It does get cold here in Melbourne. Maybe not UK cold but there is a chill in the air. Although there is sunshine it's warmth is not of the intensity of the Summer sun and once the sun disappears and there are few clouds in the air, it definitely feels like Winter.
And Winter means we need warm friendship, comfort food and log fires to keep our souls cosy and our toes toasty.
Last weekend I met up with Christine for cocktails and dinner and we enjoyed some good conversation and the vodka certainly warded off the chill.
Last Sunday, I was Steve's sous chef as he cooked an incredible roast dinner. We had roast rib of beef with Yorkies (I made those!), onion gratin, Brussel sprouts with bacon and toasted almonds, roast potatoes, mash potatoes, green beans, stuffing and gravy. Dessert was a berry meringue topped with toasted hazelnuts and caramel. Just to reassure you, it wasn't just the two of us that got through all that! We had some of Steve's PwC colleagues come round for the afternoon and we enjoyed all the good food, some great wine that they brought with them and a good old general reminisce about Sunday dinner back home.
This weekend the warmth of friendship continued as we caught up with Jacqui and her lovely family at her in laws' country property near Heathcote.
We enjoyed lunch in a place called Redesdale...yep pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Much like our recent pub stay in Tooberac, this was a pub in a place with a name!
We enjoyed lunch in a place called Redesdale...yep pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Much like our recent pub stay in Tooberac, this was a pub in a place with a name!
We had a great day outdoors where Tom and Pete rode bikes, played soccer with Steve and helped us gather wood for all three fires we had going at one time!
With Richie as our Chef along with his secret pizza dough recipe which he openly shared with me so it can't be that secret and he was also Chief Pizza Oven Officer so pizza standards were sky high! We had a great Saturday night dinner of delicious pizza with wine and the Lions game on in the background which Jacqui and I did not watch and chatted through.
With Richie as our Chef along with his secret pizza dough recipe which he openly shared with me so it can't be that secret and he was also Chief Pizza Oven Officer so pizza standards were sky high! We had a great Saturday night dinner of delicious pizza with wine and the Lions game on in the background which Jacqui and I did not watch and chatted through.
Tom and Pete were as entertaining as ever and enjoyed Steve's company at the bar!
Rich very kindly chose to share his $100 bottle of wine that he was given and the classy people that we are, decanted it in a cafetiere!
Rich very kindly chose to share his $100 bottle of wine that he was given and the classy people that we are, decanted it in a cafetiere!
Today we had a lie in unlike Jacqui and Rich as the boys wake at 6am. Steve wallowed in bed for a while nursing a sore head but a bacon breakfast, cup of tea and kickabout with Tom and Pete soon chased those cobwebs away.
We said our farewells spoke of plans to repeat the fun experience and Steve drove us to another village in the area known as Kyneton where we enjoyed a bistro lunch.
Melbourne has been super busy this weekend and so I was grateful to be able to escape the crowds. There are so many visitors from UK supporting the Lions tour of Australia and because we live close to the CBD and in a fairly touristy area we have been caught up in the crowds. I even saw a bunch of men come out of a teddy bear shop near my offices on Thursday morning with a stuffed lion. Strange thing to do when in Australia but I guess it's not the worst souvenir. And funnily enough I saw same said lion or one that looked a lot like it at one of the bars in Southbank on Friday night amidst a crowd of supporters.
Steve has just come back from an AFL game and says it's still busy out there and there were a large number of Brits at the game too.
We said our farewells spoke of plans to repeat the fun experience and Steve drove us to another village in the area known as Kyneton where we enjoyed a bistro lunch.
Melbourne has been super busy this weekend and so I was grateful to be able to escape the crowds. There are so many visitors from UK supporting the Lions tour of Australia and because we live close to the CBD and in a fairly touristy area we have been caught up in the crowds. I even saw a bunch of men come out of a teddy bear shop near my offices on Thursday morning with a stuffed lion. Strange thing to do when in Australia but I guess it's not the worst souvenir. And funnily enough I saw same said lion or one that looked a lot like it at one of the bars in Southbank on Friday night amidst a crowd of supporters.
Steve has just come back from an AFL game and says it's still busy out there and there were a large number of Brits at the game too.
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