Pull up A Seat Challenge – Travels with Ali

Sunday Drives – Masonmill Cafe and Beer Garden {Carmel, Western Australia}

Sunday seems to roll around far too quickly as the weeks just fly by. As usual Anthony suggested a drive out to the hills, his job to drive and mine to find somewhere. There’s not many wineries we haven’t tried and a few of them are now just cellar doors with no restaurants or have just closed completely. So on opening up google maps I spotted Masonmill Cafe. It said it was reopening on Sunday 5 November and I managed to book a table for 4. We had definitely not visited here before.

The drive is around 40 minutes from where we live, it’s a beautiful drive as well. As we approached I couldn’t believe how massive this place was, covering ten acres and already from the car I could see fantastic landscaped gardens.

We walked up to the restaurant only to find out that I had booked the cafe instead! Who knew there was a difference? Disappointingly there were no spare tables so we trekked back down again to the cafe. On hindsight this was the better option as we heard there were 90 minute delays for food. Although the cafe was not without problems too, as the owners had changed the food and wine menu, leaving staff confused!

After lunch we had a walk around the gardens. We couldn’t believe the many different types of roses on display and other flowers, tantalising the air with their floral perfume. The waitress in the cafe made us laugh as she spotted a lady with a bag and secateurs cutting herself a few blooms to take home – the cheek!

This place is ideal for a wedding, the bride wouldn’t even need a bouquet, just stand behind a rose bush or the abundant flowering jasmine.

There were many places to just sit and relax and enjoy a picnic, which is something you can order also instead of eating in the restaurant or cafe.

Tree canopied walkways and rose lined paths, a wonderful way to while away a Sunday afternoon.

**Cheeky mosaic mural on the wall of one of the courtyards**

We had a glorious afternoon here and I think we will go back and try the restaurant next time.

Have a great week and don’t forget to wake up and smell the roses!

Linking to
Weekend Coffee Share/PPAC
Pull Up a Seat

~ Postcard from Perth ~ 28 October 2023

The last week here in Perth has been pretty busy for me and last weekend I was out and about in the hills of Perth. On Saturday I went on an art trail with a friend. In the hills and surrounding areas there are many small galleries, featuring all kinds of crafts, artwork and sculptures. There was an open day so we took the chance to have a glimpse at the work. It was also a great way to see some of the countryside. The weather has been fantastic, but I haven’t put away all my winter gear just yet as it is still very cool in the evenings.

Some of the artwork in the gardens

We saw some beautiful houses, all very different, I couldn’t live up there though with the danger of bush fires throughout the summer.

On Sunday we had our winery date and once again drove out into the countryside, this time to the Wheatbelt region. About an hour and 15 minutes drive from our house. I had booked lunch at Stringy Bark Winery. In the middle of the state forest (luckily we didn’t get lost this time actually in the forest itself as we did the week before!).

It doesn’t look much more than a shack but nice and cosy inside and a good menu too.

**Chicken liver pate with cranberry relish**

This was absolutely delicious which I had with a glass ..or two.. of their Verdehlo.

**A bottle of their Cabernet Savignon to take home**

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Monday I drove over to Elena’s and had lunch with her and Rosie in a cafe on the river. I saw some amazing murals on the toilet block. Better than having them look like a concrete grey block. My feature photo is looking across the river.

Beautiful mosaic decorated box

The parks and reserves on the river banks in Perth are great places to visit. There are always bbq facilities, picnic areas and of course intricately designed playgrounds for kids. There are also purpose built playground equipment for wheelchairs. A day out doesn’t have to be expensive, who doesn’t love a picnic.

Linking to Pull up a Seat and Weekend Coffee Share/PPAC

~ Postcard from Perth – July 2023 ~ Museums, Movies and Meanderings

This week was the last of the school holidays and I went with Elena and the munchkins to the WA Museum, Boola Bardip. I’ve never been before so was interested to see what was there.

Boola Bardip means many stories in Whadjuk Nyoongar;
the Country on which the Museum sits.

A fantastic museum for all ages and takes visitors on an enchanting journey through the ages. There are many exhibits to see and also interactive displays and games for the kids to enjoy.

We all had the best time, especially as naughty Ninny said yes to a stop in the gift shop!

The rest of my week was spent shopping, a zumba class, dinner with friends and of course Bridge.

I was surprised that Anthony agreed to accompany me to see Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning. What a hectic ride of a film, so many car chases and implausible stunts, I read Tom Cruise does his own! Anyway I enjoyed it especially the scenery, set in Venice and the Austrian Alps. By hook or by crook, I will visit Venice one day. The film went for so long that we missed our restaurant booking but managed to get a table at the next door Indian, Bollywood which was delicious.

Today (Sunday) Anthony suggested a winery in Bickley Valley. About a 45 minute drive from our house and it has been a beautiful sunny day. I chose Plume Winery which has amazing views over the hills and vineyards.

