Birthday surprise

Part of Grumpy's birthday surprise, I booked for him to play 18-hole golf at 11am last Saturday morning. Since he has always been bugging me to join him in the golf course (puh-leeaseee as if I have nothing better to do with my time?!), I decided to be a good wife this time round. I joined him in the golf course, but not as a golfer, more as company instead. The trick here is... to book yourself a golf cart.

Golf cart P-plater.

This is also his birthday present from me. Customised golf clubs, of which I had no help or say in his decision making process, but to pay for it. As long as he is happy!

The golf course is called Moonah Links, which is situated on the Mornington Peninsula. I was keeping my fingers crossed for days, hoping for good weather. Kind of like a bride on her wedding day. Haha lucky for us, or me, it did not rain! A bit windy at first, but sunny most of the day. Grumpy played by himself for the first half, before he was invited to join two other men in their round of golf for the remaining 9 holes. Which was good, because he focused a lot more and was not hitting balls all over the place. I brought a book to read with me, sitting in my golf cart.

Finally after nearly 5 hours on the course, he was done.. and we checked into our hotel room. The hotel is called Peppers Moonah Links, which forms part of the golf course. We put our bags down, and drove off to the Peninsula Hot Springs, only five minutes away. This was our substitute for missing out on Japan's Hakone onsen (we cancelled our stay in Hakone because it was closer to Tokyo). The hot springs were very nice and relaxing, especially when we are nearing winter now. We dipped in pools up to 42 degrees Celcius. It felt very hot!

At night, we had a nice and romantic dinner for two at the hotel restaurant. All I can remember is that after dinner, along with a glass of wine, I was in bed, fast asleep by 10.30pm. Probably exhausted from driving a golf cart. Haha

Morning view from our hotel room balcony. Looks into the 18th hole of the golf course. It was very peaceful and calm. We checked out after filling up our tummies with a buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Rye beach, a 10-minute drive from the hotel. Sorrento is not far away from here too.

I never really knew this but the Mornington Peninsula region is home to plenty of wineries. I did some research a few days before, and out of the many wineries, I picked this one called Ten Minutes by Tractor. We sampled a few wines, mainly chardies and pinot noirs. And so, by 11am I was quite drunk. Yet I was still able to hold on to a camera and take a few shots..

The name is derived from the fact that the vineyards are situated, ten minutes apart, by tractor.

The trademark tractor at the front of the cellar door.

Overall, I think Grumpy liked his birthday surprise!

17 then

A sneak peek of Grumpy's 30th birthday surprise!

I organised a weekend away to a golf resort... and it was the perfect mini-vacation to celebrate his birthday! More photos to come.

Tomorrow is his actual birthday, and I can't believe this guy I married is turning 30! It was only.. ermm...13 years ago when I started dating him, he was 17 then. Now he is 30! Good lord! LOL

Happy birthday to my dearest husband! Big big big love, hugs & kisses!

And it will then only be a matter of time before its my turn. Yikes.

Easter at Port Campbell - Part One

When I found out that my parents were coming over to Melbourne for Easter, and how we were about to have 5-days straight of holidays (very rare), I thought it was a perfect opportunity to organise a family holiday. It was back in early January when I rang all the decent accommodation places at the Grampians, and everything was completely booked out. There were some cheap places left but I can only imagine Grumpy's face if I made him stay at an old cottage for $80 per night. A definite no-no!

I got nervous. Australia was ahead of me here. Haha The Australians have already planned their bloody Easter holidays long before I did, and there I was.... thinking I was early! Finally I decided to try a place I went to last Easter with Grumpy and some friends, but no longer at the Grampians. It was Port Campbell instead, which is along the Great Ocean Road, a bit further from the 12 Apostles. The lady said there was a villa available for 6 people, and immediately, I booked the spot.

Fast forward 4 months, and we were on our way for a family road trip. It has been years since we all travelled together as a family. We hardly travel together anymore these days, everyone is so caught up with different commitments.

Our first stop was at Lorne. It was a beautiful sunny morning.

Complete! All four of us together on a holiday!

The 12 Apostles at sunset. We stood here in the freezing cold and extremely strong winds late in the evening waiting for the little penguins to return from the sea. There were hundreds of little penguins, but because the viewing platform is quite far, and considering how dark it was, (unfortunately) we could hardly see anything. We had free binoculars on loan, courtesy of the Craters to Coast program.

The Arch

Whats left of London Bridge.

The Grotto

Take one

Take two

Take 3 - okay thats enough.

This is what happens when you have a sister with an overpriced camera, no photographic skills yet she attempts to have a go at professional photography.... you can model as much as you want and she will still snap your photos.

Update from yesterday's post: I was busy browsing the internet from 6am this morning... made some phone calls at work. I think I have Grumpy's 30th surprise under control. Whoop whoop! Anywho its Friday tomorrow!

Under the Weather

Its been so cold over here in Melbourne... and its also the time of the year where I am happy to just take the back seat and not do anything.

Work has been absolute shit. There is not much going on except for politics and mess.

I guess I survive by doing lots of reading of books which I borrow from the library. I also started running again (on the treadmill). And Little-Miss-Whats-For-Lunch has been giving me plenty of Glee CDs to listen to.

Grumpy's birthday is coming very soon, and he is turning 30. He has not been the most joyful person lately, especially when it comes to birthday parties and all, which is proving to be such a pain to me!

Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy... feeling so under the weather lately.

My time in London

Immediately after work last Friday, I was able to squeeze in one drink with friends quickly at a bar near the office. Of course, I had a glass of Pimms with lemonade, which is oh-so-British! Duh. Then I rushed home by train to watch the Royal Wedding at home!

It was absolutely perfect. I loved everything about it, from the bride in her wedding gown, to the groom in his dashing uniform. I loved the colour schemes, the bridal party, the smiles, the waves, the atmosphere, absolutely everything!

If you read my earlier post, I mentioned about having a Royal Wedding party here in my own home, although no one was really invited apart from Grumpy. As a guest to my Royal Wedding party, Grumpy did not quite make the cut. Reason being, he was fast asleep even before Kate & William made it to the balcony for their first kiss. HOW RUDE!

One thing I noticed after watching the wedding three times, is how much I wished I was in London. It is an amazing city, I love the accents, the beautiful architecture, the history, the food, the high street fashion, and how they still have the monarchy and royal weddings for people like me to watch in awe! I have been fortunate enough to visit London numerous times while I was living in Dublin.

I browsed through old photos to remind me of my time in London, and here are some highlights when Grumpy and I were there together. Fun times! You would notice these popular landmarks from watching the Royal Wedding on tv.

The entrance to St James Park, this is called the Admiralty Arch.

Next to the arch, we watched the changing of the horse guards here, called the Horse Guards Parade. At the Royal Wedding, both the bride and groom rode past here in their horse drawn carriage.

Palace of Westminster, which is next to Big Ben. I look quite different now, by the way. This was three years ago.

There you go, now you can see Grumpy, or Big Ben. Hehe

One of Britain's most famous icons - The Queen's Guards!

The Tower Bridge. This bridge is very close to the Tower of London. I really enjoyed visiting the Tower of London. This bridge still opens up until today for big vessels. It is often mistaken for the London Bridge. This is NOT the London bridge. If you watch The Tudors (I love Jonathan Ryhs Meyers!), then you will know the history behind the Tower of London.

The London Eye by night. We did not get a chance to go on a flight on the London Eye together, but I had the opportunity to do it with my friends (but without Grumpy - boo!) on a different trip. It was good, amazing views, especially of the River Thames.

West End! When in London, a West End musical is a must!