"A homely spot for a weary soul"

There's a homely spot at even',
And a weary soul is bound
Where the purple jacarandas shed
Their blossom on the ground;
And the crimson rambler roses
Nestle freely 'midst the green
While the tall and stately fir tree
Towers proudly o'er the scene

Millicent Watson wrote these words nearly 100 years ago while she was a student at Lagoon Pocket School. The school is now long gone, but the new owners of the original headmaster's cottage have opened up a wonderful little B&B - our destination for the weekend!

Tony surprised me last week with a "mini weekend break" for the three of us (yes, Zack as well!). After a lazy start on Saturday morning we drove up the highway and took the Beerwah/Landsborough exit and headed for Maleny. Here we picked up fresh breadrolls and some chicken to complete our picnic basket of wine, strawberries and cheeses. We drove west from Maleny towards the southern end of the Mary Valley. From here we followed the Mary River north, past the Conondale National Park before stopping at a lovely picnic spot for a late lunch. Zack raced around the park chasing his tail, sniffing and exploring while Tony and I ate like Kings and Queens.

With full bellies we packed up and continued north on the tourist drive through Kenilworth, east of Imbil and the Amamoor National Park arriving at Lagoon Pocket Bed & Breakfast around 4'ish (about 15 minutes south of Gympie). It was such a lovely drive and so close to Brisbane - we highly recommend it!

The B&B is tucked in a quiet spot amongst the gum trees and hilly paddocks. The owners, James and Suzannah, are animal lovers and they adored Zack at first site! They've also got a dog - a collie called Tullah - and after a few growls the two "fur kids" were firm friends. Zack wasn't too keen on the chickens and cows though!!

We settled into our lovely cabin and went for a country ramble across the paddocks, down the road, passing by horses and dams, under the Mary Valley Rattler tracks and up over hills. The views of the valley at sunset were amazing - the sky was like a layer cake; green hills topped with orange, pink, mauve and blue icing.

For dinner we went into Gympie and were delighted with our meal at the alternative cafe-cum-art-gallery-cum-live-folk-music-venue, Abundant Soul. Our dinner was organic - grilled dory, wok-tossed vegies and potato bake. Yum!

On Sunday morning we were treated to a BBQ breakfast on the deck with farm eggs and home-made rolls with home-made spreads. Another yum! We said our goodbyes and headed south again to the Kenilworth Cheese Factory. After trying every sample on offer we settled for the garlic cheese.

We then wiled away an hour in the park listening to the local musicians playing for the Kenilworth Art Festival. Back in the car, we headed east up the steep Obi Obi Road to Mapleton, then winding back down through Nambour and Bli Bli to Mudjimba. Final destination: the doggie off-leash area on Mudjimba Beach.

After a run up and down the beach and a few tentative steps in the water, Zack mastered the doggie paddle! He had a bow wow of a time and was covered in sand from nose to tail! Here's a pick of our exhausted pooch after his frolick in the waves...

We drove home to the rythym of Zack snoring from the back seat. On our way, we stopped by Mum and Dad's to see my Grandma and Auntie Jill who are visiting from Sydney. After dinner and a chat we finally made it home around 10pm.

p.s. Zack spent the most part of Monday sound asleep. Obviously the excitment of new friends, the country air and a surf at the beach was just too much for our little pup!

My restaurant rules...

I had the most wonderful time on Sunday. Why? Because I spent the better part of the day singing in the kitchen before some of my dearest friends joined Tony and I for a lovely dinner party on our candlelit deck.

Cath, Grant, Damian, Jaimee, Fiona, Mattie, Tony and I feasted on:

• slow roasted vegetables and crumbled tasmanian fetta served on toasted turkish bread with fresh basil - served with verdelho
• queensland macadamia crusted fresh barramundi served with asparagus spears on a potato rosti bed with wilted greens and a mango sauce - accompanied by semilon sauvignon blanc
• warmed flour-less hazelmeal dark chocolate puddings with raspberry coulis and french vanila ice-cream - finished with a nightcap of irish cream

I had a ball - I love cooking for an appreciative audience and eating with friends! I can't wait to do it again soon.

I'll post some pics of the night up soon - blogger is being a bit too slow at the moment.

