You Gotta Love This City (Sydney staycation)

Welcome back my dear reader. This is a rather long post, words and pictures, so you might want to pour a cuppa or grab a glass of something depending on the time of day and your particular needs.

Thursday

And the staycation commenced with a cracker of a spring day in Sydney. Blue skies and sunshine. We did what everyone should do on vacation: slept late and lounged around until we felt it was time to get motivated. And then we went for a walk around the neighbourhood and did some shopping for dinner. All very domestic. Dinner won't be as interesting as the last few evenings, but in keeping with the celebration of our anniversary week, it will be accompanied by a bottle of 1980 Grange Hermitage. There has been a little ullage over the years and the tasting notes online suggested we should have opened it for our 30th anniversary, but we shall see.

Let happy hour begin

Anyway, the day continued. Happy hour happened (I love alliteration) and then dinner and THE wine. It was much better than I thought it would be. The cork broke into three pieces. It was moist but wouldn't hold together. The wine was strained into the decanter and allowed to rest for an hour so before dinner. Oh, come on, it's an old wine, it needed a rest. In the glass the colour was tending to brown as expected, the nose was spicey and there was a restrained spirit on the palate. As an aged wine, really couldn't ask for more. The last two bottles of Grange have gone down the sink but not this one. That is reflective of the how the wines were kept over the years rather than wine quality.

As good as it gets

Friday we spent the morning at the Chau Chak Wing Museum, or the Nicholson Museum as we still call it, at our alma mater, Sydney University. Entry is free and timed for access, but once inside you stay as long as you like. We were there just over two hours.  It is well worth a visit.

It is a new building funded by the Chinese donor whose name it carries. If you're a Sydney local, it is the new concrete bunker-like building next to Fisher Library. While it doesn't permit the display of every artefact 'acquired'  by the university, it certainly provides a better space to see much more of the collection. And what an eclectic collection it is. From indigenous works from the Northern Territory to stuffed animals, pinned butterflies, photographs, art works, Egyptian mummies and numerous other pieces from China, the Middle East, Ancient Greece and Rome ... the list goes on. The photos below speak for themselves.

A dugout from the Tiwi Islands

Didgeridoos from Arnhem Land

The colours were stunning

Mummy

Not mummy but daddy

A couple of Jeffrey Smart paintings

Assorted stuffed animals

Look closely. A fly tried to add itself to the collection.

To continue in the tourist mode, we went shopping in the afternoon. Well, it is Black Friday, another piece of American imperial consumerism forced upon unsuspecting Australians. I can't wait for the day we celebrate Christopher Columbus Day too. Another day of great shopping bargains. Actually dear reader, if you cast your mind back to the first post in this series you may recall the ruby earrings I purchased for Jayne for our anniversary. As predicted, we ventured into Sydney CBD to exchange them.

And as happy hour and celebration of Friday night commences, Jayne is wearing her ruby necklace. Curiously, I liked the necklace but opted not to purchase it because she rarely changes the diamond pendant I bought for her 21st that hangs around her swan-like neck. Regardless. The ruby anniversary has been commemorated in ruby.

Pretty.

Back to the usual Friday night behaviour. Pizza dough is proving, the wine is breathing, we are listening to Powderfinger's new album (yes, it's a thing. Unreleased 1998-2010 is the title) and unusually, the air conditioning is on.

Saturday lived up to the prediction of extreme heat and hit 39°. Despite this, we continued with our planned walk around some of the parks and gardens of Sydney. It is really interesting. We did a similar walk a few weeks back, focussed on some of the historic buildings. That walk was called Public Sydney. Both can be accessed through the app Open Sydney. On both walks we have discovered things hidden in plain sight, things we have walked past without ever noticing. The focus is on post colonisation while recognising that Australia is, was and always will be Aboriginal land.

Today we commenced at the Hyde Park Barracks, walked through Hyde Park, the Domain and onto the Botanic Gardens. This time we actually stopped to look at fountains, bubblers and other structures that we have not noticed before. The app provides a commentary and it takes about 2 hours to complete. Below are some pictures of the walk. I opted not to take my proper camera, so all the photos are courtesy of my iPhone.

