Friday 17 January 2014

A Holiday Interlude.

 One of the highlights of our year is the break we share with my mother, usually early in the New Year to coincide with my father's birthday.  Although dad is no longer with us, late November & December are difficult times for my mother as they mark the anniversaries of my father & brother's deaths.

 December is usually hectic in this house so we set aside time in January to spend a longer visit & catch up with any family that happens to be around.  We have done this for years & years.  When the children were younger all of us arriving en mass became a little overwhelming as my parents aged & as children do mine competed for their grandparent's attention so as they grew older we allotted them each one of the holiday breaks so they got one on one time with mum & dad.  The exception, naturally, was Cait.  She always came with me.  Nothing has changed.

Mum lives within driving distance of one of the most supremely beautiful places in Australia & over the years we have done most of the bush walks, visited most of the beaches, & enjoyed the touristy delights of Montville & Maleny.  This time mum suggested we try a restaurant that had been recommended to her: Secrets on the Lake.
 Driving into the Sunshine hinterland is a dizzying swirl of of swish~swashy rollercoaster roads sashaying around the hillsides ~ but the road into Secrets simply plunged vertically straight down towards Baroon Lake! It is not the steepest road in the world, that accolade belongs to Baldwin Street in N.Z! but it is certainly a breath gasping experience.
 Before we even got in the door we were impressed.
 Inside we were overwhelmed with the beautiful woodwork, the incredible artistry of the furnishings & the artwork on display.  What's not to like about that bookcase with its fruitbat dangling alluring over a selection of books?

 Lindsay Muir is one of the featured artists. Beautiful work.

 We were seated beside the water feature.  Mum and I are still considering ways & means to pack this up, lug it home & install it in the house!
 However, what we had come for was food ~ though by that point mum & I didn't care if the food was good bad or indifferent!  We were absolutely charmed with our surroundings & had so enjoyed looking at all the beautiful things on display that the food was secondary.  Not so for Cait!
 Mum & I opted for a pumpkin frittata while Cait had a green Thai  chicken curry.
 Gradually all the tables on the deck filled & we were glad we had arrived that little bit early & were seated & had ordered before the busloads of tourists arrived.  The service was very good but the staff were very busy & we did have rather a long wait between courses.
 The presentation was lovely & the food very good ~ plus we had a wonderful view over the lake!

Then to cap it off one of the owners arrived with a basket of roses & presented every female  with a pristine rose.  It was a wonderful gesture & the roses were the old fashioned sort with both thorns & scent.


2 comments:

  1. I had been waiting and looking on your other blog about your trip. I am so glad I found this one. It sounds so lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It was sooo lovely! It's a really nice area but now rather too expensive to live in.

    ReplyDelete