The roof top mounted furnace gave us a sincere case of false security this morning, as we awoke, after falling asleep last night to the constant pitter patter of thick, heavy rain drops creating a never ending drumroll against the tin walls of the van.

Screen Shot Of The Bureau Of Meteorology Rain Radar For Last Night, With Our Location Right Near The Middle Of The Orange Patch Of Teeming, Never Ending Heavy Rain.

While by the time it came to be extricating ourselves from beneath piles of blankets, the rain had thankfully ceased, although there was still moisture in the air and we felt a cold like we haven’t felt for weeks. Even through the dark tint of the caravan windows, we could see that it was a miserable day that awaited us, with a thick pall of dark grey clouds pulled across the sky like a scratchy old woolen blanket, replete with only enough holes to allow the sun a very occasional glimpse of terra firma.

It was into this morning we dove, with a full day of activities lined up, which saw us first wending our way towards the centre of Adelaide. In a very un-tourist like adventure, we are going to do some shopping. As silly and as crazy as it sounds, even to Bec, I want to go to, among other places, Costco. So, in what was meant to be a very quick trip to the outer suburbs of Adelaide, off we went.

Before even reaching the shopping mecca, we came across Hazels, which according to the sign promised to have a range of new and antique giftware. The sign wasn’t deceiving, although old doesn’t necessarily translate to antique, as much of what we found within the cram packed tin shed showrooms could have been better described as junk than antique. Keeping this in mind, we were able to find a few genuine nuggets worthy of our attention, making a few small purchases, while leaving a rather largish sideboard behind. Although it was seriously considered, with only the small issue of how to get it home, short of strapping it uncomfortably to the bed in the van, preventing us from shelling out another wad of cash on something we hardly need.

We did eventually make it to Costco, after yet another cessation to our travels, when we stumbled upon the R.M. Williams Factory Outlet. A closely guarded secret, the small space alongside the factory at which the famous one piece of leather boots are still produced, sells a range of discontinued and seconds clothing, all at well below the retail cost. As hard as I tried to make a purchase, I went through a range of emotions when I couldn’t find anything that I liked, that was also in my size. Bec had a similar setback, thus we left empty handed.

Costco was the same sort of setup as what we have back home in Melbourne, so it was no surprise to us, although we spotted a few things in their range that differ from what we have seen back home. Nothing exciting enough to encourage us to buy, apart from a chunk of Lamb which we are planning on heaving into the oven at the caravan park camp kitchen, to enjoy a long yearned for roast for dinner.

We called in at a few more small shops on the way back to the valley, in search of a few bits and pieces I have decided we can’t do without until we get home. Then, at the grand insistence of Becs brother, we were forced to navigate our way back past Hazels rickety giftware shop. Bec had sent him a photo of a couple of ceramic pieces, which when he finally got back to her, he decided he would rather like to add to his collection. It mattered little to him that Hazels was well and truly out of our way by this time, or so we told him as we turned into the car park while Bec was still talking to him on the phone. He will be pleasantly surprised, just so long as nobody lets the cat out of the bag and fills him in on the secret of our return to Hazels, just for him!!!

That did mark our last stop in the suburbs though, after which we continued our drive in the general direction of Tanunda and the caravan park. The worms were biting quite savagely by this point in time however, so we made our first stop the little crossroads that calls itself the town of Lyndoch, where we’re hopeful that the bakery we remember fondly from our last visit, would have something left in its glass display cases with which we could satiate our ravenousness, with what could only be termed a late lunch. We were in luck, with the pie warmer still containing a generous selection of home made meat pies. Becs potato pie had a thin layer of creamy mash over chunky beef pieces swimming in a pond of thick gooey gravy, while the stringent aroma of curry clearly identified my equally yummy curried meat and gravy filled pastry dish. As a sweet, we tore chunks from a slab of Bienenstich a delicious creation of dense viscid custard filled cake, topped with a nut encrusted toffee praline. It was a day old, but was cheaper to buy the whole hunk than a single slice, let alone a slice each of todays fresh baked goodies. And as a bonus, guess what’s on the menu for dessert tonight?

Tucking In.

The Little Lyndoch Cafe

And Their Sign Which I Took To Mean Something To The Effect Of: “Eat Wonderfully And Fart Well”.

With the road from Lyndoch back to Tanunda home to some of the famous wineries of the Barossa Valley, who were we to stick our noses up at the chance to partake in a few tipples of the good stuff. We started out at a small family run viticulture cellar door, Kies Family Wines, where we were warmly greeted like one of the family. We were bid farewell with even more fondness after we stocked up on several more bottles than we had planned for. And this was but the first winery on our multi-day itinerary.

Winery #1.

Second up was the very elegant looking Chateau Barrosa. Elegant or not, someone really ought to tell them how to spell ‘Barossa’, although it wasn’t going to be me, because I might have followed up with what I thought of their wines. I’m sure someone would like them, but they weren’t to our taste, so we left here without another bottle or two to add to our collection.

Winery #2.

Never to mind, as there were yet more cellar doors, wineries and vineyards to visit, the next being Schild Estate Wines, where believe it or not, more tinkling glass vessels were purchased and carried out to ‘The Beast’. Hemara Estate and Kellermeister wines were the next two stops on our itinerary. They also both gave up some of their produce for us, in the form of a couple of bottles of excellent Hemara Estate Shiraz, even if the winemaker here insisted on pronouncing it as ‘she-rar-ze’, rather than my highly uneducated, but more common pronounciation of ‘shi-razz’.

Winery #3.

Winery #4.

At Kellermeister, as well as a sensational view across to the rolling hills, where the sun was now shining through a crowd of broken cloud, we were offered us a chance to taste a more than I could afford per bottle, nip of shiraz (or is that she-rar-ze), which I have to admit didn’t stand up on my palate as well as the much more reasonably priced, lower end of the scale tipple. Not that we got out of their cheaply, as Bec fell for a slender bottle of sugary sweet ‘ice wine’ and I hankered over a syrupy chocolate liqueur which has an undercurrent of coffee running through it. Delicious.

Winery #5.

With the alcoholic warmth already caressing my veins, it was time to turn tail and head for the van before I reached a licence jeopardizing level of intoxication. Apart from that daylight was already failing us and we are yet to prepare and cook up our roast dinner, a task that we were both melancholic of, as it meant waiting some two or more hours before we could eat. Our late lunch was suddenly looking like a prodigious concept however.

Thus, back at the van, we quickly got things ready before hauling the trays over to the camp kitchen. It was decided that Bec would set about tidying up the van, while I sat at the camp kitchen to keep an eye on our dinner, ostensibly to make sure it cooked, but more so to make sure no one pinched it on us. Hunger makes me do strange things, so I couldn’t say what would happen to anyone silly enough to even look at our dinner the wrong way!

And it is here in the camp kitchen I still sit as I write this, the alluring aroma of roast lamb and vegies ruminating through the room. Oops, gotta go, the timer just dinged and dinner is ready.

Until next time, have fun, stay safe and don’t forget to write.