It’s a distillery with a difference. The Mt Uncle Rum Distillery is another place worth a visit if you enjoy liqueurs or spirits crafted from local ingredients. Even if you’re not into distilleries, this one is another special find for visitors. When you step into their boutique cellar, you are also transported back into history.…
The sun was shining and it wasn’t raining, so we bundled the kids in the car and took them to Lake Eacham, Crater Lakes National Park. What a fabulous location up on the Atherton Tablelands. When family visit, I usually have a few local places to visit and one of them is a good swimming spot.…
Museums of any sort capture my attention. However, having a museum attached to a fish and tackle shop had me intrigued. As I needed a particular set of weighing scales, I decided the museum alone would be worth the drive. I ventured forth and found Bransfords Discount Tackle Shop, Clifton Beach, Cairns. I wanted to…
Platypus, smoked local meats, homemade jams, fresh baked desserts and lily pads across expanses of lakes were an enticing combination for a relaxing midday outing. The Australian Platypus Park and Tarzali Lakes Aquaculture Centre’s outdoor covered dining area had expanded considerably. I was pleased to see that business was doing well, especially their Smokehouse part. Various meats…
What a quaint, quirky experience. Everything appeared topsy turvy at the Mad Hatterz CafĂ©, in Yungaburra; only 40min up the Gillies’ Range from Cairns. We enjoyed a lunch with a difference. Hats of all sorts were all about on each chair. Those who dined for lunch donned a mad hat; of sorts. We heard giggling and squealing echoing…
Sensational, sumptuous, seasonal strawberries! It is difficult to describe or do justice to what real seasonal strawberries taste like, unless you’ve eaten them fresh. I love farm fresh fruit and vegetables because they are picked ripe off the tree, plant, bush or vine; at the right time of year. Strawberry Season It is the season for…
“Any excuse for a ‘Fika’ is a good one,” according to a sign in a Swedish CafĂ©. To ‘Fika’ simply means to meet over a cuppa and something sweet to eat. In Sweden, it is like a religion, enjoyed several times a day. Fika with friends, co-workers and neighbours is the thing to do in Sweden.…
This poem came about when I looked after my two nieces one weekend, while their mum and dad competed in a mountain bike competition. We were chatting about Father’s Day and this is my older niece’s thoughts of what her dad has done for her. We sometimes think children don’t notice the wonderful memories parents create with their children. You’d…
When people leave the hairdressers they feel like a million dollars. To quote Julius Sumner Miller: Why is this so?  Apart from making you look and feel good; they are renowned as exceptionally good listeners. Good Listeners People feel they can talk to their hairdresser because of an unspoken code of ‘client/hairdresser confidentiality’. As hairdressers listen,…
My Crock Pot sits on the bench during winter. It is at the ready for when I create another of my masterpieces. I call them masterpieces because they are edible, nutritious and delicious dishes. This week I made a Hearty Beef & Vegetable Soup using Promite to help create the Stock. I enjoy Promite because…
I had been sitting on my verandah, quietly enjoying a cuppa, while dabbling in my writings. Out of the silence, came a loud rustling sound. I looked over at our timber bridge.  Then I glanced towards the rainforest and beyond the creek. I noted: no movement, no stirrings, not even the breeze was about. I…
Anzac Biscuits are one of those timeless biscuits which go down well on any occasion. It was known as a traditional Australia biscuit, which was sent overseas to serving ANZACs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corp) in World War I, because they lasted well. On the weekend, a friend dropped in for a cuppa and…
Big Sister Blogs - Maria Parenti 