The barracks where we began the walk

The Archibald Fountain

The Archibald Fountain is another war memorial and has strong links to France. Apparently it is world famous. Who knew? It is quite spectacular and I've never really stopped to look at it before today. It is quite impressive and, had I been touring in Europe, I would have taken several photographs. Interesting how the things we grew up with we just take for granted.

Baptist Fountain in Hyde Park

I didn't even know this existed. It was donated by John Baptist Junior, a Portuguese migrant and one time resident of Redfern. Baptist Street is named after him because that is where he had his nursery and garden. He also donated the magnificent fountain in Redfern Park and the gates to the park.

The War Memorial and Reflection Pool

The water fountain was introduced to encourage temperance and back in its day, would have had metal cups attached by chain to it for people to drink from ... very sanitary. There is another at the entrance to the Domain. Water fountains for public use signify civilisation, apparently.

A water fountain

Looking to St Mary's from Sandringham Memorial Garden

The fountain in the Sandringham Garden

Sandringham Memorial Gardens was another aspect of Hyde Park that I knew nothing about. It is in the northern part of the park near the Park and College Street intersection. The fountain itself is part of a sunken garden that has arbours covered with wisteria. Shady and cool on a blisteringly hot Sydney day. The fountain was quite controversial when the design was revealed because the floor of the pool is covered with Aboriginal motifs.

The Domain was the next stop, named by Governor Bligh, to be maintained as a public space for the respectable people of Sydney Town to take a turn down the avenues of giant fig trees.  There was an inner Domain for the exclusive use of the Governor and then the outer Domain for the people.  This was another pioneering place as it was one of the first parks anywhere in the world to have public toilets.  Because it was deemed desirable to create a sub-tropical feel to the parklands, a number of palm trees were planted around the toilet blocks and they remain there to this day. 

In keeping with our tourist tradition, we paused at the restaurant and outdoor bar across the road from the Art Gallery, to have a cold beer and sit for a bit before we ventured across the Cahill Expressway, away from the Domain and into the Botanic Gardens.

Just inside the Woolloomooloo gates at the Botanic Garden

There was plenty to photograph inside the Botanic Gardens and the commentary looked briefly at the history of a few different sections of the gardens and some specific plantings. Again, and I've spent a lot of time here over the years, I saw things today that I'd never noticed before. It is a timely reminder to appreciate what we have and, in the time of Covid where travel is still restricted, perhaps we should be exploring our own backyard. And that brings us to the title of this post, a little number from The Whitlams in 1999, Gotta Love This City and we do. We noticed plenty of other statues and structures today that didn't form a part of the guided walk and we intend to go back and check them out - when the weather is a bit cooler.

Sunday is the last day of our Anniversary celebrations and also Jayne's break from work. The staycation saw us at the Museum of Sydney. We have lived in the 'fern for 6 years now and Jayne has been talking about visiting this museum since we moved in. Finally ticked that box.

The Edge of the Trees outside the museum

The Museum of Sydney is on the corner of Bent and Phillip Streets, on the site of the original Government House. Curiously, it is a museum about Sydney. So, it is aptly named. There aren't a lot photos because there wasn't a lot that was easy to photograph. The current exhibition features information on the architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin and their work in the design and construction of Castle Crag. There was plenty of static information and a number of video presentations. We were there for around 3 hours and could have stayed longer.

Fancy an 8 month cruise?

The first Government House, built in 1789, grew and was renovated in a ramshackle way by successive Governors, until is was demolished in 1845. The original footings are able to be viewed through special areas through glass panels in the floor. There are also a number of exhibits that were discovered when the site was excavated.

Some Aboriginal artefacts

All very interesting, but the main point, from my perspective, was the retelling of the story of the early colony through Aboriginal eyes, with scholars such as Marcia Langton (and others) providing commentary. It showed the story we were never told at school, but should have been. We didn't see the whole production because we had to be elsewhere but managed to watch around 45 minutes of it. It was a pity you were not informed as to the length of the film. Many people came and went as we watched.

Then it was time to make our way to Handpicked Wines at Chippendale. We braved the 40kmh winds that were ripping in from the desert and made our way to Circular Quay and the light rail stop where we boarded a tram. We alighted at Haymarket and walked the few minutes to Handpicked where we sheltered from the extreme weather and enjoyed a delightful bottle of their 2014 Marsanne and a cheese and charcuterie plate, building our strength for the assault on the final leg of our walk home.

