Brrr, but it's cold outside.

Well, it's been 2 weeks since our little sojourn in the warmer weather and we have come home to a winter in full swing. Not that I am complaining, I love winter but it does seem like a shock to the system to be so cold so quick. The winter woolies have been dragged from the cupboards and are keeping the cold at bay. The hats, scarves and gloves have also been unearthed and are getting worn on a daily basis.

Has this put a halt to our adventures you wonder. Of course not, winter in Melbourne is a time to throw a few extra layers on and get out amongst it. Our first foray into the cold was to the Whitehorse Club on Sunday night last week. We met Verity, Astrid & Hans there to see Il Dago 2 - Now with Noodles. It was a fabulous show, think Wog Boys, and you have it. Verity's friend, Jason Chong, was the new boy in the act (Asian/Australian) and was the MC for the show. And the Whitehorse Club (an Italian Club) with an audience predominantly Greek & Italian made the night even more memorable as the place was just a riot of laughter. Hilarious.

Monday night we donned the hats, coats & scarves again and met Astrid & Hans at the Duke of Kent Hotel in the city to see Bianca, their daughter, in Fresh Science @ the Pub. It was a great night where 16 of Australia’s top young scientists talked about their discoveries over a drink. The very funny MC challenged this year’s Fresh Scientists to describe their work in less than a minute, in rhyme, reason or verse. It was an excellent night with everyone having a great time helping the Fresh Scientists come up with their rhymes or songs. Some of the work they are doing is just amazing. If you look at the Monash Uni website you will see a piece on Bianca & her work with Insulin, www.monash.edu.au and type Bianca Van Lierop into search.

We had a great night on Friday with Nolan visiting from Darwin and dinner downstairs kept our wanderings in the cold to a minimum. We still needed the coats to get there though. After saying goodbye to Nolan at the airport on Saturday morning we were off on our next big adventure. The Otway Ranges for the long weekend.

We stayed at a great little farmstay in Pennyroyal. A tiny little dot on the map just 90 mins from Melbourne & about 30 mins inland from Lorne. We seemed to be in the middle of Dairy & Sheep farms but our farm was stocked with Alpacas. We were able to wander around the property and see these cute creatures up close. There were 2 babies and some more due but no deliveries, so to speak, during our weekend. It was very cold up in the ranges but between the roaring log fire and the electric blanket we were cozy & warm for the weekend. We spent Sunday exploring the Great Otway National Park which is Victoria's newest National Park. It links what was the Otway National Park, Angahook - Lorne State Park, Carlisle State Park, Melba Gully State Park and state forest areas. It is a lovely part of the world and quite different from the farm land and coastal parks that border it.

There are many waterfalls to be found throughout the ranges and we visited two of them. On Sunday we explored Hopetoun Falls. These falls, plunging 30 metres into the Aire River are pretty spectacular. You can see them from the top, so if you don't want to take the long walk down to the bottom you can opt out. No we didn't. Well worth the trek, just as the drive through the ranges was too. I think the drive along the Turton Track is almost as beautiful as the drive through the Black Spur.

We spent Sunday afternoon at the Otway Fly, a 600 metre tree top walk. It ascends 25 metres through the Mountain Ash, Blackwood & Myrtle Beech Forrest. At its peak there is a Springboard Cantilever taking you out over Youngs Creek if you are brave enough to walk out to the edge and if you can cope with heights then you must climb the spiral staircase to the tower in the middle taking you to a height of 47 metres above the forest floor. We did both and loved it. The gentle sway of the walkways gives you the impression of being a tree just blowing in the breeze. The prehistoric walk through the understorey make for great adventures for the kids as well. After our walk Bill got up close & personal with lots of the beautiful Rosellas which had come in to feed outside the cafe. Not tame but not the least bit intimidated by the many tourists. A great photo opportunity.

On Sunday after a leisurely morning and a final goodbye to our Alpaca friends we headed home via Erskine Falls & Lorne. These falls cascade over one of the highest drops in the Otways with a 38m fall into the Erskine River. They can be viewed from both the top and bottom but anyone not venturing all the way down is really missing out on the most spectacular sight. The views along the Great Ocean Road were somewhat diminished as it rained all the way to Anglesea. We have seen it on much better days though we did see lots of tourists along the way who no doubt were disappointed with their sightseeing trip. Winter eh!

So with our weekend finished and another little piece of Victoria discovered and explored, it was time to head home for another week at work. Though with so many more Waterfalls to visit I guess it won't be long before we return to the Otway Ranges. Perhaps we'll wait until Springtime.

until next time............

Mr & Mrs Lunchalot...Gourmet delights.

Wednesday and we felt like we had truly taken on new identities. Perhaps we had died and come back as food critics. Though I'm sure they don't get to do lunch and dinner every day. Still, I'm not complaining, it was great fun and I am hoping that I still fit into my clothes at the end of the fortnight. All this socialising was taking it's toll as the exhaustion factor grew, but we're strong, we can soldier on.

