Melbourne - Castlemaine - Melbourne - Castlemaine - Melbourne

What a weekend! We finally found ourselves with a weekend with no birthday party commitments for either munchkin nor any commitments for the grown ups (well - what commitments do I ever have that don't involve the kid's social lives??!!) So, we decided to spend the weekend at my parent's new place in Castlemaine (about 1hr30mins NW of Melbourne - they moved there almost 2 months ago) which we have been wanting to do ever since they moved, but with one birthday or another we simply hadn't found the time.

Welcome doggie...

So I packed the car Friday afternoon, picked the kids up from school, picked hubby up from work and we all headed up to Castlemaine. We arrived in perfect time for a scrumptious lamb roast cooked perfectly by my dad (thanks dad!) A relaxing Friday night and a lazy Saturday were enjoyed by all - Saturday afternoon particuarly enjoyed by myself & hubby as we got to leave the munchkins with the grandparents and go wine tasting at a few of the 30-odd wineries in the local area - yummy! I definitely, absolutely, positively, 100% without hesitation reccomend BRESS - simply gorgeous wine - their shiraz range is spectacular! Fabulous food too, apparently, but the kitchen was closed when we got there. The Red Capsicum Relish we picked up, however, was extremely yummy with the bangers & mash we had for dinner!!!

Cate & Del @ the MS Walk

Sunday I had promised Cate (of Keep Cate Busy) to do the MS Walk/Fun Run (well, the 5km walk anyway!) back in Melbourne... Hmmmm... I'll just grab the train. Checked the timetable - I'd have to get the 6.15am. Nope, not going to catch the train. I'll drive. So I did. Left 8am and got to the walk, met up with Cate & other blogging buddies and did the 5km walk in plenty of time. (Del of Superrelish is walking with a backpack because she is in training to walk the Kokoda Trail for the 2nd time - just in case you were wondering...)



Crowd waiting to start the MS Walk

I enjoyed lunch with the girls and then wondered how hubby & the munchkins were going to get home with all our stuff and, more importantly, all the wine we bought on Saturday arvo! Yep - you guessed it - I hopped in the car and drove back up to Castlemaine. Nuts, I know!!! But I did get to see one of my uncles and cousins which was a nice surprise! Had a nice relaxing remainder of Sunday, packed everyone up and after dinner we headed back home to Melbourne (with hubby driving this time! I'm not totally nuts!)

Looking at my schedule for this coming week I am so glad I had a wonderful relaxing weekend with my family and a great time with good friends! Thank you all!