And so ends our anniversary week of celebrations, dear reader, I hope you have enjoyed your time with us. We'll back in January when we are finally escaping NSW for South Australia, Adelaide and the Barossa to be specific.

Until next time.

Songbird (Marramarra Lodge)

Good morning my dedicated reader and welcome to my 300th blog post (sorry no pictures). That is a lot of holidaying. Fear not. I am focussed on bringing you many more. Indeed, there are plans afoot for 2021 already commencing with South Australia in January. Specifically, Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills and the Barossa Valley.

I'm here to report that our last night wasn't totally without incident. The birds began early in the morning. The Koel bird continued his mournful complaints about lack of sex, but was joined by a White-bellied Sea Eagle, numerous kookaburras and other local feathered fiends. I have no idea what was annoying the Eagle but he was very vocal for a very long time.

It was a pleasant morning and we again had breakfast on the pool deck stopping to chat with other guests about the bird 'song'. It turns out that Rick and Cathy operate their own luxury accommodation in Riverland South Australia. Check it out, it looks amazing. The Frames. Broken Hill was on my travel itinerary next year and The Frames might be just the place to rest up on the way home. On second thought, The Frames is a destination in itself. Stay tuned.

Obviously the birds inspired today's title and there were many choices available. I opted for Songbird by Fleetwood Mac from their 1977 album Rumours, a classic from start to finish. Mind you, I'm not sure the cacophony of noise that wrested me from my sleep could be considered bird song.

And so our time at Marramarra comes to an end. It wasn't quite what I expected but the weather curtailed our plans to get out on the river in kayaks. We spent the morning soaking up time until our departure; breakfast on the pool deck, time in the lodge on the computer checking out The Frames and chatting with other guests.

Marramarra bills itself as a luxury retreat and on the surface it ticks all the boxes. Jayne likened it to an adolescent, he/she knows what required to be an adult but isn't quite there. It lacked finesse. At Jonah's you were finessed without knowing you were being finessed. At times here it seemed all too obvious, the enquiries about whether we had enjoyed the meals were there, but ... did they really care? Probably not and they need to make the guests feel like they really do care, even if they don't.

Would I return? No. Been there, done that, but I'm glad I did it. If nothing else it was very relaxing and I discovered another place to holiday, hopefully sometime in 2021.

We are back at home now and are planning a couple of staycation excursions over the next few days. There will be one final post to bring everything to a conclusion, probably on Sunday.

Until next time

Cloud watching (Marramarra Lodge)

After a sound night's sleep, we were woken to the sound of voices. As it turned out, they were probably from the early breakfasters. Sound travels when there is precious little to compete with it. Tuesday's weather was proving to be as capricious and changeable as the previous day. We opted to breakfast al fresco in, what was at the time, sunshine. It was soon followed by light drizzle. That too didn't last before the clouds parted and so it went. Hence the title for today. We did a lot of cloud watching because they moved so fast. The song? A favourite from a favourite of ours Abby Dobson circa 2003.

The sun did come out

Just to keep Jayne guessing, I had a breakfast brioche roll which contained two foods I avoid if possible: egg and avocado (pronounced arvo-cardo in the 'fern). I didn't die, but it destroyed a good bacon roll. The service was attentive and efficient, as it has been since we arrived.

We ordered a picnic hamper for lunch in the vain belief that we would be kayaking somewhere on the Hawkesbury River to a destination to be decided. Should the weather hold of course. In the intervening period of time, I had decided we were going, not going, going, not sure, going, let's wait awhile and so it went. As I tap away at the moment we are going but the wind is now getting up ... perhaps a picnic in the boat shed would be a safer option.

Just relax and enjoy the view

And finally that was the option chosen. Our picnic was back-packed and we walked down to the boatshed where the wind was just as annoying. The backpack contained a neat little picnic set with wine glasses, well wine plastics, a corkscrew - wow, ancient artefact, but NO wine. The food was great. A quinoa, crab and beet salad, cheese, olives and crackers and chocolate and vanilla mousse with honeycomb shards. Again, I don't get it. The fridge in the boatshed was filled with beer but not a wine in sight. We've enjoyed our stay, and the staff couldn't be more effusive or responsive, but it's the little things. The finesse, Jayne would say. At Jonah's you were being finessed but you didn't notice, here you notice its absence.

