Wordless Wednesday : Sunrise

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Country Getaway

As part of Liam's birthday present, I decided to arrange a weekend escape to the country to spend a little bit of quality time together.  Just the two of us, and Rocket dog!

We finished up work early on Friday, and headed off to the country town of Trawool.

Upon arriving, we were shown to our cute little cottage.  The property is just off the main highway and is home to two gorgeous little guest cottages, as well as the owner's residence and a restaurant/cafe.

The two guest cottages are situated side by side, surrounded by lovely gardens and an sprawling open yard that is perfect for the dog! And not far away is the cafe where the owner's spend most of their time and are always available should you need anything. 

We let them know roughly what time we expected to arrive, so by the time we got there the fire was roaring and the cottage was so lovely, warm and cosy!

Rocket found his spot by the warmth of the fire!  Liam, the self-professed "Master of the Fire" made sure that the fire kept roaring all weekend long, keeping the cottage the perfect warm place to stay in the cold weather. 

By the time we ran into town for supplies and take away for dinner it was getting cold and dark so it was a perfect place to settle for the night.  We ordered some Indian takeaway in town, and spent the evening cuddled up on the couch watching a fantastic Hawthorn victory.

I managed to get a fantastic deal and as a result breakfast was included both mornings of our stay. 

Nothing like a nice pot of tea and a delicious hot cooked breakfast to start your day off right!  Liam ordered a full breakfast, whilst I opted for an omelette with mushrooms, bacon and cheese.  YUM

After breakfast, we decided to go for a quick wander into one of the near by towns. 

We had a little jacket for Rocket to wear so he didn't feel too cold in the back of the ute.  I feel that it emasculated him somewhat, but have to admit that he did look kind of cute! The above photo makes it look like he is wearing a cape, and for some reason reminds me of Sherlock Holmes.  All he needs is a hat and a pipe! Anybody else agree, or am I just insane?

Speaking of insane, Liam looks slightly loopy in this photo! Aww, my boys <3

Wandering through town, it was bitterly cold and windy so we decided to head back to our cottage.  Rocket must have had enough, and promptly crashed out!

We left him there and made our back back to the cafe, where we sat out on the balcony and  feasted on a lovely cheese platter, which was also included in our package! It was divine, and I would have happily paid oodles for it.  Totally worth it!  We enjoyed a lovely bottle of moscato to accompany the cheese and basked in the sunshine which would intermittently break through the clouds. 

What a perfect way to spend the afternoon!

Not content with just a perfect afternoon though, I was determined to make it a double, and follow it up with the perfect evening too!

The big West Coast vs Essendon game was on and we planned to stay in by the fire again to watch another fantastic victory.  This time I was feeling a little more adventurous than just take away and wanted to prepare some warming winter comfort food to enjoy whilst we watched the football. 



I set to work in the "kitchen" whilst Liam prepared some baked potatoes using the coals.

Et voila, here is our cottage feast!

Potatoes baked on the coals topped with garlic butter, tasty cheese, coleslaw and copious amounts of sour cream! Accompanied by pork pepper and mustard sausages with caramelized onions. YUM

I'm not sure you can get any more perfect!

A tasty meal,  the company of my wonderful man and our cheeky pup, cuddled by the fire in front of the TV watching a victorious game of football! I was a very happy camper.

Day two started out with another pot of tea with breakfast! This time I chose bacon and eggs for my meal and an English Breakfast tea, whilst also stealing sips of Liam's pot of chai. 

After breakfast, we went for a wander around the property :

I love that garden and chair set! It's looks like it's been thereforever, and the area around it has become mossy and overgrown, but that only seems to add to the charm.  We met this curious Alpaca who came bounding over to say hello, but was very wary of the dog.  So cute!  I marvelled in the gorgeous colours of the area.  The grass was just so lush and green, whilst the leaves on the trees had turned the most stunning array of earthy Autumn shades. 

Rocket was very patient with me as I set him to work as my little model...

Unfortunately all good things come to an end, and after a fabulous weekend away it was time to head home! :( As you can see, Rocket did not want to leave.

Here he is, staring sadly at the ute while we packed everything up ready to go.  I can't blame him though... I did not want to leave either! It was such a nice relaxing weekend away. 

Liam is now looking up land an property in the country, as he has always wanted to move out that way and away from the big smoke!  He is now determined that after purchasing a little house in the suburbs, the next step is to buy a piece of land in the country as a holiday destination/investment piece.  Ever since we got back, he's been trying his best to convince me and show me properties for sale to win me over!

Well... I think I can safely say that he enjoyed his birthday trip...

Perhaps a little too much!

Birthday Surprises...

I had been massively looking forward to my birthday weekend, even though I had no idea what was in store for me!  Liam had not given me any clues as to what was going on, and I was intrigued and excited to find out what he had planned!  On Saturday morning, he told me to pack my bags for the weekend - I would need casual clothes, bathers, and clothes for going out.  When I asked him what "going out" entailed, and if we were going out for dinner, he told me that he supposed he would have to feed me along the way!

