We've recently returned from a 9 day trip in Tassie re-acquainting ourselves briefly with Hobart and then spending some time at Pumphouse Point at Lake St Clair and a stint on Bruny Island.

We last visited the Apple Isle in Summer about 5 years ago so this trip would be a little different in terms of climate. Last time we spent about 2 weeks going round the coast and someone else did the driving. It was a great tour and there were only 4 of us on it so it was very personal and we chose it because it had a food focus .This time we had our own wheels and our own timetable and it was up to us to find those little foodie outlets...how did we get on?

We landed at Hobart Airport Friday mid morning and it's easy to get a taxi to take us to the city centre. Our taxi driver is an interesting chap. He's actually got the seat reclined back when we get in and it turns out he had fallen asleep whilst watching something on his laptop. He's also got this large plastic jug jammed in the side of his seat filled with what looks like porridge or some sort of smoothie...

It gets weirder. He starts talking to Steve about the weather which is all well and good but then the chat turns to Stonehenge and crop circles and aliens. Then the conversation veers towards literature and I am drawn into Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy discussions! Not your every day taxi ride chatter for sure.

We stayed at Customs House Hotel which is on the waterfront and is effectively a pub with rooms. It was great value for money - $180 per night including breakfast for two. We weren't expecting any luxury but it was clean, serviceable and yes there was some noise but we figured that would be the case and it didn't really disturb us. The room was ready before check in time so it was great to unload our stuff and head back out.

We had made good time from landing to arriving in the city and we headed to Small Fry for lunch. We'd seen some television coverage of this small eatery and were keen to give it a go. We sat at the bar, watched the chef in action and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. We went with the two special dishes - the ham and barley soup and a minute rump steak with potato nest. The soup was like comfort in a bowl and we could be eating it in a country farmhouse. The steak transported us to a Parisian bistro with it's glaze, tartiflette (cheesy potato nest) and fresh, crisp apple and leaves salad. We also headed into sweet stuff territory and the chocolate brownie Steve had and the canele I had were both hits.

After lunch Steve and I headed to Lark Distillery to enjoy some gin and whiskey and we parked ourselves there for the rest of the afternoon. Our friends Sam and Christian were also in town for Sam's birthday and a quick text message later, they had joined us! The afternoon was really about a few snifters of whiskey and gin, some beer, some wine, a cocktail for me and some good old chat. And after a brief break to freshen up for dinner, we reconvened at Peacock and Jones for Sam's birthday dinner.

Saturday was about Salamanca Market in the morning where we bumped into Sam and Christian before they headed to Mona. We continued to mooch around the area and had a look at the Aurora Australis that had docked. It's an Australian research and supply ship that goes out to the Antarctic. We discussed jumping on that but figured it was a long way to go for an afternoon! Instead we a found ourselves on the 12:00 ferry to Mona. We hadn't planned on going as we'd been before but given it was looking like it was going to rain it seemed to be a good place to go. Plus I found out that there was a table going at The Source Restaurant there which I'd heard good things about.

We had a delicious meal at The Source and had a walk round the actual art gallery too. We got through it pretty quickly and found ourselves on the same ferry back to Hobart as Sam and Christian.

Steve and I had dinner plans at Aloft which was close to our hotel and we enjoyed an interesting meal there.

The next morning was when the next leg of our trip began. We picked up our hire car in the morning, loaded up and we were on the road...

It's a picture perfect day weather wise. There's blue sky and golden hues of Autumn. We don't need to be at our next destination until 2pm and it's only 2 hours away so we take a circuitous route and stop by a couple of places.

We drop in at Frogmore Creek for a bit of wine tasting. The russet leaves on the vines are so pretty. We first came across this winery at one of the Private Dining Room events where we enjoyed their dessert wine but they are so much more than that one offering. Apparently the restaurant is pretty good too...next time...

We also visit Shene Distillery. Steve had read about this place after it won a double gold for its unfiltered gin. It really is just a wooden shack in the grounds. You can book tours online but we weren't that organised. The gentleman that served us was super friendly and actually took us into the distillery for a quick look so we kind of had a mini tour. And the unfiltered gin is delicious and unique. The filtered stuff is pretty good too but more run of the mill.

Third stop is a brewer cum cattle farm. We were there more for the beer than the beef though. Two Metres Tall is another little outpost we saw on TV, well Steve saw but it was also recommended by Chayse at O.My Restaurant when we visited as he served us one of their products. 

As we drove closer to our destination the weather closed in and it became greyer and moodier; all very atmospheric as we made our entry to Pumphouse Point.

 of the fire.Oh Pumphouse Point! When we last visited Pumphouse Point as accommodation didn't yet exist. Built in the 30s and open in 1940 to pump water to the nearby Tarraleah Power Station it was never actually used so was decommissioned in the 90s and placed on the Tasmanian Heritage Register.

In 2004, the lease is secured by the current owner and work begins on restoring it as accommodation. It takes over 10 years of work before Pumphouse Point is open to residents. Sympathetically and stylishly restored it's a privilege to be able to stay there and enjoy the hospitality and the surroundings. The surroundings are beyond the ability of man to create and Lake St Clair and the national park is breathtakingly beautiful in all different weather and Pumphouse Point as a place to stay just enhances that.

Our first night there we put our feet up literally and enjoyed the honesty bar in the lounge area in front of the fire. 

The next day was another beautiful day of autumnal sunshine so we made the most of it. After breakfast we took a walk around the area surrounding Pumphouse Point and explored a couple of spots by the water as well as the pontoon where the rowing boats are tied up. We didn't get in one though. Instead we drove 10 minutes to the Lake St Clair Visitors Centre and completed a few of the shorter walks that start and end there combining them to make them a bit longer. We didn't spot any platypus but we did enjoy the fresh air and peaceful atmosphere. Such perfect weather for walking we were really surprised we didn't bump into another soul until right at the end of the walk back at the Visitors Centre.

As we were out and about we also took a brief drive to The Wall which is a remarkable piece of art. The artist Greg Duncan has carved some beautiful scenes into wooden panels. Undeniably there is craftmanship, talent, artistry, labour, skill and heart, lots of heart in this work. Greg does not allow people to take pictures so I can't show you how wonderful it is but you can see his website and if you're in the area, it would be a huge shame not to pop in. It costs $13 entry but it's worth it. There's a bar to buy a drink if you want to peruse with a whiskey, wine or beer and I also spent some time on a comfy sofa in front of the fire flicking through his books learning about the story behind this.

Lunch was at the local pub and then the rest of the day was spent enjoying more aspects of Pumphouse Point.

The next day was pretty miserable with rain and grey skies so we holed up indoors and moved from bed to sofa and back to bed, raiding the in room larder for sustenance and the honesty bar in the lounge for liquid indulgence. Much better to be inside admiring the shades of grey of the lake...

After 3 nights it was time to move on so on our last morning we had an early breakfast and it was back on the road...

Our journey to Bruny Island takes us back through Hobart and onto Kettering where we boarded the car ferry for the quick 15 minute crossing. Along the way we pick up some supplies from the butcher in a small town called Snug and a cute little store in Oyster Cove.

Our accommodation is the Bruny Boathouse which is about a 30 minute drive from the ferry terminal. As we make our way there we call in at Get Shucked which is an oyster farm with an on site restaurant. It's only a fleeting visit but that's ok as we pop in once a day during a stay! It's fun to see the local school bus call in at the oyster drive thru too; island life! 

Next to Get Shucked is the Bruny Island Cheese Company which also has a brewery so we try some cheese, enjoy an afternoon coffee, beer for Steve and continue on. The Bruny Boathouse is a cute little unit with beautiful views of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel and Satellite Island. Throughout our stay we enjoy the views out of the window.

