Olde Stoney at Olde Straddie

Olde Stoney
Originally uploaded by haydnfj

It's New Year's Eve at Point Lookout, Stradbroke Island, Queensland. Haydn and I will be heading to the Point Lookout Bowls club shortly for a pub meal and some 'classic rock' tunes from a cover band. And...we'll likely be in bed by 11, I'd say.

We've been moving at the leisurely island pace, getting into a nice routine of wake up > raisin bran > morning chat shows > run on the beach (tara) > morning swim > lunch > Black Books DVDs > afternoon swim > shower > snacks > dinner > early to bed.

Haydn has been the dinner chef and meals have included spicy, blackened chicken wings on the grill and a mushroom and asparagus risotto.

As we are the only two here, there is not the usual Bruce Johnston curated 5pm happy hour, nor of course am I on the NZ Sav Blanc this year with baby due in May. So instead, I have turned to a classic, Kirks Old Stoney Ginger Beer.

I love this brand of soft drinks. The graphic design is quaint and there is plenty of olde timey flavours - cream soda, ginger beer, ginger ale, passion fruit. It's an Australian original (now owned by Coca Cola, but what can ya do?) and the Ginger Beer is such a nice happy medium between ginger ale and root beer. Refreshing, mild and not too soda poppy.

We start our road trip back to Sydney tomorrow and I'm a bit melancholy about it. Just when you start to really get into the groove of island life, it's time to head back to the real world.

Happy 2010.


- chunkytoast