So, this weekend, we...

Week 41 ~ O is for Opera Bar

Posted: October 10, 2015 in Sydney Harbour
Tags: barangaroo, opera house, Sydney, Sydney Harbour, Sydney History, Sydney weekends, Weekends in Sydney, what to do in Sydney, What to do in Sydney this weekend

A new arrival in Sydney – Barangaroo.

On the headland just west of the Harbour Bridge is Sydney’s newest urban park. Barangaroo was a local Kamaraygal woman who was the second wife of Bennelong, an important interlocutor between the Aboriginal people and the early British colonists in New South Wales. (wikipedia)

We wandered around this new park (it’s quite beautiful) and then made our way around the foreshore to the Opera Bar for a drink at the Opera House before a walk through the Botanical Gardens and home.

Quite lovely.

Looking south from Barangaroo towards Glebe

Looking west towards Balmain

Drinks at the Opera Bar

Week 40 ~ N is for Nutricious breakfast

Posted: October 10, 2015 in Cafe, Inner West
Tags: alexandria, breakfast, cafe

Our youngest son turned 21 and we had a 21st birthday party at home last night.

Beer, wine, soft drink and party food, so a delicious, healthy breakfast and a great walk around Alexandria on Sunday morning was in order.

We enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Bread and Circus, and then a walk around a few blocks before another coffee at The Substation – where we’ll be back another time for breakie!

Yum. Healthier than beer and pies

Love it. Wyndham St, Alexandria, near Green Square

Week 39 ~ M is for Mooncake Festival

Posted: October 10, 2015 in Markets
Tags: festival, mooncake, Sydney

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a harvest festival celebrated by ethnic Chinese and Vietnamese people. The festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese Han calendar and Vietnamese calendar (within 15 days of the autumnal equinox), on the night of the full moon between early September to early October of the Gregorian calendar.
It’s a public holiday in Mainland China, Taiwan and Korea.
Given the Chinese and Korean influence in Eastwood where we live, it ws the perfect marriage of the week for M and convenience!

Classy place for the festival… Eastwood Hotel carpark!

Delicious street food

There’s bargains and treasure everywhere!@

Unfortunately the heavens opened up just as the parade started

Week 38 ~ L is for a little bit of Luxury

Posted: September 21, 2015 in Driving NSW
Tags: coffs harbour, dolphin, weekend, weekends

First weekend of Robyn’s school holidays… after a busy term for her, we decided a bit of pampering was in order, so we headed up to Pacific Bay at Coffs Harbour for a little bit of luxury for the weekend.

We stayed in an apartment overlooking the resort. The weather wasn’t the best, but it didn’t stop us having a great weekend together.

Wine and cheese, relaxing on the balcony

Segway – really is as easy as they make out!

Lookout above Coffs

Playing in the pool with the dolphin

Week 37 ~ K is for Kissing Point

Posted: September 12, 2015 in Cafe
Tags: beehive, breakfast, Lane Cove National Park, Sydney, what to do in Sydney, What to do in Sydney this weekend

There’s Kissing Points everywhere…
Fun fact: Historically, when a boat needed to have work done on the keel, the owner would float it up onto a sandy point at high tide and let the keel “kiss” the sand. Then when the tide went out, they could work on the boat.

We had to be up at Robyn’s work at Pymble on Saturday morning, so we had breakie at the Vertical Espresso cafe at Kissing Point Rd in Turramurra and then went for a walk through Lane Cove National Park between Turramurra and North Epping.

Beautiful Sydney spring morning. Great start to the weekend.

Vertical Espresso

Didn’t realize how close to Epping North we were

First time I’ve ever seen a beehive like this

Hard to believe we are only 16 km from the Sydney CBD

Week 36 ~ J is for Jaffas

Posted: September 6, 2015 in show

Think the iconic Jaffa and you think of…?

We headed out to Top Ryde for dinner with Emily and Tom before going to the cinema to see Ricki and the Flash, a light hearted, predictable flick about “a musician who gave up everything for her dream of rock-and-roll stardom returns home, looking to make things right with her family.”

To be honest, the movie is beside the point – for us it’s all about making the effort to do something once a week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK1QTSkxlVk

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3623726/

Week 35 ~ I is for ‘igh Tea at the Hydro Majestic

Posted: September 4, 2015 in Cafe, Driving NSW
Tags: blue mountains, Sydney weekends, Things to do in Sydney, this weekend in Sydney, Weekends in Sydney, what to do in Sydney, What to do in Sydney this weekend

Yes, I know it’s a complete cop-out… but we had a lovely day in the Blue Mountains staying at my sister’s house at Hazelbrook while she’s away riding Route 66.

We did a few touristy things – morning tea at the Carrington Hotel at Katoomba

Visited the 3 sisters and Evans Lookout before High Tea at the Hydro Majestic at Medlow Bath.

They have done a beautiful job refurbishing this hotel – it’s obvious they’ve spent millions on the renovations and extensions.

Cold beer and champagne, beautiful live piano music in the background and delicious high tea.

Can highly recommend it. A great day out.

Morning Tea at the Carrington at Katoomba

Views over Megalong Valley

High Tea at the Hydro Majestic

Week 34 ~ H is for Hope Estates in the Hunter Valley

Posted: August 23, 2015 in Bars, Driving NSW
Tags: driving NSW, hope estates, hunter valley, wine

What a treat!

Dinner with Michael Hope and his wife Karen for Robyn and me and 10 others at Hope Estates winery on the weekend.

Hope Estates ales and cider as well as beautiful wines matched to the dinner. The chef talked us through the courses during desert and a lovely Verdelho.

Sadly, no mention of coming back to enjoy Fleetwood Mac or Elton John later this year 😦

Will be a tall order topping this. Very cool.

Week 33 ~ G is for Gladesville Hospital

Posted: August 16, 2015 in Walking
Tags: Sydney, sydney harbor, Sydney Harbour, Sydney History, Sydney weekends, Things to do in Sydney, Weekends in Sydney, What to do in Sydney this weekend

We bought our first home unit at Gladesville in 1983 and lived there for a few years, but never visited the site of the former Gladesville “Mental Hospital”, a psychiatric hospital, established in 1838 in Gladesville. Its original name was Tarban Creek Lunatic Asylum.

It’s located at Bedlam Point. Those of you who don’t get that connection > look here

It was purpose built to house “lunatics” in 1838, and apparently was a genuine attempt to improve the treatment of the mentally ill, allowing relatives to visit, patients to have access to recreational facilities and worthwhile work in what were once beautiful grounds.

In 1997, all inpatient services were consolidated at the Macquarie (North Ryde) site in Wicks Road.