A Lazy Day

I spent most of yesterday in Tasmania, but only in my mind. My feet needed a rest from excessive hiking and I decided to spend the day sitting on the beach and reading a book that Jane had recommended from the Mosman library. The Roving Party is a pretty graphic tale about the purge of natives from the island of Tasmania during the late 1820s and is a study in brutality. The central chracters are a rum soaked settler named Batman and a white raised aboriginal named Black Bill. They make an unlikely pair of allies as they beat through the bush with a posse of temporarily liberated prisoners searching for natives to kill or capture. The writer, Rohan Wilson, has a style that reminds me of Coramc McCarthy, and comparisons between this book and Blood Meridian are unavoidable. I will finish the book today, and I can only hope for some sort of redemption for the sorry lot that makes up this posse. I thoroughly enjoyed my day of reading, especially since I was able to commence by having a great Skype conversation with Jayne back home. I even got to see our lovable terrier, Willie, who gazed upon my image on the big screen with great interest. Today I will make my way into the city again where, in the evening, I will join Wyatt, Luke, and Shelly for a concert in the Opera House. Beethoven's ninth symphony will be performed, and I am looking forward to it. The weather has taken a turn for the cooler today, with the first overcast skies I have seen since my arrival. I am glad I brought a coat.