Beautiful Bundeena

There's no two ways about this, Bundeena has got to be one of my favourite places on earth. A little town on the edge of Sydney's Royal National Park, it offers truly stunning beaches and water views, all within a stone's throw from Sydney. So when my mum came out to visit, I couldn’t think of a better place to spend some quality family time.


San Remo on the Beach, our home for the week, was the perfect place to kick back and enjoy the beach life Australia is famous for. This is definitely a place we'll be visiting again, and hopefully sooner rather than later... 

But being back in Sydney for the holidays isn't too bad either. Here's the view from Milk beach, another personal favourite, of the harbour bridge and opera house, a prime spot if you're still thinking of places to celebrate New Year's Eve.

xxx

All the pretty things #11

This week our dry spell finally came to an end. That's not a bad thing — I actually can't remember the last time it rained and some wet weather was clearly needed.  But it also made me realise that when it rains, there's very little you can do in Sydney, except hole up indoors and wait for it all to pass. This is a city that is geared to outdoor life and indoor activities are few and far between. So with more showers ahead for the weekend, it was extra important to make the most of the sunshine today, which we did with a little trip to the South Head.

As one of two headlands marking the entrance to Sydney harbour, the South Head provides stunning views both out to sea and towards the city. There's a 450m heritage trail looping around the Hornby lighthouse that's an easy stroll, provided you're okay with several flights of stairs. This is not a pram-friendly outing, but it's perfectly do-able with a baby carrier.

And when you're done, Doyles on the wharf is just around the corner with the best seafood in town.

xxx

All the pretty things #10

This week, there's a distinct purple haze covering Sydney and no, it's not just the smoke from bush fires... It's that time of year when blossoming jacaranda trees give Sydney's streets that violet coloured touch, a beautiful sight, albeit a rather sticky one. Whatever you do, don't park your car underneath one of these trees... This is what our street currently looks like...

This week, we also spent a (rather smoky, yep the fires are still around) Saturday morning at the Bondi farmers market which, as the name suggests, provides a wide selection of fresh produce straight from local farms. A lovely place to do your weekly shopping, or just grab a coffee, hang out and listen to reggae music...

And if you're up for the stronger stuff, there's also some seriously tasty Batlow premium cider, straight from an orchard near the Snowy Mountains...

And finally, we spent an afternoon in the park, where we spotted this little kookaburra...

A fiery start to summer

It's not often that I find myself praying for a downpour, but with a number of bushfires currently ravaging large parts of the state, nothing could be more welcome right now. We need rain. Plenty of it and preferably for a good few days in a row.

Unfortunately though, that's not what's on the cards. For the moment, the weather forecast is predicting more hot and blustery conditions for the week ahead, which means that really, things could hardly be worse for the fire fighters currently out there saving homes and lives.

For us, 60 kilometres from the nearest fire, it just means there's an orange haze blocking the sun and —depending on the direction of the wind — a distinct smell of burning wood. The kind of smell that, as a European expat, triggers memories of cosy winters spent in front of a log fire, a connotation that is difficult to reconcile with this level of danger and destruction.







It is also a reminder that Australia truly is a country of extremes, where floods and fires are a regular occurrence and where Mother Nature, for all her beauty, truly is in charge. Things happen here on a scale you just don't see in Europe, another aspect of life here that can take some time to get your head around.

And then, on those days when the wind blows in the opposite direction, everything seems deceptively normal, albeit still a bit hot...







For the week ahead, our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the fires, and if anyone would like to provide financial assistance, the Salvation Army is currently running an appeal. In the meantime, we're crossing our fingers for a much needed change in weather conditions, 

xxx

All the pretty things #9

All the pretty birds would be a more fitting title for this week's collection of favourite images, which is not too much of a surprise if you consider that I've spent most of this week by the duck pond in Centennial Park.

That's not due to any particular fondness for ducks (though I must admit, they can be entertaining) but more because it was about the coolest place I could think of, a virtual necessity with the mercury hitting 37.3 in the city.  And here's what we saw.

A geese family outing...

An Australian pelican, beating the ducks to it in the race for bread crumbs...

  

 A sacred, or Australian white Ibis. Not quite sure where these birds get their name from, as they're neither particularly white (more grubby), nor sacred (to the contrary, they're typically considered a pest...) But they can't help that, and personally I think this bird is beautiful in its own way...

 And finally, you can always rely on a photogenic black swan for a pretty picture...

All the pretty things #8

It's been a week dedicated to all things naval as Australia commemorated the centennial anniversary of its fleet. Naturally, we couldn’t miss this one in a hundred year event, and so we've spent most of this week enjoying the celebrations.

On Friday, we watched as a procession of over forty warships from around the world sailed into the harbour. Coupled with the sixteen or so tall ships that arrived on Thursday, there's no denying the harbour has been an even busier place than usual...

Saturday was the big day for festivities, with a ceremonial fleet review and an afternoon of spectacular aerial displays...

The day was topped off with a breathtaking light show and fireworks display, depicting the past 100 years of Australian naval history. If you haven't watched the fireworks yet, here's a recap, it's well worth a peek...

But we couldn't finish a week of maritime festivities without taking to the water ourselves. So today, we spent the afternoon paddle boarding Narrabeen lagoon and hanging out with these little guys...

All the pretty things #7

Sometimes, you just have to wake up and smell the roses, particularly when the sun is shining and the skies are blue. So this week, I ditched the sewing machine and all other household activities in favour of a trip down to Sydney's botanic gardens, where the flowers are in full bloom.

We also spent a scorcher of a day on Sydney's Bondi beach, and clearly weren't the only ones enjoying the warmer temperatures... 

And we enjoyed an evening stroll past these other two famous Sydney icons, the harbour bridge and opera house...

All the pretty things #6

It is said that sulphur-crested cockatoos were one of the first things (well, birds...) that Captain Cook noticed about Australia, a little fact that, frankly, doesn't surprise me much. To the contrary, then - as now - it would have been practically impossible to miss the raucous little buggers. But while their frequent screeches are ear piercing (and apparently, one of the greatest causes of noise complaints in Sydney), cockatoos are also hugely entertaining to watch...

Meanwhile, with temperatures back in the mid 20s, we also spent some time on my favourite beach, Horderns beach in Bundeena, in the Royal National Park.

Watching the waves...

...and enjoying a cheeky glass of bubbles

Here's to more days like these...:)

All the pretty things #5

Think of Sydney and the harbour bridge and opera house will probably jump to mind. Certainly, for anyone in search of pretty things, there's no need to look much further. And while there's many places from which to admire this beautiful city, Taronga zoo has got to provide one of the best views...

You get to hang out with this little cutie too...

The view from the ferry isn’t too bad either...

You don't need a zoo to see this little guy though. The kookaburra, Australia's "laughing bird", is a familiar sight, though you'll probably hear him before you see him...

This time of the year, flowers are another familiar sight. How pretty are these violets...?