This mystery, although exciting, made it very difficult to know what to pack!

My bags for one night away.  I suppose you could say I haven't quite mastered the art of packing light.

We jumped into the ute, and hit the road!

Liam took an exit to avoid heavy traffic, and the possibilities were running through my mind.  He feigned a big hissy fit at the city traffic and I had to tell him to calm down.

It turns out it was all an act!

When we first started dating, he planned a fancy weekend away to try and win me over. That weekend, he surprised me with a night at the gorgeous 5* Crown Metropol.  As we approached, I pointed it out and giggled reminiscing about our date there.  We had had a lot planned, so never really got time to enjoy the facilities, and have been saying since then that we should go back for a visit. 

He had pretended to take a wrong turn to throw me off the scent... as we pulled into the driveway he yelled out "Damn it! Since we're already here, we may as well stay the night!" Cheeky bugger.

I heart this bed so much.  It is like sleeping on a giant marshmallow!

The room was exactly the same as the one we stayed in last time, only the opposite way around. It was kind of like living in a mirror!  I loved being in the same surroundings, and evoking memories from our previous weekend away. 

Everything was so pretty and perfect!

Even a bottle of sparkling wine on ice!

We decided to leave that for later, and head out for a bite to eat.  Wandering around Southbank, there's definitely not any shortage of choices! As it was getting on in the afternoon, and I wasn't sure what was planned for dinner, we decided not to eat anywhere too fancy and save our stomach space.

A glass of rose for him, and a sparkling pink moscato for her!

This was our first alcoholic beverage in a month, so we savoured it! I'm not sure if it was the shape of the glass (which I love, by the way!) or the month off alcohol, but I was impressed by the way Liam sipped his wine throughout lunch.  Usually he guzzles it within moments of being placed in front of him!



We each ordered a wagyu burger, and a side of onion rings to share.  Unfortunately, lunch was a little disappointing.  The burger patty was incredibly dry, and the onion rings were more like shreds rather than the thick juicy rings we'd been hoping for.  Oh well!

After lunch, we spent some time in the swimming pool and just enjoying the hotel room before we had to get ready for the next surprise! Liam had requested a higher level floor, and we were given level 22.  The views were absolutely stunning! I wish I'd brought along a proper camera to capture some shots.

We jumped into a cab, with the concierge and driver laughing at me as I covered my ears with a "la la la I can't hear you!" while Liam gave him the address we needed to be at. 

YAY! Draculas!

You're not allowed to take photos of the show, but I did manage this sneaky shot of my dessert!

Liam had paid for VIP tickets, so we enjoyed some champagne, cocktails and jelly shots upstairs before being seated for our three-course meal and an awesome show!  Loved the outfit! So much colour, very sexy, and lots of bling!

We decided to get up early the next morning so that we could have a leisurely breakfast and then make the most of the hotel's pool/spa facilities before heading to the football.  As the alarm went off, I looked out the window and saw the sky tinted a beautiful shade of orange as the sun peeked through the buildings. 

I adore Melbourne.

As tempting as it was to lie in bed all day staring at the view, Liam had arranged for us to have a buffet breakfast at the hotel's restaurant - Mr Hive.  The last time we were here, the restaurant (Maze) belonged to the Gordon Ramsay empire.  Apparently that was a failure and closed down last December, making way for this newcomer.

Walking in, the decor looked vaguely familiar although a few changes had been made.

What hadn't changed, however, is the quality of the food!  The scrambled eggs were just as smooth and creamy as I remember, the hashbrowns cooked to crispy perfection, the mushrooms meaty and flavoursome, and gorgeous rolls of salty smoked salmon. 

The pancakes were a complete surprise to me! They were thick, puffy things which resembled a hamburger bun more than anything, however they were so light and fluffly and absolutely melted in my mouth! My only regret is that I could not fit more breakfast into my tummy! YUM.

After consuming that massive amount of food, the last thing I should have been doing is squeezing into my bikini! However, it was a lovely day and there was a gorgeous pool and spa upstairs that was begging to be used.  Who am I to object?!

Located on level 27 is a gorgeous infinity pool and a small heated pool, with the most amazing views!

Next to the pool are a collection of sunbeds and lounges beneath these massive funky light shades.

They look like big puffy jellyfish to me!

We spent time alternating between the big swimming pool, the little heated pool, using the steam room and jet spa in the changing rooms, and lounging on these big comfortable sun beds...

Look at that gorgeous city view!

It was a perfect way to spend my birthday weekend!

 
PS : We didn't end up having time (more like, we preferred to spend the time lazing by the pool!) to pick up my birthday present, but not to worry! I've been assured we will find an occasion to do that soon :)