Life's like that!
We've had a wonderful holiday - one of our best ever, although the last accommodation, which cost the least, was the best appointed! The only place to offer crisp, ironed linen, plenty of space and everything you could wish for, including good heating, tissues, clothes hangers and washers. We had to buy a washer in Adelaide because our expensive unit had none.
Last Sunday, we had breakfast at The Flying Fig, and although we are grateful for the suggestions for other good cafés, we won't budge. The meals are so yummy, beautifully presented, the staff are friendly and remember us, and the location is easy to reach. After breakfast, we headed back to our St Peter's unit for a rest, before we set off to walk to Norwood to visit their 35th Food & Wine Fair. It was most impressive, with the main street blocked off and lots of food & wine available. We found a beautiful bookstore, Dillons, and we also found the Norwood football ground at the other end of the main street. Richmond & St Kilda supporters were lining up to enter the ground, and there was a wonderful atmosphere.
We walked back home for another rest before heading back to the Adelaide Oval to see Collingwood play Hawthorn in a nail-biter. The Pies were well ahead at half-time, but the Hawks rejigged things and came back fighting after the main break. The sole reason we won was our ability to shut the game down, as we only scored 2 goals after half-time, but stopped the Hawks scoring the final goal they needed to win.
Monday was our last full day in Adelaide, so we went back to The Flying Fig, before driving to Norwood to see Wicked Little Letters at the Hoyts Cinema complex that we had spotted the day before. I bought the tickets online, and we were both amazed to be in Gold Class standard reclining seats with a huge screen. I really enjoyed the film, but it wasn't Wes's cup of tea. It was chock full of good actors, including one of our absolute favourites, Timothy Spall, and a cameo by Dame Eileen Atkins.
Afterwards we drove to the Pyrenees Wine Region to visit Shaw & Smith, makers of a great Sauvigon Blanc. We were impressed with the stunning views from the tasting room, and were well looked after by Ronnie, a young Carlton supporter, who gave us some beautiful wines to try. We ended up buying a mixed dozen, which should arrive here shortly.
Back home for a rest before dinner at Chef Dong, where we had eaten on the Friday night. We were warmly welcomed back and enjoyed another stunning meal with a suitable bottle of pinot gris. When we got back home again, we did most of our packing so we could get away early.
We set off at 7.30am and made a stop at Coonalpyn, where the Bakery made great sandwiches. There is a painted silo, a large area with picnic tables and clean loos and quite a few drivers were taking advantage of the facilities to have a break. We had tea & coffee thermoses with us, which were perfect with our egg & lettuce sandwiches.
We arrived at Summerfield Winery in the little town of Moonambel, where we picked up a cheese platter, and were given directions to our cottage in the main street. We were most comfortable there with heaters in every room, a huge TV with more options than we had enjoyed in Robe or Adelaide, continental breakfast provisions and peace & quiet.
We spent Wednesday mostly reading and relaxing, although we did start our day with a walk around the township, which has many signs detailing the history of this place, which was started during the Gold Rush. There is no general store or Post Office - only the old pub, which now describes itself as a coffee lounge, and isn't open every day.
Rather than drive to Avoca or Stawell, we opted for lunch at the winery, where we enjoyed a green salad & a pumpkin wood-fired pizza. There were plenty of more interesting options available, but they all included meat! I had a glass of the sav blanc & Wes tried the rosé, but the real specialty is their reds, in particular their cab sav, which is very yummy. The winery was too busy for us to do a tasting, so we will just have to return there.
The next morning we set off at 8am and arrived back here in Daylesford at 9.30, stopping only to fill up with petrol and check the tyres before pulling into our driveway. Wes unloaded Pearl, then hopped into Sammy to drive to Eureka Kennels and pick up Morse. Needless to say, Morse was delighted to be brought back home, and with a good report from Eureka. I had unpacked everything while Wes was away, and after a lunchtime sandwich, we got stuck into our desktops, where there were lots of things awaiting our attention.
On Friday, we enjoyed a lovely walk around Lake Daylesford and finished just as dawn was breaking. Back home for me to Zoom with Leanne, and Wes to get stuck into the garden. Daylesford had enjoyed some rain while we were away, so all the plants looked happy & healthy, and there were even a few roses in bloom.
Yesterday we took Morse to Daylesford Cemetery, where he had a good run, before coming home and having another good sleep. Wes washed the cars and collected potting mix & mulch in preparation for some serious work on the garden this coming week. I caught up on ironing, and bought some bright red wool for a new jacket for Morse, as his current one (which was knitted for Frodo) is looking worse for wear.
That afternoon, Wes drove to Ballan to catch the train to the Docklands Stadium to see Carlton play Adelaide. He was hoping to get there early enough to catch up with Ben Lazzaro & family, so went equipped with Cherry Ripes, a long-time footy tradition. Unfortunately the train was 30 minutes late and he arrived only in time to join the nervous crowds queing to get into the ground and missed out on seeing the Lazzaros. As well, after the Blues led for most of the game, the Crows found some energy in the last 5 minutes & won by 2 points.
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