Sunday 18 May 2008

Heaven on earth



This is the verse that I named my blog after.

I must hang it on my fridge to remind myself to sing, dance and love more as we already live on Heaven on Earth.

Here are some more scenic photos of Norfolk Island for you, we hope that you agree, as seeing is believing.
Norfolk Island is Beautiful.

AIR



EARTH








WATER










FIRE



Here is the Photography competition that I won 2nd place in.


We are just enjoying each day and hope that our bubbles never burst.

Thursday 15 May 2008

The Golden Orb



In 2002 when Brandt and I came to Norfolk Island for our first holiday together, we discovered The Golden Orb Cafe hidden behind other shops in the main street, Taylors rd.

This is little Teddy at 18 months old at The Golden Orb when we came for our second holiday to Norfolk Island.

To find it, you can follow the big red and gold signs through a walkway of tropical plants to find a quaint little wooden building with a deck built around an avocado tree.
Look at little Sienna after her first haircut just after we moved here, she was about 16 months old in this photo and rewarded for being good at the hairdressers by going to 'the orb'.
The Golden Orb cafe is also a bookshop that sells fantastic local books and a great assortment of others as well.


The floor is painted with quotes from famous books, but although the atmosphere is wonderful, it is the food which is worth coming back again and again for, Cas is very imaginative and creative with her food, she produces wonderful salads with a mix of fresh and tinned which sometimes is a necessity here on Norfolk as the fresh produce is all grown here and is very seasonal, but also extremely tasty. There is always Yummy vegetarian and wholesome foods for me and I love the winter menu that really warms you up, their minestrone was huge and delicious, just right for the chilly day we had yesterday and the log fire was lit too, it was extra special.


As with most places in Norfolk, there is a very basket of toys for the children to play with which is a very welcome touch for us Mummy's.


We have tried to take all of our visitors to the Golden orb and it is generally agreed that is a favourite place to go while on holiday and worth a return visit.


Teddy has been ordering at the counter since we arrived here to live, at 3 and a half he always races down the walk way ahead of me and heads to the counter and asks for 2 babycino's, one for me and one for my sister with 2 marshmellows and a chai tea for Mum. The staff all know him well and sometimes there is a baked delight too good to resist, it is always different and fresh.
Hope you can come and sample the Golden Orb's delights with us.

This is Norfolk Island's Golden Orb spider, though I couldn't get any extra information about it, I know that it isn't venomous, but the female is quite large and has the strongest golden sticky web. I watched this one near our house for about 3 months, it was very interesting in a bizarre sort of way.

When the kids finish their babycino's, they usually head out to the tropical garden to play hide and seek and if they meet a friend there, they are happy to join in too.


Greg Magri and the late Di Buffett began weaving in the tradition Tahitian way 2 mornings a week as Di had written a beautiful book called 'Plaiting in Paradise'.
It is fascinating to watch and they welcomed all locals and visitors to join in and make their own hat or other item from palm leaves or flax.
Greg and friends are still there every Tuesday and Wednesday.

Although I would love to watch and learn, I don't think that I could sit long enough with the kids there to make anything of value, maybe one day.


In the meantime, going to the Golden Orb is a very special treat that we are lucky to only be about 8 minutes walk from.