Breakfast at the Rusty Windmill

 

You can walk into a place and feel at home.  Everything about it resonates deep within you and you feel instantly relaxed.  This is what happened the first time I walked into The Rusty Windmill, and the next time, and I'm sure it will be the same everytime.

 

 

The Rusty Windmill is a new cafe a couple of towns away from us, which promotes itself as cafe-pantry-home, how perfect.  This corner is divine.  I need to bring my daughter and our journals and sink into those leather chairs and write while we admire the eclectic artwork surrounding us.

Everywhere there is such a perfect attention to detail.  I wanted to soak it all up, breathe it all in.

 

Different places to choose to sit, inside, outside, in the circle of chairs, in the corner just for two, at the old school desk, looking at the new little garden at the back.  And the food is divine, oh yes ... breakfast was had [along with a whole lot of chatting with a friend], then a late morning tea before heading out the door at 1.00 p.m.!!

 

 

I could live here.  I could quite simply move in.  How heavenly would that be?  Just look at the menu, decide what to have, where to sit.  Alternatively, I could bundle it all up and take everything home with me.  Beautiful antiques mixed with a fair slice of granny chic.

I think this is going to be a special place to visit again and again.  If you find yourself in Leongatha, in South Gippsland, treat yourself to a visit to The Rusty Windmill.

Trudy

A Slice of Local History

This is a photo of our town, many years ago, when it was known as Stockyard Creek and the people still remembered when gold was found.  It shows the Bank of Australasia, the Post and Telegraph Office and the local merchant's house.  This was the centre of town and this is where things happened in the 1890s.  If you could look out from the windows of the house you would see the local hotel.

Fast-forward 120 years and this is our house, moved out of the centre of town into a quiet street.  Sadly the chimneys and fireplaces were taken out and the fence has grown.  A magnificent magnolia tree that was planted at the side of the house back in the 1890s still stands in the middle of town, so as a memory to it's earlier foundations we have planted a magnolia in our little front garden.

If only she would survive another move I would pick her up and put her down again, somewhere.  Somewhere like this.  Oh, she would love it so much.  And so would I!!

 

Thought you might like a little peek at where I live.  Won't show you inside ... not until the renovations are finished anyway!  And promise I will have craftiness to share with you soon.  Not just yet, but soon.  Please wait.  Be patient : -)

 

See you Day 9 of Blogtoberfest!!

Trudy

Ever heard of Geocaching?

I hadn't.  Not until recently.  You?  Now, with my family peeps, we are official geocachers, along with the other 5 million worldwide!!

It all began about 12 years ago.  How did I not know about this?  Let me explain exactly what geocaching is, just in case you are where I was just a week or so ago.  Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunt where you use your global positioning system (GPS) to find caches hidden by other players.  These caches are hidden in over 200 countries all over the world and even in our little country town!  And I've been walking around in blissful ignorance.

A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook where the geocacher enters the date they found it and signs it with their established code name and may also contain items for trading, usually trinkets of little value.

We set out the other day on our first geocaching expedition, just a quick little drive from where we live and we found our first cache!!  It was such a thrill.  And look, this is what we found.  Inside was all sorts of tiny treasures.  We took a couple, and left a couple for the next geocachers to find.

What a fabulous way to spend time outdoors, going to far flung corners of your neighbourhood, playing sleuth, revelling in the thrill of the hunt and finding treasures in the cache if you're lucky.

There are difficulty ratings, apparently some caches are underwater and others can be 50 feet up a tree!!  Think we'll be sticking to the easy ratings for a while.

Are you a geocacher?  Do you have some great stories to tell, to share with a novice?

Cheers, Trudy

World Photography Day

Today is World Photography Day.  It originates from the invention of the daguerreotype, a photographic process developed by Louis Daguerre.  The French Government announced the invention as a gift to the world on this day, in 1839.

So thank you Mr Daguerre, it is because of you that we have photos.  Photos which capture so perfectly a moment in time, such as this classic photo of a suburban kitchen, circa 1963.   All the women in the kitchen preparing a meal while the men are elsewhere, waiting for that same meal. Love the frocks, the pearls, the cardi's, everyone lending a hand in that little kitchen.  And there's my gorgeous Mum, second from the left.

 

Photos are there to remind us ...

:  that we were once happy to pose in a bikini

: that long white socks and yellow shorts were okay ... then

They remind us ...

: that we never need to pay someone to take our photo in period costume ever again

: that time passes quickly and we should focus on what's important
: that we need to be aware of the background and not stand in front of the washing
: that cake, pikelets and frog-in-the-pond is all the food you really need at a birthday party
: that we've done some silly things in our time, but that's all part of it
: that posing naked, except for a cat mask, while pregnant, was all about the hormones

And because it is World Photography Day, I have taken a photo today, and here it is, to share with you.  A view which is almost on our doorstep, of an overcast day, rolling hills, a rusty shed and cows all in a line.

Do you remember your first camera, your early photos? 
Do you have a favourite photo?

Cheers, Trudy

Milly and Romeo

Two dogs.  Milly, a cheeky, little "very low tum" daschund and Romeo a beautiful, big german shepherd gave their names to the 'Artisan Bakery and Cooking School' at Koonwarra, just up the road from us, in South Gippsland.

It's a favourite place of ours to celebrate special events and we had a lovely lunch there last Saturday.  The food is exquisite, just take a look at the sweet treats on offer.  Sometimes I just want to skip straight to dessert!

Beautiful camellias on the tables make everything even sweeter.

Anyway, back to the story of Milly and Romeo.  Apparently Milly can be a little bit naughty so is always left at home as she can't be trusted to behave while guests are about, while Romeo is allowed to sleep peacefully in the sunshine around the back, on the verandah.  Isn't he gorgeous?  We had two beautiful german shepherds while I was growing up, so I have a special soft spot for them.

Our lunch out was to celebrate this girl's birthday.  This one with the very long hair, the plait and the pink felt flower in her hair.  She felt very grown up, being ten now, as you do.

If you find yourself driving along the South Gippsland Highway, heading towards The Prom, and are feeling a bit peckish, do stop for a while at Milly & Romeo's.  I'm sure you'll enjoy!

Trudy