A Lovely Day Out

Today, my friends Katya and Roslyn took me out for a belated birthday celebration.  I do not remember a time in my life when I didn't know these girls.  We grew up on farms in a small rural location, attended kindy together from age 3, so we've been part of each other's lives in some way for 44 years.  Incredible. Here they are....

Roslyn suggested that we go to 'The Garden' at Maleny.  We go here each Tuesday night for meditation (in an outbuilding at the back), so we'd not seen it in the daylight.  We were amazed at how big it was.  The premises are very deceptive when seen at night!  It's a combination nursery, gift shop and cafe/coffee shop.

There is a cottagy type feel to the front garden by the entrance.

 I loved these rusty floral decorations. 

 Seeing rosellas in fruit reminded me that I'd forgotten to plant any this year so I'll not be making jam.  I suppose I could go back and buy a bush becasue a cupboard without rosella jam is a sad cupboard indeed.

 After walking around the yard we entered the cafe section of the building and all gasped with delight when we saw this ENORMOUS (it looks smaller in the photo) fire place.  We decided we'd have to head up the hill in winter to enjoy coffee by the fire.  We enjoyed good coffee and Ros had a yummy looking piece of cake.  Then Katya suggested we head off to check out a nursery recently opened by a friend of ours from high school.  Oh, it was wonderful.  Spencer and I had been such good friends at high school and through my years at university.  Then I went bush teaching and with numerous moves between us we lost contact.  We'd run into each other a few times over the years and today I sat with him and chatted in the shade while the girls shopped for plants.  It was beyond lovely to see him. Lovely to see him successful and happy.  I am just so happy to have seen him and promise myself to go and visiit him more often. 

We finished our morning by lunching at a local Thai restaurant.  We only ordered entrees which was a good move as they were very generous in size.  A main meal would have been too much for us, particularly on a hot day.  Although when my sister and I were in Thailand it was hot and we NEVER let that interfere with our eating!  We ate our way around Thailand. The food and menu's were incredible.

I'm home now, crashed on the couch.  Ready to rest once I finish sharing my day with you.  What a special day.  How luck I am.....