The next day is a little grey but we still head out. Steve has read about a walk that goes along a beach and up called the Fluted Cape. We underestimate this walk! It's a hefty hike up a very tall cliff and then back down again which gets a little hairy for me as the track veers close to the edge in places! And then back along the beach. So much for a short little walk Steve! We rest for sustenance at Get Shucked for our second day oyster fix and back up the walk with a climb up 10 flights of steps to a lookout with views down what is called The Neck which is a long narrow strip that connects the North and South of Bruny Island.

The next day we're greeted with blue skies and sunshine. Given we had a strenuous day previously we decide to explore the rest of the island in the car. We pop in at Adventure Bay and spend a brief moment admiring the beautiful white sand beach. We pick up some supplies at the store for dinner and enjoy a platter for lunch at the winery. We back up the platter with delicious oysters at Get Shucked. They do amazing steamed ones with lemongrass, miso and other delicious ingredients. So gooood!

And that's our little stint on Bruny over. The next morning we pack up and head on out.

This is the day we head back to Melbourne. The morning starts with the journey off Bruny. Our plan is to explore Woodbridge which is close to the ferry terminal on the mainland. We call in at Peppermint Bay which is a beautiful restaurant with water views and enjoy morning tea - savoury scone and a pot of tea. We're pretty early so we head to Grandvewe which makes cheese from sheep milk. Interestingly they also have a distillery that makes vodka and gin from sheep whey. They also make this vanilla liqueur from sheep whey that tastes like baked vanilla cheesecake. It's quite unusual so Steve bought a bottle.

We had a bit of time so we decided to drive to Sorell which is about 20 minutes from the airport. It's a small town close to a lagoon and our friends Rachel and Tim have recently bought some land there with a view to build. We decided to have a sneaky peek.

Lunch before our flight was at Barilla Bay. After 3 days of oysters, we needed our fix. It was a good lunch - great chowder but we preferred the oysters on Bruny Island. I think we've been spoilt now and the bar is well and truly high.

Our flight was at 4pm so after lunch we headed to the airport to return the car and it was homeward bound.

Our Tassie trip was peaceful and relaxing with lots of fresh air, oysters and down time. We were blessed with some mild weather and really saw rain and sunshine. The rain didn't dampen our spirits and it was quite nice to see some of the surroundings with a wet lens.

Tasmania is a pretty special place so I don't doubt we will be back. Maybe not Hobart; as nice a city it is, the pleasures of Tasmania lie out of the city and it's so easy to get on the road and reach those places.

One of our favourite festivals came and went in the space of 2 weeks and it kept us busy, well fed and happy. Experience has taught us to get organised in December and book tickets to the big ticket events we want to go to and before you know it, the end of March rolls in, and we're there!

This year felt bigger as it coincided with World's Top 50 Restaurants Awards and Melbourne was awash with cooking royalty.

We kicked off the festival with one of the longest running and most traditional events - the Long Lunch which was took place on Lygon Street with guest of honour Antonio Carluccio.

We were lucky that after heavy rain the day before, it cleared up and the impressive long table stretching down several blocks was so welcoming and inviting. We were entertained by singers making their way down the tables and Carluccio himself did a lap of honour in a golf cart.

Given there were about 1800 people there, Peter Rowland Catering did a great job with the food and the hospitality was warm and generous. We were so well looked after by the wait staff that served our section of the table and were impressed at how well run the event was. The news reporters covering the event had a harder time trying to find sections of revelmakers that wouldn't interrupt the filming with waving and cheering! Less successful for them!

This is a great event and I'm sad we haven't discovered it earlier so that we can make it a regular thing! Definitely get a group together, take the day off (it's on a Friday), let the hair down and enjoy!

We backed up Friday's long lunch with dinner at The Press Club for their April Fool's themed event for the festival. This was one of the pricier events (excluding drinks) and it was described with all the hype and hyperbole so our expectations were high.

For the occasion, The Press Club went from Greek to Indian. There were moments of delicious food but we actually felt the event was over priced and over sold. It didn't run with the precision of the Long Lunch nor was the hospitality as warm or generous. Sadly it was a bit of let down for us.

Third day in a row for a MFWF event and I found myself at Madame Brussels on a Sunday afternoon with a couple of girlfriends enjoying plenty of rose and pink cocktails and some nibbles on a Japanese theme. It was a chilly afternoon so the blankets came out but the vibe was warm and the swinging party meant new friends were made and there were plenty of laughs.

We were expecting shared tables of communal food but it turned out to be like a market with stalls offering the different dishes. Once we'd adjusted our expectations, it worked out pretty well, mainly because we were able to find a little corner table outside. For those forced to stand, it might not have been such a great experience. I did overhear a girl who was a little upset that she'd gone home from quick, freshened up, put on a new fancy outfit only to have to keep her coat on and eat off paper plates stood up!

The queues moved quickly, the food was tasty and with 6 accompanying drinks, price wise it was decent value. Not to mention, we didn't have to queue for a Lune croissant and instead it was served to us! That in itself is a rare experience right?

​Had we not been hitting the events every day since Friday I think we'd have stuck around longer and made sure we got our 6 drinks.

We had a 4 day hiatus from Festival events before our final outing at the Winemaker's Feast. Our table was hosted by Phillip Jones and his wife from Bass Philip and we were treated to a selection of his wines and a couple of others chosen by our accomplished sommelier Nick Hildebrandt of Sydney fame from Yellow, Cirrus, Bentley and Monopole.

Seated at a round table (table 8 was the best table in my opinion) it was like being at a super fun and very beautiful wedding with plenty of good cheer and some amazing food from Scott Pickett. The Sher wagyu beef with the Vichy carrots and fermented black truffle was a stand out! 

At one point we were served three glasses of pinot noir, 2010, 2012 and 2015 alongside a delicious duck and cherry dish. Such a treat and so nice to see a table groaning under the weight of numerous glasses of pinot noir.

This was far, far, far from banqueting food you could imagine and it was a delightful way to spend the evening.

Strictly speaking after the wonderful Winemaker's Feast, Melbourne Food and Wine Festival 2017 was over for us. We were able to mourn the end of the frivolity with a heartwarming, tastebud tingling pop up dinner at Persillade in East Melbourne held by Dalchini. Ex head chef at Tonka, Ved and pastry chef Kaylene treated us to a wonderful modern Indian menu.

Truly delicious and well balanced spicing from the first taste to the last. It was a lovely way to ward off the chill and rain of the incoming Winter.

After enjoying everyone else's labours of kitchen love and hospitality, it was time for us to host. We had a few friends round over Easter weekend and enjoyed putting on an Nobu inspired feast. We launched with some of the famous and well loved Nobu dishes of jalapeno yellowtail king fish and crispy rice cubes and spicy tuna. I hope we honoured Nobu with our renditions. It seemed to go down well with our guests even if one of them did crack a tooth on the crunchy rice cubes! Eek!

As hostess I was gifted the most elaborate Easter centrepiece complete with fluffy chicks, a manic looking bunny and plenty of chocolate! It was exactly what our little soiree needed!

And Amelia has also been having fun. She's pulling plenty of funny faces these days!

It's been so long since I've posted in this section of my blog. Over a year! It's become harder and harder to keep up the 'diary style' writing and now given there's Instagram, it's a lot easier to see what Steve and I get up to in 'real time' anyway. So follow me on there if you want to see my misadventures!

I guess it's only right to maybe summarise this past year. And then I think moving forward I will post when I feel there's something to share; passions, opinions, what's going on, that kind of thing but not the regular 'this is what I've been up to' type of writing.