Toys @ the boatshed

More toys

Post picnic lunch, the weather decided to turn again and the cloud cleared, the wind dropped and the sun shone. We opted for a couple of glasses of wine in the only place we can enjoy them, the lodge. Well, this time, the pool deck next to the lodge.

A pretty orchid on the path

We ticked the clock down, enjoying the afternoon and playing Scrabble. No, don't be concerned dear reader, we didn't keep score. Unusual I know. It was a friendly game, not our usual bloodsport battle-to-the-death event. And then the wind shifted into overdrive and we sought the relative safety of our tent, but not before we met one of the locals. He just came meandering through the pool area, unconcerned by all around him. Check out his photo.

Just popping in for a swim

The sun continued to shine as the wind picked up. The tent entered rock'n'roll mode and was buffeted from all sides. We were quite comfortable inside enjoying the view and cloud watching.

I went to dinner prepared for the sunset with both mobile phone and my camera. Neither were required, as the day slipped into night with barely a smudge of colour beyond the grey of the clouds. Dinner tonight was a five course cracker. Even jayne approved. The amuse bouche of Balmain bug was followed by ceviche of Kingfish, both were fresh and tasty. The zucchini, basil and macadamia soup was lovely, the macadamia a welcome addition and something I will use at home. The palate cleanser was a strawberry sorbet and signalled a change of wine from the NZ sauvignon blanc to a Victorian Cabernet Merlot. The main was wagyu steak accompanied by a miso and date sauce, followed up by a lemongrass creme brulee. All delightful.

Until next time

Sunsets (Marramarra Lodge)

And the day, dear reader, continued to be unpredictable as far as the weather was concerned. The skies were grey and the cloud moved fast. One minute we had sunshine, the next rain. As a result, the planned walk on Palm Beach up to Barrenjoey was abandoned as was my hope of chalking up 15,000 steps today.

It was only an hour's drive (ish) to the pick up point at Mooney Mooney which meant we would get there very early. The aborted morning beach walk had thrown out the timeline for the day. Brooklyn, I thought. We should stop in there. A lifetime ago we spent a magical winter's afternoon with Lyn and Wayne at the Angler's Rest Hotel. It was the only time we'd been to Brooklyn but I imagined we'd be able to burn an hour or so there.

Not quite. The rain had returned, discouraging any attempt to sit on the front verandah of the pub. A café, I thought. Ah, no. Well, if there was one it remained elusive to me. So after a few minutes of deliberating we hit the road again and in 10 minutes were sitting in the drizzle at the car park at the Mooney Mooney boat ramp, our designated pick up point for Marramarra Lodge.

And there we sat. Jayne read her book and I walked laps of the car park in between the rain showers. As 2pm approached, we gathered our bags and walked to the wharf just in time for another rain squall to sweep through and dampen our spirits a touch. The launch arrived, we boarded and sat back for the 20 minute ride to the lodge where we were greeted by Shona and a glass of 'champagne'. Despite the weather, the setting is rather idyllic. The 'tent' that is our accommodation has full length glass sliding doors that open to a magnificent view of the Hawkesbury River. We are secluded and private and no more than a 2 minute walk to reception.

Looking in from the deck

There is a complimentary bar fridge in the tent, that curiously, does not stock wine. The lodge itself has a fully stocked complimentary refreshment area, but you can't get a bottle of wine to enjoy on your deck overlooking the river. We repaired to the lodge and had a couple of glasses of wine and played a British trivial pursuit game that Jayne found. Rather apt really, considering I believe most things British are trivial - commencing with the monarchy.

On the deck looking east

From the lounge

Looking south down the river

Dinner was 6:30pm in the lodge. It was a five course affair with amuse bouche to start. The matching wines were a semillon and a shiraz durif blend from Rutherglen. Must get back there again, we haven't visited that wine region for many years. The first three courses were excellent: zucchini flower, snapper in tamarind sauce and a basil, lime and champagne sorbet. Sorry no pictures. Once again we ventured out sans mobile phones. Daring aren't we?

