Where did April go?

April has been a very busy month and has passed in the blink of an eye.  The trip to Julia Creek for the DirtnDust took up the first ten days then there was Easter followed quickly with a trip to Toowoomba.  Is it any wonder I'm feeling very tired.
I have posted about our trip to Julia Creek and now for the rest of the month.  Easter first.
It was probably one of the most relaxing Easters ever.  We were invited to a friends place here at Julatten on Good Friday where we feasted on Barramundi, Oysters and Prawns....good christians that we are (not!!).  We sat for hours and talked and talked.  They are great friends and we always enjoy their company.
Easter Saturday was spent with our life-long friends who live at Kuranda.  They invited us to join their family for a bbq lunch that was, once again, outstanding.  So much food to choose from and all delicious.  The adults laid out Easter Eggs so that the young ones could go on an Easter Egg Hunt.  We never did this with our kids.  It wasn't the done thing but I wish we had because the look of delight on the kids faces when they find an egg really warms the heart.

Keeping fit and healthy has been high on the agenda this month.  Unfortunately when we go on a camping adventure we tend to over-indulge on the snack foods and alcohol and we  probably don't exercise as much as we should.  My clothes always feel a little tighter after these trips so it is imperative to get back into the healthy food as quickly as possible.  Enter "Pumpkin Wedges with Goats Cheese".  Wow, what a cracker of a dish and very easy.  Just roast your pumpkin wedges with onion wedges (in a very hot oven) and when its cooked pile it onto a platter with goats cheese (I also added prosciutto that I needed to use up) and pour a Sage Brown Butter dressing over the top (melt butter until nut brown and throw in a handful of sage leaves for a few seconds.  Cool slightly and add about a tablespoon of balsalmic vinegar).  Top it with peppitas for a bit of crunch.

We have been trying to have regular date nights but something always seems to get in the way, so I have blocked out the 4th Thursday of every month on our calendar for the rest of the year so here's hoping we can stick to it.  It is very important in any relationship to have time to talk in a neutral area.  We chose our local, the Highlander here in Julatten.  Their meals are pub standard but large and really quite delicious.  This date night we just felt like pizzas.  I just wish that we had ordered just one to share as they are very large!

Our garden continues to give and at the moment we have lots of citrus - oranges, mandarins, limes, grapefruit and the avocado is loaded with fruit.  We also have lots of passionfruit and I am always looking for new ways to use them.  To use up some of the avocados I cooked us poached eggs on an avocado salsa for breakfast yesterday.  Our gardener provides us with the eggs and this meal is both delicious and healthy.

We had the pleasure of joining friends for a night in Port Douglas last night.  We all booked into the Peninsula Hotel that is right on the esplanade in Port and enjoyed sitting outside listening to the sound of the waves whilst sipping our drinks, in my case Champagne!  

Four Mile Beach just across the road from our Hotel

At 6.30 we made our way along Macrossan Street to find somewhere to eat and settled on the fantastic Watergate Restaurant.  We chose a selection of entrees that were placed in the centre of the table for all enjoy.  We feasted on oysters kilpatrick, salmon pate, fish sticks, peking duck and cuttlefish all served with very tasty sauces.  We couldn't do justice to our mains as we had filled up on entree but we had chosen Chilli Prawns, Kangaroo Fillet, Pork Chop and Gnocchi. We all tasted each others dishes (that's the great thing about eating with friends) and I voted the pork that Philip had ordered as the best. It was so tender! The staff at the Watergate are fantastic and we highly recommend anyone travelling to Port Douglas to make this a food destination.

We took the long walk home to help digest our rather large meal and after a Baileys nightcap I was in bed by 10 pm.  

We woke the next morning to a glorious day and walked 3kms along Four Meal Beach that gave us all an appetite to enjoy the breakfast that was included in our accomodation deal.  I can't praise the staff at the Peninsula Hotel enough.  It was one of the friendliest places we have ever stayed.  It is a "kid free" Hotel that some frown upon but I think it is a complete joy!

Well, that's a wrap for April.  I'm hoping that May will be quiet but looking ahead on the calendar, I don't think so.  Stay tuned.