Sadly, our Italian odyssey had come to an end. We have so many good memories and are looking forward to returning to Italy next year. We will revisit some of the places we have seen as well as exploring new ones. I thought I would share some of our favourite moments, those we will, no doubt, experience again.
SALUTE!
There are many fabulous wineries in the Margaret River region but Swallows Welcome, the smallest winery in the region, is really something special. Tim & Pat Negus first planted grapes in 1994 and the family run business has been producing wine since 1997. The rural setting is peaceful and the artistic influences are evident on arrival.
Patricia Negus is a well known watercolour artist, her illustrations of wildflowers and birds have graced the pages of many books. Tim & Pat built the mudbrick and timber Chapel of the Flowers, a serene gallery, to exhibit 102 of Pat’s works that are featured in Wildflowers of Southwest Australia (the plastic chairs were remnants of a recent social occasion).
The beautiful leadlight windows create a subtle ambience.
The delights continue outside,
the garden is a testament to Pat’s love of nature.
We made our way, past the magnificent magnolia tree, to her studio, filled with stunning artwork, books and cards for sale.
We wandered through a gorgeous courtyard cottage garden,
inhabited by a few frogs
and the occasional snail.
After all the distractions, we finally reached the tasting room,
adorned with more colourful leadlight.
Pat guided us through the range of superb reds,
finishing with a nip of Pensioners Port. Tim’s self-portrait graces the label
and his other works decorate the walls. Pat instructed the boys on the fine art of labelling
and they soon had a dozen ready to ship home.
I could have lingered in that garden all day but lunch was beckoning. It’s a good life for some……..
“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
Last Sunday, we took Cooper for a drive off the beaten track to while away the afternoon at Prickly Mo.
The vineyard was established twenty two years ago at Eugenana but the cellar door is a more recent evolution.
The old shearing shed offers a unique tasting room experience and the comfy seating arrangements are irresistible.
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).
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.
The highlight of the afternoon was the live music Sunday Session, on this occasion starring the very talented Neil Gray.
We savoured a lavish platter
and a bottle of rosé
while Neil entertained with masterful guitar work and smooth vocals, not to mention some nifty pedal shifting.
The microphone stand accessory is now on Michael’s wish list.
The storm clouds moved on, leaving nothing more than a few showers
and by the time we departed
the blue sky had broken through.
We enjoyed a leisurely drive home with the top down, reflecting on our wonderful day, four bottles of Prickly Mo in the back seat.
We don’t usually do anything special to celebrate our wedding anniversary, but last Wednesday we broke from tradition and dined at our favourite restaurant. We were surprised to see a new addition on the way from the car park, a very impressive sand sculpture.
Bayviews Restaurant is so named for obvious reasons.
Every seat in the house has a wonderful vista of Bass Strait, beautiful in any weather.
We opened proceedings with a glass of exquisite Josef Chromy Pinot Gris
and were soon presented with a tasty pre-dinner morsel of beef fillet with carrot and cumin purée.
Dogs are prohibited on Burnie’s West Beach but we were entertained by an ambitious young fellow walking a rather uncooperative shopping trolley.
The palate cleanser of Pink Grapefruit sorbet was dispatched too quickly to photograph, you’ll just have to imagine it.
The main event was superb. I had slow cooked lamb shoulder on butternut pumpkin gnocchi, mushrooms, shallots with a salad of baby cress, toasted walnut, sheep’s fetta and 8 year old balsamic vinegar.
Michael chose from the specials board, pan fried Tasmanian scallops with housemade fettucine tossed through lemon beurre blanc sauce with cherry tomatoes and fresh dill.
A glass of d’Arenberg The High Trellis Cabernet Sauvignon complemented the flavours perfectly.
It was very relaxing watching the gulls mingling on the shore below and their indifference to the appearance of a pied oystercatcher.
For dessert, Michael once again chose from the specials, lemon curd tart with crisp meringue, local currants, raspberry coulis and honey & vanilla bean ice cream.
I couldn’t decide what to have, so I had them all!
The dessert tasting platter had smaller versions of Snickers semifreddo, chocolate mousse, caramel sauce, almond crumble, peanut praline & dark chocolate;
salted caramel tart layered with caramel sauce, banana chip praline, fresh banana & chantilly cream served with salted caramel ice cream;
basil crème brulee, Tamar Valley yoghurt, sable biscuit, fresh berries, passionfruit & lemongrass sorbet.
A big thank you to my husband for gallantly assisting with the devoration of my dessert. Sunset is past our bedtime these days but the shadows were lengthening as we made our way home.
I think we may have just created a new anniversary tradition.
cannonhillchronicles 