The concept of a warm Christmas is so utterly foreign to me. Yes, I've done the sunny Christmas holiday escape to Central America a few times in my life, but having months of heat during the buildup, execution, and aftermath of this chilliest of holidays strikes me as just plain weird. I've had to laugh every time the lyric, 'oh, the weather outside is frightful…' rang out on the airwaves whilst shopping over the past month - yeah, "Oh dear! It's 80°F and stunningly sunny outside, that is simply dreadful!" What a bunch of weirdos… Stranger yet is the prevailingly northern-hemispheric-centric holiday decorations - wreaths, holly, fake snow, reindeer, etc.
So, with no fireplace to curl up beside with a mug of peppermint cocoa, and absolutely NO need for one, I couldn't bear the thought of spending Christmas at home. Rob and I packed his little 4WD to the gills and headed south for slightly cooler climes and a little much-needed R&R. First stop, our fav little coffee shop - Antz Inya Pantz www.antzinyapantz.com run by an American expat from Spokane, WA - to fuel up for the 4-hour drive.
The drive down to Margaret River was relatively uneventful, winding down through the lush countryside. We made a brief stop in Bunbury to pick up some fresh fruit for our Christmas dinner, but didn't really have the foresight to grab the most appropriate or needed items. I've never taken so much extraneous food on a trip and still managed to be without key ingredients for planned dishes - definitely could use a PDA…
We were sorely disappointed to find our planned lunch stop, Cape Lavender, unexpectedly closed and thus rocked up in M.R. cranky and über hungry. Fortunately, the recommendation we'd received for eats in town panned out before the trip was completely ruined. Settlers Tavern www.settlerstavern.com/ served up large and tasty late lunches to an eclectic mix of music.
Finally, in the late arvo, we were able to take a load off and start to unwind in the quaint tranquility of the Bridgefield Guest House www.bridgefield.com.au
Rob and I relaxing with a bottle of Margaret River chardonnay on the porch of our private little cabin.
View of the Bridgefield Guest House wishing well and sunset on the main house
Jade - the cat of the house, who had clearly been left to run the joint while the owners were off enjoying themselves.
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