Blown away

Saturday's planned trip to the beach was put aside in favour of a 4WD trip around the Glasshouse Mountains - those gale force winds got the better of us!! Here's a photo of Cath, Damian, Jaimee and myself feasting on tasty hotdogs in the shadow of Mt Beerwah (I left Tony at home to do the washing and groceries! Seriously though - he went to his mates birthday party - after he finished the housework!)

Late Saturday I stopped by Mum and Dad's place to see them and my little niece Sharda, who was staying the night. Sharda was a bit disappointed that I didn't bring Zack and even more disappointed when I didn't stay for dinner. That quivering bottom lip is heart-breaking!

Afterwards, I met up with some friends who were celebrating Mickie's birthday at the Story Bridge Hotel.

Happy Birthday Jaimee!

Tonight we celebrated Jaimee's birthday at the Breakie Creek Hotel. Happy Birthday Jaimee - we hope you had a wonderful day.

And it was so lovely to finally meet Damian tonight! We look forward to spending heaps more time with you guys!


Tonight was also Dave's last night in Oz - I'll really miss you Dave!! :-(



Cath, Grant, Jaimee, Damian, me and Tony

Scott, Wendy and Jaimee

It's a dog life...

Our little puppy is growing up so quickly - he's almost doubled in weight to about 12 kilos and grown about four inches taller.

He's settling in well - no major mishaps. I think the worst thing he's done is dig a few little holes in the garden. I think Zack has Tony and me wrapped around his little paw!

Here are some photos we took this week...

busy days...

Oh wow! What an amazing week or two!!!! I've been a bit slack with the blog lately because life has been a bit hectic! Here goes...

Last weekend was fun - drinkies at work on Friday, Father's Day lunch at Enchildadas on Saturday with the family and then Riverfire on Saturday night. Tony and I wandered up to the Kangaroo Point cliffs and got a great position with views to Southbank, the city and the Story Bridge. The fireworks were amazing and we could feel the heat from the F1-11 dump and burn. I'm such a kid when it comes to fireworks, I just love all the pretty colours and the different noises when they wizz, pop and bang. We picked up some pizza on the way home and then watched Willy Wonka to top off a truly childish evening!

Sunday wasn't terribly exciting - I scrubbed the house walls around our deck and then Tony painted them. I also managed to squeeze in a quick shopping splurge at Freedom.

Some very exciting news on Sunday night - our friends Michelle and Ben got engaged!! Congratulations guys, we are so happy for you! :-) We wish you all the best and we selfishly hope you come home soon so we can celebrate with you!!

On Wednesday afternoon I finished work early to meet up with Jaimee. It was so good to see her! I've missed Jaimee so much since she moved to London just over a year ago. We had a lovely afternoon wandering around the Kylie exhibition (Jaimee is a fellow Kylie addict), and then a spot of shopping in the mall. Jolly good.

After dropping Jaimee at a friends place, Tony and I joined Cath and Grant for dinner at Fi's place, followed by the girls moving to Fi's garage for the regular "Lloyd's House of Beauty". It was such a fun night and I'm sure Fi's neighbours got a kick out of it. Fi, maybe you should invest in some curtains for your garage!!

Friday arvo I left work early again (gee I love working in the public service!) to meet up with Dave. We mucked around for a bit in town - shopping and vogueing in the change rooms - before heading home for a few tasty cocktails.



Jaimee also came over and we all cabbed it in to town to meet up with some of her old work mates for a Friday arvy drink.

And then....drumroll please....it was Pane e Vino time!!! Yay, the uni gang together again at our fave haunt. We toasted Ben and Mitch's engagement over a few bottles of house white before moving on to classy establishments like the Elephant and Wheelbarrow!!! Such a fun night!! Here's some of my favourite photos:

...although the fun night was not so fun the next morning when I had to get ready for my SES exam. I think I did ok - I was competent on all the practical stuff and I'll find out how I went in the theory exam tomorrow.

Saturday night, Tony and I had dinner with Mum and Dad and then I joined Davo and his friends in the karaoke bar at Dooleys. It was...um...interesting. Very impressed with Jaimee's rendition of Bon Jovi's Living on a Prayer.

And then today I went to Cath's baby shower. It was a lovely afternoon chatting with the girls, playing some fun party games and eating tasty treats!


Phew...I think it's time for bed!

p.s. Welcome to the world of blogs, Nik and Paul!