Winter is here and the robins are back.
I love watching them at bathtime through the kitchen window.
The wrens usually come along to join in the fun.
The boys are entering their eclipse phase, resting in anticipation of the coming spring.
After a bitterly cold, overcast weekend recently, we were greeted on Monday by a perfect autumn day. I don’t work on Mondays and so, we decided to drive along the old coast road to Ulverstone for lunch. With the top down, Cooper took us on a magnificent journey, reminding us of the natural beauty we have so close to home. We turned off the highway at Sulphur Creek, apparently named because of the perceived smell of sulphur in the area when first explored by Europeans.
Sulphur is associated with volcanic activity, which has determined the landscape of northwest Tasmania. There is no longer evidence of the offending aroma, just a stunning, sandy beach.
There used to be a fabulous restaurant at Preservation Bay, hopefully one day there will be another to make the most of this wonderful vista.
Soon, we were in the gorgeous town of Penguin.
As we travelled the narrow, winding road, I was boggled by the reflections of the sun on the glassy water.
There is a house along this road that fills me with more than a little envy.
The Three Sisters are a group of three small islands (the third is almost hidden behind the headland at the right of the pic)
and, along with Goat Island, they form the 37 hectare Three Sisters – Goat Island Nature Reserve.
Goat Island is a granite island and houses a breeding colony of little penguins.
It can be walked to at low tide, a lovely spot for a picnic.
As we reached Ulverstone,
we spied Pedro’s across the river.
The restaurant has a lovely, relaxed ambience
and we were shown to a table on the enclosed balcony, warmed by the autumn sun.
The Derwent Estate Pinot Gris came highly recommended. A delicious shade of pink, I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
The salt & pepper calamari and crumbed scallops were exquisite, the real flavor of fresh seafood.
Outside, the gulls were enjoying a bathe in the shallows of the river’s edge, soon the tide would be high and their chance would be missed.
The Leven River glistened
as we left Pedro’s
and retraced our journey.
Table Cape emerged in the distance
before disappearing behind the next headland.
We were surprised to see the masts of a tall ship in the bay, not a common sight in these waters. I read the next day, poor weather conditions had forced the UK ship, Tenacious, to stop in Burnie for a couple of days on its way from Melbourne to New Zealand. Tenacious is the world’s largest operative wooden hulled tall ship and offers opportunities for people with a disability to experience a sailing voyage.
What a marvelous way to end our day.
We recently had cause to travel to Launceston and so, seized the opportunity to meet friends for lunch. They suggested Hallam’s Waterfront and we weren’t disappointed.
Established in 1996, this award-winning seafood restaurant sources only the highest quality, line caught sustainable fresh seafood from the pristine waters around Tasmania.
There is a peaceful ambience,
complemented by an assortment of nautical-themed artefacts.
The views over the Tamar yacht basin are beautiful.
The extensive menu offered plenty of scope to share and compare. Entrée of tea smoked spareribs with ginger & soy glaze;
tempura prawns with sweet chilli
and oysters Kilpatrick (I wasn’t quick enough – I missed one).
Main course of grilled harissa southern calamari & banana prawns with rustic guacamole, grilled summer vegetables, coriander & paprika oil;
Cape Grim porterhouse with potato galette, Yorktown organic leaves, goat cheese, pine nuts & sticky balsamic with green peppercorn jus;
tempura market fish & chips, green salad with lemon & garlic dressing;
and yellow curry with white fish & mussels were all stunningly delectable.
Of course, we managed to find room for dessert, I was very happy with my vanilla bean crème brûlée with lavender sugar, pistachio cake & rosewater syrup.
The lemon & lime curd, tamarind chantilly, five spice coconut crumble & smashed raspberry meringue was a colourful offering;
while basil panna cotta, white peach foam, quinoa crisp & fresh berries was a little more subtle.
We lingered outside long enough to admire the gorgeous surroundings
before heading back to the northwest. We will certainly return to Hallam’s Waterfront.
“We spent a delightful Thursday evening enjoying the crisp Eugenana air at Prickly Mo. Their wines are to live for (who wants to die anyway?), there was an array of belly-popping platters, other delights by the Flying Calamari Brothers (no prizes for guessing the top of their menu), and music by You3. We set up our chairs in front of centre” […]
See the rest of Michael’s post here
There are times when I feel compelled to take a photograph, whether it is something particularly beautiful or unusual, or both. I then wonder what I am going to do with that photo, so here are some of my random snaps to share with you. In spring, we had a pair of welcome swallows determined to nest close to our front door. Each time they started a nest, we devised cunning ways to deter their efforts. We eventually ended up with a 30cm strip of black plastic stapled to the top of our walls to prevent them attaching their mud to the cedar cladding. They finally got the message they weren’t welcome.
Michael came across this gorgeous mum keeping her eggs warm, while walking with Poppy in the forest.
I love kookaburras, I spied this handsome fella in the garden before leaving for work one morning, keeping an eye out for a tasty breakfast morsel.
After a brief rain shower one summer morning, behind the stream of sunlight, the plants were letting off steam.
The strelitzia looked magnificent after the rain.
When we first moved to our house, there was an impressive stand of oriental poppies outside the lounge window, the same ones you can see on the header image of this blog. They then disappeared, my husband suspects I inadvertently poisoned them along with the weeds (he could be right). This year, just one bloomed and hopefully there will be more in the future.
The Japanese black pine seemed to be at impossible angles, reflected against the clear sky in the waters of our pond.
I don’t know what these enormous moths had been up to but it looked like they were enjoying a well deserved rest.
The Tiger Lilies fell victim to our nocturnal furry critters last year and we had no blooms. For some reason, they left them alone this time around and they were stunning. Apparently, they are named because of their spots. Shouldn’t they be called Leopard Lilies?
Walking in the forest, I saw these cute fungi emerging from the damp humus.
On my way to bed one night, I sensed I wasn’t alone. It’s nice to get a friendly wave, just not from five hands at the same time!
No spiders were harmed, he was gently relocated out of doors. Finally, after a hard day working in the garden, there is nothing better than a draught of home brewed stout.
Cheers!
