How I nearly got to Paradise!

 Dear all

Valentines Day - That age old traditional where millions of men get fleeced for all their money buying things that women don't really want, when a simple proper and very likely cheap, if not free romantic gesture would have sufficed all along.  I don't get it! We girls are always on diets so chocolates although guiltily eaten are not well thought out. A dozen red roses 9.99 any other day of the year but for this day only just for you mate 49.99! The problem is 10 years down the line I would take either of these gifts in lieu of being completely ignored on the one day when even the most unromantic should make some effort! This year Dean managed until about 11.00am, when he kindly offered to buy me lunch. Nice gesture one would say, but we had just agreed to go to the local burger bar! Now before you start thinking what an ungrateful baggage that I am I will confess that this particular place is the very famous Ferg Burger and I was treated to the most amazing, most enormous chicken burger I have ever seen and a massive portion of chips. Yum all is forgiven babes ungrateful cow that I am

Feeling incredibly guilty for stuffing my face despite spending two hours this morning walking around the garden peninsula - (twice - don't ask!) I decided to talk the Tiki trail walk up Bob's peak to lookout over the area.Dean decided to rest up in the van. There is a gondola that goes to the same place but in a straight line as you can see!. The climb felt like it took forever weaving steeply backwards and forwards up the hill but after 50 minutes I reached the top and waved down at Dean (despite not being able to see him  he could see me in the binoculars). The view from here truly has to go on my top ten list as it was magical and the sun was shining and everything was perfect ................. except Dean wasn't there.................... it took me another 40 Mins to get down (crap knees!) and there he was with a big smile on his face, simply happy just cos I was (bless).

 We then trundled back to the botanical gardens for a bit of Frisbee golf, but our airobe had somehow been damaged in our travels so play was abandoned on the second hole (well target).  All the hard work was undone with a large piece of cheesecake  from the very sumptuous Patagonia (do check it out is you ever get here!). Now boys take heed.......About 6.30pm  Dean then drove me 66km down the very beautiful lakeside to Glenorchy where according to the Lonely Planet there is a place called Paradise about 15km further on, which is where he was taking me. Unfortunately someone at LP had made a little typo cos  we found out that it was actually 37km further on  down a very windy unsealed road. So reluctantly we had to turn around as it was starting to get  dark - so near and yet so far but a big gold star to Dean - who says he's not romantic ?................