That was where dinner peaked. Well as far as Jayne is concerned. The lamb which followed was not quite the melt-in-your-mouth experience that was expected and the mushrooms overpowered the lamb. The dessert, a salted caramel truffle doughnut (one of those chunky American numbers without the whole), was not light enough. Goodness, this is reading like a review in the SMH Goodfood Guide. 

Jayne summed it up by saying that Jonah's was an adult and Marramarra was a teenager. One was restrained finesse, the other not quite there yet.

But the view of the sunset from the lodge! Hence today's title, a Powderfinger number from their 2003 Vulture Street record.

No words, just pictures, although they still don't do it justice.

Post dinner it was back to the deck to enjoy the sounds of the river at night. Fortunately the wind had died down so we weren't subjected to the whoomp and flap noises as the wind billowed the roof and then dropped it. There was however a very lonely koel bird looking for someone to love. I hope he finds her soon because he was driving some of the other guests mad with his plaintive call. You haven't heard one dear reader? Of course you have, but just in case try this

Until next time.

Deep Water (Jonah's Palm Beach)

November 22, 1980

Well hello my dedicated reader. Who would have thought that I'd be blogging again in the year of Covid? I mean after Mollymook, what could possibly be of interest? Today we find ourselves on the insular peninsula, Whale Beach to be precise. Jonah's Boutique Hotel and Restaurant to be exact. We have been trying to get here for years but found it difficult to co-ordinate work commitments. My retirement and Covid seem to have solved any concerns. Jonah's, like many establishments had been closed and when opening was imminent, I checked their website daily and booked as soon as they were up and running.

Jonah's is our first stop and then we head to Marramarra Lodge on Fisherman's Point. Why, you ask dear reader? Well, this was a big year for special numbered events. Jayne's birthday and also our wedding anniversary; 40 years. I know! We are supposed to be in an overwater bure in Tahiti. Covid. Enough said. Tahiti will still be there when the world re-opens for business and we will get there, just not for this anniversary.

The "going away" outfit

40 years. A ruby anniversary. Being the romantic, I bought Jayne a pair of ruby and diamond earrings. I bought them even though I was pretty certain she wouldn't like them. They are beautiful and exquisitely crafted, but they are just not the style she would normally wear and real rubies aren't really red. And she loves red. So despite my head telling me no, my heart won and I bought them anyway. Well, 40 years of tolerating me, that is some achievement and it deserves recognition. On Wednesday, we're heading to the jewellery store to exchange them. 

First things first, let's deal with today's title. Richard Clapton, that icon of Australian rock, from the Goodbye Tiger album (1977, cheers Vince). There is a line, "sitting out on the Palm Beach road, I'm so drunk and the car won't go, my crazy eyes keep looking out to sea. Sunday drivers are cruising round, wish they'd all go back to town. What do they expect to find? Sure as hell ain't peace of mind." Let me explain, when I was a child, one of my mother's more bizarre methods of torture was the family drive - generally on a Sunday, attendance compulsory. We would be loaded into the back of the ute (we didn't have a passenger vehicle until early 70s) and then driven from the outer 'burbs to places like Palm Beach. Why? Damn fine question? So we could look at houses we would never be able to afford? To be envious of a lifestyle we would never experience? To make us more disenchanted with our humdrum existence? To establish our place in the pecking order? Who knows? But Clapton nailed it, sure as hell wasn't for peace of mind. And it was a bloody long drive from Campbelltown.

From the balcony

Jonah's is everything I thought it would be. The welcome was warm, the glass of champagne on the balcony was much appreciated after the drive. Particularly given Jayne's fetish for duelling navigation systems. She uses one on her phone and directs me, while the in-car system wants to take me down a alternate path. Very confusing and as frustrating as last night's rugby test match. However, we made it. The Bolly was lovely, the view superb and the greeting and walk through our ocean view was excellent. Then it was time to relax with more Bolly and while away the hours until dinner. The biggest decision for the afternoon? Should we breakfast in our room or in the dining room? Life is tough.

