It's a paradox!

"I've been here 16 years now" she said "and I still haven't got used to it"

It's true. When you have been conditioned all your life to the traditions of chestnuts roasting on an open fire and Jack Frost nipping at your nose (or is it toes? Both no doubt), it really messes with your head when it's 35 degrees and you are doing battle with the air conditioning.

But this day I was determined to head into the City and see what Melbourne had to offer to convince me of signing up as a fully fledged supporter of Christmas in the sun.

It was 35 degrees. Sunblocked up, loose cotton dress and flip flops on I set out on my mission.

By the time I walked the 7 minutes to the train station the lining of my dress was sticking to my legs and I was willing the train with its air con carriages to arrive.

I alighted and wandered along the river bank seeking the shade of the trees and as I took the steps up onto the bridge I could see the heat rising like shimmering steam off the pavements.

Nope. No jingle bells or dashing through the snow inklings for me yet but lets be optimistic and crack on I thought.

The sight of children visiting Santa in shorts and sundresses was quite challenging as was the thought of Santa passing out through heat exhaustion and dehydration!

The tree was lovely however and I imagine quite spectacular at night......

..... and the Elf seemed to be enjoying her job.

 

Sun or snow, the magic of Christmas is still clear to see looking at the children gazing into the department store windows (shorts and sundresses - whatever).

 

 

Regardless, for us it will be different, we will make the best of it because that's what we do but we will certainly be missing this lot this year along with our many other friends and family!

.........oh and mum's roasties and Christmas Pud! (weep!)

 

Not just about the wine and the vine

There is far more to the Yarra Valley than just fine wine.

As you can very well see.

As well as a merry one, it will be a bountiful one too.

Homeward bound and the boot is full.
 

The Yarra Revisited

We had only just moved into our home and Radders was still in quarantine when we made our first trip to the Yarra Valley last April.

The beautiful wine growing region of Victoria warranted another visit. Christmas is approaching and it is a wonderful time of year in the vineyards.

It is also an amazing time for the delicious produce made and  grown here but that's the subject of the next blog.

Spoilt for choice you stumble over winery after winery. All fabulous.

Our favourite however by miles is this one.

Yering Farm. It's rustic, simple and uncomplicated and the wine is to die for.

"Can you do us a deal?"

"Of course mate"

"Are you serving lunch platters?"

"yes mate we will get one rustled up for you no worries"

We had no idea what this consisted of but went with the flow, trusting it would be delicious.

"Enjoy your platter, think about what you want and I'll give you the best deal I can"

Small, independent. family run, supplying the public and selected restaurants only. Lovely.

You won't find these wines in Dan Murphy's (Dan Murphy's is the biggest franchised booze retailer in Oz).

Here we believe we have found the most sublime Chardonnay on the whole planet.

Tasting it again, we rolled our eyes, looked at each other with complicit approval and a huge "yes, yes" nod of the head.

The lunch platter was lovely too. Made even lovelier when they said it was on the house.

We obviously bought alot of wine but that's the kind of customer service that will bring us back time after time and for Yering Farm yields the best advertising in the world - word of mouth!

As for the bottle of wine you see with our lunch, we shared a little glass between us. We were driving after all and in spite of the temptation, we enjoyed it even more in the comfort of our own home.

Yering Farm we salute you!

Stunning views overlooking the Yering Farm Vineyards

Tasting is a serious business!

 

Sauv blanc, Marsanne, Chardy, Rose, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Cab Sav

 

Load her up boys!

I think it will be a very "merry" Christmas and New Year and a jolly Easter too!

So here's to our motto, "one life, live it"

Tis the Season

...................... to be jolly!

Well I admit up until now I have been a bit of a grinch and a humbug.

Being so far from your loved ones at Christmas and trying to get your head around the fact that it is Summer has left me feeling far from festive.

I skyped with my brother this morning, his home looked beautiful, cosy and twinkly. I recognised the garlands I had given him as we were not allowed to bring any decorations with us at all.

I don't know what happened.

I wasn't expecting it but as soon as I logged off. Huge, great big fat tears rolled down my face and would not stop.

This happens from time to time, the want and need to be close to someone you love but know you can't be is overwhelming.

No I am not complaining, I am just saying how it is for me and for every ex-pat on occasion- we all experience it and often when unguarded.

I realised for the first time in my entire life, I will NOT be spending any time with him over the Christmas season.

I went straight to my default position and called the Hubster.

As ever, he reminds me why I love him so much.

"Come on you, you love Christmas, it's normal to feel the way you do but lets be positive now" he soothed.

"Get yourself to the shops, buy a tree and decs and bring Christmas to our home, just like you do every year".

So I did.

It will be different.

But we can make it into a Christmas to remember for all the right reasons, no more humbug and a lot more fa la la la la!

You are not far away really because you are right here in my heart.

 

 

 

 

Gastronomic Poles

The standard and variety of the cuisine in Melbourne restaurants is quite incredible.

We are currently hooked on Asian Fusion which encourages lots of sharing plates which we love doing!

On Saturday we discovered Circa in St Kilda.

Wow, wow and wowsers!

The pictures are not great, I try to take pics as discreetly as possible and the lighting is often not right but I assure you the food was amazing.

