a touch of paradise

This might sound corny, but Frank and I just spent a weekend in Paradise, not far from the Promised Land. We didn't have to die to gain entry, but the short drive from here to there (just over an hour) seemed to take us into an alternative reality, almost a virtual world.

Maybe it was because of the green, green grass. Or the amazing views of Mount Roland. (This was taken from our accommodation at Paradise Cottage)

Or Sheffield's sleepy country town feel, which left me so disorientated at one point I caught myself wondering if the shop assistant recognised my accent.

Perhaps it was the trippy little Scottish Scone Shoppe where we found ourselves serenaded by live (albeit subdued) bagpipe music for the duration of a quaint lunch surrounded by kilts and tartans.

Certainly Tasmazia played with our heads and drew us into a strange place of befuddling mazes,

minature townships

and maddeningly cheerful quotes.

This one shocked me too.

Alum Cliffs. I seriously had no idea that just off the main road, tucked behind native bushes and ferns was this amazing geological feature. Why were we the only ones there?!

I wonder if the strangeness of our time in Paradise didn't stem from the opportunity to just S.T.O.P. We got off the merry-go-round of life for a couple of days but our heads kept spinning around and around, creating this strange perception of unreality. Eighty kilometres seemed like a world away from our every day existence, everything moved in slow motion, time stood still. Not still enough for us to be in Paradise yet, but enough time to pause, take a deep breath and have a break.

Now it's back to reality and the maddening crowd.