9/12/2025 Margaret River Road Trip

Just a heads up, today has been really hard going. When I got to bed last night I realised I’d forgotten to pack my  picture of Si, so didn’t have it on the pillow next to me which was really bloody shit. Of course I’ve got pics on my phone but it’s not the same. Sleep didn't come particularly easily and when it did it was disturbed with images of Si I’d rather not be remembering.  

I took myself for a walk as soon as it was light just to have some time alone. I sound really ungrateful because I’ve been absolutely spoilt rotten by everyone but I’m finding it hard keeping my “I’m fine” mask firmly in place with so many memories flooding my every thought. The walk cleared my head a bit and put me in a better headspace so by the time I got back to the cabin, my. “I’m fine” mask firmly in place,  everyone was up and ready for breakfast. We’d booked bed and breakfast and the  breakfast was a self service continental affair served in a room with floor to ceiling windows looking out over the tops of the trees and over the ponds and bush.  Ray had got up early too and driven into Margaret River to the bakery to buy meringue to take home ready for Christmas. They are apparently the size of tea plates, crispy on the outside soft and chewy on the inside and the top drizzled with chocolate. They are a family favourite, particularly of Rays, which was why he was up at the crack of cow shit and at the bakery waiting for them to open. He arrived back at the chalet  utterly devastated; the bakery was shut for the day for the staff Christmas party.  Rude! No meringue or fresh bread rolls.  Also on the agenda was a visit to Miller's ice cream parlour …..  Unfortunately it is closed Monday and Tuesdays. Yet more utter disappointment!! 

With the lack of meringue weighing heavy on Ray,  and the ice cream parlour also shut we had to jump to item 3 on the plan, The Cape lavender tea house https://lavenderonline.com.au/

There’s a clue in the name… everything is Lavender related, the food, the drinks, the gifts. Absolutely everything comes with a lavender theme.  

Carey and Ray had raved  about the lavender ice cream so I felt I needed to sample it, along with a lavender latte. Carey had lavender scone with strawberry and lavender jam and a lavender lemonade. Mamma had English breakfast tea,

No lavender included,  but it was in the most beautiful little teapot and cup with delicate lavender and bees decorating it.

So, to the main event,  the lavender icecream, apart from being bright purple, which I had no problem with at all, because,  as we know purple is Simon’s favourite colour, it tasted like lavender. Lavender soap, dear lord it was hideous. It reminded me of the time I had to eat a bar of soap for telling Mike Smith to fuck off in church at the harvest festival when I was 4, a memory that’s clearly stayed with me  50 years.  . This time however I willingly entered into the soap tasting experience, and worse I paid good money to do so. On the upside I suspect my intestines are now suitably relaxed and calm from the amount of lavender ingested so there’s that little positive. Other than that I am struggling to find any other positives about it.  My advice is if you are in the area, and really want to try it, make sure  you’re in a group of at least 20,  just get one pot you’ll only have to eat one spoonful of the damn stuff!  Trust me, this stuff doesn’t improve with each mouthful,  it just gets worse. I’m no quitter, so I finished it, but it was an experience and a half. 

The lavender latte was ok, very sweet with dried lavender flowers on the top of it.  I’d probably order that again.  

Carey’s lavender scone with strawberry and lavender jam was delicious. I know Strawberry and lavender jam is a good combination as I’ve made it and I’m quite partial to it on a slice of Toast. The flavour in the scones wasn’t too overwhelming so that is something to try at home. 

The cafe itself is set in beautifully maintained grounds, with the purple colour theme running throughout. Inside is all polished hard wood floors with every lotion and potion you could imagine made out of Lavender. Including some really cute microwave heat pillows in the shape of koala bears., something else to think about making when I get home.  

As we were on a tight scedule we loaded back into the car and went to our next destination.  The Grove Distillery. Carey and I decided to do a taster session and deliberated over which liqueurs.

We were told that they went light to heavy top to bottoms. We decided which ones we wanted to try and were poured our liqueurs of choice, I started off with limechello,

Which was delicious on its own, but we were instructed to drink half the contents of the shot glass and then the lady came along and added white chocolate and coconut liqueur before pouring in fresh cream it was like pina colada. omg amazing. Next up, after a palate cleansing water was the  orangechello, very nice and very strong. It was the same gig as before, drink half, then she added dark chocolate liqueur and fresh cream, it was a cross between a chocolate  orange and jaffa cake. Pretty damn good.

