Romantic Country Drive

There's nothing like getting out of the house and the city for that matter and taking a country drive with your partner. Last week Sam and I drove along the back country roads to Wallan, a town North of Melbourne, Australia. Every so often we like to do this, as Sam say's, 'So we can have some time together'.  We are each busy with our work and hobby interests so we don't often have a whole afternoon together. But when we go for a drive, it's our time to connect  as we enjoy the views.

The peaceful rolling paddocks and rows of trees, take me back to  childhood Sunday afternoons spent in the back seat of my parent's car, while they enjoyed a country drive. But as a child I was bored for most of it. Never would I have imaged back then that I'd love it so much as I do now.

Each time we pass a farm with cows I imagine how lovely it must be to live there. I say to Sam, 'Maybe we will retire to the country one day.' He's heard it before, but is happy to play my game and say's, 'Maybe, you never know.' 

It's so funny how things in life can be such a coincidence. This morning I was reading a book from my massive to-be-read-pile that had a scene in it where the newly married heroine desperately wanted time to connect with her partner and so was thrilled when he said he wanted to take the day off and go for a drive in the country to look for a new home. How romantic is that? No wonder I love it when Sam suggests a country dive.
By the way, the book I'm reading is by a favorite author of mine, Annie West. It's called "The Sinner's Marriage Redemption"

In my sexy romance, "The Scottish Billionaire's Secret Lover", some of my favorite scenes are set in the country side. Hero, Angus lives in a Scottish borderlands castle. He and Natalie like to take drives in the country and they take a picnic basket too.

​But Sam and I didn't get out the plastic knives and forks, we went to  Hogan's Hotel in Wallan. A character filled double brick building with timber beams and open fires.  Sam had a hamburger and chips and I had a humongous serve of lambs fry and bacon with mashed potatoes.  A coffee for desert and then we were back on the road home.

As we were leaving the town, I turned my head and saw this outbuilding at the last minute. This picture is a bit blurry but I wanted to include it because it instantly inspired me. I imagined it decked out for a wedding. Can you picture fairy lights draped from the ceiling and floral arrangements  set in the middle of white table clothed trestle tables?  

It was getting late in the afternoon when the Melbourne skyline appeared on the horizon. But it had been a lovely day of chatting to Sam. We'd both fallen quiet, fully talked out and happy to just be with each other as we took in the last scenes of our rural sojourn.  When we turned into our driveway, we started to think about what we need to do to get ready for the next day. But it's okay. We were peaceful and happy and smiling at each other and occasionally saying, 'That was a lovely drive we'll have to do that again soon'.