In-store Training and Newcastle

We spent the past week in the Newcastle area so that I could do my in-store training. I got down and dirty in the kitchen while Jeremy laid out by the pool. We did get to have lunch together everyday. I true luxury!

I just had to share some of the pictures from Newcastle. Newcastle is a major port. We couldn't count all the huge ships waiting to be brought into port. I quit counting once I got up to 22 ships and still saw lights from the decks.

The beach is beautiful! Nobby Head in the background. It's a large hill with a lighthouse on top to direct the ships coming into port. The surf was great for all types of sports. We saw lots of people kite surfing! That's definitely a must on the list while we are here! While it looks really hard, I'm thinking I'll fall into the water alot less often than traditional surfing.

Hunter Valley Wine Country

We spent this past weekend visiting the Hunter Valley Wine Country. It's a beautiful place situated along the Brokenback Mountain range. Everywhere you looked was another beautiful view. We sampled our fair share of local wine, cheese, and beer. We had a great weekend!

Jeremy's favorite spot was the Bluetonge Brewery & Cafe. You could sample a flight of their beers (arranged from lightest to strongest on a wooden paddle) and then pick out your favorite to get a full glass for enjoyment.

We also visited the Hunter Valley Gardens. They have proper gardens including an India Tea Garden, English Rose Garden, and a Storybook Garden. I decided Humpty Dumpty and Jeremy were meant for each other - what do you think?

Finally, during a dusk drive along the route we saw our first wild Kangaroos! There are actually 2 in the photo and we saw a total of 3 the whole weekend. They are actually quite a bit smaller that I imagined - about 3 or 4 feet in height. I don't know how tall I thought they were - maybe the size of a man? Either way, it was quite a sight to see them in the wild.