We started the morning bright and early and had a quick breakfast in one of the cafes at Red Hill, within the Mornington Peninsula area. Mr Efficient had documented that this particular cafe was good for sausage pies so we went there to try it. Not too bad, although a bit porky in my opinion. nat had her usual orange juice, an apple and a packet of Mamee (or what she calls noodle snack). I like the Mamee in Australia because it is not as salty as those found in Singapore as the salt is packed separately so you can choose not to put any in the snack. There is a label there stating that this snack is produced for kids and promoted in school canteens so I figure it can't be that unhealthy, right?
Thereafter, we were off to the Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm. I have always had a strong desire to visit fruit farms and orchards when I am overseas, be it oranges, apples, or strawberries. Never got an opportunity before so I was really excited about the strawberry farm. We were quite lucky, even though it was the end of the season, there was still a big field of luscious strawberries for us to pick, and we got away with a cheaper rate. In fact, we had the whole field to ourselves. We were given a box to store the strawberries that we picked. gary was very fussy, teaching nat to pick only the big, red strawberries. Many little strawberries that nat accidentally picked were surreptitiously chucked away and never made it into our box. We emerged triumphantly with a big box filled with bright red strawberries. On our way out, nat was mesmerised by the silly strawberry soft toy that giggles when you shake it. Of course, it had been strategically located at the cashier counter and was designed to attract kids. nat grabbed one and refused to let go. We left the farm AUD$8 poorer.
Thereafter, we were off to the Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm. I have always had a strong desire to visit fruit farms and orchards when I am overseas, be it oranges, apples, or strawberries. Never got an opportunity before so I was really excited about the strawberry farm. We were quite lucky, even though it was the end of the season, there was still a big field of luscious strawberries for us to pick, and we got away with a cheaper rate. In fact, we had the whole field to ourselves. We were given a box to store the strawberries that we picked. gary was very fussy, teaching nat to pick only the big, red strawberries. Many little strawberries that nat accidentally picked were surreptitiously chucked away and never made it into our box. We emerged triumphantly with a big box filled with bright red strawberries. On our way out, nat was mesmerised by the silly strawberry soft toy that giggles when you shake it. Of course, it had been strategically located at the cashier counter and was designed to attract kids. nat grabbed one and refused to let go. We left the farm AUD$8 poorer.
As it was merely mid-morning and too early for lunch, gary suggested to visit a nearby winery that he had been wanting to drop by, so off we went to the Main Ridge winery. There, we were greeted by a big, friendly dog called Stella who seemed really happy to have some company. As gary had a chat with the friendly owner, nat decided she would chill out by the bench to have a bottle of milk. After a nice bottle of milk, she decided she needed to poo and quick as lightning, I whisked her to the toilet. I was really proud of her, even though it is really quite odd that she always chooses pooing time whenever we are at a winery.
By then, it was lunch time. We decided to treat ourselves to a nice meal at the Montalto winery. The restaurant is located at the vineyard itself and one could enjoy first class cuisine while enjoying a great view. The vineyard had many sculptures erected at various spots and nat had a good time exploring.
During the course of the holiday, I noticed that nat had certainly become a friendlier child. There was a honeymooning couple sitting beside us and she flashed her winning smile at them and said Hi, something she often did throughout the trip. The couple were amused by her, I on the other hand, couldn't take my eyes off the lady's big diamond rock on her finger. After "socialising" for a bit, she declared she was tired, asked for milk and promptly fell asleep.
We then explored the little village towns in Sorrento and Portsea. Quaint little shops but nothing I really wanted to buy. They had some designer looking children's clothes which were too expensive to buy, but nice to look at anyway. Dropped by the supermarket as well to stock up on mineral water and purchase some stuff for breakfast. If you don't already know, I simply love going to supermarkets overseas. They are so big and have such a wide range of interesting products, I can spend hours there. Throughout the trip, I was also on the constant lookout for nat's body wash and moisturiser from GAIA. It is much cheaper in Australia and I was determined to stock up on it. Fortunately, it was quite readily available in most supermarkets and pharmacies.
We ended the day having a light dinner of instant noodles, after our heavy lunch. nat seemed starved and wolfed down the instant noodles. We thought that nat would have an early night, after having been up and about the whole day. Yet, she was very energetic, running up and down, singing, dancing, the works! I was tired just looking at her.
To amuse her, gary decide to light up the fireplace. As he went about setting up the firewood, newspaper and lighting the matches, nat looked on with much curiosity. Then she surprised me as she went up to Daddy and said "Be careful, daddy, it's dangerous." and then patted him on the back. Such a sweet and thoughtful gesture from my little girl.
nat finally fell asleep much much later, after watching some cartoons. I on the other hand, had difficult sleeping as the wind was howling and making a lot of noise. Looking out at the darkness, I thought to myself, this place is so beautiful in the day, however at night, it gets really dark (unlike Singapore where most areas are very brightly lit up, even at night) and can get kind of scary. Took me a while to fall asleep.
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