Nature | Stranger and Fiction

A Christmas Adventure – with Cafe Alchemy

12th January 2015
Adventure / Fun / Holiday / Hometown / Nature
1 Comment

Since moving away from Brisbane, I’ve been lucky enough to rejoin my first cafe team and coffee home – Cafe Alchemy.

In the middle of a chance bout of cold and misty weather, we headed inland through the spanning fields of sugar cane towards river and camp.

Set on the gentle curve of the river’s edge, a single winding path hid our retreat amongst the dripping gums and itchy scrub.

As more and more of the Team arrived, we casually spread out and enjoyed the simple things available to us in such a glorious spot.

We chatted, we laughed, we ate.

Fishing became our game, and the small catches of the day were hailed as magnificent feats that deserved the rightful praise and awe of us all.

We took to the water when our fancies so desired, paddling and motoring slowly through the thick wet, surrounded by tall walls of rainforest and bush.

As night grew, so did our merriment and our voices and rose to fill the place of the nesting birds above.

Peter and Annie outdid themselves with the most wonderful evening feast. With a spectacular Christmas Ham, salads and marinated everything-under-the-sun, nothing could have been more perfect and fitting for a Cafe Alchemy style showing of Holiday Spirit. My meal was especially and thoughtfully created to meet my simple veg requirements, and I tucked in to my one of a kind stuffed mushroom burger along with everyone else.

The weather was perfect, the location even better than I could have imagined. What an amazing Christmas Party weekend.

You can find Cafe Alchemy here on Facebook, and you’ll see more updates from me on my Instagram as our New Year starts and my caffeine kicks in.

Stranger.

Stormy Bay – A day at Minnie Waters

29th December 2014
Adventure / Hometown / Nature / Summer
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Yesterday I awoke to the sound of wind and rain beating against my new bedroom window. In the cover of semi darkness I packed my backpack, polished my camera lens and sipped my coffee. Pulling on my jacket, I donned my hood and sprinted to the car.

We took the drive slow. I was happy to be a passenger for once – the rolling hills were choked in fog, and the pastures we glimpsed were sodden and green.

When we hit coast, the storm stretched out far beyond the horizon, merging the sky blue with the waves of teal close to the shore.

The view was spectacular.

Sliding over pebbles and rocks and free form inlets created by the storm, we hopped on to the sand and started our walk.

Minnie Waters is a very special beach. With the steal grey sand stripes and the abundant sea life thrown on to the shore, with every step comes something new to see and explore.

As we trekked on, the rain grew more fierce, and grass rivers broke free of their shallow homes and spread out towards the ocean.

It reminded me very much of one of my favourite Alison Lester Books, Magic Beach – “We walk when it’s cloudy and grey” x

Do you have a magic beach?

Stranger.

DIY Holiday Wreath

21st December 2014
Digital / DIY / Fun / Holiday / Nature / Summer
1 Comment

Wow.

Where has the year gone?! In saying that, the last few week and months have had some pretty slow patches that have all faded in to one nice blur. There’s so much that has changed and so much that is changing still, but that story is for another time. For now, let’s be excited about the holidays!

One of the big changes that I have made is moving interstate [again], so in my first Christmas in my new house I wanted to spend some time making some useful, beautiful decorations with my hands.

First, I went exploring.

Olive. What a perfect, bendy branched tree to be the main structure of my wreath.

Rosemary. Perfect not only for the warm, savory scent, but also for the change in texture.

Bay. A fantastic excuse to dry out some leaves, as well as bulk out the wreath.

I trimmed my pieces in to manageable sizes, with one larger branch for the circle. Using twine, I knotted my two circle branch ends together, making sure they overlapped enough to create a fluid shape. Once the wreath base felt secure enough to start, I took my pieces one by one and added them to my winding twine.

Voilà!

I know I didn’t take any photos mid build, but really it’s up to you how you go about it, and as long as you keep twisting the twine in the direction you started everything will turn out fine!

Look at the brilliant differences in colour and texture. I was careful to keep the twine to the branches as much as possible so as to keep all the leaves free.

My new house smells so delicious with my new wreath, cookie scented candles and fresh summer air.

I’ll be blogging a few more times before Christmas, and then I’ll finally be back blogging regularly in the New Year!

Stranger.