The Currant Shed, McLaren Flat

On a beautiful autumn day in the wine region of McLaren Flat we had a great lunch at The Currant Shed.

As the name implies, The Currant Shed is a former currant drying shed. It is over a hundred years old.
The shed harks back to an era when the area was planted out to vegetables and almonds more than it was to vines for wine.

 The homestead was one of the first in the region.

 Very cute citrus trees are planted out the front of the shed.

Before the rush. Today was totally booked out.

 They grow their own vegetables and herbs for the kitchen.

 The quince that accompanied my duck came from this heavily ladened tree.

Amuse Bouche

Foamed brie with corn bark. Warm bread rolls with shiraz salted butter.

Spencer Gulf Prawns, coconut, soybeans and lime. Accompanied by a glass of Shottesbrooke Chardonnay.

Smoked Kingfish, apple, onion, mustard. Accompanied by a glass of Tim Adams Viognier.

Lamb Shoulder, heirloom tomatoes, fetta. Accompanied by a glass of Shottesbrooke Shiraz.

Duck, quince, pear and baby spinach.

Hindmarsh Valley Emme, cherries, honeyed walnuts and sesame lavosh.

Dark Chocolate, Fig, almond cream and soil.

We also stopped in at Parri Estate Winery to stock up on some Grenache, Shiraz and Savagin.  Great wines and owner John Phillips is an outstanding host.  They were also doing a huge trade in wood oven pizzas. Next time!

Dreaming of Living on the Coast #VictorHarbor #EncounterBay #Beach #realestate

Okay, so I haven't posted in a while. Do I have an excuse?  Yes and No.

I am in the throngs of writing my next murder mystery, A Royal Murder. This time the murder takes place during the Australian Women's Open Golf Tournament at the somewhat eccentric Royal Adelaide Golf course - think trains and roads running through the course.

Perhaps in the next post I can share the first draft chapter of the book and you can let me know if you think I'm on the right track????

I have to say that writing my second book now I'm back in my home town of Adelaide has been more difficult than writing it when I was living in Brisbane.  I have so many wonderful attractions/distractions living in Adelaide with friends and family so close by that I am too easily pulled away from my writing.  I feel guilty when I'm not writing my book and hence I haven't even been posting to my blog.

Anyway, today I have decided to end the blog drought. During my Saturday ritual of ogling realestate, I came across a gorgeous property at Encounter Bay (adjacent to Victor Harbor on the South Coast of South Australia) that is for sale.

It is one of those properties that those of us who love a coastal view and a nod to classic taste, drool over.

Dream on.....

While I don't like clutter, perhaps a bigger dining table and a few more chairs?

Rosetta Head Retreat sits on 2,522 square metres of landscaped gardens and lies between two national parks, The Bluff and Petrel Cove.

The ten roomed house was built in 1901 by the Jagger family. The bluestone has been rendered in white but I'm not sure if I wouldn't return it to it's original state?

I get the distinct feeling that the current owners are artists themselves or at the very least, love to collect art.

 To see more photos of the house and garden you can click on the realestate website here

Second Valley - ancient landscape #SecondValley

I taught my daughter to swim on this small but perfectly formed beach at Second Valley.  (It was in the days before jet-skis).

It is an ancient part of the world, with the rugged rock formations occurring 500 million years ago, at the end of the Geosyncline period.

The area is popular for fishing, diving, snorkelling, kayaking and just plain swimming.

I still miss the rusty old boat sheds that used to grace these rocks.

While it is a great place to dive, especially since they sunk the HMAS Hobart off shore, reports of a 7 metre white pointer shark being sighted at various points along the Adelaide and south coasts, put me off going out too far.  One fisherman who spotted the great white up close said its girth was the size of a small car!

The rugged rocks are also great for climbing but beware the steeper inclines.  Only a couple of weeks ago three young women had to be rescued via helicopter after attempting to climb a steep section.

Roll on the lazy days of summer....