11 June 2021 marked our 5th Wedding Anniversary as well as 9.5 years together and 15 years as friends. Victoria went into lockdown on 28th May, so we weren’t sure if we’d be able to get away as the easing of restrictions was a watch-and-wait endeavor, snapping us back into the bait-and-switch of making plans only for them to be cancelled that plagued 2020. Fortunately, regional Victoria was able to travel again 4th June, so our weekend away was back on.
The next hurdle was to leave Adam overnight for the first time. We had each been away from him separately as Steven had him overnight a few weeks ago at Craig & Dee Slatter’s in Yando, about 40 minutes south of Kerang. And I took Adam to an appointment in Bendigo last month and stayed the night with him there. With routines set, a three-page manifesto left with Craig & Dee, and two overnight bags packed, Steven and I smothered Adam with kisses and ventured off to our overnight getaway at Balgownie Estate Winery in Bendigo. I knew about this vineyard as we used to serve a Cabernet Sauvignon at the Firehouse Restaurant where I used to work in Melbourne. We went to the Yarra Valley location in early 2018 when Robin and Allen came for a visit, so it was due time to check out the location closer to us, only an hour and twenty minutes south.
The winery is in Maiden Gully, just outside of Bendigo, and it was so wonderfully quiet. There is a restaurant on site as well as glamping tents, but we decided to stay indoors. It was the perfect set up: we were able to walk to dinner and didn’t have to worry about navigating anywhere, maximising the down time.
We masked up and walked to dinner at the restaurant and enjoyed a three-course meal. Steven’s choices revolved around the availability of the dessert he wanted–the Black Forest Dome.
Chargrilled Octopus, nduja, squid ink, purple sapphire potato, pickled onion, coriander ◆ Slow-roasted lamb shoulder, purple sapphire potato, zaatar, purple carrot, fermented chili, chimichurri ◆ Tonka bean cheesecake, poached rhubarb, spiced sable biscuit, raspberry gel
Zucchini blossom, blue corn tamale, mulato chilli aioli, machego, corn puree ◆ Sticky pork belly, rouille, parsnip miso, brussels sprouts, bloomed mustard, speck, baby leek ◆ Black forest dome, bitter chocolate mousse, marshmallow, sour cherry, sable, Chantilly
Our anniversary tradition is to reflect on the year that has just passed. And man, 2020 into 2021 was a big year: living through a pandemic, shut out from seeing family, going through a pregnancy, welcoming and then learning how to parent Adam, working part-time for both of us, and figuring out life as a family of three. Steven is not the same person I met 15 years ago, nor am I the same person he started dating nearly 10 years ago. But there’s no doubt that we’re TogetherFordEver, and now Adam gets to be a part of our team.
Conclusion: A Parade of Liquids
Fords Gone Walkabout 