Welcome to "The 'Ber's"!

Wine of the Week
Chandon Vintage Tasmanian Cuvee 2006 - yes, I know that I am diverting from the default settings of this blog but...sometimes you just feel the need for bubbles and there has been a need for bubbles this weekend. 

Domaine Chandon are well known for their sparkling but they also do some fine still, particularly their Heathcote Shiraz. However, the focus is on bubbles and they have gone down as expected...smooth as silk and leaving you wanting for more.

Also, the Domaine Chandon Vineyard at the Yarra Valley may just have to be one of the most beautiful not just in the Yarra but around Australia. Always a "must visit" when in the Yarra Valley.
http://www.domainechandon.com.au


Let me say right from the outset, I love this time of year. There is something about this time of the year that is almost like the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. You get through the hard yards of the middle of the year; the cold, the wet and miserable weather and you get to the point of the year that I call "The 'ber's".

The way I see it, once you hit the months that end in 'ber', then it is the start of the fun slide down towards the end of the year. In short, another name for 'The "ber's" is party time!!! Let me explain my theory...

September: There will be a time when I am walking around the streets during September and it will hit me - the smell of jasmine. The smell of jasmine and the arrival of the Kingsgrove Sports catalogue mean that the cricket season has arrived! It has been a trigger for near on twenty seven seasons and will be once again as I have decided to pad up for one more season (despite my well documented retirement after the 08/09 Premiership win).

September also means footy finals. Even if your team isn't in the end of season action, you can not help but feel the excitement in the air as teams fight to be the final two teams on Grand Final day and where glory is a week by week proposition. If you are are lucky enough and your team is in the post-season action, then it is a rollercoaster ride of epic proportions.

October: Start of daylight savings; longer days, more time to socialise and get active as the temperatures get warmer. If you are in NSW, you also get a public holiday.

October also means the annual pilgrimage (via the screen) to Bathurst for the James Hardie 1000 (I will always call the race by that name!) as well as the start of the Spring Racing Carnival - not only one of horse racing's most important times of year but also perhaps the most important social period for some. Which leads us to...

November: The first Tuesday of the month and the race that well and truly stops the nation. I always thought that it was the greatest over-exaggeration of all time to say that Australia stops for the Melbourne Cup. However, after now experiencing many Cup days in different venues and different circumstances (including being at Flemington last year), this country should be proud that a three minute horse race should bring an entire country to a standstill and turn a lot of us into experts for the day. They say a little knowledge goes a long way...for me, that is a dangerous proposition come November. I wake up that morning and I think I am Max Presnell/Ken Callender and Lee Freedman all rolled into one...

November also means the start of the Christmas Party season which is always good to see how much free alcohol and canapes you can consume without becoming an embarassment to yourself and a joke to others!

December: The parties continue as we hit the countdown to Christmas. Catching up with friends and family for that all-important 'christmas catch-up' and winding down at work as all look forward to the Christmas/New Year break as we stop, take a breath, think about the year gone and the one just on our doorsteps.

Not to mention the ongoing discussion point for the month that is; what to do on New Year's Eve...but my friends, that is a topic for another time.

So, welcome to 'The 'ber's' everyone - I hope you enjoy it as much as I will.