Tag Archives: nature

Prickly Mo

Posted on by
8

Last Sunday, we took Cooper for a drive off the beaten track to while away the afternoon at Prickly Mo.

1-prickly-mo

The vineyard was established twenty two years ago at Eugenana but the cellar door is a more recent evolution.

2-vineyard

The old shearing shed offers a unique tasting room experience and the comfy seating arrangements are irresistible.

5-deck

Wet weather and storms had been forecast so the main deck was enclosed, gas heaters poised for Tasmania’s unpredictable elements (no, I don’t mean the customers).

7-deck

We felt at home straight away, our philosophy obviously in tune with that of the establishment.

I’m sure there are a few stories to be told about this rustic ornament.

10-bike

The highlight of the afternoon was the live music Sunday Session, on this occasion starring the very talented Neil Gray.

11-neil-gray

We savoured a lavish platter

12-platter

and a bottle of rosé

13-rose

while Neil entertained with masterful guitar work and smooth vocals, not to mention some nifty pedal shifting.

14-neil-gray

The microphone stand accessory is now on Michael’s wish list.

15-wine-holder

The storm clouds moved on, leaving nothing more than a few showers

16-view

and by the time we departed

17-prickly-mo

the blue sky had broken through.

18-vines19-view

We enjoyed a leisurely drive home with the top down, reflecting on our wonderful day, four bottles of Prickly Mo in the back seat.

20-glass

Aonach Mor

Posted on by
2

After a wander along the main street of Fort William, we drove to Aonach Mor to experience the Nevis Range. The 2.3km gondola ride up the north face of the mountain was exhilarating.

1-gondola

650 metres up, the ski lifts were still slumbering

2-resting-chairlift

but the light snow gave a hint of things to come.

3-aonach-mor4-aonach-mor

The heavy cloud promised more snowfalls and the shafts of sunlight painted beautiful hues through the Great Glen.

5-view-from-aonach-mor6-great-glen7-great-glen

We enjoyed a hot chocolate to warm up at the café and, fortunately, it was after 12 o’clock so we added a Drambuie chaser to fortify us for the trip down the mountain.

8-gondola-station9-gondola

The cloud had lifted a little and the scenery was spectacular. The Great Glen follows a 100km geological fault from Inverness to Fort William, bisecting the Scottish Highlands into the Grampian Mountains to the southeast and the Northwest Highlands.

10-great-glen

We returned to terra firma and continued on our northward journey.

11-view

Toby’s Inlet

Posted on by
2

The day after arriving in Perth we were whisked away to Dunsborough, our base to explore the Margaret River Region. The house of a friend of our friends was the perfect base for day trips.

1-house

The front door was guarded by the most beautiful moss covered dog I have ever seen.

The garden hugged the banks of Toby’s Inlet,

4-tobys-inlet

a small estuary that offered some magnificent morning reflections.

5-tobys-inlet6-tobys-inlet

The pontoon was a convenient perch for the gulls

7-gull

to observe the downstream drift of the pelicans

9-pelican

who were sometimes accompanied by an entourage of ducks.

The home was a wonderful, peaceful place to return to each day after our explorations.

13-garden

Montalcino

Posted on by
4

Montalcino is another gorgeous hill town in Tuscany, not far from Sant’ Antimo Abbey. Dating back to 814 AD, the town is renowned for its precious Brunello red wine. After parking the car, my first image was this beautiful bell tower.

1-santa-maria-del-soccorso

The Santa Maria del Soccorso was consecrated in 1330 and the bell tower was added in 1625.

2-santa-maria-del-soccorso

We wandered through the narrow, stone paved streets,

3-montalcino4-montalcino7-montalcino

occasionally catching glimpses down alleyways of the magnificent countryside.

5-montalcino6-view

The main square of the Piazza del Popolo is watched over by the majestic clocktower of the Palazzo dei Priori, the city’s town hall.

8-palazzo-dei-priori

The loggia houses a statue of Cosimo de Medici, 16th century warlord and grand duke.

9-statue-of-cosimo-de-medici

The shops, cafés and restaurants were enticing

10-montalcino

and some of the doors quite grand.

We enjoyed a late lunch of delicious pizza at Il Grifo Ristorante Pizzeria.

The view across the rooftops from the rear of the restaurant was stunning.

16-il-grifo-view

On the way back to the car, we crossed a lovely park

17-park

with another breathtaking vista of the Val d’Orcia.

18-val-dorcia19-val-dorcia20-val-dorcia

We had to tear ourselves away, time was running out as we made our way to the next objective – Montepulciano.

spider surprise

Posted on by
2

We all know that feeling of walking smack bang into the middle of an orb weavers web. These clever spiders spin their beautiful webs at night to catch unsuspecting flying insects, enjoy an early morning snack and retreat for the day leaving the web to catch unsuspecting humans. We had one residing in the veggie patch, just to the left of the door and we never failed to fall prey upon entering. The spider proved smarter than we are and moved to one of the beds where she wouldn’t be disturbed. Early one morning, she (or he) was resting in the middle of the web.

1-spider-asleep2-waking-up

As I watched, she woke up and moved toward a tasty morsel that had fallen foul during the night.

3-going-for-breakfast

She grabbed her breakfast

4-breakfast-on-board

and returned to the centre of the web to dine.

5-all-eaten

She then curled up and went back to sleep.

6-relaxed-again7-back-to-sleep

I am grateful to her for helping keep the insects from the succulent leaves of the veggies.