Paradise, Almost

When I scrolled through the photos, I realized the man had sneakily took a shot of me in an undignified mid-stretch in the morning before we headed out for our separate itinerary. He went out for a light walk and to play with the cat; I went riding in the meadows.

To move his limbs, the man likes his hotel gym. Otherwise, he says he's stuck with doing prison workouts in the room or something. Push-ups and whatnots. But I take walks with him around the estate. It's such cool weather. It'd be a pity not to walk. Wherever possible, we put the car aside and walk. We can't cycle though, otherwise we might attempt to do so, but not on the main roads. The traffic along Maroondah Highway that links all wineries and main streets of Yarra Valley is quite heavy. We won't be able to negotiate that traffic on bicycles.

We even watched Perry Bros Circus set up camp and tent at the field between Healesville and Kinglake Road. On the way to Phillip Island, we saw Slivers Circus with its bright yellow tent at South Gippsland Highway (next to Settlement Hotel), Cranbourne. It's such a hoot because growing up in Singapore, I've never seen a circus travel and set-up in reality, only those that I read about in books.

After Singapore and Shanghai, I can't stand being in Melbourne city anymore, and would really like some green. Luckily, we've places to drive out to. This is, perfect. Nearly, paradise. Green, lots and lots of neverending green. I brought walking shoes and riding boots! Plenty of trails to explore. It's super windy, but not that bitingly cold. A windbreaker, not wool, does a better job of keeping me snug in this climate. For this reason, I love jackets made with Gore-Tex.

The man and I have been to Yarra Valley, separately, countless of times, but never together. Each time, there's something new and something old and familiar about the place. So this trip, we're checking out new sights together. Time is flying by, and it's painful to feel it pass so fast. I'm treasuring every moment. It's a luxury to watch the sun rise and wait for it to ease into the velvety darkness.