Daytripper

Downtime!

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For the chronically busy person, there is nothing like a little downtime for reenergising and resetting the mind. 

I always feel as though making it to the break at the end of third term is like sliding into third base and only just making it, looking shabby and feeling a little worse for wear. 

Life has been crazy busy in recent weeks with work, a non-fiction book release, and theatre commitments. 

So, while my sister is able to care for my dad for a few days, I’ve been able to escape to the countryside. 

Today’s drive rewarded me with blue sky, fluffy white clouds, sunshine, and some gorgeous scenery. 

It really was a glorious day– and just what I needed!

Bendigo’s Sacred Heart Cathedral

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Whenever I am on the road for pleasure, one of my aims is always to go somewhere I haven’t been before. I have found this to be a good principle for travelling, although it doesn’t always mean going very far out of the way.

Last week I went to Bendigo with friends. I have been there many times before, but I still managed to do something I haven’t done there before: I visited the Sacred Heart Cathedral which is a significant landmark in Bendigo, and one of the largest cathedrals in Victoria.

There are some large and beautiful churches in some of the cities and towns across the state, and many smaller ones, but a cathedral is a special thing indeed. 

I have often expressed a desire to visit this beautiful church rather than just admire it as I drove past, so I was very glad to take the opportunity to make that hope a reality. 

It really is beautiful. Rather than attempting to describe it, I will let the pictures do the talking. Enjoy. 

Please note: I am not Roman Catholic. My visit was an aesthetic one, not a religious one.
I understand that some people have been grievously hurt and damaged by the actions of some Catholic priests. I neither condone nor tolerate their actions.
This does not mean that all Catholics, or their places of worship, should be shunned.

The Blogging Life: Catching Up.

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Sometimes we need to just stop and catch our breath.

After an insanely busy term 3 at school, which included directing and producing  five shows of ‘Les Miserables’ over two weekends, I’ve really enjoyed the two week term break.
I’ve caught up on my rest, on grading papers, and on some writing that I really wanted to refine before I could consider it finished.

Today, I’m catching up on my photo blog at yeeehawimacountrychick! which features photos from various parts of Australia that I visit.

I started this blog because my friends and family overseas often wanted to see my pictures, but I wasn’t always available to show them. Since then, it’s gained a wider following, which is really encouraging for this very amateur-level hobby photographer!

Feel free to take a look, and follow that blog if you’re interested in seeing my part of the world from my point of view.

 

I don’t post there every day, or even every week, but I do try to keep it updated.
All the photos featured there are my own, and remain my intellectual property.

The Islands of Lake Champlain, Vermont. 

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Lake Champlain is North Anerica’s sixth-biggest lake. Within  the lake, on the Vermont/New York side of the Canadian border, lie a number of islands that were first seen by European eyes in 1609 when Samuel de Champlain led an exploratory expedition through the area. 

   
   
The islands are joined by bridges and a causeway which make touring the islands very easy.  The scenery is gorgeous, and there are lots of interesting places to explore. Tourists can explore military history, gourmet food and wine, walking or cycling paths, and number of towns seeking to attract tourists with different places to stay and things to do. 

On the Causeway to Grand Isle is an American flag and a monument to the victims of 9/11 and to the American veterans of foreign wars. 

   
   
From this point, you can look west and see the shoreline of New York State and the Adirondack Mountains, and you can look east and see the Vermont shoreline and mountains in the distance. Further north, the lake crosses the Canadian border into Quebec. 

 

It’s no surprise, then, that Isle La Motte, South Hero, Grand Isle, North Hero, Valcour and the remaining islands all served as important vantage points in battles between American and Canadian/British forces during the War of 1812. 

If for no other reason, the Islands are well worth a visit just because it’s a really pretty drive along the lake shore. 

   
   

Isle La Motte, Vermont.

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On the Isle La Motte in Lake Champlain, Vermont is the site of the Fort of St Anne, the first European settlement in Vermont which dates back to 1666. While the French under the command of Captain Pierre La Motte built the fort for defence against the Mohawks, the Jesuits built the altar and sanctuary in honour of Saint Anne.   

 
Today there is still a shrine to St Anne and an outdoor Stations of the Cross which is visited by many people for prayer and reflection every year.
   
    
   

While the fort and it’s defences are long gone, it’s easy to see why this place was chosen 350 years ago for both defensive and spiritual reasons, and why people continue to visit today. 

It’s a place of worship and reflection, which is something visitors should keep in mind, both in dress and behaviour. 

Vermont Teddy Bear Company.

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Occasionally, I like to throw caution to the wind and do something dangerous. Intrepid and adventurous, that’s me. Completely aware of the perils ahead, I put my sassy pants on and set out for an adventure that has long been on the bucket list for this holiday. 

