Saturday, January 7, 2012

A Day in the Country: A Trip to Bendigo

I had the pleasure of having my lovely boyfriend at home on holiday for two whole weeks over Christmas.  I wanted to take advantage of this as much as possible, so last Wednesday we packed up the car, locked the cat inside with much water, food and air conditioning, and drove to the country.


The first stop was the Beechworth Bakery which, funnily enough, is not actually in Beechworth, rather in Bendigo (There is a bakery in Beechworth, but we went to the satellite location.)
A visit to the lovely city of Bendigo is not complete without a visit to the Bendigo Woollen Mills. Bearing in mind my new year's resolutions I didn't buy a single thing, but even being close to the wool gave me a happy.

Next was a visit to the Bendigo Art Gallery to see their photograph exhibition of famous stars from the 20s to 40s.  I enjoyed it because I watch a lot of old movies, but I think Sam was like 'Orson who?'. The exhibit didn't seem so much curated as hung on the wall, but the gallery is gorgeous and the day was so delightful that I think I could have been shown a room full of blank walls and still had a good time.


Next was the obligatory visits to local vineyards to taste the best that Victorian grapes can offer. First was Balgownie Estate, which was a gorgeous winery with nice wine, yummy food and a relaxed afternoon vibe.


Next was Sandhurst Ridge Winery. They had delicious red wines and the winemaker himself took us through the tasting.  By this stage I was slightly toasted and enjoyed everything that everyone said! I was full of love for everything and everyone. It was like getting away from Melbourne and the stresses of everyday life resulted in an unbelievable surge of happiness and relaxation.  I *have* to get away more often.


We were greeted by a poor deflated hot kitty when we got home.  She's such a sook - the house was a chilly 21 degrees, she had treats all over the house and there were at least six toys in various nooks and crannies, proving that she had been having at least a little bit of fun while we were gone.  Little brat!


January Resolutions


As part of my WIP-down resolution, I took a long hard look at the projects that have been hanging around just a little bit too long.  I love the way my Frankensocks look from the cuff down, but I do hate the way those cuffs looked.  So, this...


..became this!


I have a plan for this itty bitty balls. Watch this space...

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