Saturday, January 28 .....

The little cafe down on the corner advertises a Friday night Happy Hour when all the locals gather for a drink and a gossip. It sounds very civilised but we’ve managed to avoid going until last night. The weather has been wonderful here for several weeks but it’s gradually getting hotter and we hit 30 one day this week and 29 yesterday. Marilyn went down to the cafe to pick up a parcel (they’re also the Australia Post agent) and got talking to the two women who run it. Long story short – Happy Hour was to be at 6 instead of 5 to accommodate the heat and we were going. No point complaining, I had a quick shower, put on fresh shorts and shirt and off we went.

The first person we saw was an old friend, John Hosford, the ex-Head of Junior School at Launceston Grammar. Apparently he and his wife, Margaret, have a house in Windermere Road. One fellow turned up on his bike; he does a 15 Km circuit each morning and afternoon, riding past our place as part of his trip. He promises to call in when he needs a chat. His wife is away in California so he’s a bit lonely. There was an older couple, Jim and Bernice, who entertained us with stories about their new dog called Dougal. There were probably about 30 people all told, and they all bought several drinks and food.

The story of the cafe is an old one. The new highway has bypassed them and they no longer get the passing trade. When the new highway was being built, the men all came in each day for their lunch but, now that the work is finished, the shop is feeling the pinch, the Happy Hour is one strategy to keep the cash flowing. The cafe is also the shop-front for a local winery, Native Point which has just won a gold medal for their Pinot Noir. The proprietor is a Scot, called Sheena, and she comes each Friday night to sell her wines and talk about them. The shop ladies, Kerry and the other woman make nice light dishes and sell them for reasonable prices; Marilyn had a quiche and salad and I had a seafood crepe and chips. On Thursday night we were at the Casino and the food there was awful. We both had fish and my chips were inedible. The so-called chefs there could have learnt a bit from the two humble cooks from the Windermere cafe.

I admit that I was reluctant to go but I thoroughly enjoyed the company and the food. It looks like this will become a regular event for us if we’re not away in the caravan.