Don't be alarmed the dishes are not as big as they look in the pictures. We easily polished this lot off and cycled home!

Seared Tuna with Spring Pickles, Wasabi foam and Sriracha*

(*A Thai-style hot sauce, made from sun-ripened chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt)

 



LA style Korean inspired Beef Taco with Napa cabbage slaw with pickles, satay and garlic chutneys

 

 

Rice Cracker crusted spicy Calamari with Sesame and Seaweed Aioli

 

 

Somen Noodles with wood fire BBQ Ocean Trout and cleansing Dashi Broth

 

 

Hainanese Chicken with Gingered Rice, Green Onion & Crispy Skin

 

 

Salted Caramel Delice with Black Sapote* Sorbet and Macadamia Crumble

*Also known as the chocolate pudding fruit, it is a black persimmon native to Mexico and Central America

 

 

I hardly ever eat pudding but I tucked into this one with Hubster with equal gusto!

 

Then going from one pole to another................ sometimes the simplest of things turn out to be just as satisfying and delicious and you can't beat throwing a few "snags" (bangers) and onions on the BBQ.

 

 

 

 

Now it's definitely back to the gym for me!



38 degrees

On days like these you ensure you are at the dog beach by 6.30am.

Scorching hot sand and blistering pavements on sensitive paws is not fun.

The boy goes for a paddle and so do you.

Sweeping floors, ironing, mopping and hoovering are out of the question, the only thing you are going to do with a brush on a day like this is paint your toe nails - maybe.

You paint them because you will be wearing flip flops even though your ankles are a bit puffy.

Getting ready takes longer as you need to lather up head to toe in Factor 30.

Before stepping a foot outside, your handbag MUST contain all of the following items without fail.

The session at the gym has never, ever been less appealing and you question your own sanity as you crawl out of the door on the verge of self combustion.

Chilled water suddenly becomes far more delicious than any fine wine.

If you are meeting a friend, you have to seek out a lunch venue with air con, here is perfect, you skip all carbs, aagh just the thought!

Cooling Kingfish Sashimi with kaffir lime, coconut cream and toasted coconut

You feel blessed that your home has high ceilings but the air con goes on anyway.

You take at least 3 cool showers throughout the day but you can't dry your hair, even on cool the hairdryer makes your head perspire buckets.

You are culturally challenged and bamboozled by the sight of Christmas decorations everywhere.

You ensure there is a couple of tinnies in the fridge for the Hubster, then you make the salad and he throws some shrimp on the barbie.

This is Summer at Christmas time Down Under!.

 

Not just Little Penguins

 

There is certainly more to Phillip Island than those wonderful Little Penguins.

As we crossed the bridge leaving the mainland town of San Remo behind we both breathed a huge sigh.

Open fields, rolling hills, cattle, sheep - SPACE....AIR....BREATH!

We need this, from time to time we need to get away from the claustrophobia of the city, the impending walls of concrete that seem to make us feel so hemmed in.

We headed towards Cowes, twinned with the one on the Isle of Wight and we were delighted with our weekend haven.

It's quirky and we like quirky a lot.

We replenished our depleted wine stocks at the Phillip Island Vineyard, far better we thought than the Purple Hen Vineyard which seems to get more press for some reason. Delightful Pinot Noir and a wonderful Blush were purchased after a leisurely tasting.

We went up to the headland to The Nobbies (so called because the rocks protrude out of the water like nobs or stacks). Seagull breeding season was in full swing and full voice! I have to say even Seagull babies are pretty cute. It was quite a sight and stunningly beautiful.

The furthest of the "Nobbies" is home to the biggest colony of Australian Fur Seals in the world about 6000 of them.

We baulked at the $70 each price tag to go on a trip to see them and did it anyway. It really was worth every penny and the complementary afternoon tea and cake was a nice touch.

Once again it was breeding season and seal pups were in abundance. Each area of territory was fiercely protected by a huge bull who would not tolerate any other male coming anywhere near his herd of cows.

They will literally fight to the death rather than give up their girls!

It was an incredible sight and a deafening sound however the acrid and pungent smell of ammonia from their feces was overwhelming.  Every now and again you would get a huge waft downwind which sent you immediately for cover in the cabin.

On our visit to the Koala Conservation Centre (fantastic value at just $11 each), luck was on our side once more. Koalas spend most of their time in the tree tops, sleeping for 20 hours a day and so are very difficult to spot. However, a few of the koalas had come down to the lower branches to feed and we had a great view.

We were lucky to come across a wild Wallaby too, which appeared quite happy to sit and pose for us!

One of the most surprising finds was the Vietnam Veterans museum. It was fascinating, extremely well done and very emotive. I was surprised to learn that Australian and New Zealanders fought in Vietnam too. Hollywood would have us believe it was only the Americans. For Hubster to spend nearly 2 hours in a museum is a first so it had to be good.

All in all we packed a lot into our mini-break but we still managed to feel buoyed and rested.

Of course we couldn't leave without that final seafood lunch of Tasmanian Oysters and Rock Lobster salad which we enjoyed at a fabulous restaurant called Shearwater, great food and lovely sea view.

Phillip Island, what a gem, see you again in March 2013!