It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

This year, instead of dusty tinsel, we've decorated the shop with these gorgeous Christmas decals from The Alphabet Tree. Their pretty Christmas trees and baubles make a great Christmas display without all the usual clutter. Have a look at their website for lots of other great decorating ideas www.alphabettree.com.au

Water, water everywhere...

After a night of torrential rain Burra is slowly recovering, but it my take a few days for all the water to subside and everything to return to normal. We had about 100mls overnight and are now hoping for a few fine days so the crops can dry out the harvest can begin.

This is a picture of the path across the creek between Gaslight and Paxton Square Cottages. It might be a good idea to go the long way around for the next couple of days!

Christmas is almost here!

With Christmas just around the corner, the town is busily preparing for the festive season and the Gaslight is no different. With colorful decorations and Christmas shortbread, we're guaranteed to melt any old Scrooge's heart. Not only do we serve an excellent coffee with a cheerful smile, but it could also be the place to get that special someone the perfect gift. We have a wide selection of antiques ranging from beautiful porcelain to uniquely designed teapots.

Fox and Feathers at Gaslight

This Christmas we are stocking some of the wonderful handmade products from the Fox and Feathers range. So far one of the big favourites has been these gorgeous tooth safes ($28), with a special place to keep your teeth so the tooth fairy can find them, and a journal to remind you about which teeth you lost when.

If you're looking for a very special Christmas stocking come and choose one of these handmade boots ($35) - a modern twist on an old Christmas favourite and one that will surely become part of Christmas traditions for years to come.

Thanks Helen!

One of our lovely Burra friends dropped in with these beautiful roses from her garden yesterday. How lucky we are to live in a town with such special people. Thanks Helen!

Now, that's more like it

After a rather shaky start spring has arrived in the mid north. The canola is looking gorgeous and crops are lush and green after all that lovely winter rain.

The Burra Show was a great success 2 weeks ago and 'Art of the Flower and Garden' is on display at the Burra Regional Art Gallery, making us all feel sunny and bright. It's a great time for a visit to Burra and beyond so drop in at Gaslight for a coffee if you're in the area.

Go the mighty Redlegs

At Gaslight we're nailing our colours to the wall and backing Norwood for a big win in todays SANFL Grand Final. We can't be there to watch the game in person, but we'll be there in spirit.Go the mighty Redlegs!!

Spring in Burra!

Today is the 4th is September and we had hoped that spring might be in the air. Instead Burra, and most of the rest of southern Australia, is being hit by a deluge of rain and furious winds. We had 31 mm of rain in the rain gauge overnight and there's going to be a lot more by the time we close the shop tonight.

It's lovely and warm by our potbelly stove, if you're brave enough to go out in the cold to try and reach to us!

Clare Valley Tourism Awards

We are delighted that Gaslight Collectables and Old Books has taken out the Restaurant and Catering Services Award in this years Clare Valley Tourism Awards. The awards were presented at a dinner for 120 tourism operators held at the Artisan's Table in Clare last Friday night.

This is the third year we have been lucky enough to be recognised, prompting the host for the event, Andrew "Cossie" Costello from SAFM, to name Gaslight "the Makybe Diva of restaurants"!

High Tea with the Girls

Martine's chickens are living the good life and enjoying their leftover Gaslight scones in style. Thanks for pictures Martine - we love them!

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is coming up on Sunday and Gaslight is a great place to find that special gift for Mum. We recommend Dianne Hall's beautiful book, "High Tea in the Garden" for mums who love cooking or gardening. Or take Mum out for the day. Afternoon tea at Gaslight is always a special treat.

Dates for your diary

1st and 2nd May - Burra Antique and Collectables Fair

The beautifully refurbished historic Burra Town Hall and the school gymnasium will be filled with antiques and collectables for sale for the 19th annual fair. Held over 2 days the fair features dealers from around Australia, all coming to town to sell their wares. As well there is free antique appraisal on both days and of course Burra's six antique shops will all be open for business.

At only $9 for a weekend pass this a great value event and a fun way to spend a weekend.

15 and 16 May - Clare Valley Gourmet Weekend 2010

The tables will be set for the 2010 Clare Valley Gourmet weekend when the region's premium wines will be matched with indulgent fine dining experiences and live entertainment. A great way to enjoy our fabulous South Australian produce and have some fun while you do it!