We were off to the Vines to have lunch with Gilly & Garry. It was so good to see them both and also lovely to have a sneak preview of Gilly's new paintings for her upcoming exhibition. We love her work and in the future you will see some collaboration with Bill as she paints some of his birds. We had a lovely lunch and a great afternoon catching up on all their news. Thanks for such a relaxing interlude.

That night saw a return to Kailis Bros with Bob & Nancye and this time we tried the scallops which were just delicious. Having not seen each other for 2 years we had lots to talk about and just about closed the place down being among the last to leave. It was a great night and we look forward to seeing you next time you pass through Melbourne.

We caught up with Kevin on Thursday for lunch at the Queens Hotel in Mt Lawley where we took refuge from the rain and spent a couple of hours eating drinking and generally being merry. Sure beats the half hour lunch break at work. And on Thursday night we joined the Mitchell Freeway carpark as we inched our way northward to have dinner with Rick & Helen in Joondalup. We had renewed our friendship at the RAAF reunion in Melbourne last Feb. It was a good night as we did some more reminiscing about our first homes in Perth all those years ago.

Friday we spent the day with Sarah, David and the kids as we would not see them again before we left. David was coaching in Bunbury and we were not going this time. We had lunch with them at Sharkeys on the wharf in Mandurah, followed by the most decadent icecream at Simmo's. Whisky Prune & Mascapone Cheese has just replaced Rum & Raisin as my favourite treat. Corbyn loved the playground and Amelie loved the swing on her Mum's knee. We will miss them but Christmas will be here soon and this year we will share it with them in Melbourne.

Another beautiful home cooked meal was Friday night's treat with Marg & Pete excelling themselves with the cheese fondue and the biggest T-Bones I have ever seen. What a great night we had even though the bottle count the next morning was probably a bit higher than it should have been. Still, no headaches so all was well. I hope your golf went well Marg. Thanks for the comfy bed and the great breakkie on Saturday too. A quiet afternoon on the balcony with Anne & Paul and at last lunch at home. Roast pork & salad sandwiches were really good and left plenty of room for our final fling that night. We all met Gareth & Taegan at Lido's Vietnamese Restaurant in Northbridge were we had our farewell dinner. What a great place and the food - so good.

So as usual all holidays have to end and it was soon time to head off to the airport to catch the plane home. We have had a wonderful two weeks catching up and spending time with all our family & friends. For everyone that lunched & dinnered with us we only hope you gained a couple of kilos as we may have. Only joking - my clothes still fit - we're back on the straight and narrow again. Thanks for all the meals, drinks and beds along the way. Can't wait to do it all again.

Once home any idea of a quiet Monday went west as I joined Debs, JT, Marg & Gunther for lunch beside the Yarra. They were in town for the Eagles game on Saturday and were leaving later that day. What a nice way to finish my holiday. Bill had gone back to work so I had to work the lunch shift myself. The sacrifices I make for that man!

Back to work on Tuesday to save for the next lunchfest, until next time..............

And still we visit....family & friends....

We met Sarah, David, Corbyn & Amelie at the zoo on Sunday afternoon and spent some much cherished Nana & Poppa time with them. Corbyn loves the animals and was very excited to see the elephants and the giraffes close up. We spent a wonderful afternoon with them and left with lots of happy memories. We headed of home where we got stuck into the yummy cheese and soup for dinner with Anne & Paul.

Monday started with a drive through Kings Park before meeting Jill & Rob for lunch at Kailis Bros Fish Cafe at Leederville. The Spanish Mackerel was delicious, though talk about menu envy when we saw Jill's scallops. After a brief respite from eating we were off again to catch up with Pat & Russell for dinner at the Red Cray. It was just as good as lunch and the bottle of Red just the thing to chat away the evening over.

On Tuesday Taegan & Gareth took us to Yanchep National Park. The weather was glorious and the picnic Taegan organised just delicious. We spent the day exploring the park which has improved greatly since we last visited, (about 20 years ago). It is really worth a visit especially, if like us, it has been many years since the last one.
We did a tour of the Crystal Cave and it was here that we could really see the results of years of drought. I was there many years ago and there was a lake in the bottom of the cave and now this is bone dry and they trying to pump water in to recreate the same conditions. The Koala's also have a great new home where you can walk through an elevated platform and see them all through the gums. A couple of them were active while we wandered but they stayed well out of reach. A Purple Swamp Hen and a Red Cheeked Wattlebird kept us amused as they staged a territorial battle on the verandah of the cafe. The Wattlebird won round 1 but once we had moved on the Swamp hen took over the table and feasted on the sugar sachets. Truly amazing & very amusing.

Another interesting find was the 'Tap Tree'. We found this sculpture on a little island at the edge of the lake. Made from pipes of all sizes and many taps it really does look just like a grass tree.

On arriving home we were greeted with the wonderful smell of Roast Pork which Anne had put in the oven earlier. I jumped in and did the vegies & gravy. Yes, I know, it's cooking but occasionally I surprise myself. We all sat down to the most delicious Roast Pork dinner we had had for a long time. And the wine was really good too. Swings & Roundabouts, worth trying sometime.

It was off to bed that night too full to care but knowing that we faced yet more food & drink tomorrow,

until then..............