Jodi Picoult came to a lunch in Torquay yesterday to the welcome of over 200 keen readers. Her latest book Change of Heart is hitting the top of the best seller lists right now so she has been travelling the world talking to her readers.
Torquay was one of a limited number of events that Jodi attended in Victoria, so there was a real buzz in having an internationally known writer in our midst. Attending with a bunch of book group friends meant we were all talking books, along with a glass of wine and food. We enjoyed the time nattering over lunch before Jodi took the stage.
After an introduction by Rosemary Featherston of Torquay Books Jodi did a short reading from Change of Heart and then answered questions before settling to signing over 300 books and generously accommodating photographs.
It was a lovely day with sunshine and wonderful views to the sea over Torquay. What more could we ask for! And if your interest is books and writing then the Surf Coast has a number of great opportunities coming up. Torquay is hosting a mid-winter writers and readers festival called Froth and Bubble over the weekend of June 21-22. Aireys Inlet has the Festival of the Word from 15th to 17th August (contact Nicole on 0419 110 097 or nicole@greatescapebooks.com.au) and a 3-day Freefall Writing workshop will be held in Jan Juc - October -16th to 19th. We look forward to seeing you along the coast soon.
Wow! As soon as school is over for the year, Aussie holiday-makers come to Torquay and other spots along the Great Ocean Road. The caravan parks fill and every bit of accommodation is taken up with families and groups ready to relax. Beach cricket or footy, building sandcastles or just relaxing in the shade is the very essence of an Aussie summer.
English visitors are fascinated by the Aussie Christmas and imagine us eating turkey, ham and plum pudding in our bathers. Of course many of us still do! Most around here seem to opt for a barbecue with salads and seafood these days though. And I enjoy demonstrating my gourmet credentials with some new exotica - this year it was duck confit and our tradition of summer pudding.
Our pre-Christmas family gatherings culminated in a trip on the ferry between Queenscliff and Sorrento to meet with cousins on the Mornington Peninsula - always pleasant and relaxing. Quite often dolphins swim beside the ferry, although the only dolphin we saw was at the Sorrento pier enjoying leftover fish from a fishing boat.
As I sit here blogging, the plink-plonk of tennis balls against rackets just behind our house reminds me that at the end of January the Australian Open will be held in Melbourne, and all eyes will be watching the television until the winner is declared. This is the signal for the end of the school holidays.
Meanwhile all along the coast, every age of surfer and swimmer will be out enjoying the cool waters as temperatures climb above 30C. Inland, where I grew up, temperatures have reached 40C lately. Fortunately for us, here on the coast the heat is tempered by the daily sea breeze.
We love the excitement and buzz that this time of year brings to our small town as we see so many people enjoying what is ours all year round.
In my last post I promised to write next about dinner in my favourite restaurant. The Bellbrae Harvest is tucked away in the bush just 15 minutes from Torquay.
Just getting there is a treat. As we drive from Torquay to the restaurant, it seems there couldn’t possibly be anything out here in the bush … until we nearly miss the sign (again) and enter the quiet sanctuary overlooking the duck pond.
We are here today with a group of friends after a special tasting and tour of Brown Magpie Wines - one of our new local wineries that is winning prizes for its Pinot Noir.
We watch the tiny native blue wrens flitting amongst the grass looking for insects as the sun shines through the gum trees. The waiter is friendly, knows the food and is disarmingly relaxed. It’s difficult to choose because everything sounds and looks wonderful. But finally we come to a decision and our efforts are well rewarded.
I decide on two first courses:
- Zucchini flowers stuffed with buffalo mozzarella on vine-ripened tomatoes and black olive tapenade dressing, and
- Spicy quail with baba ganoush and an orange, mint and date salad.
As there are 12 of us, we expect to wait for our meals, but everything comes at a nice pace and we’re more than satisfied. Next time the family visits us from Melbourne we plan to come here for one of their bucolic, leisurely Sunday brunches.