Weather in Melbourne is still very warm - in the thirties this weekend. They're calling it a late Summer and Autumn is showing no signs of arriving. Maybe we'll launch straight into Winter. This also means that there have been spectacular sunsets and sunrises. In spite of the warm sunny weather, we have noticed that it's still dark in the morning at 6am so we wake up to sunrise which sets up the day nicely.

The last post was about a holiday to Noosa. Since then we had a family holiday in Malaysia where we met up with my mum and dad and Amelia. Dad came back to Melbourne with us and stuck around until September! As usual it was a pleasure having him around as he looked after us with plenty of home cooking and left us with a fridge full of dumplings and spring rolls that saw us through until Christmas!

We spent Christmas Day with Kirsty at our place where we ate and drank a lot and called in at the pub for some festive chilled egg nog. We weren't convinced by the thought of egg nog but it was truly delicious. And the Kirsty backed us up with Toblerone cocktails.

Our Christmas holiday was a road trip from Melbourne to the Southern NSW coast; the Jervis Bay area where we stayed in a lovely holiday home for a week but stopped in Canberra on the way there and the King Valley on the way back.

Workwise, I started a new role in the same company at the end of January and have returned to my training and L&D roots which I love. It's been a long and circuitous journey and admittedly it wasn't a destination that I definitively had in mind but I love that I can go back there once more.

For Steve, he completed a secondment in industry as a CFO last year and is in the middle of another secondment now at a much larger organisation. Ironically, he's working with Kirsty again. Another twist of fate that I love!

I'm still keeping up the barre classes and have got over my fear of the reformer machine for pilates so attend some of those when the barre schedule doesn't work. I'm doing 20 sessions a month and have convinced Steve to come with me! I go during the week by myself but he comes with me on a Saturday and Sunday morning. He's been doing it since January and he's kept on at it so he must be enjoying it in some twisted way. I still can't bring myself to admit I enjoy exercise but something must be going the right way given how much money we spend at the studio and how often I'm there! I have a new interest in activewear!

My mum's opinion on this picture is that Steve looks very comfortable and I just look a bit not quite right! I'm not sure what she's trying to say about my maternal capabilities!

Holiday memories fade fast don't they? It's been just under two weeks since our visitors left and we've had some quiet time just cooking in the apartment and mooching around the neighbourhood even during the long weekend just gone.

It was relaxing up until the Monday evening when I unexpectedly felt a dry tickle in the throat. Well that has since turned into a chest infection and a loss of my voice so I've been resting and recovering at home. It's the usual aches and pains and fatigue and fuzzy head and many people go through so much worse but it's still pretty miserable.

I had sick person food yesterday (congee). I think it's pretty common to crave the comfort food of childhood when ill and although it's not as good as mum's home cooked dishes, I'm grateful that in Melbourne. it's pretty easy to pick up this kind of stuff. So as I sleep and take two days to write this post as everything seems to take twice as long as I'm operating on what feels like low battery or power save mode, it's comforting to think back on the fun and happy times of the last month...

Steve's parents and brother arrived early on a Wednesday morning and it was fortuitous that our citizenship ceremony was on the Thursday evening. It was so nice to be able to have them there. I'm not sure if we'd have invited anyone had they not been in town! The ceremony was at Richmond Town Hall and it was pretty long. The addresses weren't so long in themselves but it was more the number of people having to get up and receive their certificates and given we were second and third in line admittedly waiting for everyone else wasn't as entertaining as it could have been. But still it was a great occasion; photographs and cheering were encouraged, flags and stuffed koala toys given out and a Chinese choir who sang the many songs in their repertoire including Waltzing Matilda but their version was Watching Matilda.

​And what do new Australians do post ceremony? Go eat a souva aka as Greek food and we all enjoyed dinner at Jimmy Grants which was quite apt given Jimmy Grant was what they used to call immigrants in Australia.

We went to the Ai Wei Wei and Andy Warhol exhibition during the first weekend of the Barleys' visit. It was pretty interesting but for me, and I think I'm in the minority, whilst the political strands of the exhibition were clear and thought provoking, a lot of it lacked craftmanship or artistry. Maybe I'm more of a traditionalist and the art I like is about technique and pretty pictures but I fully admit to being far from an expert. Neverthless it's a a very worthwhile exhibition and a good way to spend the morning. We followed that up with pre dinner cocktails at 1806 where Dad Barley enjoyed a rare and apparently wonderful whiskey followed by dinner at Lee Ho Fook.

Our week in Noosa was filled with sunshine bar the first night when there was heavy rain. Noosa is beautiful and we enjoyed the house we'd rented on the river; sitting on the balcony looking out on the water or on a lounge by the pool. The boys went out on the river in kayaks and we had a few meals out as well as trips to the Eumundi Markets and the local farmers' market. Blessed with so much sunshine, the coastal areas were beautiful and water temperatures perfect for paddling.

We spent two days on Fraser Island with a small tour group which was such an incredible experience. We swam in beautiful clear water lakes including the breathtaking Lake McKenzie and because we made the effort with an early start, we were there before the crowds and it was a once in a lifetime experience. Even at 8:45am the water temperature was so pleasant. 

We saw dingoes strut along the beach, saw the Maheno shipwreck, walked through a rainforest, climbed a mini cliff for oceanic views, bounced along endless sandy tracks and were grateful we chose to go with a tour group and expert driver rather than self drive! We were so well looked after and really got the most of the two days on the island. Seeing the sunset at the end of the first day on a jetty with a bottle of bubbles was pretty magical too.

After we returned from Noosa, the remaining week the Barleys were here just sped by. Steve and I were at work and returned on an evening to lovely home cooked food which was a treat. We saw Matilda at the theatre which was a very professional and slick production.We also took the opportunity to take a walk by the river through Yarra Bend Park which Steve and I had always driven past and always talked about doing but never did. It was a lovely sunny day and we could see the leaves begin to change and welcome Autumn even if the temperatures didn't feel like it!

And our last night dinner was at Dinner by Heston. Steve and I had planned this as a bit of a treat and surprise but on the day of our booking, I received a call to confirm the table but also to see if we would like to dine at the Chef's Table in the kitchen as they'd had a cancellation. Such a rare opportunity so we felt we couldn't turn down such an event and we had a great time. And enjoying the tasting menu meant I didn't have to share a Tipsy Cake. We had one each!

Since the Barleys have left, as I said it's been pretty quiet for us. The apartment feels huge and a little bit empty! The long weekend was pretty calm although Steve had to work unexpectedly through some of it but mainly it was all pretty relaxing. Well up until the stealth chest infection crept up on me!

And as each blog post isn't complete without a few snaps of Amelia, here she is! She loves her mummy and paw paw (my mum) so much!

After a quiet February and a successful Febfast for Steve, things have picked up pace! And it's not long until we have some visitors and a week off coming up!

Steve took one night off from Febfast for a Private Dining Room event which was seafood based and the mystery location was in Carlton. It was a wonderful Friday evening and we were joined by Kirsty and her mum Anne.

Some interesting dishes combining seafood and native ingredients. The highlight for me was probably the curly calamari with hints of lemon verbena. So fresh and delicate. Wattleseed doughnuts went down a treat too. 

As always we've also done some cooking; from cheese souffles and rabbit to a Nobu inspired feast during the long Labour Day weekend. 

​The changing seasons has been interesting. We've had some super hot days with temperatures in the 30s but also, especially more recently we've had cooler days and the jeans have come out of the wardrobe! Sunrises and sunsets have been pretty spectacular too.

March is Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. This year the program has been compressed into two weeks which is shorter than usual and meant that for us the three events we signed up for took place on Friday, Sunday and Monday so a bit of a marathon really but we dug deep and made it through!

