Paradise has a name ... Riverbend


 

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Sunday, February 22, 2015

A quindecennial anniversary

 

It was Christmas 2000 and we'd just come back home after having listed "Riverbend" Cottage with the tourist office in town when the phone rang and a man's voice asked, "Is that Fisherman's Paradise and do you have a vacancy?"

I hesitated. Fisherman's Paradise? Yes, of course, that's the name under which we had listed the cottage with the tourist office.

"Yes, this is Fisherman's Paradise and, yes, we do have a vacancy", and, having detected a German accent, I added "Where are you from?"

"Same place you're from."

Touché!

And that's how Thomas Flock, his wife, and his sister became our first Cottage guests and "Riverbend" Cottage got started - although we no longer call it Fisherman's Paradise; it's simply Paradise!


Riverbend Cottage

has become even more affordable:
during our anniversary year we offer a
10% discount on every direct booking!

As for our first-ever guest, Thomas, if you read this, please join us in the celebrations by being our guest again. This time it's on the house - or rather, on the Cottage - see here.

 




Monday, February 16, 2015

We've just had a visit from two tax inspectors

 

No, they weren't from the Australian Taxation Office but from Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs in the U.K., and instead of demanding money they paid us some - for staying at Riverbend Cottage on their trip around Australia.

Despite a less than favourable forecast, Elaine and Mike had three warm and sunny days. Even the weather dare not get on the wrong side of the taxman! ☺

And here are their guestbook comments:

"We must first thank the internet and Google as without them we would not have found Riverbend Cottage!

It has been a wonderful experience and we have really enjoyed the accommodation and beautiful grounds. The 'extras' provided for breakfast and the ice cream and wonderful soup and wontons made our stay even more special.

It was great to be able to chat to Peter & Padma and their welcome and friendliness will be something we will never forget. We have taken so many photos, we will have lots of reminders of our stay here.

We wish you both health and happiness for the future.

                                       Elaine & Mike
                                       Melton Mowbray U.K."

 

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

A $660 "Wolf Blass" Red Label bottle of wine

Johan and the Boys in Blue

 

Johan, our Dutch cottage guest at Christmas 2013, had a little too much "Dutch courage" on his last night out and got caught crossing the bridge on their way back to "Riverbend" - see here.

As he explained in the following message, today is the end of his 12-month good behaviour bond:

"Hi Peter and Padma, Today is worth a celebration: a year ago I was dragged before the magistrate to be sentenced to either a driving restriction and a fine, to go to prison for some time, or have a good behaviour bond imposed on me. After a $660 legal representation, the latter happened and I have survived the ordeal. On that evening in Batemans Bay I had my most expensive "Wolf Blass" Red Label bottle of wine of my entire life. Thanks for your support as well as your friendship. Kind regard, Johan"

Johan, the next bottle of red will be on the house and inside the cottage right here at "Riverbend", far away from the Boys in Blue.

 

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Sometimes we even forget to fold the first tissue on the roll of toilet paper into a little triangle

 

Riverbend Cottage does not compete with establishments whose toilet seats are wrapped in cute little "Sanitized for your convenience" covers or who dull your senses with Muzak and the drone of air-conditioning ("air-conditioning" here means opening the window and letting the gentle breeze come in off the river).

Our TV reception is limited to the ABC, SBS, and WIN (however, you have a choice of hundreds of excellent DVDs - all without commercial breaks!) And there are plenty of books to read (you remember books, don't you? they are like DVDs with pages)

Once here, you may even relax enough not to miss your mobile because, guess what, it won't work here. However, we gladly take your messages on our phone or, if you're the President of the United States or some other important person who is totally indispensable to the running of the world, you can bring along your own laptop and log on to our FREE broadband WiFi.

Our guests from the city always enthuse about the air here. It's fresh and composed mainly of oxygen and nitrogen, unlike what they are used to. They fall asleep almost immediately, their bodies exhausted from the lack of carbon monoxide and lead they have come to depend on.

You are so close to the water's edge that for environmental reasons we had to build the modern bathroom a few metres away from the cottage (very romantic on a starlit night!) but don't worry, the short walkway between the Cottage and bathroom is covered in and you won't get wet on a rainy night.

It is quiet here and very peaceful and you're the only guest. Instead of having to listen to somebody else's snoring or be "entertained" by some ablution noise in the room next door, you may hear the occasional possum wander over your roof at night or be surprised by a little green frog looking at you from under the bathroom door.

All this sensory deprivation may come as a shock to you and we suggest that, as a rough guide, if your chronological (or mental) age is less than 30, you will probably lack the appreciation of being miles away from McDonald's and the sounds of an inf(t)ernal combustion engine.

To all you others and to those who want to recover their energy and rediscover themselves, please come and stay and stay long, sit quietly, breathe deeply, and listen to the river, to the birds, to YOURSELF!





Friday, January 23, 2015

Now you know why it's called "Riverbend"



Not your typical Breughel pastoral scene

 

 

With a good book on one side ...

 

 

... and a good wine on the other, you feel uplifted as you look downriver.

Let Riverbend work its magic on you and stop listening to the news and let the week go by.

When you get home and tune in again, you'll realise you've missed nothing, and are cured of the delusion that you need to stay current.

Welcome to the magic of Riverbend!

 



Sunday, January 4, 2015

"What a wonderful place to end one year and start another!"

 

So wrote our guest Vicki in our guestbook. And she continued:

 


"Lily - [that's her beautiful Border Collie] - and I have enjoyed ourselves beyond our expectations and it is hard to leave (I haven't got Lily in the car yet, so it may well be hard to leave.)

Thank you for the opportunity to stay here in such a special place, and for your hospitality and generosity.

May 2015 be a great year for you, and hopefully I will see you again some time during 2015."

 

Thank you, Vicki, for your kind words and we look forward to your next visit. A copy of Captain Corelli's Mandolin will be waiting for you.