I Heart Faces

Sam on Manly Beach

Scavenger Hunt

1. Texture

At Wirra Wirra winery in McLaren Vale, there was a 2 story high 'wine bottle' made out of corks (see 'Hangin' in the Vale' post). I love the texture of corks and am a little sad that they are being fazed out, but in the name of better wine I guess I can accept screw-top bottles.

2. Fog

Last night in Edmonton, they held an Illuminations festival in Churchill Square. This was the finale: an acrobat was suspended high off the ground in a spinning wheel, while many fireworks burst around her. I guess this is linked to 'fog' because of all the smoke that was in the sky. Don't hate me for the pathetic connection!

3. Button

This was the first scarf I ever made. I attached the biggest button I could find on it to finish it off.

4. Beverage

Such an expressive face. I sometimes feel like I am dating an Anime character. Chad is clearly not enjoying the red wine in his plastic cup.

5. Seventies

This is a photo of a photo; my mum got married in the 70's. She had a medieval themed dress. You can't get much more 70's than that.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

You Capture: Happy

My beautiful friend Aimee, laughing her head off while on the phone to Mutchie. We are at our favourite pub in Adelaide, drinking a Coopers Pale. 

It is one of my most treasured memories from my time in Adelaide.

Is it Wine Time?

WINE TIME! In the Barossa Valley...

OH MY GOSH, the Barossa Valley makes me happy!

Barossa Valley

The Barossa is located about 45 minutes north of Adelaide city. Lucky for me, my mum now lives in Gawler so it is almost stumbling distance away. We make an annual trek to visit some key wineries in this region. However, this year we chose New Years Day to meander the valley and met with many closures. So we decided to hit up a nice lunch at Saltram's and instead of guzzling gallons of booze, we sipped delicate brews and fine wines. Very adult and over-30 of us!


Saltram Wines
This winery has a 150 year old history of wine making. They have also started a micro-brew called Pepperjack Ale. This is an aromatic and fruit-foward ale that is so very refreshing and cleansing - loved it!


The ones we went home with:

No.1 Shiraz 2006
We began with a tasting of the whites and reds, and found that our palate was enjoying the heavy full-bodied reds. We purchased a 2006 No. 1 Shiraz which was, in our opinion, every that an Aussie Shiraz should be: loud, and bold when it needs to be soft and velvety when it wants to get it's own way...kind of like an Aussie woman. Aromas of mulberry, dark chocolate, blood plum and and blackberry. We can cellar this for 10 - 15 years.

Winemakers Selection Shiraz Tempranillo 2008
2008 was a tough year for the wine makers of the Barossa and most Adelaide regions. Typically, Chad and I found that we didn't enjoy the 2008 reds at all; they were flavorless and lacking in the fruity depth that we were used to. However, this wine had a hint of spicy pepper and blueberries. 

Mrs Pickwick's Tawny
Port is such a lovely way to end a nice dinner with friends. It is port drinking time in Canada and this was just devine. Not too sweet, warming and calming, like an old familiar friend.

FOOD
The pictures say it all...Dukkah tasting plate with antipasto and a wood-oven fired pizza with prosciutto, rocket (arugula) and pecorino cheese. YUMM-O. Saltrams has many areas for fuctions a private wine cellar that can be rented out and a fine-dining restaurant. Be sure to visit when you are in the neighborhood.

 

Related articles

• These fertile hills are a foodie's dream (independent.co.uk)
• Shana Ting Lipton: Vineyards of South Australia's Barossa Valley (PHOTOS) (huffingtonpost.com)

I Still Call Australia...Home.

Family is the country of the heart. We spend so much of our lives in exile, but on the holidays we make the pilgrimage home to the nation of our heart where ever that may be ~ Giuseppe Mazzini

Australia is an invigorating country. I feel like I have to go home at least once a year to re-energize and balance out the insanity of living abroad. After 10 years of being away, I don't really miss living in Australia, but I miss moments, feelings, tastes, smells, familiar faces and a common language. To be honest, I don't really feel like I belong to any country any more which is the in inevitable fate of every expat. For me, home is spending time with people I care about, family or old friends. But I often find that I spend so much of my time worrying about having the best time at home that I forget to just relax and enjoy myself.

