Holy Hazel! What A Weekend!

There are some weekends away that start the moment you arrive. And then there are the ones that start with award winning wine, an outrageously generous cheese platter and an open wood fire at Kellybrook Winery. So naturally, my dear friend Ali and I were off to a very good start.

This was a pretty special weekend for my friend. It was her first weekend away from her two kids, so I knew I had to make it count. We stopped at the winery before check in, settled in by the fire and tucked into some very good wine and, mate, I kid you not, some of the greatest cheese we’ve ever had hit our faces. Green flag.

With a takeaway sparkling red tucked under each arm, you do the math, we hit the road, Jack, to our humble abode.

From the outside, it was certainly a caravan. But I’ve learnt something from my previous Riparide adventures: never judge a book by its cover. Because this was no ordinary caravan. We opened the door to a little slice of luxe. A beautiful 24 foot caravan overlooking peaceful paddocks, with a huge king bed, ridiculously comfy pillows, fluffy blankets, robes, a full kitchen, bathroom and everything we needed to settle in for the weekend.

And then I spotted the campfire gift basket. Marshmallows. Well, look. I knew immediately this place understood me. Can’t say the same for some of the men I’ve dated though. Mic drop.

But the real star of the show was waiting just outside in all her gingery glory. Hazel. Hazel the Highland. A scrumptious fluffy Highland cow who was, quite frankly, the second most beautiful thing I had laid eyes on that day. The first being my friend Ali, obviously.

We were given a bucket of carrots and I naively thought we might share them. Hazel had other ideas. Sharing was clearly not part of Hazel’s love language and I quickly discovered she was also a very enthusiastic sloppy kisser. Huge tongue! Hahaha.

Ali ran over to the bell on the fence post and gave it a ring a ding ding. “Come on, come on!” And suddenly the whole cow crew came running up the hill. Hazel, Ivy, Flossy, Khaleesi, Matilda and Evie all came charging over like we had just announced an all you can eat carrot buffet. Which, technically, we had.

Eventually, we pulled ourselves away from the floofheads and settled in around the campfire as the sun began to sink behind the paddocks. We roasted marshmallows, poured another drink and watched the Highlands slowly settle into the evening just as we settled into the steamy hot tub. We stoked the outdoor fire, cranked the heater inside the caravan and pulled on our robes before heading back outside to meet the stars.

And there we were. Two friends, submerged deep in a hot tub under an enormous dark sky, wine within reach, the fire crackling behind us and absolutely nowhere else we needed to be.

The next morning brought something even rarer for my mama friend. A sleep in. So we took full advantage. Robes on. Coffee in bed. No alarms. No rushing. We even slapped on a face mask that promised to make us look 21 again. We emerged with our plumpy new aged faces and headed out to explore Warrandyte.

And unlike the face mask, I was not about to break my promise to deliver.

Following our noses, we found gourmet toasted sandwiches that made us stop mid conversation. Holy Hazel. They were bloody good. Probably how Hazel felt about those carrots she nearly inhaled. Coffee in hand, we walked it off along the river before wandering through a few op shops.

We drifted back to our Highland hideaway and spent the arvo in the hot tub with more wine and cheese. The night was still young. Not 21 young, but young enough for us to snuggle under the blankets and enjoy a movie in bed. The kinda evening we both needed.

The following morning brought another sleep in, another slow coffee and the slightly sad realisation that it was checkout day. Before we left, we got one final gift from the Highlands. Cow cuddles. We brushed their beautiful shaggy coats, gave them a little love and even got to cuddle some ridiculously cute lambs. It was the most wholesome way to finish our little adventure.

Our hearts were full. And I think that’s what I loved most about this weekend. It wasn’t really about doing it all. It was about having a couple of days where we didn’t have to do.

A friend who could sleep in. Coffee that could be drunk slowly. Conversations that didn’t need to be squeezed between the next thing. A hot tub beneath the stars. A campfire. A sassy Highland cow named Hazel. Enough wine, cheese and laughter to remind us that living fully doesn’t always require grandness.

And sometimes, the sweetest reminder that living fully is simply saying yes to the friends who light your heart and yell, “Come on, come on, let’s go and watch the cows come home.”