Vista and Views

Inside the restaurant

Posted for Natalie’s Weekend Coffee Share, Weekend Sky for Hammad and Pull up a Seat for XingfuMama

~ Hong Kong – Day Trip to Cheung Chau Island ~

Finally we have reached our day of freedom so that means we can eat out in restaurants and cafes. Today I decided we should leave the urban jungle behind us and head to one of the outlying islands. I last visited Cheung Chau in 1989 and unbelievably Anthony had never been in his 45 years of living in Hong Kong.

We caught the 11.15 ferry and grabbed a seat on the outside top deck to enjoy the sea air and sunshine. The slow ferry takes around an hour and no need to buy tickets as we could use our Octopus Card which is used for all transport in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is a country of contrasts; steel, glass and concrete skyscrapers dominate the skyline with dense green hills and mountains behind. Many visitors are surprised by the abundance of greenery and countryside that Hong Kong has to offer. It is a great place to hike in the cooler months.

There are no cars allowed on Cheung Chau, the narrow alleyways are not big enough for vehicles to pass through. There are mini fire engines, ambulances and police cars for emergencies. I did see an ambulance and it was very tiny, if you were a tall person I think your feet would be hanging out of the doors! Everyone rides bikes here and bells are ringing from every direction and you have to be on your lookout as they speed through the alleyways and around corners.

After disembarking we walked along the harbour front looking for a place for lunch.

Anthony was very surprised to find an Austrian cafe serving pork knuckle, one of his favourite dishes.

I had looked on the map before getting here and thought it might be nice to walk to the Mini Great Wall. A leisurely stroll is what I had in mind! Almost an hour and a half later, up many stairs and steep hills we ventured back into the village. It was one of those walks where I thought we can’t walk much higher and with Anthony up ahead saying we have to keep going.

Cheung Chau has many sandy coves and beaches, even though it is December we saw a few people swimming. It is home to around 20,000 people and has apartment style buildings designed for school camps. I remember both my children went to Cheung Chau for their year 4 camp when they were 8 years old for four nights.

Above are images of the different rock formations dotted around the island. Also part of the “mini Great Wall”.

There are many houses up in these hills and we were wondering how difficult it would be for the occupants to bring shopping up. Not just that but how furniture is delivered and how on earth they were built in the first place. There were also many abandoned buildings.

Finally making it down again we walked back to the ferry through the labyrinth of streets and alleys.

Below are some more photos I have taken of various murals, small shops and stalls.

It was a fabulous day exploring Cheung Chau and a great place to visit if you have an extra day or two in Hong Kong. There is a completely different way of life here, where a more leisurely pace is encouraged.

Cheers and thanks for reading – have a great Sunday everyone!

A Beach Walk with Birds

After spending the last ten days practically housebound with the flu and asthma, I finally took myself off the couch and out for a walk. Time to get some fresh air into my lungs and stretch my legs and also gather some new material for this dormant blog.

I drove to the carpark along the river and decided to take a left turn so I could walk closer to the beach. After coming to the end of the trail I wandered off through some woods which took me back to the beach and I followed the beach around to the birdlife conservation area. I’m not sure why I’ve never done this before, but I’ll definitely be doing this again.

Trees for Cee’s Black and White Challenge, if you look closely there’s also a bronze sculpture for Marsha’s PPAC and a bench for Xing-Fu

**The Perth Skyline across the wetlands**

It looks like Spring is truly here and it was wonderful to get out in the sun once again.

My “Urban” Town, Claremont Western Australia

As the challenge from Sofia at the Lens Artists Team is urban, I thought I would take you on a tour of my home town. It’s not a large town by any means but is filled with cafes, restaurants and shops. I tend to go two or three times a week for food, a bit of retail shopping, lunch and dinner. It has a large shopping mall where two grocery stores are located but it also has small laneways off the high street filled with quirky shops.

Claremont Quarter
Looking through Maude Jackson Walk
A street off the main high road

I took these photos today as I was doing a shop and I was amazed to find some wonderful murals, sculptures and new coffee shops. I tend normally to drive straight to Claremont Quarter and back again. I did have to dodge a few rain showers though as we are having some storms at the moment.

I had to take two shots of this brilliant mural above by Dipesh ‘Peche’ Prasad to capture it all. It was only after I looked at the photos I realised there was a man painted there. I could not see it from the street. It features Walt D. Drabble, the lane is named after him too. He was a painter, signwriter and ironmonger and established his business in 1865.

**Highs and Lows by Kyle Hughes-Odgers**

**Claremont Post Office, built in 1896 and is now a heritage listed building**

**Claremont Railway Station established in 1881. This is still a working railway station and trains go to Perth City**

Bellissimo’s Restaurant has been here longer than we have and still has the same owner/manager. We visit here at least once a month. The menu doesn’t change that much but you can always be guaranteed a fantastic dinner and service. There is no booking, you just have to wait in line, but in all the times we have visited we’ve never been turned away.

