewellery from all over the place. Some of it was cheap, some of it was more expensive. My favourite things are the silk flowers for my hair and the dog earrings, as well as the green clay polymer ring.

Postcards from an antique shop in Hobart as well as assorted other cards.

It’s a bag. It has a cat and musical things on it. Say no more.

It’s a cute card of a kitten. It’s now hanging on my wall in a frame.

No it’s not my messy pencil holder. It’s a flower made out of wire and electrical cable. I think it’s supposed to go in the garden but I am choosing to keep it inside.

It’s one of those elephant hanging bell thingies. It’s now hanging on my wardrobe door.

It’s my 2010 giant Paris Calendar. I have already hung it on the wall.

Two miniature genie lamps. I mean really, how could I leave them in the antique shop. They are so cute.

Hand painted tealight holders. Pretty.

Japanese postcards from an antique shop in Hobart (are we sensing a theme here with the antique shops?)

Some music prints I found at Salamanca.

Despite the fact that I don’t own an record player I think this was seven dollars well spent.

Two handpainted Turkish bowls found in a chocolate shop I forget the name of in Hobart.

More old postcards from an antique shop.

Some nature photos. We went to the Tesselated Pavement that is the one on the left. It was quite amazing to see.

A colourful print of Salamanca Markets.

A bag with strawberries on it.

Some photos from Kate’s Berry Farm where I highly recommend the Belgian waffles.

A box of classic Venetian postcards. New…not from an antique shop. Just to clarify.

Some treble clef earrings. I am a little bit of a music dork sad to say.

And of course no one would be stupid enough to travel all that way and think they could buy lots of books and fit them into their suitcase on the way home. Or would they?

I highly recommend Fuller’s Bookshop in Hobart, particularly for the nice cafe. I also bought a cute pink booklight there and was quite restrained. However, once let loose in the Hobart Book Shop I went a little wild and the nice man posted my purchases home for me. This still didn’t stop me buying more books at secondhand shops which had to be carried on as hand luggage on the way home. They wouldn’t fit in my suitcase even though I also had to buy a new, bigger and improved suitcase 60% off at Harris Scarfe, because mine started to fall apart in Brisbane before we flew out.

Last but by no means least, if you ever find yourself in Kingston you must visit the Japanese shop there. I bought enough material for my dear mother to make me a silk patchwork quilt. The material is remnants from kimonos etc. We had the most fun picking out the patterns.

N.B. I haven’t taken a picture of the black winter hat I bought, the winter headscarf thing which I wore a lot, the silk wraparound skirt or the little brass bell I found on a junk stall. And there’s probably other things I have forgotten as well.

I was still under the baggage limit though.

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