Four O’clock in the Morning! What the…?

Friday morning I generally get up at six so I can get ready and walk the dog before I go to my daughter’s house at seven fifteen to take my grandson to school. So this Friday, I looked at my Fitbit, yes six am, got up, showered, got dressed and asked Google about my day. To say I was shocked when she told me in her clipped British accent (I have mine set to UK) the time was FOUR twenty five did cause some frantic looking for my phone to check and yes, with sleep in my eyes and my Fitbit set to night mode, and without my glasses, I had misread the time. Didn’t I feel like a dill?

No wonder the dog was still asleep!

Never mind, I did wordle, listened to a podcast and cooked myself breakfast. I still had time to get the washing on the line and plan my day!

I dropped my grandson off at school at 8:30 am. With some extra time on my hands, I parked my car at the new park and ride and took a bus to Hobart to get a book I ordered. I had never used it before but I met a lovely young lady at the bus stop who promised to go on before me so I would know what to do with the green card I’d purchased previously, just in case I ever needed to catch a bus!

I know what you are thinking. How hard is it to catch a bus? I live in southern Tasmania where the closest bus stop is two kilometres away, and the walk is on the verge on the side of a road trucks and cars speed along and it’s just scary. Before that I lived almost twenty years in a town without a bus. So now I can drive to the next town and park my car for free and it’s great!

Safely on the bus, I enjoyed the short trip to Hobart and thanked my new friend. I found the bookshop, a fabulous place called Cracked and Spineless. It’s a shop filled to the ceilings with new and second-hand books and is a must visit if you are ever in Hobart. I could just get lost in there. But I’m trying not to buy so many books. Trying but not succeeding! I came out with the book I wanted, plus another.

My plan was to jump on the next bus back and make this a very efficient use of time. I’d be home for morning tea. But it was such a lovely day, and I didn’t have to worry about the cost of parking, so I decided chips on the docks were a great idea.

But on the way, I saw the open topped double-decker tourist bus that drives around Hobart and I thought, what a fabulous way to see the city! So I found myself being a tourist! I loved it. As a driver, you just don’t see much, and sitting up high in the brisk Hobart air was exhilarating! Well, it was for me. Hobart is built in the foothills of kunanyi, Mount Wellington, so as we travelled closer to the mountain, the weather cooled and those tourists dressed for a sunny day soon regretted wearing shorts.

The tour ended back at the docks, so I continued with my original plan of chips on the water front. I discovered one of the punts in Constitution Dock has an outdoor seating area facing the dock, so bonus for my fish and chips on the dock. Yes, I added fish. I’d built up a hunger being bussed around!

Finally, I was back on a bus headed to my car. I was back home by one, so, in theory, lots of time for writing, but I’d been up since four, so the couch won me over. I watched the latest Little Mermaid, so still in the world of fairy tales and kidlit.

As I reflected on my day, I realised recent changes to public transport had indeed made it easier to use busses and I will definitely be using them more often. If I just catch the bus in and go straight back, I get more time. I won’t have to find a park and I’ll save money.

But will I be able to stick to that? I’m not sure it matters. It was lovely to enjoy the city without worrying about traffic (yes, Hobart has traffic), getting stuck on the outlet or waiting in queues for the multi story car park. Or spending half an hour getting to town, rushing to pick up a book (it’s always a book. No bookshops where I live.) and racing back to the car before the free parking expired. If I hadn’t caught the tourist bus and stopped for fish and chips, my detour to Hobart would have only cost me $3.10, but I loved being a tourist for the morning and enjoying Hobart without the other worries, so no regrets.

As a writer, it’s easy to spend my time in my head. At my computer. Or staring into space while my mind races through ideas. But it felt good to get out into the world and see my home town as a tourist. Lots of fodder for new stories, plus a very enjoyable day.

When was the last time you let yourself be a tourist in your home town?

Let me know in the comments.