lure of the thylacine

i have always been fascinated by the thylacine. the tasmanian tiger. although declared extinct in 1936 long before my birth, i along with many others hold hope that the species is still out there.

i bought this book for my dad sometime last year as a gift (i must admit, when i gave it to him, i made him promise once he had read it that he would give it back to me to read.) and he said he really enjoyed it. so did i. i finally got around to reading it and wow. in the opening information in the book, it's suggested that you do not read it unless you have plenty of time on your hands, as you're unlikely to put it down and i can see why.

the book is filled with tales old and new of those who have personally seen the thylacine, or know tales of those who did in their time. it was absolutely fascinating reading these eye witness accounts. a few bogus ones have been thrown in, but they are marked as such - and what good is a book without entertainment? i was definitely educated though, i had no idea the tiger had ever been found on the mainland!

it got me thinking again, why would someone claim to see one if they actually hadn't? what good would it do them? it's not going to bring them fortune or fame without solid proof, in fact, quite the opposite... i can only see people bringing ridicule upon themselves for claiming they've seen an animal declared extinct so many years ago. i am inclined to believe nearly all the accounts and genuinely hope one day they'll be roaming tasmania again. 

i thoroughly recommend this book for anyone who has a love for the tasmanian tiger. an excellent read.

sky & hayley got married!

this week one of my dearest friends got married... in tasmania! hayley and i have been friends for 24 years and counting, so when she asked me to come to her teeny nearly all family wedding i clearly had to go. lucky for me one of mums dearest friends lives in tassie, about 15 mins from the venue, kindly let me stay with her and babysat baby j for me, while i thoroughly enjoyed myself. i was even luckier that a friend here in perth watched madeline for me while doug was at work each day... :)

what a perfect day it was! cloudy (makes for beautiful photos!!) and crisp but not too cold. 

and what a beautiful bride she made! it was so great to be there and see the smile that just couldn't be wiped off her face for the whole day. there is no doubt in my mind that she and sky were truly meant to be.

the ceremony and reception were held at the red feather inn in hadspen, near launceston. it's a gorgeous old inn built in 1842 and is everything a bride could dream of. vintage styling, old buildings, on site accommodation, amazing food...

the ceremony was in the courtyard, where we played lawn games whilst the photographer took her snaps afterwards, then we moved into the barn to have our meal at this gorgeous old long table, heated by a log fire.

hayley was a dream in her gown and sky looked gorgeous (he scrubs up well)... the bridesmaids were beautiful and tyson (skys son) the best little man was perfectly behaved and looked so sweet.

i was thrilled to be allowed to take some sneaky snaps during the day (thank you hayley!) and also to have been asked to give a speech at the reception. i dragged up some good stories and got some laughs, but definitely felt so privileged to be there. watching someone you have known and been friends with for so long, marry the one they want to spend the rest of their life with is just something so sweet to be a part of.

bridal party

the sweet reception area

first dance, i love that look of pure joy on hayleys face in the photo below.

sky's mum even made their cake and it looked amazing, what a sweet mother in law hayley is scoring!

and here we are together. congrats hayley! enjoy your happily ever after. xx