Easter opening hours

You can hop into Gaslight any time over Easter. To be sure we don't miss the Easter Bunny we will be here every day from 10am to 5pm , so come in and join us for a delicious coffee and a hot cross bun.

Sweet treats

With the days getting shorter and the evenings getting cooler we decided it was time for a new treat to help keep out the winter chills. Our delicious Orange Almond and Yogurt Cake is just the thing.

If you're looking to spoil yourself over Easter, but have had enough chocolate try our special Easter shortbread. Cute and scrumptious!

Knit and natter

“On the Sheep’s Back” is an exciting new exhibition at the Burra Regional Art Gallery and features works by some fabulous fabric and visual artists. It demonstrates the many ways it which wool can be worked to create innovative works of art - weaving, knitting, felting, spinning, clothing, fabric, and painting and photography.

We'd like to say a big thank you to Gaslight regulars and talented knitters, Rebecca Clark-Dollman and Janine Weatherstone who demonstrated their remarkable knitting skills as part of the the exhibition launch.

"On the Sheep's Back" is on display until March 31st.

Gaslight is open from 10am to 5pm daily and is a great place for a coffee, a natter and a bit of clever crafting so drop in and see us soon.

Left overs

What happens at Gaslight if we have scones left at the end of the day? Well, sometimes they go to Martine's chickens, sometimes they go to the ducks in Burra Creek and sometimes - if they're very lucky - they go to Mary Woollacott's kangaroos. According to the kangaroos they are the best scones in Burra. High praise indeed.

A few days off....

Gaslight will be closed for a few days next week while we do a little bit of maintenance and housekeeping.

We will close at 5pm on Saturday afternoon (20th February) and we will reopen at 10am on Saturday 27th February.

We look forward to seeing you all then!

Very cool!

At Gaslight we're famous for our scrumptious Iced Coffee and Iced Chocolate - just perfect on a hot summers day. Yum! This year we have added Iced Chai Latte and Banana Smoothies to our menu, so if you're need to cool down and want to try something a little bit different, head into Gaslight for a delicious treat.

New art exhibitions at the Galllery

There are 3 fabulous new art exhibitions opening tonight at the Burra Regional Art Gallery. These very varied exhibitions include

"Focus on Variety", featuring the artists of the Germain Art Focus group

"Terowie Terrors", the children of Terowie paint their town, and

"My Story", Regional Artists curated by Heather Parker for Mental Health Week 2009.

The Gallery is open 7 days a week from 1pm - 4pm and the exhibitions are on show until 3 March.

Special guests at Gaslight

This week we've been enjoying a lovely visit from Gaslight regular (and our very special grand-daughter), Ruby.

She was snapped here trying her first babycinno which seemed to get her 1 year old tick of approval.

Ruby was a bit disappointed not to see her good friends, Olive and Lois, but is looking forward to catching up with them on her next visit.

Free kittens!

Our favourite four year old customer demonstrating our new sign. Thanks Lauren!

Happy Australia Day!

At Gaslight we're celebrating Australia Day with delicious pavlova, and a free flag for every customer.

As you can see not everyone was taking our national holiday quite as seriously as we did. Helen, (left) a born and bred Kiwi, had trouble mastering her Australia Day hat, but fortunately Liz (an Aussie now living in NZ) had more success!

Happy Australia Day everyone!

Sunday morning

Sunday morning sitting in the sun, having coffee and scones at Gaslight - does it get any better than this?? We don't think so!

The Tour Down Under

Stage 1 of this year's Santos Tour Down Under starts at 11am on Tuesday in Clare and will see the riders head south to Tanunda. They will pass through Penwortham, Saddleworth, Riverton and Kapunda on the way to the Barossa Valley, as part of what should be one of the prettiest legs of the race.

The fun has kicked off in the Clare Valley this weekend with the four day Clare Breakaway Festival and the riders are sure of a warm mid north welcome when they line up to start the race on Tuesday morning.

Gaslight is backing BMC Racing, headed up by Australia's own Cadel Evans. Go Cadel!

Vauxhalls everywhere!

Burra was happy to welcome many of the participants in the 35th National Vauxhall Rally this weekend. The Rally runs from 7th - 14th January so many of these lovely old cars will be seen out and about in the Clare Valley over the next few days.

The cars will be on display on the Clare Oval tomorrow (Sunday 10th January) if you would like to see them up close and have a chat with their proud owners.