It’s been an up and down week, with most of it being spent in Sydney. The head cold that I brought back with me the last trip and which I was overjoyed hung around for just a couple of days without doing its usual run to my lungs came back with me this trip, made itself known in a big way yesterday and has now gone straight to my lungs. Sydney was very cold and I wasn’t adequately prepared for that. Plus I’ve been out a lot on school nights so I suspect I’ve just been playing a tad hard and need a little tough love style self-care to settle things down for a few weeks.
Head cold aside there was plenty to make me smile this week – more than 5 in fact.
Home…
There’s no place like it. All going to plan I won’t be getting on another plane for 4 weeks.
This word…
Perseverate. I love it. The official dictionary meaning is below:
-
repeat or prolong an action, thought, or utterance after the stimulus that prompted it has ceased.“they perseverate under stress”
In other words, it’s pretty much about bringing your emotional baggage along with you.
This quote…
As seen on Instagram… #enoughsaid
Urban landscapes
I might not have had sunrises to take photos of this week, but urban structures have their own beauty – if you can be bothered to look.
These share plates at Wild Sage at Barangaroo
The first is potato champ fritters and the second is lobster tacos. Yum.
A little bit of Vivid
I didn’t see much of Vivid, but this light display was at Barangaroo. I have no idea what it’s meant to be as I didn’t read the explanation, but I’m sure that it’s supposed to be representative of something.
What I know for sure…
A good barista has a memory greater than any normal mortal. I haven’t lived in Sydney for over 2 years but the barista at the Met Centre remembers my order still every single time I’m back in town.
Hidden Bars, bloggy catch-ups and dumplings…
If a few cheeky wines after work are a good thing, catch-ups with friends are a great thing and good dumplings a real treat, put all these three things together and you have my Thursday evening.
The scene for the cheeky after work wines was The Barber Shop. It’s in an alley behind Clarence Street and feels very Melbourne.
The catch-up was with Sam from The Annoyed Thyroid. I love it when online friends becme in real life friends. How did we forget to take a bloggy selfie?
And the dumplings were from New Shanghai.
What I cooked…
We have a little Chinese bowl full of slips of paper with cuisines on them and draw one out each week that will be the theme for our Saturday night dinner. There’s very little I like more than coming up with a menu and this weeks menu was Irish.
Our main was a Guinness and honey glazed pork roast. To be honest it was okay but I found the sauce too sweet so we didn’t use it. Instead, we had the apple sauce that I made for the scallops (see below). We servedthe pork with a colcannon – mashed potatoes with spring onions and cabbage – and some new season Brussels sprouts. I used to gag on these when I was young – and still can’t stand them boiled – but pan-fried with some wine, shallots and a little bacon and I really enjoy them.
Dessert was a Guinness and chocolate cake. It was supposed to be iced with cream cheese, but I couldn’t be faffed so put the custard on the table instead. I didn’t try it – and given the lighting, I didn’t photograph it – but apparently, it’s a winner of a cake. The recipe comes from James Martin’s “Great British Adventure”, but you can find it here.
For starters, we had Hervey Bay scallops. The recipe isn’t really a recipe but came from a combo of a couple that I saw on James Martin’s “Great British Adventure.” He cooked them with black pudding, hazelnuts and black butter on a grill on a beach. That recipe is here. I combined that with another recipe from the same book/ tv series that used bacon and apple sauce. Anyways, I fried up some (diced) chorizo I got from the markets and popped this on the top of the scallops along with some black butter that I made by mixing together 25g butter and a splodge of black treacle. They got grilled for about 5-7 minutes and were served in the shell with a dollop of apple sauce that I made from whizzing up 2 stewed apples with a slurp of cider.
They might not be the most photogenic scallops going around, but they tasted flipping fabulous.
and finally…
I spent most of today tucked up watching the telly with the pick of my day being “Absolutely Champers” – or Patsy and Eddy go to Champagne – on ABC iview. I would love to do a girlie champers road trip like that one! Bolly sweetie?
