snow???schmow

The snow was virtually non existent.  i don't know why but i expected to drive into a snow covered landscape of chalets and pine trees glistening with white awnings and snow covered branches.  i now know that i was being very naive - apparently snow very rarely settles on the ground in jindabyne let alone creates the snowland scenes of christmas cards that i was so anticipating.   anyway it was good to catch up with louie and have a look around jindabyne. 

It wasn't what i expected at all.  i hadn't thought about what a young town it is - both in terms of population and physical existence. and it does really show.  i stopped counting both the number of pubs and the number of ski clothing shops. the place must be so different in summer, i couldn't help but think those shops must close down.  i suppose it is a little bit like tathra but in reverse, we get an influx of tourists for the summer months but we only have one pub and zero clothing shops even then. 

but apart from the number of pubs and clothing shops  what really bothered me was the lack of anything else. i'm sure if i'd  had longer to explore i might have found an op shop, or a wool/textiles shop or a cute little gallery hiding ashamedly in a back street somewhere. but the few hours i had to entertain myself (while the boys were doing car stuff) i couldn't find anything.... except there was a fabulous book shop (and one shouldn't complain as long as there is a bookshop)

and i could of spent a fortune....especially since it had a great kids section full of wonderful picture books (for me of course)...however i did refrain and only bought two books - 

Taller When Prone  by Les Murray

and

Gravel by Peter Goldsworthy

We have a bookshop down home, and it a particularly good shop too, but contemporay poetry collections and short stories are not usually on the shelves for browsing. so it was wonderful just to pick these books up and  flick through. 

.....and to read anything by mr murray is a delight.... and this collection has a number of little descriptions that vividly highlight his lucid perceptions..... such as this one;

Croc

This police car with a checkered seam

of blue and white teeth along its side

lies in cover like a long-jawed

flat dog beside the traffic stream.

I have only read one of Goldsworthy's stories, Shooting the Dog, but if that is anything to go by i can't wait to read the rest......

but for now ........

 back home and still 10 days of holidays.....off to the studio....lucky, lucky me.