The room is beautifully appointed, king sized bed, spa bath, rain shower, wifi and has a balcony that faces due east. The sound of the waves from the beach below are very relaxing. I can't believe it has taken us so long to get here, but I think we will be returning. Instant wind down.

Dinner was superb. From the G&T with fresh cucumber and verbena leaf while we perused the menu to the dessert with accompanying sticky, and all points in between. The food was excellent: grilled prawns, pasta with spanner crab, john dory, chocolate mousse and spiced cake. It was three courses, we had the same main. Sorry, there are no photos, we dined without mobile phones. The wine? The cellar extends to 1100 different wines and, while there were some familiar Australian names, we opted to go with Guillaume, the sommelier's advice and had an aged pinot gris from Alsace. A perfect match for our food.

It was very pleasant sitting on the balcony after dinner listening to the surf on the beach below. A pity the weather wasn't being co-operative. It was cloudy and there were thunderstorms to our north and rain to the south. The storms were just far enough away to preclude us from having a light show over the ocean. 

Breakfast, after a restful night's sleep, was enjoyed in the dining room. The view is stunning - unimpeded by expansive, crystal clear wall to ceiling glass, looking out over Whale Beach. Not so good for the lorikeet that didn't see the glass and smacked straight into it while we were breakfasting. Then coffee, juice, fruit, croissant, granola and a selection of cooked food. Lunch will not be required.

Today we have a few hours to kill before we head to Mooney Mooney and then by boat to Marramarra Lodge.

until next time

Wind of Change (Shoalhaven Heads not Budapest)

And Tony's Pizza, I hear you enquire, my epicurean reader ... absolutely ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ delicious. Would definitely return for, more next time we are down this way.

The wicked westerly wind continued to hound us as we packed up and pointed the car north towards Shoalhaven Heads. Hence today's title. All the way back from 1990 and the Scorpions. I hope the winds change soon, the westerly is way too cold.

But first, a detour to Mt Bushwalker, to check out a potential bushwalk for the grand children. Sadly, that area of the Morton National Park is still closed, following the devastating bushfires of the last fire season. The road in was in better condition than I thought, and is tar most of the way with a few gravel sections. The evidence of the fire is everywhere and once again, I can't help but marvel at the excellent work done by the RFS when you see how close the fire came to destroying more houses. You can also judge the intensity of the fire by the tree tops. There are areas where some trees still have their upper most branches and others, where they are skeletons, covered in new growth. So, no walking here in the immediate future. Back to the highway.

Mt Bushwalker being closed, destroyed my travel timeline somewhat. We had extra time to kill, prior to our 2pm check in at Bangalay Luxury Villas. Despite having driven past the Sussex Inlet turn off multiple times in my life, I'd never actually been there. It is a place that lives large in memory ... going down to Sussex ... been to Sussex ... thinking of buying a holiday place at Sussex. Yeah, whatever. I think I destroyed a dream. I will never drive that road again ... think of holidaying at Sussex ... think of buying a weekender there, or even be remotely interested in anyone who mentions Sussex in a sentence. A cluster of houses on an inlet, Gold Coast style. I retract that, the Gold Coast has no style. Let's go Gold Coast emulation, without the services.

Similarity #9 Markets. Budapest has Nagycsarnok (Great Market) it is apparently a tourist magnet. Perhaps I will find out next year. The tourist magnet at Mollymook is the Beach Market. Our itinerary didn't coincide with this one either.

Still with time to kill. I remembered that the Two Figs Winery is on Shoalhaven Road. Wine tasting. Yes. Much more my style. We arrived to find a sign stating that all tasting must be pre-booked online. Curiously we had come across this type of signage before that wasn't always observed. So, we thought we'd take chance. There were a lot of cars in the car park. The westerly wind almost stopped us opening the car doors, but we thought we ask if they could fit us in. The good news: yes they could. The bad news: I've joined another wine club. I think I need help. That makes ... noooo ... I'm not revealing.

The view from Two Figs

Ok. So I joined another wine club. That should give you an indication as to the quality of the wine. And we spent an hour there tasting and discussing the wine. You could do worse. If you haven't been to Two Figs, it's well worth a visit. The views from the top of the hill over the Shoalhaven Valley are excellent and while they don't offer food, you can do picnic stuff, if you're so inclined. Not me.

