Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 300 (Thursday 27 October) - Roadtrip 5 -Off to Braidwood

9.27 a.m. After getting up at the crack of dawn and eating our Coco Pops in a cup (twice in a week...back to healthy cereal next week I swear!)- well it felt like that after sleeping in till 10 a.m. the last two days - cleaning up the kitchen till it was cleaner than a sterilised lab (who alas shall never have beakers of its own), and trying unsuccessfully three times to find the garbage bins (even the cleaner had a hard time locating them so well were they wanting to keep the pristine ambience of the apartments complex intact), we made it to reception with the keys (with the funky green garage door opener) mere seconds before the 9.30 cut off and hit the road, waving goodbye to Top Fun and the rest of Merimbula, and heading down the road past countless lots of road works to Bega (stopping for photos of their Acr de Triomphe like war memorial which is quite impressive), then Cobargo then...

10.58 a.m. Central Tilba. Frankly Tilba Tilba sounds like more fun as town names goes, but it only has houses, isn’t ‘hysterical’ as we like to say, and only has Pam’s eating house to recommend it. Central Tilba on the other hand is chock full to inelegant bursting with old shops and houses perched along the top of a ridge, has the sort of one-of-a-kind shops I keep hoping I can find a whole town or village full of (and I did!), and is a delight to wander through from top to bottom. Yes the food at The Tilba Teapot - yummy burgers with the lot on Turkish bread, and home made scones and rose-hip, and strawberry jam and cream - took forever to arrive, extending our stay (but the staff were so delightful that all was forgiven in seconds), and yes, the Tilba cheese brand is now sourced straight from dairies in Victoria thanks to their new owners, National Foods, but when the stores are full of unique items, the owners are warm and country-friendly (the candle guy especially who was super passionate about his craft), and the weather is sunny but not too warm, and almost cold at times, what’s not to love, and love we did. It was a delightful three hours spent in a delightful part of the world...

2.51 p.m. After making one last pass through Narooma, and Montague Coffee, we docked at the Caltex petrol station at Moruya, before making a beeline for Braidwood our stop for the night, and the much recommended Snow Lion Bed and Breakfast owned and operated by the loveliest lady...

4 p.m. She had left the key in the planter at the front door, which was trusting of her to a very pleasing, and to a Sydneysider long used to mistrusting everyone I see, astonishing degree, and so while she babysat her grand children, we let ourselves in, enjoyed the warmth of the already heated room (the air outside was already Winter-like) and chilled after a long drive before going for a walk along the main street. Now, I had expected a quaint small town full of funky shops but it is a lot smaller and quieter than expected (and than my gorgeous guy remembered) but it was lovely wandering the streets, checking out which stores we’d visit tomorrow - it was 4.30pm and a Wednesday so lots of shops that only open Thursday to Sunday or 11-3 were shut up tight much to my City resident’s amusement - and finding a great place to eat dinner, all within walking distance of the B & B....

6.35 p.m. We decided to have dinner at Torpeas, a restaurant of only 2 weeks standing, and what a smart decision it was. The owner, a chef who still cooks for the pub down the road, was friendly, the furniture funky and idiosyncratic, we had our drinks and first part of the entree (Dojo bread + balsamic reduction, and olive oil, and warmed up olives and roasted garlic) on a retro gold velour couch in the bar area watched over by the owners’ dog, James, and the rest of the meal - Peaking Pancakes, a cute play on their name for entree part 2, and Beef Wellington for me and Pork Belly for my gorgeous guy, and the sticky date pudding for dessert - was delicious with the chef and owner often wandering in to chat ( we were one of only filled tables that night). It cost a bit but for fun and ambience, and a quick walk home, it couldn’t be beat. I loved it!

10.02 p.m. Typing this in the B & B’s loungeroom with a roaring fireplace going great guns, my gorgeous guy reading near me, and wishing this could go on all night...