Corvo is a relatively new restaurant and we have been once. Great vibe and service but the menu wasn’t to our taste. There have been many restaurants in the 18 years we have been here.

**This sushi place is extremely popular and has only been open a short while, but there are always queues outside**

**A new coffee shop I found! Will have to try this soon.**

Claremont is home to many high end boutiques, very expensive and also a bit too fancy for my taste and probably don’t do my size anyway!

This lane leads to another coffee shop and a cute little book shop. Around the corner there is a huge gardening and hardware store where we go and buy all our garden paraphernalia.

I fell in love with Claremont when we first came for a visit 20 years ago and I still enjoy going there. I hope you’ve enjoyed visiting my home town with me.

Also linked to PPAC

A Night at the Hilton Garden Inn, Albany, WA

Continuing our three day break in the South West, we drove down to Albany with a stop in Coalmine Bay and Broke for lunch. I should point out that this isn’t a grammatical error, there is a place called Broke!

This beach looks perfect for a summer swim.

The drive from Pemberton to Albany is almost three hours, by the time we had stopped a couple of times, we finally arrived in Albany at 4.30 pm.

We normally stay in an apartment in Albany, but I noticed when I looked on Booking.Com that there was a new Hilton, so thought we would check this out. It’s in a great location, overlooking the harbour. I didn’t book a sea view but guess what we ended up with a fantastic view over the harbour. We had a beautiful luxurious room with lovely toiletries from Crabtree and Evelyn, no expense spared there.
The reception, bar and restaurant are all located in the same space downstairs, making it all very intimate.

After checking in and unloading our bags it was still light out so we went to have a look at the latest silo mural, which we could actually see from our room.

The above mural was painted by New York artists Yok and Sheryo. It features the Ruby Red Seadragon, and is only the third species of its kind ever recorded. It was discovered on the Albany shores 150 years ago. I’ve been fortunate to see quite a few of these silo art murals around Australia, but hope to see them all one day.

We had a quick drink at the Royal George Hotel before heading back for dinner at The Garrison.

For dinner that night I had booked The Garrison, which as you might guess is situated on top of the hill where the old garrison used to be. It’s a wonderful restaurant with great service and food. I find many places we go now are short staffed due to Covid, some places manage superbly with only two or three serving but others don’t seem to have coped as well. The wait staff seemed to move swiftly between table to table and we had no waiting time at all between courses. A definite 10/10 from me, I must remember to write a review.

After a great night’s sleep and an invigorating shower using the deluxe toiletries we headed down for a buffet breakfast.
The rain had set in by now so we chose to head off to our final stop, Margaret River. I realised after I looked at the map that I had planned our trip backwards, which meant much more driving! From here to Margaret River it was a four hour drive.

I spotted this cute elephant down an alley as we were walking around yesterday.

**On the side of a vets as we drove out of Albany**

The endless drive through rain and sun

A cheeky add for PPAC

Changing Seasons – Joyful June

Each Month Brian from Bushboy’s World and Ju-Lyn over at Touring my Backyard host a challenge where bloggers around the world share their thoughts and feelings about the month just gone.

Many of you will have already have seen some of my posts about the first half of June which was spent in Malaysia and the drama that unfolded there! I’m glad to say my dear husband is well enough now to take up his household chores once again, phew!

Although it is officially winter in Perth we continue to have the most glorious sunny dry days. Good for the laundry but not so great for the garden. There aren’t that many flowers in bloom at the moment, although the Aloe Vera is looking stunning.

**This monster has been living in the corner for many months now and is definitely getting larger**

I have continued to play Bridge twice a week, I don’t seem to be improving in the slightest though, but practice makes perfect so they say! I have also gone back to playing Mahjong with some good friends and we catch up once a week for breakfast first and then a few games.

**Pull up a Seat**
**City Beach, Perth – our view from the cafe where we play Mahjong**

Our book club this month was held at a friend’s house who had chosen the book, where we were served the most delicious carrot cake and champagne. The book this month was “Naked” by Eliza Redgold about the story of Lady Godiva. We have been theming our bookclub meetings for a while, I’m not so sure I would feel comfortable rocking up naked on a horse to this one. We had a wonderful afternoon discussing the book amongst other things.

I had a night at the cinema with a couple of girlfriends where we saw “How to Please a Woman”, it was hilarious and but I think I laughed more at my friend who was actually snorting with laughter.

My cheeky cherub of a grandson turned four at the end of June and we visited him for cake and presents.

These two beautiful little people bring the most joy to my life and I love my day of looking after them both. Although I have to say it’s hard work taking them to the park, it’s like having two run away puppies, I have to have my wits about me.

A gallery of June

I hope everyone had a good June also. Now onto July and looking forward to more sunny days in Perth.

Some photos here for

Pull up a Seat
Weekend Sky
PPAC
Thursday Doors

Pull up a Seat and Enjoy the View

A challenge I haven’t taken part in for a while. As the weather is so good in Perth at the moment I thought I would post some wonderful views from the past.