Ssssssizzling Hot

We are expecting a temperature of 43C. (109F.) today - a record November day. Some parts in the north of South Australia are predicted to reach 48C. (118F.) - quite bizarre Spring weather. To my friends in the Northern Hemisphere, enjoy your cool day & warm fires & spare a thought for us here in the blazing sun. Icecreams all round please.

Image: Lisa Cohen

Clive O. Said So.....

Dear South Australian Tourism Commission & the Adelaide Hills Regional Development Board

In an interview 10 days ago with Ellen Degeneres to promote his latest movie 'The Boys are Back' Clive Owen described the Adelaide Hills (where a good part of the movie was filmed) as '....so stunningly beautiful, that part of the world' & '....it's amazing, there's such a sense of space & wildlife, it's really stunning, you should go.'

Since then, the silence from you mob has been deafening. You guys need to grasp hold of Clive's fantastic unsolicited endorsement immediately & run with it at lightening speed in your promotion of our wonderful Region to the rest of the world. If I don't see any evidence of that very soon, then I may be forced to enact a bloodless coup at your next Meeting. A take over as Marketing Manager & maybe even Chairman, is on the cards here. And as MOTH calls me his 'Little Pirhana Fish', that thought alone should galvanize you into immediate action to avoid the infamous Millie Death Stare around the Board Room table!!! MOTH reckons it can freeze boiling water in a second, so be very afraid.

Oh & as I come from the Private Sector, I'm used to getting things done pronto & with a minimum of fuss. No Committees, Sub-Committees & Sub-Committes of Sub Committees as so aften occurs in the good old Public Sector. I'm sure there are no politics, no hidden agendas, no factional in-fighting & no self-grandisement within your Organizations, but just in case I get a whiff of such nonsense, be prepared for some whip-cracking Millie-style. I deliver what I promise.

Apart from being renown as Australia's premier cool climate wine region, the Adelaide Hills has sooooo much going for it.We know we live in one of the most spectacular regions in Australia & we're ever so friendly & welcome visitors & tourists with open arms. You've been given an amazing opportunity, so please, please, please do as you are mandated & promote us until you can promote no more. 'Cos Clive said so!

Regards
Millie (A very passionate & parochial local - all fired up & hot under the collar!)

So my friends, can I tempt you with ......

Mt. Lofty House at Crafers - accommodation in an elegant Country House

Apple Tree Cottage at Oakbank for a wonderful stay in a stylish country cottage

Cladich Pavillions at Aldgate for a striking modern Aussie experience & all fully self-contained

Henry's at Basket Range - life in an apple orchard, the house is all yours

Breakfast amongst the trees on the deck at another of Cladich Pavilions fab houses

Panoramic vistas of glorious countryside dotted with our amazing cold climate vineyards

and more vineyards

A meander down back country roads dotted with lush green dairy properties

And a picnic high on the hill overlooking Apple Tree Cottage

A round of golf at Mt. Lofty - but you may need to step around the wildlife on the Course

Lunch on the deck of one of Australia's most acclaimed (& my favourite!) restaurants Bridgewater Mill at Bridgewater is an absolute must

Or dine inside & experience impeccable service in elegant surrounds

Mr. Gorgeous Himself aka Chef Le Tu Thai conjures up magical dishes using local Adelaide Hills produce

And of course all enjoyed with a bottle or three of the restaurant's flagship Petaluma white

A long leisurely lunch at The Lane Vineyard Restaurant at Hahndorf is a must

But do enjoy a glass of Helen & John Edward' s fabulous wine in the tasting area before moving into the snazzy dining room

The restaurant's elevated setting let's you take in the the stunning views of The Lane's vineyards while enjoying your meal

And what about rounding off the day with a pint at my local Pub The Stirling Hotel just around the corner from Casa Millie de MOTH

And of course, dinner back at the Pub in the evening to enjoy the great food in MOTH's favourite eatery, the Mallee Room Grill
A relaxing lunch the next day on the verandah at the Norton Summit Hotel And a late afternoon glass in the sun of one of my favourite Savvy Blanc's at Shaw & Smith Wander over to see Kris at Woodside Cheese who produces wonderful artisanal cheeses like this
and this
and this
and this

And a slight diversion over to the little village of Summertown to pick up some yummy chocolates from Just Bliss

I could a full week of posts on the many fantastic attractions of my Adelaide Hills. All contained within a compact 70 kilometre area, & only a 30 minute drive from the Adelaide Airport - I hope to see you all really soon!!! Oh & to the SATC & AHRDB - GET CRACKING the clock's ticking!!!!

