We've had three very dry wet seasons in a row and the forecast for future rain was slim, but then a tropical low came up the coast last week and brought with it a couple of days of very heavy storms.
This noticeably cooled our normal sultry summer/autumn air just a tad, which inspired Blossom and I to take a drive up the mountain for brunch at the Heritage Tea Rooms.
This is a favourite haunt of ours every winter (it has no air conditioning so it's rare we visit outside of the few cooler months) and is also where we often catch up for a stitching day with Heather, Barb and Wendy - but last week it was just me and my girl.
The Tea Rooms have new owners and though the peaceful mountaintop atmosphere of days gone by still surrounds the old homestead, there's a few things around that weren't there before.
Like dominoes on the table alongside the pepper and salt.
So what to do?
Play a few games of course...
We didn't even stop when our coffee and meals arrived at the table.
When Blossom was younger we often played dominoes with the family, but it had been so long since our last game that we had to jiggle our "little grey cells" to remember the rules.
We're still not sure we were correct, but it didn't matter because we had such a lovely relaxed time.
Isn't my beautiful girl glowing?
She's just days away from reaching the mid-way point of her pregnancy and on Friday she and her beloved will discover whether they need to decorate the nursery in pink or blue.
On the drive back down the mountain we chatted about favourite games we used to play; Cluedo was number 1, then Chess, Monopoly, Scrabble, and Yahtzee.
I love being up the mountain, even just for an hour or two. It's quiet, there's no phone reception, and everywhere you look are trees and wildlife, plus now we have the promise of a relaxed game or two of dominoes as a bonus.
I hope the cooler days come again soon so we can return.
In fact, as I type this I can hear thunder and the sky has darkened...
Is there a favourite game you like to play?
