Life...is a beach!

 Life is a beach but someone must do it!  We have been truly blessed here in Melbourne this summer with beautiful warm days, azure blue and mostly cloudless skies and I have tried to take full advantage of all this summer has to offer. A favourite haunt of mine on these beautiful days is the bay side beach at Black Rock; a mere 20 minute drive from my house. Melbourne beaches are often maligned by those who live on the surf beaches in the more northern climes of Australia or those on the western and southern coasts of Victoria, and very rarely do they feature in the Melbourne tourist brochures, but Black Rock has much to offer even the most discerning of beach goers.

Surrounded by cliffs and native vegetation, Black Rock has the peace, tranquillity and gin-clear water so often absent at other beaches so close to the city. Never crowded but always interesting, it is well worth a visit next time you are in the vicinity.

The Black Rock/Sandringham area is also host to some of the more serious of Melbourne's yacht clubs, offering those old salts among you, world class sailing opportunities, and land lubbers like me, some excellent drinking and dining opportunities.

This evening however, I have eschewed yacht clubs and the like to join my good friends Kittie France and Ewushka for tonight's tipple. Comfortably ensconced on Kittie's terrace we have decided on an ice-cold trilogy of Australian sparkling wines: a Domaine Chandon Brut from the Coldstream district of Victoria, a Grant Burge NV Blanc de Noirs from South Australia's Barossa Valley and finally, a Devil's Corner Pinot Noir Chardonnay NV from Tasmania's Tamar region.

In such wonderful and convivial surrounds and feeling well settled in such good company, one can't help but enjoy! Bottoms up!

Harbouring serious envy in Sydney!

Those of you from foreign climes may not know that there is a long standing and 'bitter' rivalry between the Australian cities of Melbourne and Sydney...and for no apparent reason.  In my mind, each metropolis has more than its fair share of charming qualities and each really bares such little resemblance to each other that comparisons are spurious at best! Despite this, one often hears disparaging, and might I say, largely incorrect comments about Melbourne weather  from Sydney-siders.  Melburnians on the other hand, scoff at the "superficiality" of Sydney-siders (untrue) and bemoan the traffic chaos of 'Emerald City'...well, we are right about that. 

Residing in Melbourne myself, I feeI obliged to join in the chorus but I must admit, I have long harboured a serious case of city envy.  As much as I love living in Melbourne and will crow about its charms to anyone who will listen, I must admit that we just can't match the stunning beauty and excitement of Sydney Harbour.  Surrounded by palatial homes and large tracts of parkland, harbour-side life has much to recommend it.  But to really appreciate the best the harbour has to offer, and to fully take in the amazing sight of the hundreds of sailing boats and pleasure craft that ply its waters...you need to be on it.  I have had the luck and good fortune to have been invited to enjoy the harbour from the decks of a rather large and beautifully furbished catamaran. I am also fortunate and very pleased to note that my generous hosts have selected the most suitable Mcguigan Bin 9000 Semillon 2006 from the nearby Hunter Valley region of New South Wales with which to start the day.  The wafts of lemon and honey from the wine glass blend perfectly with the scents of the harbour.
  
While I will always prefer living and life in Melbourne over Sydney, I know my choice will always be tainted with that nagging touch of "city envy".

Warm evenings and shared memories...

Despite much wailing and renting of cloth, I have torn myself away from the paradise that is the lush surrounds of Ubud, Bali.  Gone from my reality are the green, rolling hills and the verdant valleys that have hypnotised me for the past month or so...but I shouldn't grumble. As I trawl through the myriad photos I have taken, already missing the warm evenings and tropical scents of Payogan, I know that Ubud is never far away...a mere 6 hours flight (albeit tedious and horrific) from Melbourne.
Back home and the promise of summer is with us.  The days are getting longer and the weather is slowly but surely developing a reassuring warmth. This evening is particularly warm for this time of year and my photo trawl has inspired me to sink back into holiday mode.  To complete the mood, I have selected a 2009 Curly Flat Chardonnay from the Macedon Ranges here in Victoria; a zesty drop with a stylish, new oak edge.  Mmmmm! An delightful evening tipple, a warm evening and warm memories of the tropics.  What folly!

Friends...and other animals in Lorne!

Travelling as frequently as I do, it is easy to take for granted and indeed, fail to recognise, the simple pleasures of the company of good friends and the joys of a coastal week away.  I was thankfully reintroduced to some of the things that make me happy while travelling down the "Great Ocean Road" to the seaside hinterland of Lorne.  A mere 150 kilometers from the hustle and bustle of Melbourne, the journey to Lorne takes in some of the most spectacular coastal scenery anywhere in the world.  Nestled on the border of the Great Otway National Park, Lorne, though tediously lively in the festive season, can also offer  one the peace and quiet one needs to recover from the rigours of the pointy tree festival.  With that in mind, I resolved to take the time to smell the eucalypts, align myself with the horizon and appreciate that "...a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush".   In the company of close friends and other animals, I sink more heavily into my wicker chair on the verandah conveniently overlooking the Victorian coast, sigh deeply at the wonder of it all and...pop the cork on a Dal Zotto Pucino Prosecco NV from the King Valley region of Northern Victoria. Pale in colour, this youthful Prosecco has hints of cut pear and citrus blossom and a freshness that is perfectly enjoyed on a verandah by the sea side.  What  good fortune I have!