The three events were each special in their own way and we enjoyed all of them. We started off with a Friday night in a spiegeltent at the Circus Oz HQ which happens to be a 10 minute stroll away. St. Crispin restaurant was a our host and the dapper Scott Pickett was in charge. We were seated in a booth "ringside" and shared the table with a group of 4. Some delicious food including a lovely rabbit dish served under a hat and a tasty swordfish offering. Scott and the team worked hard in tents round the back and it was a very warm evening, Hats off to them! 

Naturally given we were beneath the big top there were a few circus acts thrown in for good measure so there was entertainment as well as good food. A couple more acts would have been welcome and unfortunately the seating wasn't comfortable so this old middle aged body felt a bit achey by the end of the night but the tummy was full!

Our second event as the All Stars Front of House dinner at Ezard in aid of StreetSmart which is a Melbourne based charity that funds programs that help the homeless. We were in safe hands as very experienced Front of House managers from a number of well known and excellent eateries provided the service and selected a dish from their restaurant for us. There was also an auction of some wonderful lots such as a Pei Modern dinner cooked and served in the comfort of your own home We tried to bid but generous folk outbid us! This was an excellent evening with delicious food, stellar service and a great atmosphere of generosity and fun.

Our last event was a table at our favourite Town Hall Hotel and we were joined by Jon, Shern, Kirsty and Anne for a Pierre Koffman feast. A delicious peach and jambon tart set the scene. The main course of pigs trotter was challenging for some of us but I think we all got some enjoyment out of it and Steve was a huge fan! The evening was topped off superbly with the celebrity sighting of Matt Preston and Anne even had a photo and a chat. He was thoroughly charming.

Other things this month - I did the crazy thing of attending a 7am barre class on the piblic holiday. It was still dark! And I discovered Mile End Bagels which is a great post barre indulgence!

The front row seats meant that at the start, two of their dancers took a selfie with us!

And as for Amelia; well she loves her Eddie (the family chihuahua) and she loves Cinderella and went dressed up as this princess for World Book Day at nursery. She's had a UK style trip to the beach, all wrapped up and no swimming in the sea but she enjoyed digging a hole in the sand!

Happy Valentine's Day! Having been married for over 12 years, Valentine's Day is not something we celebrate hugely although my philosophy is to embrace it enough as another opportunity to tell Steve he's a good egg! And he ventured out this morning whilst I was at barre class to pick up a red rose and card...apparently planned and not a last minute thing.

So our Valentine's weekend has consisted of a great mixed grill expertly executed by Steve on the trusty Weber on Friday night, a day out in the CBD shopping on Saturday with lunch at Spice Temple and fried chicken for dinner with cups of tea as Steve is participating in Febfast and today has been grocery shopping and hanging around in the apartment. There's a roast chicken in the Weber and and a chilli con carne in the slow cooker for dinner next week. Domesticity at its best!

​In terms of other things that have gone on; we had a lovely Friday night dinner with Jon and Shern and plotted a plan for the gents' 40ths in July. We are excited about what lies ahead...watch this space!

Another lovely catch up was with Tim and Rachel at the lovely local Fitzroy Town Hall Hotel which really is like an extension of our apartment for us. It never ceases to tickle me that two of our oldest friends from home are here in Melbourne with us! Funny how life can turn out....

They're such fun and always so appreciative of being fed. Perfect food guests. Bunty takes a wee while to warm up but once she's up and running she loves to hang out with Uncle Steve. 

And then there was Mexican night at Nat's. Bear in mind Steve is Febfasting and I think this one was a bit of a challenge with Corona, tequila, margarita sorbet all flowing.

And of course, happy Chinese new year! Steve and I did not celebrate. Actually we rarely do. But we caught the tail end of some decorations this weekend and had yum cha at Spice Temple. The little boy in the picture is Luke, my cousin Jo's baby and he's a baby no more and such a happy chappy. Such a cute picture for Chinese new year.

​And it was Webbley's 30th! Little cousin has grown up. Can you spot him as a weedy but cute little boy?

Webbley's lovely girlfriend Sophi spent his actual birthday with him and then organised a surprise dinner in Manchester with the other cousins and some friends. What an amazing looking cake.

Happy birthday little bro!

And the usual update on Miss. Amelia. She loves playing with her dolls. She gets my mum and dad to play "Mummies and Daddies" with her. She went to see Peppa Pig at the theatre and her verdict was she preferred "The Tiger Who Came to Tea" which she saw well over a year ago when she visited us in Melbourne!

And the biggest news is her other godparents, Charlotte and Ben had a little girl, Olivia. She has been part of Cha Cha's pregnancy and often told us on the phone that the baby was coming after Christmas. Finally she met baby Olivia and is one proud big godsister!

So the new toy came home with us along with various other accessories so Steve could make BBQ magic and the boy has done well!

We've enjoyed various home cooked delights with the Weber including an apple and strawberry crumble!

Facebook has had a Way Back When trend and funnily enough my family started WhatsApping some delights from the family archives beginning with my mum sending through some of her wedding pictures! My little sis looks so much like her and Amelia looks so much like my little sis! There are some true classics and I have spent a lot of time looking at them and laughing to myself. The picture of my cousin Carine in a pink outfit with helmet hair is a delight!

It's also been my birthday and I spent the day at work. My boss (relatively new as I changed roles in November) left a box of gourmet chocolates on my desk as she had the day off in my honour! She went fishing with her nephews! And I felt so loved as friends swung by my desk with gifts and good wishes and there was a gorgeous delivery from my little sis. Unpictured is the mini raspberry tart that was gifted to me by my team member Debbie that I had for breakfast and incidentally, I ended the day with a miniature lemon tart! 

Birthday lunch was a delicious birthday burger feast complete with candle with Stef and Royal Stacks and birthday dinner was pasta at Tipo 00 with Kirsty and her mum.  And there were more gifts at home and also from Kirsty including a spa voucher from Steve and an additional one from my in laws including parents in law and aunty and uncle in law and cousins in law! Double spa time - winning! Especially in January when Steve works super hard. I think his gift of spa voucher is also a gift in disguise for him as it keeps me out of his hair!

We had great seats behind the umpire a dozen or so rows back. They were meant to be in the sun but the morning was wet so the roof was closed and when it dried off we missed the majority of the sun but it was warm. We did get some sun but we hadn't brought any sunscreen until I remembered I had a mini sample 10 ml tube in my make up bag so that prevented burnt thighs and knees and Steve scoffed at the size of it but but served him well!

We caught up with Kirsty and her mum after the games on Rod Laver and we enjoyed a Legends game with Ivanisivic, Bahrami, Forget and Pat Cash before an evening wine. It was a great day out and we didn't get home till late. 

It's Australia Day today (Tuesday) and it's a public holiday. It feels a bit like a Sunday though and we enjoyed lunch at a local pub and Steve barbecued lamb for dinner. Traditionally for Australia Day, families and friends gather for BBQs and we felt we had our Aussie Day festivities actually on Sunday as Shern and Jon invited us round. Some great BBQ food, salads and lamingtons for dessert. Very traditionally Australian even if there was only one true Australian amongst us!

And now I leave you with a slide show of Amelia's Christmas adventures and some other family pics. She started nursery this week! Such a grown up! We're very proud of her because there's been no crying and she has done so well at settling in. We'll be seeing her in July for a family holiday in Malaysia and I'm so excited. We have proper conversations on the phone now and she really knows how to get round Steve. Her openers have been "I love you. Can we go on holiday?" How can he say no?

Writing an account of a holiday always is a big blog post and when it's a 19 day trip across two islands with multiple stops it's an even bigger task. And that's why it's taken a few weeks to get off the ground.

Steve and I finished work for Christmas break on the Friday before Christmas. We had an early flight on the Saturday morning and after a brief 3 or so hours or so we were on New Zealand ground.