Image1,2: Flickr BrentMid Image3: Adelaide Hills Country Cottages Image4,6: Cladich Pavilions Image5,19: Bishops Image7: The Age Image8,9,10,11,12,21: Please Take Me To Image13,15: Bridgewater Mill Image14: Lifestyle Image16,17,18: AGFG Image20: The Stirling Hotel Images22,23: Shaw & Smith Image23,24,25,26: Woodside Cheeses Image27: Just Bliss

Wildflowers in the Desert

Hello Mother Dearest,
Seeing as its Spring now, the Sturt Desert Pea’s have sprung!
It’s a really special moment up here, because all we see year round is red dirt - haha!
Love Son #4 xox (Who works in a remote site in far north South Australia).

Sturt's Desert Pea (Swainsona Formosa) is the Floral Emblem of my home state South Australia. It occurs in arid woodlands and on open plains, often following heavy rain. It can also withstand the marked extremes of temperature experienced in the inland deserts - searing hot days & often light frosts at night.

The original collection was made in 1699 by William Dampier on Rosemary Island in the Dampier Archipelago in Western Australia, where he collected a specimen from & described it as :
'A creeping vine that runs along the ground ... and the blossom is like a bean blossom, but much larger and of a deep red colour looking very beautiful'.

The name commemorates Captain Charles Sturt (1795-1869) a notable Explorer of inland Australia, who in his early notes refers several times to the beauty of the desert pea in flower and the harsh nature of its habitat.
'We saw that beautiful flower in splendid blossom on the plains. It was growing amid barrenness and decay, but its long runners were covered with flowers that gave a crimson tint to the ground'.

'Allo Mother!

Click to enlarge for an awesome sight!

'Allo Mother,

Hope all is well in the big smoke. Sorry haven't called you this week - been busy busy as usual. Thought you might appreciate a pic of yesterday mornings sunrise - it sure was a sight to behold! Oh well, will be on that big silver bird in the sky soon! Anyways, will catch you when I get back.

Love Son # 4 xxx

(Sent from the most remote exploration site in Outback Australia where he works & also where he plots & schemes to ensure MOTH never wins the Perpetual Family Joke Trophy!)

Click Go The Shears Boys!

Since receiving this month's copy of SA Life, I haven't been able to stop looking at this image. I defy anyone who's spent any time at all in Aussie shearing sheds not to be spell-bound. The familiar aroma came flooding back to me - a heady mixture of lanolin from the thousands of freshly clipped fleeces tossed onto the wooden floor, the buckets of perspiration dripped from the shearers & the rich, overpowering scent of the oil used to grease the mechanics of the shears. Just breath in deeply & I promise your senses will be spinning!

The shed sits on the Adelaide Hills property of Sue Tweddell. She & her late husband Ed purchased the 1840's property 11 years ago originally as offices for their Nepenthe wine business. The cottage was derelict, but as the restoration process moved on, Sue realised she wanted to make the property into a private family retreat. Following the sale of Nepenthe & Ed's sad & untimely death 3 years ago, Sue has spent considerable time here & finds it a wonderful place to entertain guests informally. She still keeps her town-home in Adelaide, but just a few minutes up the Freeway, the magical properties of Gumbank await her.

Sue is a great supporter of the South Australian arts. The formal dining room provides a perfect back-drop for one of her beautiful pieces.

The downstairs living room features neutral tones, with a botanical theme. The antique wood duck decoys came from the U.S.

Sue didn't want to continue the neutral theme here in the winter sitting room, so she used a strong crimson colour give the room warmth & vitality.

Sitting perfectly in one of the old windows is this antique dressmaker's mannequin.

The small eat-in kitchen which Sue uses for informal candlelit dinners for friends & family. It was originally the cottage's pantry.

These West African wooden soldiers which Sue found here in South Australia line the corridor to the new bathroom.

The upstairs sitting room has sweeping views across the property's gardens.

Sue's used a mixture of antique Australian, European & Scandinavian pieces to lend an warm & inviting ambiance to her cottage.

The back verandah provides a dry spot for winter firewood.

The wide, shady verandahs are typical for an Aussie cottage of this vintage.

Images SA Life & Peter Hoare

Frog Cakes All Round.

Image Hill Smith Galleries - Artist Dianne Gall

A post of apologies today! My week hasn't got any better - 2009/10 Budgets have to be signed off at 4p.m. today, so that + a million other urgent tasks have really got me on the hop! So visits to everyone this week have been rushed & brief & I'm not in the least bit creative with today's post - sorry! So in lieu of a decent contribution from moi today, please have a munch on South Australia's iconic sweet treat, the famous (infamous!) Frog Cake. I can thank Miss Kimberlee from Brown Button for the inspiration! Think bland tasting sponge cake, filled with sickly jam preserves & fake pastry cream all covered in artificially coloured thick, gluggy icing - yum!! And I'd love to hear which is your favourite colour - it would give me some welcome light relief at the end of a frantic day! Us South Aussies were always taught you can judge a person by the colour of the Frog Cake they choose - so go on, I dare you!