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March
   The bits of stuff that fall in the cracks between Life, Music and Outrageous Fortune.
 
     
 

M&M hit Adelaide - and Adelaide hits back!

1) Mike revels in the crowd's lavish applause with the entire cast at Parks 2) Maria sips tea at Maggie Beer's

3) Some delicious frangipani tart at Maggie Beer's 4) Mike joins the Hokums at Nuriootpa

5) The burlesque girls at the Nuriootpa Memorial Hall 6) The shower screen from Psycho

7) The world's worst venison pie 8) Andie Miller in her very well equipped atelier
M&M's SA holiday turns to caramel..
20.3.15 - Our so-called holiday was tacked onto the end of a couple of commitments I had with Doc White's Lowdown Hokum Orchestra and Burlesque Revue as part of the Adelaide Fringe Festival, the first of which was at the Parks Theatre (pic 1) (in Angle Park) and the second at the Soldiers' Memorial Hall (pics 4 & 5) in the always challenging to pronounce (for me, at least) Nuriootpa, the home of Penfolds Wines. The venues were an absolute contrast; Parks is a modern amphitheatre in the round and the Memorial Hall a very traditional Proscenium stage, but interestingly both worked very well with no real modifications - apart from the bass and fiddle swapping sides. On reflection, I think the burlesque aspect of the show means it's going to work wherever you put it.
Anyway, both shows were both fun to do (as usual) and the bonus was that on the way to Nuriootpa Maria and I had time to stop at Maggie Beer's farm (pics 2 & 3) and sample the fab foodstuffs.
Sunday
We were to check out of Scotty's Motel (I've always wanted to stay there since we've been going to Adelaide), when Maria had a very nasty fall in the shower (pic 6) and as a consequence we spent the entire afternoon at the Royal Adelaide Hospital getting her right knee x-rayed and encased in a Zimmer splint. This meant we had to cancel both our 11.00 chocolate tryst with Jane Carlisle and kidlets and our meeting the Millers later in the day and made do instead with a third-rate meal at the German Arms Hotel in Hahndorf (pic 7) before settling in at our charming accommodation at the Longview Winery in the Adelaide Hills in Macclesfield where we were to spend the next few nights.
Monday
Despite Maria's ongoing discomfort and the showery weather, we visited the house of famous SA artist Hans Heysen (and his daughter Nora) before finding the Bird in Hand Winery for lunch (pic 9) where we were treated to a very fine antipasto and wine.
Then, by way of making up for the previous evening's cancellation, we headed over to the Millers' and spent a very pleasant afternoon grazing on Ju's lovely food, admiring her daughter Andie's many art works (pic 8) and chatting with Geoff's mate, Ian Henschke, a well known local journalist and ABC radio presenter.
Tuesday
We headed to the Clare Valley, which we read is actually more of a plateau than a valley and also that although bountiful with wineries is not very well served with good eateries. The Skillogalee Winery was recommended for both wine and food however, so that's where we headed. We got there after a good two and a half hour drive and while there'd barely been any traffic on the road for the last hour we were surprised to find the carpark full and the place bustling with a full complement of grey nomads.
Both the food and wine were very good and after a diversion to inspect the Sevenhill Cellars (pic 10) we made the return journey to Adelaide well satisfied and equipped with a bottle of Skillogalee basket pressed Shiraz for the evening's meal with the Wordleys and a Sevenhill Tokay for 'ron..
Despite unexpectedly torrid traffic coming into Adelaide we got to Hawthorndene fashionably late and spent a lovely evening with Mick and Robyn (pic 11) who both cooked up a storm, starting with almost too many plump Streaky Bay oysters and finishing with Robyn's famous apricot pie. (pic 12) Afterwards they proudly showed us the lavish Penfolds book featuring photos by Mick's brother Milton, who took some fine pics of the band when we played in their loungeroom a few years ago..
Wednesday
We just had time to inspect the Mortlock Wing, (pic 14) State Library of South Australia and the Art Gallery of South Australia and have a modest lunch before rushing to the airport and dropping off our rented car. Maria was gamely limping along and in obvious distress but she still managed to attract the attention of an over-zealous and not particularly understanding security woman who demanded she take off her Zimmer splint, presumably in case she was carrying a bomb. One final indignity awaited us at Tullamarine as Maria had to be lowered from the plane on a hydraulic lift after everybody else had disembarked!
Oh well - a holiday is a holiday and despite Maria's accident we still managed to enjoy ourselves. We both love Adelaide and we'll be back!
v
9) Antipasto at Bird in Hand 10) The spooky Seven Hill cellar 11) A fab evening with the Wordleys in Hawthorndene

12) Robyn's apricot pie 13) M&M cuddle up at the Wordleys' - I think Mike's got a mouthful 14) The Mortlock Library
 
 
 
 

1) Me, Dick, Jeremy, Susie and Mary at Oakridge Estate 2) Dick, Mick and Jezza chatting après le déjeuner (MG)
 The Templers visit Victoria
4.3.15 - Jeremy was in town not that long ago, but it's rare that he and Susie arrive in town at the same time, so we thought it appropriate to do lunch with them and invited Richard and Mary along to complete the family reunion. We chose the Yarra Valley, which just happened to be one of the places the Templers weren't planning on visiting, and settled on The Oakridge Estate Winery in Coldstream, which only Dick had eaten at previously.
It's a long-ish drive from St Kilda where J&S were staying, but we arrived slightly early if anything and had time to stretch and enjoy the views before the Rudds arrived.
Richard's 68th birthday was due the next day so we made it a de facto birthday celebration as well and the venue chipped in with a complimentary bottle of champagne! In brief, a lovely time was had by all and Maria took the pics to prove it, none of which feature herself, but I can assure you she was there.
 
     
     
 
 
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