We picked up a hire car and it was only a short drive to our first stop which was a suburb known as Hillsborough and the home of Steve's long time friend from university (so many years ago) and our host the first time we visited NZ ten years ago; James and his wife Christine and two rambunctious kiddies, Charlotte and Andrew.

James has taken up home brewing and needless to say, Steve enjoyed the fruits of his labour. He'd even made a special ale in commemoration of their reunion with a photo from our trip ten years ago. 

We didn't feel the need to have to go out and see Auckland and preferred the company of the family over a home cooked meal. Little Andrew was a charmer and picked some daisies and buttercups from the garden for me! Charlotte was a bundle of fun and asked Steve to dry her after her bath and claimed that Daddy always held her by her ankles upside down to do the job. We found out later, Daddy never does that! But Steve obliged!

The next morning after a good feed, we made plans to visit a local market so Steve and I could pick up some supplies and head to our next stop; an estimated 3 hr drive North of Auckland.

Unfortunately plans were scuppered when we discovered the hire car had a leak so we returned it to the airport and picked up another one. Given we had to be at our next stop by mid afternoon to catch a boat that wouldn't wait for us we were under a little time pressure so no market for us and just a quick supermarket scramble.

Finally after the hire car leak debacle, we made our way to Paihia in the Bay of Islands. Blue skies and fluffy white clouds all along the way made it perfect weather for a road trip. 

We arrived in Paihia and found our accommodation which was a spacious studio style apartment and the owners kindly let us park there for the night in spite of us not staying there that night as we were booked on an overnight boat cruise. It was about a 20 minute walk away from the wharf and town centre and the owners kindly offered us a lift as time was ticking.

So the next 22 hours were spent aboard The Rock on an overnight cruise. The Rock is a converted former car ferry and there were about 20 passengers mixing from young backpackers to families with teenagers and younger kids. It was a great blend of folks and Steve had been a bit nervous beforehand that it would have been a bit of a backpacker booze cruise.

The crew were young but reassuringly the skipper was now. Undoubtedly the crew worked hard from hosting games, manning the bar to cleaning the toilets. Whilst it might have seemed to have been a fun job, I also saw that it wasn't all glamour and giggles so credit to them.

The first icebreaker activity was target practice at a floating duck tied to the back of the boat with a paintball gun. Flukily I made it to the womens' final (I hit the duck with one of my shots) and had a shoot off with a young Singaporean but couldn't sustain my performance so lost. I think Steve was super surprised I even hit the thing and I was even more surprised than that!

Because the Rock was a former car ferry, the back of the boat was completely open which was interesting. On the main deck there was a bar, bathrooms, woodburning stove, lots of tables and chairs and a mini pool table. There was a very sociable vibe as people enjoyed each others company. The bedrooms were upstairs and there are a blend of dorms, family rooms and double rooms. Steve and I had booked a double but were allocated a slightly bigger family room so there was also a set of bunk beds. Very little time was spent in the cabin but it was comfy enough. Yep, no en suite facilities and although there was a shower for anyone to use, we were encouraged not to unless we really needed or wanted to. For the sake of 22 hours and the promise of a lovely apartment post cruise meant I could go without!

We tried a bit of fishing - no luck and there was also some night kayaking once it was dark and we anchored. Steve gave the kayaking a go and fell right in! Apparently something to do with trying to reposition himself. The crew were baffled and didn't really know what to do as apparently it's quite hard to fall in and it had never happened before! I just laughed through the whole episode. And the water wasn't too cold Steve says.

After a night's sleep we spent more time on the water and also headed to a pretty island where I lay on the beach and Steve took an ascending walk to the top of a hill for beautiful Bay of Island views. There was some snorkelling but there wasn't that much to see before we headed back to Paihia.

In all it was a fun 22 hours with lots of fun little activities packed into that time.

After the cruise, we had a fairly relaxed day and took the car ferry to Russell which was the first European settlement and sea port in Russell. It's a sweet and civilised little town far from its history as the Hellhole of the Pacific where lawlessness and prostitution abounded.

After a drive to the tip and a walk through the town with a drink at the Duke of Marlborough, NZ's first licenced premises we found ourselves at Omata Winery. Why how did we find our way there?! En route we passed by a little oyster farm and called in where we gorged on huge, creamy specimens with a few of the oyster leases.

Omata is perched high on a hill with beautiful bay views and we whiled away a couple of hours with an antipasto plate, plenty of sunshine and a spot of reading. Russell is accessible by passenger boats from Paihia wharf or by the car ferry. The bonus of taking the car ferry is that there are possibilities to explore the wider areas such as the winery and beaches outside of town.

Day 3 in the Bay of Islands was another organised trip and this time we headed Northwards to the furthest tip, Cape Reinga. It's a long drive there so was broken up with a visit to see an ancient Kauri tree and a quick visit round a former gumdiggers site which is where people used to dig for amber.

We enjoyed some time at 90 Mile Beach and there was even a bit of sandboarding down some vast dunes. It was a long day so we were glad that someone else took the strain of driving. The weather wasn't quite as glorious as the days before but the rain held off and there were glimpses of sunshine here and there. 

Our last day in the Bay of Islands was Christmas Eve and we took a drive to Kerikeri. It's the home of New Zealand's oldest wooden structure still standing, Mission House also known as Kemp House and is now a museum. The neighbouring structure, Stone Store is New Zealand's oldest surviving stone building originally built to be a storehouse for supplies and provisions. As well as this piece of history, Kerikeri is also the home to a chocolate factory that produces the yummiest macadamia brittle! 

We managed to find a winery for lunch, of course we did before returning to Paihia where we spent an hour by the wharf singing Christmas carols with the local community. The grey clouds dissipated and it turned into a balmy evening perfect for carol singing and so Christmassy!

Christmas Day dawned and it was time for us to hit the road for leg 2 of the trip. We escaped the greyness that had rolled into the Bay of Islands and headed South and as we journeyed, we could see the sky become bluer and much more appealing. We were very lucky this holiday as we seemed to leave places just as the bad weather rumbled in and certainly the Bay of Islands experienced heavy downpours after we left.

We called into Auckland (which was kind of en route) and enjoyed a lovely Christmas lunch with James and his family complete with festive present unwrapping and lots of excited children. It was the perfect halfway point for us and following that, we continued the drive Southwards to the Coromandel Peninsula. Part of my Christmas gift to Steve was that he could have a drink with lunch and I drove this part of the journey. It was a pleasant drive but as we neared the peninsula the roads sure got winding with hairpin bends and ascending heights. But my expert precision driving got us to our destination which was a boutique B&B perched high up a hill in Whitianga with panoramic breathtaking views of Mercury Bay and lush green fields. 

Our hosts, David and Dmitri put on an impressive Christmas dinner for us. How nice that people made good home cooked food for us on Christmas Day! And we joined two other couples as well as David and Dmitri for a festive five course feast. One of the couples were American and had been in Sydney for 18 months so as soon as we heard this, we thought Big 4 secondees and lo and behold, he works for PwC! So there was some accountant and 457 speak and I think everyone else wondered how and why we could bond so quickly! It's amazing how common ground unites people and accelerates comversations!

We loved staying at Bayview at 91. Our suite was gorgeous with a fully equipped kitchen, outdoor terrace with amazing view of Mercury Bay, luxury bathroom and amazingly comfortable bedroom. Cleanliness was like godliness there and we were so well looked after. There would be drinks on the wrap round verandah from 6pm and we would come together with the other guests to talk about the day's adventures and then David or Dmitri would drive us down to town in time for a dinner reservation they'd made for us. Just perfect hosting!

