Silly Sunday Sketches

What do you do on a Sunday afternoon? 

Netflix.

Abstract: The Art of Design. - Christoph Niemann

In the first minute I was wrapped in it but also distracted.

Disclaimer: Not a regular Blog Post. I've not written this as any form of a guide, Merely to be thought provoking and reflective on a life challenging subject. 

The image below inspired and spelt some kind of truth to me. It had to appear in the first minute though making me obsess over creating. This led me to leave the documentary till later and create this which the blog needed to introduce. For the last two years I’ve been engaged heavily in Social Media. From Facebook to Instagram, Google + you name it. In this day and age for an artist it is a fantastic medium to Share their work -  and REALLY To Get Noticed!!

Christoph Niemann's Image Adaptation Redrawn By Me

In doing so I entered another world that became immersive. After the first year had passed I’ve lost all interest.  From being told I needed to sink hours into engaging my audience; however it is well documented that it can be a huge distraction and depressant. I experienced this. Many of my friends have shared their similar experiences with me. 

That’s when I realised the power social media can have and how we need to change our perspective on it to change our lives. 

We lose so much time to this…. Thing.

Somehow I've managed to find a great balance. I rarely to never use "social" anymore outside of work where I need to post. I may be more uninformed about certain things. Mostly things that don’t matter. Conversations have now become better. I don’t know what my friends were up to In the last hour so I call to ask them about their day.

I have time to read articles, books and journals.

Most Importantly for myself. When I travel now I am not stuck behind a phone or even a camera. I would love more people to make the same resolution.

Images on Facebook or Instagram are great and inspirational sure.  When I’m somewhere worth travelling I don’t want to be encumbered with the stress of uploading. I don’t want to show off by illustrating my view on my life in the moment, but share a more accurate portrayal afterwards with a story - when I don’t have things to discover; when there are conversations to be had.

In the Louvre I saw hundreds of people lining up to take a photo of the ever famous Mona Lisa painting. Cameras held high - pushing and shoving; like Cattle. Behind them hung a masterpiece. 

"The Wedding Feast at Cana."

Taking the whole wall and much more breathtaking. I can guarantee that hundreds missed the opportunity to give consideration to it. To me that has been a picture of the difference between engaging with life and engaging with the infinite audience. 

Social media is a great inspirer. Keep being inspired by people. I’d love to see you do something with that inspiration. I'd like to be some inspiration and not an account you flit between but return to for quality travel encouragement and ideas. If I manage to do that for you. Promise me one thing - Think of the image below and Live in the moment when you're away. Facebook will be there for later. 

Safe Travels. 

A South Australian Gem

Visiting South Australia? Or lucky enough to live here?

Only approx. 2 Hours drive from the CBD lies the small town of Clare; Famous once for supplying Adelaide with fresh fruit and Veg, it's now renowned for its wine.

In 2016 I was fortunate enough to visit Clare with Choice Hotels Australia-Pacific in their Comfort Inn Hotel as part of a top 10 Australian Travelgrammers. This gave me  great taste into the wonders Clare offered.

Can you do Clare as a Day Trip?

Absolutely, this last Saturday I was lucky enough to return to Clare just for the day; however I thoroughly recommend staying one night and make it a weekend. There are plenty of B & B's to stay at like the cute Vine Art, or for comfort and convenience the Comfort Inn is located on the main Street.

Things to Do:

From riding the main private bike trail "The Riesling Trail" on a hire bike, visiting some local Heritage and of course Wine Tasting! My top Activities are below.

Seven Hills Winery: Riesling Trail

My Top Activities:

1. Eat at Seed for Dinner (Read further down for a review)
2. Riding the Riesling Trail (An excellent bike ride; go as for or short as you want on the fairly flat trail stopping in at various wineries. Then call a taxi to pick you up at the end to return [Dave the taxi driver does an amazing job 0428055590]).
3. Visit Wineries: Read down for my favourites.
4. Visit the SevenHill Winery Historical Sites. (One of the first wineries brought to the area by religious jesuits, the winery boasts a fantastic cellar and gardens to stroll around or buy some snacks at the winery and have a picnic lunch (easily accessible from the Riesling trail).
5. Tapas for lunch at Mr Micks.
6. Bungaree Station, the oldest historical still Family owned sheep shearing property, its both gorgeous and interesting. 

Bungaree Station

My Top Winery Picks:

1. Kilikanoon (Top wines, Prodigal Grenache, Morts Cut Riesling, Kelly 1932 Grenache, Second Fiddle Rosé, Oracle Shiraz)
2. Jeanneret (Top wines, Doozie Riesling, MoonDance Malbec, Stand and deliver Shiraz, Hummer Merlot)
3. Tim Adams (Top Wines: Reserve Riesling, Semillion, Pinot Gris, The Fergus, Reserve Tempranillo, Cabernet Malbec)
4. Pikes
5. SevenHills Winery
6. Knappstien Winery

(The wineries selected are based on 1. Quality of Wines and 2. Cellar Door experience. All these top wines are my personal favourites at tasting from the wineries).

Jeanneret Winery

Saving the best till Last! Seed Kitchen and Winehouse.

An attained pipe dream for Guy Parkinson and Candice Leighton who from the Hunter Valley have settled on the property and the want to have a kitchen of their own. Guy commands the kitchen and Candice runs the floor which from both times I've visited haven't disappointed in their roles. They remove any doubt from my mind after reading mixed reviews that Seed is a must do when in Clare.

Entering the beautiful old stone premise, the decor is chosen perfectly; With warm wood tones, Balanced Mood lighting with a great amount of Natural Light and lots of living plants it's a pleasant space. The classic white table cloths are forgiven as they provide a great contrast with the dark toned china. 

Expect to be greeted with a friendly smile, and immediate attention;  Offers for drinks or cheese platters are given as you have the option to wait at the bar before going to your table. I recommend getting a cheese as I missed out doing the first time; the ingredients are amazingly fresh and everything from the cheese to the honey are sourced well.

Getting down to the meal, a very reasonably priced menu faces you. Above ordering from the menu (unless something jumps out at you) I recommend choosing the chefs choice at a brilliant $59 4 plate Meal or $99 with matched wines (prices 4.2.17). 

We started with a warmed bread and homemade butter; Followed by cold smoked tomato dish with fresh mozzarella which was a healthy relief to have a unique style dish that let the ingredients speak for themselves.

Peach, procuitto, cream, mint and olive oil. Not the first list of ingredients that flows through my mind on a second course; But from the effervescence from the peach on tongue to the touch of savoury this dish surprised and delighted.

The following two dishes of Black Linguine with Blue Crab; and Steak with condiments and Salad didn't let down the excitement except the mustard was so filled with flavour, I had to shy away. So when it came to dessert we had no more room, we had to order a dish to try anyway. So we shared it between us; one of the best decisions!

The drinks did not disappoint either, finally a South Australian restaurant that doesn't shy away from wine recommendations and follows through with results! From a fantastic Gin the 78 from the Adelaide hills with handpicked garnish to a perfect Rosé with dessert. 

Seed Kitchen is a Gastronomical Delight with their simple honest food and in my top 10 favourite Australia Restaurants which includes Attica. A must do for your visit to South Australia.

See the SEED Photo album HERE.