Infusing Myself with Coffee and Thai

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While waiting for an appointment this morning, I decided to have a coffee at Infusion Cafe & Thai on Plaza Parade.   As soon as I entered the place I had a feeling that I would be able to sit and relax and get some words down for my very neglected blog posts. Maybe because this is a lower foot traffic area or maybe it is the airy dining area but the atmosphere here has a very relaxed feel. The welcome was warm and friendly and I had barely sat down before my coffee was being served at my table in the courtyard. 

I was planning a cheeky Facebook post of some photos that I had taken of bees and flowers and I settled in to do some writing.  The coffee lived up to it’s aroma and life was good. I relaxed…..  A good feeling

Ettore, the owner, appeared and served up a caraf of water just in case I was dry and we chatted amiably for a while about the cafe. It appears that it was due to open just two days before the Covid restrictions came in and the guys doing the fit out were unable to come up from NSW. Not being set up to do take-a-way, they were on hold for several weeks.  Taking the positive, Ettore said that it had given them some time to sort out some loose ends.

After a while, Nuttida, co owner and wife to Ettore, came out with a plate containing two little leaves called bettel leaf which where covered with nuts and sauce, and asked me to try.  They are to become a part of the menu and I have to say they were extremely tasty. The sauce was quite sweet which was offset by the slight bitterness of the leaf and Nuttida said that they were planning to add this dish to the menu.  

I am so looking forward to Asian cuisine when this Covid bug finally goes back to where it came from.

With Ettore calling Italy home and Nattida from Thailand, this is truely an international restaurant

It was interesting having a chat to Nattida about her origins in Thailand and the reasons why, here in Australia, she goes by the name Jenny or Jane.  She told me she came to Australia to learn to speak better English and has stayed.

All in all the restaurant  hasn’t been here for long however, if you are wanting a nice relaxing coffee or meal, Infusion Cafe and Thai is not going to disappoint.  You can find it in the Plaza Markets on Plaza Parade.  Good service and good people

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The spacious dining area is under cover but still protected from the elements

Breakfast on”The Deck”

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Breakfast on “The Deck” at Turtle Beach Resort , Mermaid Beach on The Gold Coast. This has been my home for the last four months as I have been assisting with preparations for the Commonwealth Games. The plan had been to do a lot of photography and not so much work…As they say, the best laid plans of mice and men.. I ended up with a lot of work and not so much photography. But Hey, it has been a great experience

Early Summer

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Summer seems to have come early on the Sunshine Coast here in Queensland.  Hot sticky nights that are normally the preserve of January and February have begun to test the powers of getting a good night’s sleep.

Now this might sound like a good old whinge, but as I sit here enjoying a coffee in my “today” office at Banjo’s Bakery and Cafe on the Sunshine Plaza at Maroochydore, I find have discovered a tiny micro climate where the breeze is sweeping along the banks of Cormeal Creek.  How pleasant is this welcome break from the oppressive heat I have so recently stepped away from?

The view today, is somewhat less inspiring due to the development of the Plaza building on the opposite side of the creek, but in the fullness of time this will transform into a relaxing and tranquil space.

Banjo’s is one of my favourite coffee spots in the Plaza.  I am particularly fond of their Danish, be it the apricot or apple version, and it is the latter that is the pick for today.

 

After a very torrid week at my other job, I am taking a bit of me time to reflect on places where I have recently been and work through the photo’s that I took along the way.  The travelling, it seems, is the easy part of this travel writing business.  It is the editing and writing that take up the time.  Still I find playing with words a satisfying pass-time, made all the better by a good latte.

Some years ago I started taking photos of letterboxes that I came across along my travels.  The ingenuity that goes with the crafting of some of these is astounding, and this is especially the case the deeper into the bush one travels.  On a recent trip to Rockhampton, I drove along one stretch of road and found several examples, each seeming to be trying to outdo it’s neighbour for uniquisity.

GMail…..If you are handy with a chainsaw you can whip one of these up in a few minutes.  Good use of an old dead stump at the gate.

Cream Anyone?  There will be some who can remember the old cream can.  Some even who have dragged them onto the back of a truck before carting them off to the milk factory.  This one has weathered the years well and is still doing stirling service in its new role as a mail box

Shades of D’Arth Vader…….  Turned on its head, this “passed its use by date” gas bottle could be a reminder of Ned Kelly from the past or maybe D’Arth Vader from the future

This Hollow Log has found a new life set up on a tree fork and keeping the weather off the few letters that get delivered in this day of electronics.  Maybe it also doubles as a shelter for a wayward possum on a cold night.

 

 

 

      44 Gallon drums were common place on rural properties back in the day.  They still can be found storing liquid and, with the tops cut off, make an excellent storage bin or, like this one, a mail box.

 

Not sure obout this one….  Cooked the motor, perhaps

 

A bit more traditional, but liked the attention to detail with the tin coping around the eaves

All of these boxes were scattered along one short stretch of country road I travelled as I headed out to Seventeen Seventy and are probably the highest density of odd-ball mail boxes I have come across.  There are others out there that are weird and whacky which I will bring to you as I see them.

If you enjoy this post please feel free to share it with your friends and if you would like to leave a comment I’ll be happy to respond.  Thank you for taking the time to drop by……….