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And the News From Tasmania is...

© Allyso

So, what is the news from the Apple Isle as 2001 moves towards its end?

Well, the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race is on again, having begun, as usual, on Boxing Day. Over the years some yacht names become familiar. Even those of us who don't take a lot of note of sport will recognise some of the field... "Brindabella" and "Nicorette" are two of the Usual Suspects. This year's race has been enlivened by a waterspout (of all things). Most unusual! To find out more about the race and its history, check it out at http://s2h.tas.gov.au/ or, if that site is closed, try typing "Sydney Hobart Yacht Race" into any good search engine.

Meanwhile, poor Sydney is suffering extensive bushfires and high winds while Melbourne has some of the coolest December weather in memory. How about Tasmania? We all look accusingly at the grey sky and put on a jumper, complaining that this just *isn't* the proper weather for December. In other years we've started swimming in the river in November, but so far this summer no-one has taken the plunge.

"Not proper weather for December" - but it was cool last Christmas, and there was a terrible bit of weather in December 1998. So far this year summer has been cooler than spring and so we're all confused.

What's the rest of the news? Well, the post-Christmas sales are on in town, while the non-shop businesses have mostly taken a few days off. Drivers are watching their step, while fishermen and -women buy fishing licences and head for the rivers and lakes. People plan picnics with one eye on the sky, and the prudent take raincoats or umbrellas if they decide to go for a day out.

And on the (very) local front? Ally's garden, so wind-tossed a week ago, has come up trumps with brilliant orange Oriental Poppies. The love-in-the-mist is mostly gone, and the plums are littered all over the grass. Bic, the little dog, has just been fetched in from the garden, cross because she isn't allowed to sit under the plum tree all night barking at possums. The computer’s scanner equipment (of course) has gone on strike. It knows, somehow, that the technician won't be back at work until next year. A friend says it's "probably a damaged transformer"... but of course he doesn't have a spare one in his pocket.

So, there's the news from Tasmania as 2001 prepares to pass into history. The world has suffered some major shocks. Australia has weathered an election, seen some political action, suffered airline upheaval and has watched in surprise while its dollar did unlikely things. Nothing huge on a global scale, but it hasn't been the most comfortable of years. Tasmania has been feeling its isolation more than usual (it always does when the airlines are having trouble). Employment figures are not the best, but the Apple Isle is still its beautiful self. And Tasmanians prepare to pass into 2002 with a wry eye on the sky. This really isn't the sort of weather we expect in December. And - Just you wait. The heat will come when the kids go back to school.