From the winery, another membership and a case of wine in the boot, we made our way to Bangalay Villas. It is the block back from the beach at the end of the golf course. The villas are superbly appointed and front onto the golf course, either directly or through gardens. There was a welcome bottle of wine which we would have enjoyed on the verandah except for the chilling westerly. So, inside with the fire on (ok, it's gas, but it looks real).

The three course dinner was delivered to our villa. Warning: some assembly required. Not an issue. We had an entrée of octopus and Davidson plum with macadamia, followed by lamb shoulder and potato bake, with a dark chocolate and native currant mousse. Very nice. Accompanied by wines we had acquired on our trip.

The next morning we were woken early by sunshine. Oh yes! I think even Jayne appreciated it after Mollymook. To be clear, the house at Mollymook was in a great position with the most awesome ocean view, but it lacked direct sun. It was, therefore, cold, all day. By contrast, we were now warm and very comfortable.

Breakfast of sourdough, muesli, yoghurt, fresh fruit, pastries and eggs encouraged a leisurely start to the day. Eventually we gathered the energy to walk the little distance to Seven Mile Beach. Given the proximity to the mouth of the Shoalhaven River, I was circumspect about what I would find. The capriciousness of south coast weather and its beaches is well documented. That said, I have never seen so much drift wood on the one stretch of beach. I know it is because of the river mouth, but it was quite amazing. People had created structures from the wood along the beach. There were throne rooms, little cages, seats, teepees ... I would have just built a fire, but that's me. There was also evidence of the bushfires, there was a lot of burned timber and charcoal along the high tide line.

The throne

The tide was coming in and there wasn't a lot of beach to walk on if you wanted to keep your feet dry. So we walked down to the mouth of the river and then back to the surf club and a little way beyond, before heading for the sunlit verandah. 

There were very few people braving the water. It didn't look particularly attractive. There has been rain recently and the colour of the surf was more reflective of run off than the blue sky. We watched one surfer battle his way to the only decent break as he was swept southward toward the river mouth. We're not sure if he made it, the swell was reasonably large and the colour made it difficult to pick him out. They are a breed a part, surfers. You couldn't have paid me to go out there. At least he wasn't on his own, there was already one brave boardie out there. The other side of the surf club, a long boarder headed out for a couple of attempts at riding the swell. He was gone by the time we were heading for home.

Given the recent storms the beach probably wasn't shown at its best, there was a very small strip of sand most of which was covered with drift wood, well, drift logs and trees. It was unusual, there was very little rubbish on the high tide line - aside from the wood.

Back at the villa, we decided it would be a last day of rest and relaxation before we returned home. So it was an afternoon on the sun-soaked verandah, listening to the sounds of the golfers, sipping champagne, reading and chatting. Sometimes holidays aren't about being on the go.

Dinner was delivered to our villa. Spanner crab and apple for entrée. Fresh and tasty. Followed up by beef brisket and a dessert I can't remember. It all sounded good but I wouldn't rave about it. Despite that, we would definitely return, it is a very well appointed unit in a spot that encourages relaxation. I might even dust off the golf clubs after 8 years and have a hit.

And that's about it for this break. We are about to hit the road and return to the city. Time for one last similarity between Mollymook and Budapest.

Similarity #10 Budapest has the Tip Top Bar, a roof top bar with great views. Mollymook has a roof top bar at Bannister's Pavillon. Once again, I haven't tried either. The TripAdvisor reviews for both are pretty solid.

Until next time ... assuming there is a next time in a Covid world.

All The Good Girls Go To Hell (Mollymook not Budapest)

Hello dear reader. Yes, it's been a couple of days since my fingers danced lightly across the keys. I don't mean to neglect you, it's just, well, there's only so much to report about beach walking and waves and sipping champagne on the balcony at sunset.

Saturday morning I opened the blinds to see two Southern Right Whales, mother and calf, moving languidly through the water, heading north, just off the shore of Mollymook Beach. They drew quite a crowd and were in no hurry, the mother rolling over in the water and the calf swimming quietly around her. The pictures are not what I had hoped, but for the millennials out there, proof is in the picture, not in the pudding.

Quite the spectacular sight really. Graceful. Beautiful. They reached the northern end of the beach and then headed out toward the open water to continue their journey north.

