"Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." – Mary Oliver

Good Things Friday

Last Friday, we drove up to Moama for the Perricoota Pop and Pour Festival. Friends of ours from running are involved, so we usually go up each year. Friday was hot. We met our friends halfway to Moama for lunch at the Redesdale Hotel, then continued on to our accommodation. This year, we were all staying at Perricoota Vines, which was also one of the venues for the festival. Friday night was our usual dinner at The American in Echuca. Saturday morning, some of us got up to do the Echuca Parkrun, and then it was a rush to convene at our friend’s sister’s place for the start of the festival at 10:30 am. The weather was bad, lots of rain, but not windy and we all had either umbrellas or ponchos, plus some of the venues had enough cover to squeeze under. A list of good things from the weekend away:

  • Half-size parma at the Redesdale Hotel. I love a parma but a half-size was just right for lunch at the start of the weekend that I knew would involve a lot of food and drink.
  • Soda water at the pub. Hit the spot for a refreshing, somewhat festive drink that left room for indulging later.
  • Going back to old favourites.
  • Buddha bowls … a funny pub meal but I’ve got to get my veggies in.
  • Starting the festival in the VIP section and helping out by being the extras in their social media feed.
  • Mango slushy cocktail – yum!
  • Great bands at each of the venues
  • Dancing. It’s been a while, and sometimes I forget how fun it is.
  • Staying at a venue so we have one place where we can use a proper toilet instead of the portaloos.
  • No lines at the food trucks.
  • Our crazy, crazy friends who always make going out a blast.
  • Getting a Parkrun done. The first since early this year. I’m still run/walking but did the 5K in 32 mins.
  • My last minute decision to take my Chelsea boots. My feet stayed warm and dry and saved me from mud squelching between my toes.
  • There was no wind, and warmish temperatures made the rain bearable.
  • Good times, with good friends.
  • Meeting new friends too.
This was after we’d decided it was finished raining and dropped our umbrellas back in our apartment. Yes, the two behind the band were with us.

Ok, on to a few more good things:

  • It was my birthday this week. On the day, G and I went out for lunch at Buongiorna, a new cafe near us. G and I had some calamari and then a pasta dish each. The kids gave me a selection of teas in pretty when they were over on Monday. We’ve still got some more celebrating to do this weekend.
  • We’ve had some more stunning weather. We took Riley for a walk yesterday and G said “this is why we moved here”


  • Clean windows. I had to do them myself, but it makes such a difference.
  • Nectarines. I like the taste of peaches but don’t like the fuzzy skin, so nectarines are perfect for me. I got a really good lot with my CERES delivery, juicy and sweet.

Are there any foods where the texture puts you off? Are there things that you do only occasionally but when you do them you think “wow, I’d forgotten how much fun this is?”


Comments

18 responses to “Good Things Friday”

  1. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! I hope you have a great weekend continuing the celebration!

    1. Should be good. I booked dinner with the family for Saturday.

  2. Happy belated birthday! And a 32 min 5k when you are doing a walk/run combo is great!! Your running pace must be quite fast!

    I don’t care for the texture of tofu. I don’t like the taste either but I think the texture is extra off putting for me.

    1. My running is pretty slow at the moment, but I was up to mostly running with just a few short walks. We are not really fans of tofu either.

  3. Oh, happy birthday. Sounds like you had the perfect break away, friends, food, fun, wine, dancing … and hopefully you’ll have a great weekend too! Enjoy.

    1. Thanks, yes it was a fun weekend. This weekend looks good too.

  4. Happy birthday!!!!

    That IS a lot of good things! The mango slushie cocktail is calling my name.

    1. It was pretty good, but dangerously didn’t feel like drinking an alcoholic drink.

  5. Hooray for having great footwear when you need it. Oh my gosh – the rain in that picture. Whoa, that is quite the downpour. I’m cracking up at you in the VIP tent and being an extra in their social media stuff. Funny. And staying at the venue to have access to the bathrooms in your room is a brilliant move.

    This will shock you, but I’ve never eaten a fresh peach. The fuzz. I just can’t. I was raised by a picky eater mom, so I picked up some bad habits there. I’ve come a long way. Oh, also – fish. I don’t like fish and I do think it’s a texture thing. I hope to one day find a fish that I like. Maybe the right recipe or the right type of fish. Ever time we hang out with our college kids and their friends’ parents we have a blast and I always leave thinking we should do this more often. It really isn’t like there are lots of opportunities that we pass up though. It’s just not that convenient for everyone to gather.

    Happy birthday to you! It sounds like you enjoyed it.

    1. I love fish, and we eat it usually about once a week at home, but I prefer it when we are out at a good restaurant—no fish smells and usually perfectly cooked.

  6. Happiest belated Birthday Melissa. Have a lovely celebration this weekend.

    What fun week with dancing and good food. Sounds like a blast.

  7. Nectarines are the answer! Peaches without the grossness. I LOVE pears, but only a perfectly ripe pear. That is a real feat – they’re usually hard as rocks or too mushy. Also, bananas and pineapples are gross because of texture. I am a fruit snob is what I’m telling you.

    Happy birthday! I’m glad you had a great time.

    1. It seems I am not alone with my preference for nectarines. I like bananas and pineapples though. Pears, the gritty texture is not my favourite, plus the difficulty of getting a perfectly ripe one as yuo say, is a problem.

  8. What a wonderful birthday weekend, and the fun wasn’t even over when you wrote this! It all sounds amazing. Things I don’t do often, but really enjoy when I do – dancing, going to a concert, and riding a bicycle. I haven’t ridden a bike in about 10 years, I should give that a try again!

    You do live in a beautiful place. The low fog way off the coast is reminiscent of the ocean here, though our waves are much bigger. Is this perhaps a bay?

    Nectarines are definitely the answer. I have a recipe for a salad that is lovely with nectarines and pickled onions and quinoa. Look it up on my blog if you are so inclined, it’s perfect for summer.

    1. Yes we live at the end of a large circular bay called Port Phillip Bay so the waters here are very flat. My parents place is at one of the heads of the bay (2 hours drive) so there is a surf beach there which I prefer. I’ve put your salad on my to be cooked list. I love pickled onions.

  9. Happy belated birthday!!!!!

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