Boxing Day was spent at the Lost Spring lounging in the hand sculpted pools that were filled with natural thermal spring waters and indulging in spa treatments. What with drinks and food served poolside, it was easy to spend a day there! All blissed out, we were too lazy to go out to dinner and David was so obliging and picked up a Thai takeaway for us and he joined us too at the dinner table. Such a relaxing day.

The remainder of our evenings in Whitianga, which were two were spent at dinner at the same restaurant, Salt. It wasn't easy to secure bookings as it was holiday season and one of our other choices wasn't open! Salt is located on the waterfront and we didn't mind going there twice. The first night we actually shared a table with a lovely German couple also staying at Bayview who were on a 3 month, once in a lifetime trip around Australia and NZ and this was their last stop. She ran a riding stable and he was contemplating retirement after a career in environmental engineering. We really enjoyed their company and in spite of it being the end of their trip, they also found out that they had become grandparents so were happy to head home to meet him.

With two days free to explore the area, we chose to head Northwards on the first one and Southwards the next. The Northern route meant that we headed to the town of Coromandel. We tried to go on the narrow guage railway there but it was all booked out so we reviewed the map and figured we'd continue north on the West coast to another town called Colville and make a loop and return via the East coast. Little did we know that the road to Colville is less road and more gravel track so it was white knuckle and hair raising to say the least. Steve's comment was that it was his first experience of feeling car sick whilst driving. My reaction was to close my eyes to steady the stomach and let sleep take over!

At least we made it to the East coast and to recover from the perils of the journey we called into Whangapoua Beach with the intention to make our way from there to New Chum Beach, often featured and voted as one of the world's top 10 beaches. It is one of the last sizable underdeveloped beaches in the area and only accessible only boat or via a 30 minute strenuous walk on a partly unformed track along the coast from the estuary at the northern end of Whangapoua Beach.

We embraced this walk where we followed the Whangapoua shore and then crossed the river inlet before scrambling across boulders and rocks keeping an eye out for the native bush path which was really a mud track that went up and down with the odd tree stump thrown in for good measure as well as tree trunks to climb over. It may have only been a 30 minute walk but it was an adventurous one so we felt no guilt laying out and spending the rest of the afternoon recovering!

Our Southern day out itinerary included a stop at the famous Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach but as we reached Cathedral Cove, we saw so many people and cars that we decided to give up and find ourselves something more secluded.  David had told us about Lonely Bay as "locals' secret" and also a popular place for beautiful wedding photographs. Dmitri is a professional photographer and after seeing some of his works we thought it would be nice to see the actual beach. We drove to Shakespeare Cliff and took advantage of the look out there down onto Cooks Beach and Lonely Bay before taking the steps down to Lonely Bay. Indeed it was a gorgeous little beach with rocks and cliffs on either side. I think I preferred it to New Chum so Lonely has my vote!

​After some beach time, we found ourselves at Mercury Bay Winery for a spot of lunch. We do manage to sniff out wineries!
 
And so our time in the Coromandel came to an end and it was time to return to Auckland. Both the Bay of Islands and the Coromandel are breathtakingly beautiful places and so accessible from Auckland. I think Coromandel was our slight preference. We just enjoyed the beaches and the views a smidgen more.

It was time to head to the South Island and we left Auckland for Christchurch. We had visited Christchurch 10 years ago and loved the city then. We wanted to see how it had come on since the 2011 earthquakes and it also gave us a chance to re connect with friends Toni and Peter who we met on our Tasmania holiday in 2011 and their daughter and son in law Kirstie and Marty who we used to see when they lived in Melbourne.

We stayed just outside the city near Hagley Park as we understood the CBD was still under mass construction so was a bit quiet in the evenings. It was about a twenty minute walk from our motel to the CBD and there was a strip of bars and restaurants in between so it was a great location.

We arrived late afternoon and decided to just take it easy and had dinner at an Asian restaurant close by called King of Snake which apparently had some great reviews. It's tucked away off the main street and is all glam interior, cool and dark and it looked like it wouldn't be out of place in Melbourne. We were seated at a communal table, how Melbourne and were served efficiently and quickly.

The food was nice enough, good produce, well cooked but the flavours just weren't quite as on point or well balanced as Melbourne. I guess we are spoilt now! But it was enjoyable neverthless and we were grateful for the quick service so we could head back and relax.

The next day we took a walk to the CBD following an "arts trail". There are some really thought provoking sites including the Transitional Cathedral also known as Cardboard Cathedral which stands in place of the badly damaged original 500m away. It is the world’s only cathedral made substantially of cardboard.

There were various art installations along the way and where there was none, we could see the Canterbury hills in the distance. The storage container mall was a happening place with food outlets and boutiques and hive of activity going on.

We enjoyed a few minutes at the Dance-O-Mat which is a square dance floor complete with suspended glitter ball amidst a concrete building site. The music comes from a configured old washing machine with a phone jack and for $2 it will play 30 mins of music! Such creativity and dancing brings joy which is what is needed after the devastation of the earthquakes. I felt that this installation really brought to life the fact that the only reason such creativity was as a result of the destruction. Irony.

Seeing the destroyed cathedral, the flattened sites and cordoned off buildings and the 385 White Chairs art installation, representing lives lost was haunting. The majority of new buildings in the CBD are international hotels as they can afford the rebuild whilst others are still grappling with insurance companies or trying to raise funds. Christchurch is completely different to what it was. But there is a sense of rebirth and there is creativity and resilience in the air. And Christchurch retains her beauty in spite of the tragedy.

There were some reminders of our previous trip though as we walked along the river and found the willow tree that we had take a photo under last time round. And we prolonged the nostalgia by stopping off for an icecream from Vanilla Ices which has been serving from a truck in the same spot since 1926 bar a 4 year hiatus post earthquake. It's an interesting combination of milky ice cream, pouring cream, chocolate chips and raspberry cordial. I don't like overly creamy or rich ice cream so this was right up my street. An unusual sight was a very fit lady in her sports gear buying two and eating one herself and feeding her little dog the other! Lucky dog!

The next day we had brunch with my former boss and work colleague Kathi and her family. Kathi spends every Christmas and New Year in Christchurch which is her husband's home town and we were able to make arrangements to catch up. It was a bit of a coincidence really because our messages via mobile phone didn't get through and it was actually when I was waiting for Steve on the street the day before, that she and Murray drove past and saw me and we were able to make plans! Meant to be!

And after that catch up, we had another catch up with Toni and Peter, Kirstie and Marty where we went to Roots restaurant for dinner. It's an inspiring story. Owners Giulio and Christy met in the States; she is American and he is Chilean but couldn't organise work visas etc. and so ended up in NZ with little money but big dreams. They set up a small place literally serving food on the street in Lyttelton, Christchurch and in 2015 was crowned NZ's restaurant of the year!

It was a wonderful evening of cocktails, wine, creative and beautifully presented food, cheese, sweet treats and just lots of chatter.

And then it was the last day of 2015! We spent New Year's Eve at a local restaurant, Strawberry Fayre and another coincidence; Steve bumped into some colleagues of his dining at the same place! After dinner we took a walk to Hagley Park where there was some live music but the lack of preparation in terms of jackets for the cool evening climate and something to sit on meant we didn't stay for very long.

2016 started off gloriously - all bright blue skies and sparkling sunshine. We decided to drive the 90 minutes to Akaroa which is a small harbour town which had both a French and English settlement. Waterside views are superb with gift shops, tearooms and cafes a plenty. And we bumped into Kirstie whilst we explored the town! 

When we returned to Christchurch we headed to Kirstie and Marty's home where they'd invited us for a BBQ dinner along with Toni and Peter and Marty's girls Phoebe and Jessie. It was lovely to see their home and enjoy some warm hospitality.

