Friday 15 December 2017

A Cracked Rib, Christmas Cheer And A Weekend Away

What do you really need a month out from Christmas?  Yes indeed, to trip over and crack your rib, and render yourself useless in the Holiday rush.  Not happy Jan, as the ad used to say.  So Christmas will be a very minor bump in the road of a not so great 2017.



some candy canes (my doodle) to cheer myself up:=)


Mr P. is also feeling a bit out of sorts at the moment, so we headed down to our fave getaway - Northern Rivers, just over the Queensland border for those not from these parts.  It is beautifully green down there, and guess what, it rains and storms nearly every time we head down.  And yes we had a storm the second night.  But it is glorious with the lightning flashing over the river and nearby hills.




sunset over the river



the view from our room

And yes the light really was that brilliant yellow, making everything gleam like jewels in the twilight.  Very magical.




the bedroom


We stayed at the Ramada Hotel and Suites Ballina, which overlooks the Richmond River.  You will often see dolphins, sea turtles, fish and even rays making their way up and down the water.  There are gulls and terns, pelicans, cormorants and darters fishing and flitting about, grabbing fish and crabs on the go.




another view of the stormy sky from our hotel window 


So Mr P. and I spent a couple of days seeing the sights.  Here is - ta da!  a real butcher.  Yes I have a thing about butchers.  Call me weird if you like, but I love seeing real butchers cutting up real meats.  This is in Wigmore Arcade, Ballina.  A treasure for sure.




a real butcher!


Now here's something you don't see much of these days - a real butcher.  And yes there was a corpse hanging in the backroom - a Bangalow pig I think:=) 




the front (or back?) of the new gallery - look at all those solar panels! 


We meandered on to the Lismore Regional Gallery, newly opened after moving from its old premises round the corner (and after the awful flood earlier this year).  It is situated in the Quad, with the Library on the kitty cat corner.  I think this is the actual front of the building though the obvious access from the carpark is at the back. 




my chicken, cheese wrap 


We had lunch at Slate Café which is in the Gallery building.  Mr P. had nachos, while I had this chicken, cheesy wrap.  Nice and healthy, but a wee bit too much dill for me.  Dill was clearly the herb du jour as we had buckets of it at another café too.




the Emporium at Newrybar 


Newrybar used to be a teeny, tiny little hamlet with a general store and a petrol pump, and an antique shop full of junk.  Now it is home to Harvest, an incredibly popular restaurant with its own garden and forager.  And this place - I have to say an incredibly expensive boutique establishment with lots of wonderful and pricey things.  But then again, well-heeled Sydneysiders flock to it flashing their cash...




our friend Brooke's pottery studio - Red Door


We trotted along to our friend Brooke's studio at Fernleigh in the hinterland.  She was very busy!  So we had a quick yack, and I bought a few things for Chrissie gifts.  As regular readers will know, I have many of her things in my kitchen.  But there's always room for more.


  
a current exhibition at Tweed Regional Gallery  



As always we stopped off at Tweed Regional Gallery to have lunch and a wander round.  (I was also picking up a painting I'd bought a couple of months ago from one of their exhibitions.)  This is part of the Adventures of Aecap exhibition.

We had a great time as we always do here, and if you get a chance, it's definitely worth a few days in the Northern Rivers area.  Oh, and I didn't even mention the lovely beaches, and hinterland drives, and the Byron Bay Lighthouse, and the quaint little villages up in the hills, and the produce...




last year's Christmas doodle


22 comments:

  1. Ouch, you poor thing Sherry! A cracked rib sounds very painful. What a lovely diversion just before Christmas. This sounds like the perfect antidote. We ate at Harvest in Newrybar and it was gorgeous :D

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    1. you are so right lorraine. we have eaten at Harvest many times and it is always amazing. i don't know whether to be happy or sad about Newrybar village. it used to be soooo quaint but it is now packed full of Sydneysiders! :=)

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  2. I hope your cracked rib mends quickly so that you can enjoy Christmas.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  3. Sorry to hear about your rib. We have our annual two week Chrissy holiday at Lennox caravan park - so know the area well. Can't beat it. Santa visits on a golf buggy, fresh seafood from Ballina and this year trying lovely Christmas salads from the new owners at Jordan's farm fruit and veg shop. Hope you heal soon

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    1. it's such a fab place to visit isn't it? we go down several times a year and just love it.

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  4. Sorry to hear about your rib. We have our annual two week Chrissy holiday at Lennox caravan park - so know the area well. Can't beat it. Santa visits on a golf buggy, fresh seafood from Ballina and this year trying lovely Christmas salads from the new owners at Jordan's farm fruit and veg shop. Hope you heal soon. Lesley

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  5. Oh no Sherry! Sending you positive vibes. Always meaning to this...maybe you need to slow down? The universe has made you stop so to speak. I agree, 2017 has just been awful. Lots of energy shifting. 2018 will be a good one :)

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    1. hi jem. yep can't wait till 2018. this year has not been fine at all.:) have a great Xmas. xx

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  6. Ouch, that has got to hurt! Not the best thing for a busy time of the year. Hope you heal quickly! This looks like a beautiful area of Australia. My husband and I will definitely do a road trip there one day!

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    1. Hi marcellina
      That’s a good idea. You really must visit! Have a great Christmas 🎄 xx

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  7. Drat! There's never a good time to crack your rib, but a scenic trip in good company is a terrific attitude adjuster. Wishing you a speedy recovery (& more good times along the way). May we all have a better 2018! Hugs.

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  8. Such beautiful photographs and this is one of my favourite parts of Australia. A cracked rib is not amongst the things you wish for at Christmas time and I wish you a speedy recovery 8)

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    1. thank you Merryn. i'm just starting to feel better a week out from Xmas:) we absolutely love it down there. my heart hops with joy as soon as we hit the border when driving down. have a great christmas break cheers S

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  9. Sorry to hear about your cracked rib Sherry but it hasn't stopped you from enjoying life. The Northern Rivers District is a beautiful part of the world and I have enjoyed reading about your exploits. I love it there. Have a wonderful Christmas. Pauline

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    1. Thanks Pauline. Have a wonderful Christmas 🎄 break. X

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  10. It is a gorgeous area for sure. Our home got flooded early this year but the good news is it's only 2 or 3 weeks till we can move back in :)

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    1. how did your place get flooded?

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    2. The Townsville floods in February. My home was in probably the worst hit suburbs.

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    3. very sorry to hear that sue. our niece is in townsville too and she had lots of water in their backyard as they have a huge culvert just outside their back fence. Hope all is better for you now.

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