We have just come home from a long weekend away. It was the Labour Day weekend in Western Australia.
Why is our Labour Day in March? Don't really know, perhaps to differentiate it from a day to march through the snow in Red Square?
We went to a luxury retreat we go to once a year called Empire Retreat in Dunsborough, in our state's South West. It's about 3 and a half to 4 hours drive from Perth, on generally good roads, often double-carriageway.
On such long weekends we usually leave work early at about 4PM and arrive before 8. Laurie and Judy, the proprietors of Empire Resort usually leave our villa unlocked with the key in the door, which they did for us again. We usually have villa 8, built in the bush, away from the main part of the resort.
We love Empire. As soon as we drive off Caves Road into the grounds, actually used to be a farm, the gravel laneway weaves into the bush and this fusion Asian-Modern collection of villas and main homestead greet us into a relaxed state. We know the way so we park, make our way on the raised walkway through the bush and to the villa.
The villa is basically a one room self contained holidat accomodation. It has a huge king-size bed on a raised platform, high pyramid ceilings, two walls of glass onto a deck, a sandstone faced fireplace, an open bath for two, and through the toilet, a path to the outdoor shower.
The view from the room through the glass bifold doors is magnificent, especially at sunset. The room looks through bush out over newly planted olive trees and the vineyard up a hill. As the sun sets, it paints gold over the green and streams its rays into the room.
We have spent many a late afternoon just sitting and looking out, listening to CD's on the top of the range plasma TV and DVD system that is supplied.
Empire Retreat is what we call a luxury B & B! Breakfast is included in the old homestead that has been converted into the central kitchen (which you can borrow to cook dinner), lounge and breakfast room - a sunny glass gazebo extension that protrudes into the grass and trees.
Breakfast is all types of sensational cereal, Balinese black rice ccoked in coconut cream and pal sugar, fresh fruit of all kinds, 4 or 5 different types of juice, cheese, salmon, cold cuts, and Laurie's mean eggs - poached, fried, sunny side up, eye closed, Eggs Benedict, Eggs Florentine, and the Judy special omelette (basically with everything).
One breakfast a day is all the meal you need.
It is eaten with classical music in the background and a selection of newspapers to stun the room into an orgy of silent eating and reading.
After breakfast on Saturday morning we went for a walk on the grounds (256 acres) and found that the dam had been extended and was home to ducks and geese - who came a-flying if you rattled a plastic bag of bread at them!
Once they settled into the dam we spent a half an hour feeding them and refereeing over squabbles and grumpy geese, bullying drakes, and other minor water birds that couldn't get a look in.
Whenever we are in the Margaret River region, we usually spend at least a day touring the wineries, tasting and stocking up by the case. I recently bought a 65 bottle wine fridge which is currently full, have a cool under-stair room also full, and an older 40 bottle wine fridge nearly full. So this time we had to desist and made do with a visit to a winery we had not previously heard of, Rosily.
They made a sensational Semillon, a pretty robust Cabernet and a long-drinking Shiraz as well as a very now-drinkable SBS (Sauvignon Blanc Semillon), staple of Margaret River. We got a mixed case and then went shopping for dinner in Dunsborough, which could be heated in the villa's microwave.
That evening we visited a new addition to the Retreat - Empire Spa, built into an old villa, offering massages, facials and treatments. Amanda booked us in for a massage to unwind from the drive and the crazy work hours we had just finished.
Why do we need a chill out weekend every now and then? Well, doesn't everyone?
I do tend to drive myself though. What's my typical day? I get up a 6AM, throw on my gym shoes and go for a 40 minute brisk walk. I can't jog anymore - after years of football (soccer to my Australian and North American friends) and rugby, a dislocated knee and two cartilage operations my knees crunch.
On my return I make myself breakfast and watch the news on TV. I then go into my study and either catch up on emails, if I have had any overnight, or prepare various manuals and books I am writing in relation to my consulting work.
At 8AM I shower, dress and drive to work (only minutes away) arriving at 8.30 after a visit to the Post Office box to pick up mail.
At work it's all go - internal management stuff first thing, then checking emails, internal appointments with staff, meetings with clients peppered through the day - then it's lunch! I usually go home just for a bit of peace, for an hour, then back to work until 6 or 7 depending on how busiy we are. During the day there is literally no "coffee machine/water cooler" moment. It really is all go.
Last thing before I leave, a few words with staff to see how they are going (most work late too - I do have the greatest team).
I get home and spend an hour in my home gym or an hour doing Iyengar Yoga (following a DVD) then I cook, watch a bit of TV, then back in front of my computer for non-work related computing - this Blog, personal emails, or else I read.
Weekends are not much different except we do not go to work - we "work" on domestic things like shopping, cleaning, personal development learning via tapes or DVD's.
Saturday nights are pamper nights though. Amanda and I take turns in cooking something special, or we go out on a "date". From time to time Amanda goes for an hour's facial as her bit of regular stress relief (mine is an hour's massage every fortnight).
So, from time to time at long weekends, we go away. Staying at home usually means you spenmd the weekend being "busy" so long ago we decided that we'd budget for long weekends away - Margaret River, Albany, visiting David and Harriet, my friends from school, in Melbourne, and so on.
Back to our weekend at Empire!
Sunday we spent all day just relaxing in the villa (doesn't Amanda look relaxed? Good shot eh? Check out the new photo album called "Empire Days"). I love, just reading the papers, magazines, a good book. It's not often I get the chance so it's great to be able to recharge like that when you can.
Well, Monday saw the drive home, born again, ready for new challenges tomorrow.
Where to next long weekend?
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