And soon it was time to hit the road again and we had a long drive to Wanaka via Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki and the Mount Cook salmon farm. We arrived in Wanaka in the afternoon and this time our accomodation was the YHA! Yes from boutique B&B to hostel. But we figured for this leg of the trip and the next, hostels would be a good option as we wouldn't be spending that much time at the accommodation and really only needed cooking facilities, clean bedroom and bathroom and the hostels obliged nicely.

Wanaka was busy and it was good to see the day turn from grey and drizzly to blue skies and sunshine. We enjoyed a lakeside wander and dinner and drinks. The next day we decided to see more of the lake and enjoyed a sunny walk along the Waterfall Creek Track along the lake's Western shores. Steve watered a couple of native trees along the way and that's not a euphemism. There were barrels of water and buckets along with instructions to do so!

After the walk, Steve suggested we brave the Queenstown traffic and actually call in for lunch. It was quite a wintry looking drive with low cloud and mist and when we pulled over at the Crown Range Lookout it was pretty cold.

Now the reason why Steve wanted to do this little detour was because whilst on The Rock we met a British girl called Kate who used to be pretty much vegetarian until she came to NZ. And when I asked her why, her answer was simply, "I had a Fergburger." So naturally if this burger can turn a vegetarian, well Steve wanted to sample this life changer!

A quick Google search shows that many have debated whether Fergburger is the best burger in the World and Lonely Planet named it among the world's "best and bizarre" burger experiences. 

According to the STA Travel website: "Fergburger is a Queenstown institution, having served huge, juicy burgers since 2001. It’s pretty much a rite of passage for anyone heading to Queenstown, and many claim that they’d swim back to New Zealand for a bite of the burgery goodness."

And as foodies will know, such goodness means long wait times. Steve dropped me off and the queue was down the street. Note to future punters - I joined the queue just after the North Face shop and it took me an hour before a burger was in my hand.

So was it the best burger experience? I don't know about best but it was darn good and I would happily do it again. The hour wait was pretty painless in spite of being underdressed for the unseasonably cold weather combined with Steve's frustration when he returned after grappling to find a car park.

The queue is well managed and controlled and there are free mini cookies given out. Everyone who works there is super cheery but not in a fake way but they're not overwhelmed by all the orders or the people and there was even a guy in the kitchen singing so he was definitely not feeling the pressure. I think that combined with a good burger equals a positive experience. It was a painless hour - we found a little table so could take a seat whilst waiting for our burgery feed. The onion rings are amazing. The burger is well constructed and juicy and even down to the last bite stays together. I've spent much much worse hours.

We arrived in Te Anau later that day and checked in to the YHA there. Te Anau is another lakeside town with the largest lake in the South Island and second largest in NZ after Taupo. But it's not the prettiest of all the lakeside settlements and there's not much there. It really is the gateway to other places.

After so many meals out and the burger, we decided to cook and picked up some groceries from the supermarket. It was so nice to sit down to a bottle of wine and a bowl of spicy tomato pasta. The simple things!

The next day was something we'd been looking forward to and that was an overnight cruise to Doubtful Sound with Fiordland Expeditions. The day started at Lake Manapouri where we boarded a big boat across the lake to West Arm and there everyone split off into their respective tour groups some day trips others overnight.

Unlike The Rock where there was 20 of us this was a much more intimate cruise of 10 on a much smaller vessel. But before we boarded the boat we had a minibus journey across the Wilmot Pass which is NZ's most expensive road and for all the money spent it's still an unsealed road! We jumped out at the highest point for our first glimpse of Doubtful Sound.

We had a blissful 22 hours aboard the Tutoko cruising Doubtful Sound. We cruised out to the sea where it became a lot more choppier and saw NZ fur seals basking on rocks before turning around and enjoying more tranquil waters alongside abundant sunshine.

We enjoyed meeting a family from the North East with adult children who were travelling together and funnily enough, the daughter and I went to the same school! So she and I enjoyed exchanging school experiences. There was also an American couple who were a lot of fun and on a delayed honeymoon and another British young couple who were on a short career break. Even our chef / host / minibus driver commented that we were a group who bonded extremely well.

And how could we not bond over some special experiences. The first was lobster mac and cheese for lunch followed by a spot of fishing. It started off slow and I thought it was going to be another empty exercise much like our time on The Rock but then things got frantic. There were a few small catches of pretty Wrasses and then the big guys rocked up included a stripey Wrasse that Steve caught and some Blue Cod. And then a sand shark rocked up! Wow that took some hauling in. And if one wasn't enough, another was caught but we let that one go as we had plenty.

Following the excitement of fishing, our chef also is a diver and he went and caught us some lobster. He came back with about half a dozen and a few of them were HUGE! Naturally they were on the dinner menu and the American couple and I agreed that getting our chops round those paid for the trip in themselves! It was a BYO cruise and Steve and I had underestimated so were on rations but luckily the generosity of this American couple helped us out in our time of need! No wonder we liked them!

Post catch excitement led to some kayaking adventure and Steve enjoyed some time on the water whilst I enjoyed some cheese and downtime. The male half of the American couple along with our chef / diver / host and driver dived into the water but it was heartstoppingly cold so the rest of us enjoyed the show.

The evening was all about lobster dinner and we stayed up for a bit and did some stargazing on the top deck before retiring.

Breakfast was lobster scrambled egg plus other things. Three straight meals in a row of lobster! What a high life! The rest of the morning was spent enjoying the sound and we even spotted a trio of penguins in the water which apparently is very rare.

Incidentally in spite of the fact it's called Doubtful Sound, it actually isn't a sound but a fiord. A sound is created due to glacial erosion and a sound is a sea or ocean inlet. Same applies to Milford Sound hence the area is correctly known as Fiordland but the name Sound has stuck.

We were back in Te Anau for lunch and enjoyed the rest of the sunshine in the outdoor area with our books and we enjoyed another hostel cooked dinner.

And the next day was our final water adventure as we boarded the BBQ bus for a day trip to Milford Sound. This involved a long drive from Te Anau (even longer for those that started in Queenstown so we were grateful we were already in Te Anau) that was broken up with short stops along the way to admire the pretty scenery. It wasn't cold but certainly the sunshine we'd had for Doubtful Sound was a lot more scarce.

I particularly enjoyed a short stop at Mirror Lakes which was enchanting and also at The Chasm where we were able to walk across two footbridges over the Cleddau River offering views downwards to a series of waterfalls. Thousands of years of swirling water have sculptured round shapes and basins in the rock. 

Lunch was naturally a BBQ hence known as the BBQ bus and we parked by a lake where some beautiful lavender, violet and pink lupins were growing. So pretty. 

We joined a 3pm cruise on one of the smaller boats and Steve and I sat up front on the outside deck. This proved to be a mistake as we got drenched and had to go inside to dry off. Thank Heavens for the complimentary hot tea. It was pretty grey and having had a soaking we were feeling a bit drab and damp. At this stage compared to Doubtful Sound, Milford was not looking good.

When we turned round we were encouraged to go outside once more as we wouldn't get wet and it was warming up. This saved our Milford Sound experience and it really was awesome to see the heights of the cliffs and the waterfalls. As we were a smaller boat we were able to get under Stirling Falls (Wolverine jumped off this) and also underneath some overhanging rock faces which was fun. Stirling Falls is three times the height of Niagara which is hard to believe but I guess part of the impact of Niagara is its breadth.

It's definitely worthwhile to see both Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound if you can as they are very different. Doubtful is greener, smaller and more intimate whereas Milford is more awesome. There are more boats on Milford so it does feel more touristy but it's still a great experience. I liked that fact that we chose to spend more time on Doubtful in a small group and just do the the day trip on Milford.

And our Milford Sound trip was our last excursion. We were treated to a final night sunset of great beauty and the next day made our way to Queenstown for our flight to Melbourne. The weather as we drive along Lake Wakatipu into Queenstown was looking particularly grey and moody but I enjoyed seeing this side of the scenic views.