  Last up was Butterscotch, one of the heaviest of the liqueurs, and the most delicious drinking it neat. She added dark chocolate liqueur and cream.  As the liquids were all different weights they didn’t blend easily so we had the option. I’d we sipped it we’d get the three layers separately, Or if we Necked it we’d get all the flavours mingled together. She did offer to mix it with a stick but we went for the neck it option. Wowzers it was sublime. While we were tasting the liqueurs I was telling Carey about the flavour gins and vodkas Si and I made and promised her a  tasting session when they come over next summer. That led to the story of"the Leonard Measures” and “nobody gets out sober” which she found hilarious. I don’t know if she’ll find it so funny next year when she’s blinded by the home brew and can’t actually stand up… 

  I wasn’t buying liqueurs as I’m obviously travelling onwards but I did get Julie a bottled strawberry gin to say Thankyou for having me. I just hope she likes strawberry gin! The surroundings are tranquil and beautiful, so peaceful, in amongst the trees, the birds calling to each other and the grape vines lush and green in the fields. 

We passed an olive grove on our way to the distillery and I couldn’t remember where the one Si  and I visited was. I knew it was down south and had to go back through my photos to find out where.  Thank god  for each and every one of the 20,000 photos I took.  The Olive Farm  we visited was in Tinglebury, which would be why the one we passed didn’t feel familiar! Phew because frankly the day is tearful enough as it is.  It was nice to revisit the memory of the olive grove tasting and it was so clear I can actually smell and taste the olive oil.  Which is a bit shit because I can’t smell Si anymore.

From the Distilery we drove to Nguraren Kalleep Reserve, which has a peaceful little waterfall and oodles of birds.

As we were there a heron flew down and perched on the safety rail just along from me. Just beautiful.

We had a few photos at that spot and if you want to there’s a stunning bush walk that brings you out just opposite the bakery (shit, don’t mention the bakery) not today though we are on a tight schedule and I’m all out of spoons.

Leaving the reserve we took the road to the Berry Farm . You used to be able to pick your own fruit there but they don’t do it any more. It’s a farm shop now for all the produce they make from their fruits. You can sample all the jams, chutneys, chocolates and alcohol. Carey and Ray did a load of Christmas shopping there for  their  kids,  all of whom appreciate The Berry farm produce.  We stayed for lunch, which was all homemade. The sausage roll would give James’ a run for his money. It was served with wedges and the homemade tomato sauce and the sweet chilli relishes, both of which were really nice and available in the shop. One of the highlights of the Berry farm is the birds.

Sometimes they will actually eat off your hand. I tried channeling my inner Cinderella but they weren’t interested in eating out of my hand. . An iridescent blue fairy wren kept flitting around us, and eventually it hopped up on the table.

If there is any jam or cream left from the tables, the cafe leaves them out on the fence for the birds to help themselves and they just fly down and tuck in. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m not sure how much jam and cream is part of their natural diet… but they seem to like it and they eat the fruit anyway, before it’s turned into jam.  

From the Berry Farm, we drove through a lovely little place called Nannup to Greenbushes to pay a quick visit to some friends of Carey’s.  Greenbushes has the largest hard rock lithium mine in the world, and the mine owners are buying up any properties that come on the market.  It’s an open pit mine and Carey’s friends say they blast daily, sometimes up to five times a day. When they blast the whole house shakes, which would be something of a concern for me! The school is just 100 metres from where the mining is taking place and It’s now just a matter of time before they will be offered a substantial sum of money for their home. The area is fabulous. Quiet, when there’s no blasting, all the homes are well looked after and backing into bushland full of wild flowers and animals. They’ve been growing fruit trees and are in the process of building permanent cages over them, it’s been an ongoing project and they’ve held off as they didn’t want to waste their money doing it if the mining company are going to buy them out. 

From there we were meant to be heading home, mama Kay Julie and I were going to Joel’s for dinner and Julie rang Carey to say we were supposed to be there in an hour, except we were still three hours drive away so we weren’t going to make it in time. Joel and Julie decided that it would take the pressure off of the dinner was rescheduled. Mamma visibly relaxed and with that decision Carey said as we were not far from Capel we should call in on Stephen and Jenny, Kay’s eldest son which we did.  We ended up staying almost two hour and watched the white parrots come home to roost, noisy things, but weirdly attractive. 

The drive home to Carey and Rays took another 3 hours, I could barely keep my eyes open, and I certainly couldn’t stop them leaking in the darkness. By the time we got to Carey’s I’d managed to get a grip, and the final hour back to Julie’s was conducted with a bit of dignity. Absolutely shattered, drained emotionally and physically and in need of bed and my boy.

At least the bed my dog eared photo was waiting.

Such a hard day but here’s hoping tomorrow will be easier on the emotions. 

Much love

Mrs Leonard

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