Stitching, Wine, Cheese & Chocolates

Hi everyone! Another late post, sorry. I've still got this bug which has been going on into the seventh week now. I don't feel too bad, just going through different stages with it. This past week or so I've had a runny nose and coughing still. A number of people have caught it, so the doctor says, and it takes awhile to go.

Anyway, Christmas time is upon us. I've redecorated my blog but have done nothing at home. Not one Christmas decoration to be seen so far. I think because I haven't felt my best these past weeks, I haven't been in the mood. I've got a small tree that I may put up and some decorations I can place on top of a cabinet. So I will probably go with 'less is better' this year.

I've been hearing in the news that Briton/Europe has been in the grip of a cold snap with lots of snow and harsh conditions. I hope my stitching friends in this part of the world are OK and keeping safe and warm. We're in Summer now and have had some warmer days. We had a long Winter and not much of a Spring, though we did get quite a bit of rain throughout Spring (the plants are growing wild). We've also had tropical downpours in Victoria this past week which is not normal for this part of Australia. You would expect it in Queensland and the northern parts. After being in a drought for the past decade, it's wonderful to get the rain though.

Last Sunday I went on a wine, cheese, and chocolate tasting tour with my workmates for our annual Christmas party. We usually go out to a restaurant for tea but this year we decided to do something different. It was such a good day and everyone enjoyed themselves. Here's a few pictures of where we went...

First stop was a winery called Box Stallion. This used to be horse stables and they've left the building as is. Inside it had the stables still as they were when horses resided in them. There was a wine tasting area, tables to eat at, and their administration areas. The boys liked the drier wines and the girls liked the sweeter ones.

Next winery was T'Gallant. We had another wine tasting there and then sat down for lunch. A lovely place to have a relaxing lunch on the weekend and listen to some live music in the background.

Then onto cheese tasting. Strange smell when you went inside but then we were able to sit outside under cover to taste the different cheeses. This place was out of the way and you wouldn't really know it was there. Looks like the owners lived on the property in a building next door. Lovely bushland surroundings.

Then my favourite, chocolate tasting! This was in Flinders and just up the road from where the hotel was, so we stopped for a drink before we did the chocolate tasting. Beautiful chocolates but very expensive. So I didn't buy anything there.

We got picked up at a central location in a minibus and was driven around to all these places. Such a great way to do it. No problems about worrying how much you were drinking because you had to drive. It was at places along the Mornington Peninsula which is such a beautiful area. Lots of wineries there and interesting places to see.

Now on to stitching. I did get my little project started but haven't got any further with it. So there's not much to show I'm afraid. Now I'm trying to get Christmas shopping out of the way, I don't know whether I'll have much time to stitch. Anyway, here's my start on it...

SHEPHERD'S BUSH Thanks A Lot - started 7 November 2010

Today I'm just getting the housework out the way before I head out to the shops again. More presents to get. It's starting to get busy in the shops. Since December arrived, people are now thinking they have to start organising themselves because time is moving on. I usually like to get my shopping out the way by end of November because it gets so busy during December. Plus this is the busiest time at work so I'm usually pretty tired during this month. I know there are probably people out there that are so organised, that they've already done everything they need to. Oh, the bliss of it. Me, I'll just have to plod along with what needs to be done. Merry Christmas!