Monday 29 October 2007

We went for the pies

One of our favourite day trips is to the Southern Highlands, just north of Canberra. Someone at Sean's work said that was a long way to go for the day (4 hour round trip, roughly) but he didn't know what we were going for.

We went for the pies.

If you've seen the movie Babe (about the pig) then you've seen Robertson. It's a tiny town which is home to a famous pie shop. More about that shortly. They chose Robertson because the countryside around it looks a lot like rural England. Not so much in drought stricken periods, but very much so when it's wetter.

So, we headed off mid morning.


This is a stunt sock. I couldn't use the actual sock I was working on because that's classified information. All sock shots taken yesterday were of the stunt sock.



We got off the highway and headed down a country road. Love country roads. It was a bit of a gloomy day though. Not so much spring sunshine.


We saw old things, like this bridge.



And interesting things like The Everything Store. It's an antiques store. We've been there before. It's right next to the store called 'A Little Piece of Scotland.' The things you find in the country!

Finally, we made it.


I love that sign. The first time we went to Robertson, having heard about the famous pie shop, that sign just killed me.


It's really in the middle of nowhere. Well, it's about five minute's drive out of Robertson, which is really not near anything. There are towns nearby, but Robertson is just a little village and as you'll see from the next two photos, you do kinda have to go out of your way to get to the Pie Shop.

Standing opposite the shop, you look to the right. Nothing.



And to the left, nothing.


There was a big group of bikers there. Not the scary kind, but they were still pretty tough looking. I giggled standing behind a big, tat covered bloke when I heard him ask the slip of a girl behind the very busy counter for a 'steak and mushroom pie thanks, love'. I just thought bikers would order something more manly sounding, such as Chunky Beef, like Sean did.


And this is my pie of choice. Steak and Kidney. You have to go a long way for a decent steak and kidney pie. See, they're nothing special to look at. They don't even give you a plate or cutlery. And you go and sit outside under a tree on tables that look like they have been there since there since convict days, and you eat a pie.

By a creek.


And then, because you're a guts an because you drove all that way, you go and get a dessert pie.



Wildberry and apple, with cream, of course.

Then you leave, groaning slightly, swearing off dinner, and you head into town for a cup of tea.




Again, it's a stunt sock.

And then, Sean got evidence of me knitting in public.


Finally, just on the way out, Sean (not me!) spotted a yarn store! It's right next to the cheese store and I was too taken by the cheeses to notice.

It's a pretty little store. As narrow as it looks in the photo and yes, it is gaily hung with items made from feathers. Feathers, feathers and more feathers. I was bitterly disappointed but after the woman who owns it (who was sitting just out of shot, knitting) was kind enough to let me take a photo, I managed to find something to buy that wasn't feathers. Some Hot Shots sock yarn. I bought two balls of it. I don't know why a country store would have so much feathers. Perhaps tourist knitters don't want wool, or alpaca, or anything else nice. Although she did have some Cleckheaton Bamboo.

So that was our day. We arrived home too full to eat dinner and then a thunderstorm of quite epic proportions hit town which may explain the absolute shocking headache I had last night.

And so now it 's Monday and I am not at work. I simply can't describe the joy. I am, however, thinking of my sister, Adele who is having surgery today and just hoping that it all goes smoothly and easily and she's home recovering in no time.

Bells