Passing Thoughts Around Adelaide

The cuckoo clocks in Harndorf village looked like they just belonged there. From miniature setups to those that reminded me of grandfather clocks, the wood was resonant of the Black Forest, its ambience and tales of its shady corners. Imported from the northern climes, they have settled in the Antipodes. It was fascinating how a German community recreated a previous but well loved lifestyle and tradition on a new land. In so doing, they contribute to the richness of their chosen abode and weave a new tapestry on to an ancient land.

On that Saturday morning, I was recommended to get lunch at a shop calling itself Belly Pot, and the lamb version I chose did not disappoint - chunky, wholesome and full of flavour. The outlet was not cozy in setting, but what mattered was what it produced. I wondered about the name of the business, but realised that the pies they made were indeed belly pot sized.

The cured spicy pork salami at A Taste of Harndorf was of Spanish inspiration, peppered with spice and deeply ingrained with less streaky whorls. Dark on the outside, but when sliced, its inner brightness was matched by an intense taste and aromatic give away. I thought of the Cantonese lap cheong, Italian sausages and Amercian hotdogs, but obviously this salami was so different.

June from Port Macquarie was very careful about what she ingested whilst on tour, but she was open to sipping and sampling the honey mead wine at this Italian inspired boutique wine producer at Chateau Dorrien. Transparent but aromatic, it did pack a little punch, especially when it was heated up before consumption. To my amazement, the spicy mead tasted more mild on the lips. Really old songs played from the stereo but they did add to the atmosphere, especially when this was the third stop in wine tasting and contrasted so much with the commercial feel of the Chateau Yaldara. We were all gald that Meg was driving and not us.

A cyclist had knocked into a stationarily parked car just in front of the house handcrafting Haighs chocolates.We had just come out of the former residence of the Haigh family, but they left long ago, even if the fireplace was still intact when you passed by the entrance. In this age and time, this South Australian business still made chocolates by hand. The legend goes that a grandson of the business founding Haigh was asked to teach the English language to a traveller from Switzerland, and in exchange, the young European showed him how to make chocolates. The visitor was from the Lindt family. The rest is history.

In the Matthew Flinders National Park, koalas and kangaroos co-existed, the former high up on gum tree branches and the former hopping occasionally on the open grass. The island was called Kangaroo, so it was natural that we expected to see them, but as the evening progressed into passing showers and a turn up of the ocean winds, they could have gone into hidden shelter. The kangaroos are native to this island, but surprisingly the koalas were introduced from mainland Australia.