Okay, that was my week, how was yours?
And Anyways... 
I was so happy I got to see you – the wine and dumplings were a bit of a bonus! We’re such bad bloggers not getting a selfie but at least our taking pictures of food game is strong! Your Irish cuisine night looks ah-mazing – we had brussels on Saturday too but they don’t sound nearly as yummy as yours. Wish I had been at your place! Sorry you got the lurgy – hope you feel better soon. It’s still baltic here but I’m happy because it’s cold enough to wear my beanies.
Our food pic game is super strong. This lurgy is very boring…
Sounds like a lovely week, even with the cold. And I love that word. I think we all do it a bit. Working on it tho.
I need to work a lot harder at it! Loving your Vivid pics, have a great week.
I hope you feel better soon. Your week looks lovely through your lens. I think I’ll try your way of making brussels sprouts. #lifethisweek
The key to a good sprout is not to overcook them and to get some good caramelisation on the cut side.
Lobster tacos sound amazing. I realised I haven’t seen Vivid in 9 years. And that was by accident in the first place haha. I haven’t traveled for work in quite a few years but somehow a conference has snuck up on me and I’ll be away for a few days in a months time.
The lobster tacos were pretty yum. I’ve done a little too much travelling for work this year – and I’m normally the one who complains about there not being enough!
Lucky you with your bloggy catch-up and all that delicious eating and drinking. Glad you’ve managed to enjoy your Syndey time but I bet you’re glad to be home for a few weeks. Hope the cold’s better and all’s well now. We’ve just had the grandgirls visiting – both with coughs and runny noses (“it’ll be fine” I said – silly me! I’m expecting our colds to start any day now!) I’d forgotten the “joys” of snotty nosed little kids – and I don’t miss wiping noses (or bottoms!)
So glad to be home. I’m still not feeling great but I do need to look after myself rather than indulge myself I think!
Oh I love that you do cuisine nights!! The Irish food looks delicious! Thanks for sharing 🙂
It’s so much fun. I haven’t blogged them up to now, and I’ve spent most of May away from home so we haven’t been able to do many. This weekend is Indian. Hubby and daughter are very excited about that.
I hope you’re feeling better Jo! What a fab post full of interesting and delicious looking things 🙂 I love a blogging catch up and I’m hoping to meet up with a friend next week as I head north. I love Ab Fab!!!! #lifethisweek
I’m getting there thanks Deb, but still not recovered. Heavy sighs. I really need to look after myself rather than indulge myself…and yes, there is a difference!
I love how you have a bowl full of cuisine ideas to change things up!
It’s fun & helps us all think about the options. Plus it means I’m not wandering around the farmers market on Saturday morning looking for inspiration…
Hope you are feeling a bit better. The weather has been very cold and rainy since Monday so best you are back on Sunny Coast. I found Vivid underwhelming this time round. Maybe it’s me. Sydney is less and less the place I love so, my recent foray to stay over had elements of disappointment…especially on George St which is still a mess.
I was so glad to drive back to the Central Coast….
Thank you for joining in #lifethisweek. Next week’s prompt is 23/51 My Best Birthday Cake. 10/6/19 Denyse.
Thanks Denyse. I love the colour of Vivid but also have a bit of a “can’t be faffed” attitude to it too… Have a great weekend.
I can’t believe the barista remembers your order?! That’s amazing!
I hate travelling / flying but have been feeling kinda sad watching others do it when it is something I can’t afford to do. Having said that when I travelled a lot for work a long time ago I hated it. Indeed my bro goes to Sydney or Melbourne almost every week and I’m sure flying and staying in a hotel / apartment is far from exciting for him.
I’m glad you have some ‘home’ time for a while though.
And I am SOOOOO a perseverator! #bigtime
I used to love travelling for work and staying in a hotel or apartment. I stay at Mum & Dad’s & it’s great to see them but sometimes I think it costs me more in socialising than I actually earn for the days I’m in town working!