Is there such a thing as a 'perfect Christmas'? Is there a normal, easy going family out there in the world that genuinely enjoys spending time together as a cohesive unit, building solid, meaningful connections? Family should mean connecting to the people who care about you who make you feeling like you belong to something, a community, or a culture. I make the pilgrimage home to spend quality time with the people who have supported me on this crazy life journey. However, it is rare that I actually have a trouble-free Christmas. Without going into too much detail, my time at home was turbulent which makes it all the more difficult to leave again.

Guilt plays a large role in familial relationships. Whether that emotion is being used in a conscious way or not, family members use guilt to manipulate others.  This saddens me, because it is the antithesis of how loved ones should treat each other.

Families should treat each other with more respect than they do their friends. They should take the time to get to know each other, support them when they are down and most of all give each other space to grow and prosper. However, enough ranting from me!

I hope you all had a good time over the holiday period. I fell in love with Australia once again, not only through the eyes of Oprah, but every day I felt blessed to have been born into a good family in a blessed country. Please, if you have the time and money, make the pilgrimage to the great Down Under. My next few posts will hopefully convince you to go visit the place I grew up in! Happy Early Australia Day!

Related articles

• "Australyaday" - what it means to this expat in Oz (suburp.wordpress.com)

Touch-Up Tuesday

Before: Dark and not very interesting...

 After: Too light and still not very interesting! I need to practice adding layers!

Scavenger Hunt

Phew! It has been a busy week...So much to blog about, but I have been working a lot...and I am still not over my jet-lag. I will play catch-up this week! Hope you like the photos so far...Most of them are from my trip home to Australia. 

1. Memories

While I was home this time, I took photos of my grandparents wedding album. They look so happy in this photo.

2. Silhouette

I couldn't decide once again, so here are two of my favourite silhouette shots from our McLaren Vale trip. More of that trip to come soon!

(The Victory Hotel)

3. Doorway

 The Salopian Inn. Amazing duck fat chips. Cleansing Ales. Fine Wines.

4. Reflection

This photo was also taken in McLaren Vale at the Salopian Inn, home of VALE ALE, a new beer company. A cleansing ale here would ensure the rest of the days tastings went down smoothly.

5. Silver

The name of this beach is 'Silver Sands'. It was like swimming in a salt-water bath.

Macro Monday

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge

Innocent Wonder...I think Sam's eyes say it all!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday: January 16

Chad and I arrived home to -24 and a metre of snow on our balcony. In 20 hours we did a 50 degree swing and went from swimming at Manly beach to trudging through snow drifts. I will wrap up our Aussie adventure with pictures and stories after I get over my jet-lag.  I wanted to quickly post some scavenger hunt pics so that I can get back into the swing of Life-In-Edmonton.

1. A Different View

Chad, my family and I traveled to the James Well Crab Jazz and Shiraz festival on Yorke Peninsula, approximately 1.5 hours west of Adelaide. Due to the inclement weather, the little crabs are not growing as fast as they normally should, so there were no crabs to eat at the festival. We ate chicken instead. This is the closest I came to eating a crab at the festival. Luckily, there was lots of Shiraz and jazz to keep us entertained.

2. Looking Up

I quickly snapped this seagull whilst taking a walk on the beach at James Well.

3. Abstract

The water fountain at Manly Beach's outdoor shopping mall.

4. Hair

Tex the dog has fluffy hair around her mouth.

5. Half

We went to Max Brenner chocolate shop in Manly. Little Anna had half her babycino all over her face.

 

 Next Week's Scavenger Hunt:

1. Memories
2. Silhouette (current Mortal Muses' prompt)
3. Doorway(s) (next week's Paper Heart Camera theme)
4. Reflection (Jules' Suggestion)
5. Silver (Jules' Suggestion)