The Vermont Teddy Bear Company makes hand-crafted, fully customisable teddy bears that are unbearably adorable.

   
 
The bears all carry the trademark labels and eyes which distinguish them from other bears. The eyes have “Born in Vermont” imprinted in the iris. Too cute. Being from Vermont, the Bears all have a chubby tummy that is known at the company as “the belly that Ben & Jerry’s built”. 

   
   
There are hundreds of different outfits that can be purchased for the 15″ bears, reflecting seasons, occupations, sports and significant life events. Most of the bears have brown eyes, but can be customised with blue, green or hazel eyes. Paws and outfits can be customised with embroidery. 

   
   
The factory tour is fun and entertaining for all ages. I was really pleased to see the tour being led by a delightful guy who has a disability but is obviously living joyfully despite it. 

The bears are very reasonably priced in comparison to other top-quality, hand-crafted collectible bears, such as the Charlie Bears which I also collect. 

All in all, I had a wonderful day here. I made the experience complete by adopting a 15″ Maple Bear with blue eyes. It’s fair to say that he had a pretty good day, too. 

Abbey of St-Benoît-du-Lac. 

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The abbey of St-Benoît-du-Lac is nestled among the rolling hills of southern Quebec near the town of Magog.

  

The abbey was founded in 1912 by Dom Joseph Pothier, a Benedictine abbott who came to Quebec from the Abbey of St Wandrille at Frontenelle in France. 

The architect of the abbey was Father Paul Bellot, who oversaw the building of the Abbey between 1939-1941. 

  
The impressive looking building is home to about 50 monks who live according to the rules of St Benedict. The decorative brickwork and mosaic tile floors of the foyer and hallways contrast with the peaceful serenity of the church and the smaller private chapel.  

  

  
 
The church also boasts a magnificent pipe organ, situated between the congregation and the choir.  
 

Just outside the church is a stone from the ancient abbey of St Wandrille, in France, which dates back to the 14th century.  The stone has been carved into a maple leaf, symbolising the continuing heritage and bond between the two abbeys. 

This is a beautiful place to visit.  It was disappointing that some of the tourists who were visiting at the same time as me did not show respect for the quietness requested by the monks, nor for the reflection and prayer that was obviously being sought by other visitors. 

Quebec’s Eastern Townships.

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South-east of Montreal in Quebec, there is a collection of small villages and towns known as the Eastern Townships. is at its most beautiful in the Autumn. Rolling hills are covered in colours that draw on every shade from green to deepest red in nature’s palette. Streams gurgle over rocks and along roadsides, pouring into larger rivers it into lakes nestled between the hills, surrounded by forests with houses dotted among the trees. Even grey clouds and occasional misty rain can’t dampen the ‘pretty party’ that the earth is throwing around here.  

  

  
 
One such lake is Lac Memphremagog, which stretches for miles south of the town of Magog. 
   
  

     

Another lake which deserves a mention is Lac Trousers. 

Yes. Lac Trousers. 

I saw this sign and thought, “What on earth??”

  

 
  A quick consultation with Google Maps answered the question. 

  

Given that the province of Quebec also boasts towns named Chapeau (hat), Drapeau (flag), Mayo, Asbestos and St Louis de Ha! Ha!, I guess it’s not so surprising. 

The Eastern Townships are just gorgeous, especially in Autumn. It’s a parade of prettiness, everywhere you look. 

   
   

Postcards from the past #1

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Last weekend I found myself in an antique store in Summerside, PEI. 

I commented to my friends that it was a very good thing that I had to fly home, so that I could not buy all the lovely things there. I did pick up some old postcards, including a couple that depicted places that I had recently visited. 

The first card I chose was an old black and white picture from Port Dalhousie, Ontario. It clearly depicts the part of the beach where Sean and I sat and ate our picnic dinner a couple of weeks ago, and the carousel which we rode. 
   
I was so excited to find this lovely memento from the history of a place that I so enjoyed. 

There is no date on the card, and the postmark is incomplete, so at first I thought there was no way to know when it was written. 

 
Then I had a thought: the stamp! Surely that would give me a time frame, at the very least.

   

This is a George V Scroll stamp issued between October 1928 and April 1930. This places my Port Dalhousie beach card as most likely dating from somewhere between those dates. 

Of course, it’s possible that someone might have posted it with an older stamp, but given that these were the years of the Great Depression, it does not seem likely that one would spend money on a stamp that was not going to be used right away. The handwriting certainly does not suggest someone with an expensive education, given that penmanship was still highly valued back then. 

It may just be an old postcard to most other people, but for me this is part of the real history of a beautiful place, and it’s very exciting to have it among my souvenirs.