Nice.

Look how nice it is here in Port Fairy:

This has been the view from our beach house for the last ten days:

It has been a shame about the weather. I had deluded myself into believing that Port Fairy existed in it's own unique Gulf Stream which meant that it would be warm and sunny. It doesn't. It has been cold and wet. I've reached the conclusion that sometimes the ocean is at it's most beautiful and dramatic when the clouds are dark grey and the wind shrieks.

Last night the babysitter came good so we went on a dinner date to the Merrijig Inn. If you ever find yourself in Port Fairy you MUST have dinner here. It was monumentally good. Their use of the heirloom vegetable and garden grown fruit was impressive. In the Spirit of the Famous Five we ate tongue - not in a sandwich but in a terrine:

This charcuterie platter also had fromage de tete (which loosely translates as head cheese.....it is all the bits of a pig's head cut up and set in aspic). I hesitated, yet in the quest to add another first to my already impressive list, I ate it.

Look at what we had for main course. Pork chop with crackling, anchovy butter, roasted root vegetables and cheesy polenta:

Kim had duck, three ways:

And then for desert, quince and gingerbread trifle:

And apple and quince crumble:

Today was market day in the village:

Look at Camelia's cute new hat, knitted from alpaca no less:

The very talented Granddad's from the Port Fairy Men's Shed had a stall all set up where they were helping children make toys out of wood offcuts. They weren't scared to share their drills and hammers and expertise:

What a fabulous idea. It was an incredibly touching and generous act of public spirit. Our boys were in seventh heaven.....and the old boys were really enjoying themselves too. Three cheers for the Port Fairy Men's Shed!

Needless to say we spent most of the afternoon floating boats in the river:

Tomorrow it's back in the car, no doubt to the accompaniment of The Very Best of Cold Chisel (thank's Meigs). We are struggling with what else to listen to on an Aussie road trip? All suggestions warmly welcome. Just so long as our children don't know all the words to Khe Sanh by the time we get all the way back to Hobart.

R