Waiting time

Today I did some grocery shopping.

Significant? No.

Illuminating? Yes, somewhat oddly.

It was a Sunday, there were queues, big queues. Their busiest day of the week, constant all day according to the checkout operator. And people were queuing patiently, even considerately. I had a very friendly conversation with a gent about which line he was in (it was unclear, I think deliberately, but he was gentlemanly enough to make a choice between the lines when I queried). Why am I disturbed?

THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN IN A PHARMACY.

Muesli Bars

When I was little my mum used to make homemade muesli bars. 'Little lunch' time would arrive at school and everybody else would be pulling out their Uncle Tobys muesli bar with the fancy packaging and the chocolate drizzle and I would have a homemade number wrapped in foil because my mum thought the bought ones were full of sugar and not healthy. Fast-forward 20 years and I agree.

Recently I got the recipe from her and made it up and gosh they were delicious. No doubt they were a lot healthier and less processed than the commercial ones but they were still had a bit of processed sugar and delicious butter. So here is a homemade muesli bar for the 21st century encompassing our society's hatred for refined sugar and dairy (not my hatred I hasten to point out but I do try to not eat too much refined food).

Yarra Valley Wine Tour

The Bookworm's mum came for a visit this week and so it was necessary (and a terrible hardship) to show her the Yarra Valley, Victoria's most famous wine region.

The problem with cellar door tastings is that someone usually has to drive which significantly reduces their ability to fully appreciate the cellar doors. Of course one can spit the wine out but that would be like a work day so it was the Australian Wine Tour Co. to the rescue. This was the third time I have been on their Yarra Valley tour and it is always brilliant and very very good value. For $110 (or winter special of $99) you get picked up from Melbourne city, driven to 4 wineries for tastings, lunch is included as is a glass of sparkling with cheese to finish- more on that later.