While it is pretty obvious we still haven't worked out climate change and its causes, I would have thought that we understood plastic and the problems it poses in the ocean. Yeah. Nah. Our daily walks along the beach have been quite pleasant, if strenuous at times due to the limited stretch of sand we had to walk on (climate change). A storm before we arrived unbedded a lot of kelp which has washed up in the shore break and drifts up and down the beach in diminishing proportions as it gets washed up above the high tide mark. The other morning our walk did not coincide with a low tide and we walked, at times, through berms of kelp. This continual denial of climate change and the impact we have on the environment is an absolute disgrace. 

Returning to my childhood days, I scoured the shore line and drying seaweed for anything interesting. The result? I spent a lot of time rescuing sea urchins, large and small, and returning them to the water away from the washes of kelp that threw them back onto the shore only to become food for seagulls. There was the usual array of detritus, shells, drift wood, left thongs (it's always the left thong - why?) and so on. Above and beyond everything else, coming second only to the kelp in weight, was plastic. Cups, lids, containers, bottles, toys, bags, seals ... if it was made of plastic it was there. But if the plastics industry provides jobs, then that's ok yeah? Ultimately there won't be a need for jobs when we don't have a planet because we have destroyed the ecosystems that have sustained us for so long. 

And that little rant brings us to today's song, All The Good Girls Go To Hell by Billie Eilish (2019). Have a listen.

Similarity #7: Music. Budapest has contributed significantly to the Classical Music scene where Franz Liszt established an Academy of Music. Music in Mollymook is representative of a wider, less classical genre, colloquially known a 'bogan shit'. It can be heard blaring form the cars that do continual laps of our street as they drive down to 'check out the waves'. I can save them the bother - small waves, shore break.

After the excitement of whale watching, I decided I needed to feed my coffee withdrawal. I've had one cup since we've been away. Straight to Dr Google to find the best establishments of nearby Ulladulla and to purchase some supplies. The number 1 café recommendation had tables on the verandah in the sun over looking the boat harbour. That would have been awesome, except for the 30kmph westerly that was trying to move the patrons and the furniture closer to the boats. 

We opted for Woolies instead and were asked about our face masks by a local. I explained that they could be purchased on the South Sydney website, "Oh, we can't do that!" came the reply and she walked off to join her husband in bunnies supporter's jacket and scarf. I couldn't survive without the internet.

On leaving Woolies we came across the second best rated café in town. I was a bit suspect because it was a 'chain' establishment. Nonetheless, nothing ventured as they say. We ordered 2 long blacks and some sweet treats. Both were disappointing. This chain seems to have succumbed to the American coffee concept (God knows why; Americans can't make decent coffee) and upsized our cup size automatically watering down the coffee. Sigh. The sweet treats were, well, sweet, even the lemon tart. The only bitter thing here was me. Anyway, back to the gale force wind and home to the shelter of our living room to watch the waves roll in and think about when we will open the champagne. The beach walk has been postponed.

Similarity #8: Food. Budapest has Trattoria Toscana that offers pizza with river views. Mollymook has Tony's Pizza (since 1970) that offers take-away or delivery so that we can eat our pizza with ocean views. The review of the food will be in the next post.

As the afternoon wore down the wind showed no sign of abating so I decided I needed to do a lap of the beach to balance tonight's pizza and wine. I left Jayne rugged up battling with the final pages of A Little Life.  If you ever feel life isn't going well for you this tome will provide loads of perspective. It was low tide when I hit the beach which made the walk easier as the sand was firmer but the wind detracted from the experience.

Back again inside an hour it was time to go and pick up our pizza. Now cars doing laps of our street is obviously a thing here. In fact random people turning up and sitting in their cars for 5, 10, 15 minutes is a thing. Some even love to share their music (see Similarity #7). But tonight ... there was a car parked across the road, as in perpendicular to the gutter, blocking half the roadway. Why? Well, the, ah, gentleman who had been driving was taking photos of said car. A special you car you ask? No. I think the owner may have been special. It was a Honda Accord circa 2004.

And with that it's time to say goodbye. Sunday is a transit day, we are heading to Shoalhaven Heads.

Until next time ...