It was a wonderful 19 day trip that felt much longer. We packed in plenty of activity but didn't feel too rushed but at the same time enjoyed a long weekend back in Melbourne before gearing up to work.

Pretty much a month has gone by and it's been pretty busy. And it was also the Age Good Food Month and we attended an event a The Lincoln pub with Jon and Shern.

It was a charity dinner for FareShare who provide food for people in need and for this dinner, all produce and ingredients were donated so the cost of the meal went to FareShare.

There was even an interesting beer brewed by local brewery Barrow Boys, made from leftover malts from other beers and a blend of different hops. The wine was an eclectic collection again, of donations and we enjoyed several bottles of rioja which is rare and expensive in Australia for around $40 each and with the help of Vivino, we discovered the RRP was around that price too so a bargain and all for charity too.

We shared shoulder of lamb with different sauces and condiments and the fish course was inspired and cooked by Frank Camorra himself of Movida fame.

And continuing with the theme of food, Steve and I hosted a Sunday lunch and invited Nat, B, Spinners, Mof, Kirsty and Stevie B round. This was following the success of roast chicken night by Mof and lasagne night hosted by Spinners so it was our turn.

For a Sunday lunch that was meant to be casual and not a big one, we managed to build up an impressive stash of empties and that was with two drivers in the crowd!

​I started a new job this month but had the Monday before day 1 off and I had a lovely day. I am good company, I must say!

Started off the day with a massage and then had lunch at Tipo 00 at the bar and enjoyed a decadent truffle risotto.

We hadn't caught up with Ling, Noah and Bunty for a while so had a little get together at a new restaurant in a new development of a shopping centre. They gave us a private dining room for our reservation which worked out great for us as there was room for Bunty to stretch her legs. 

Then we ended the evening with ice cream next door and by this time, on a sugar high, she was Steve's best friend!

I mentioned earlier it's been the The Age Good Food Month and one of the biggest events is the Night Noodle Markets and I attended twice; once with Kirsty and then a quick visit with Stef for dessert.

It's vast and busy but the atmosphere is fun. I think that it's more about the festival feel as the food is stuff you can get in the actual restaurants that pitch a stall but it's nice to be able to have a few things from a few places and sit in the sunshine. By the time you buy a taco here, a bun there it all adds up to the price of a meal in a restaurant too but again, the price is about paying for atmosphere and party.

Hipster food and party atmospheres...lead me to the next food adventure. Lune has had so much amazingly positive publicity about it's croissants and it recently closed its Elwood operation and opened a new place in Fitzroy just round the corner for us.

We drove by the first weekend it opened quite early in the morning; around 8am and the queue was snaking down the street and it hadn't even opened!

I read later in Broadsheet that people started queuing from 4am! That's insane! Can a croissant be that good? Well Steve has been intrigued and so following that scene, made another visit the next week and again, queues that caused him to give up.

Finally one morning he decided that he'd join the masses and he took his place in the line at 7:45am. I didn't even realise he'd gone until I received a text from him that informed me of his whereabouts! And he returned 90 minutes later with a box of treasure!

So were these goodies worth 90 minutes of wait time? Maybe not for just the croissant. Admittedly it was a perfect croissant with crispy flakiness, light as air dough and buttery flavour but 90 minutes is a long time. The Luxembourg cruffin convinced me it's worth the time commitment though with it's mandarin curd and custardy filling. Oh just joy really!

Since then we've whiled away a sunny afternoon sat by the window (with a view of our apartment block) with newspapers and other reading fodder enjoying some great food.

And in the time we have been enjoying food and wine and good company, Amelia is welcoming the Christmas season with a visit to Santa, an introduction to bowling and plenty of baking. She also loves going to soft play and my mum and dad take her most weekends and this time Aunty Carine showed up too. She likes to call Steve and I for a short chat (aided by my mum actually making the call) and we've had conversation about holidays and how she wants to go swimming in the deep pool as well as favourite ice cream flavours. Such a grown up now!

So in October we had a public holiday for the football and this month's public holiday is for a horse race! In spite of not being an avid follower of either, I'll take the benefits of the day off from work. Given Melbourne Cup falls on a Tuesday, it's fairly common for folk to take the Monday off and have a super long weekend and we chose this course this year.

The Melbourne Cup holiday weekend also marks our Melbourne anniversary. We arrived in this welcoming and wonderful city 5 years ago. That's 5 years of blogging and over 500 restaurant reviews! It's certainly been an adventure and it's continuing. 5 years also marks our application to become citizens and we're waiting to hear back regarding the next step - citizenship exam!

We headed to Port Fairy which is 3 or so hours West of Melbourne and is one of the small towns at the end of the Great Ocean Road. Taking the coastal route makes it a 6 hour journey though so we went inland. 

I'd booked us accommodation at Drift House which is like a boutique B&B but the room is more a suite with a kitchenette and outside terrace with a fireplace. We had suite 3 with timber cladding on the ground floor and it was a lovely relaxing place to spend 3 nights.

The Saturday we travelled there was a glorious day in spite of it starting off drizzly and grey. By the time we arrived in Port Fairy it was all gorgeous blue skies and sunshine in abundance. We spent some time watching the surfers at one of the beaches before checking into Drift House and relaxing for the rest of the day before heading out to dinner.

After some blissful slumber, Sunday was grey and there was a chill in the air. Steve used our breakfast provisions to cook up soft boiled eggs on smashed avocado on toast to fuel us up ready for a breezy walk around Griffiths Island. It's a pleasant trek across tracks some boardwalk, some gravel and over the beach, Lots of resting burrows for shearwater birds and a few dead ones along the way which I am not fond of.

We then headed East towards Basalt Winery which had a cafe where we popped in for elevenses (a fortifying shared sausage roll) before a quick wine tasting. We were there after all. The owner served us and encouraged us to take a drive across the road to Tower Hill which is an inactive volcano with a crater lake. It's quite a pretty view from the top across the water. We drove down and followed one of the walking routes and spied an emu in the car park as we headed to the track. Plenty of little lizards along the way too.

Sunday afternoon was then spent relaxing back in our suite and I used the beautiful bath tub and enjoyed a hot soak with a book.

How wonderful Sundays are when there is no work on Monday. And Monday was a day of very little. After another home cooked breakfast we drove into town to pick up some provisions for the rest of the day as we didn't feel like going out for dinner. Another afternoon soak in the tub followed by a massage at the local day spa combined with doing very little other than lie on the sofa was truly a restorative time and before we knew it, today arrived and it was time to leave...

The journey back to Melbourne was uneventful and we arrived back at the apartment in time for Steve to set up a Sportsbet account and for us to place a few bets. I recall the conversation, "Prince of Penzance for me please. Going to support the girls." as I chose my horse for it's royal title (I am a fan of royalty), nod to UK with Penzance, nod to a musical I am fond of (Pirates of Penzance) and what swung it for me was the female jockey. And Steve's response was, "That's truly an outsider so we will just go for a place." I wanted to argue but couldn't summon the energy after such a relaxing weekend,

And there you have it, Prince of Penzance and his female jockey, Michelle Payne were the victors! And I backed the winner but not enough to take the ultimate prize of an on the nose bet but this is sweet enough!

Amelia has spent this weekend at her great aunty Lillian's caravan in Cumbria with her mum and dad. She has been there before and loves the animals and the swimming pool and she even got into the spirit of the kids Hallowe'en party making friends and throwing some shapes on the dance floor. Apparently her costume of choice was to be an ugly witch. She's far from that to me but her little green face is funny. Poor mum and dad had to wash that out and I hear that wasn't easy!