It’s the second day of the year and my first workout. Heaven knows I have some hard yakka to do on the treadmill to kill some of those Christmas calories! It’s too hot to run outside this morning, so I take to the cardio machines to battle the bulge. It makes a refreshing change; a row, a bike ride and some good old fashioned interval training on the running machine. That gets my heart pumping!
I head home with nothing left in the tank. I’m starving hungry but realise with horror that I forgot to take my thyroxin tablets! Aaargh! The tablets are marvellously mini but have to be taken half an hour before food, so if I take them now, I have to wait what will seem like an eternity before I can eat! I don’t know if I worked off any calories at the gym, but I sure as hell worked up an appetite!
It’s a gloriously sunny day so me, David, Barbara and John decide to get the bus to the seaside spot of Manly. If the crowd of people at the bus stop is anything to go by, it seems like everyone else in town has the same idea! We let one busy bus go by and then catch the next one which is air conditioned and empty. The journey to Manly is much longer than usual but we’re in no rush and relish the opportunity to soak up the stunning coastal scenery en route.
The beach is rammed so we take a quick walk along the promenade and then duck into our favourite wine bar for a glass of liquid refreshment. It’s delightfully decadent, we sip and survey the stunning seaside scenery. We then swap the beach for the bay and head round to the wharf where we go to our favourite waterside drinking hole for something to eat and drink. Once we’ve satisfied our appetite we’re city bound on the ferry. It’s just breathtakingly beautiful out there on the water, and we’re lucky enough to secure a spot outside for our journey home. The coastal views are just amazing and I’m awestruck, as always, by the Bridge and Opera House views. It’s just picture perfect.
Our last stop on our bar crawl is in Circular Quay – where we sip beer and cocktails face to face with the Harbour Bridge. It’s totally civilised and a splendid Sunday sojourn. We seem to have successfully accomplished our mission of taking Barbara and John to most of our favourite eating and drinking spots in Sydney!
We’re going to eat on the balcony tonight but the sun is still so sizzling at dinnertime that we have to feed inside instead! I try out some new recipes Orange Mustard Chicken with CousCous and the Ultimate Greek Salad which is suprisingly scrumptious. The chicken is especially tasty and my bad couscous karma seems to have taken a bit of a U turn. For once, it is fluffy and fit for human consumption!
There then follows the ultimate dessert debacle! I plan to make a Banana Tart and have already done a reccy for a recipe. However, when I look in the book, I can’t seem to find the recipe I want and instead find one for Banana Tarte Tatin. I’m sure this isn’t my recipe, as it looks far more complicated than the one I had chosen and has different ingredients. The Tarte Tatin needs caramel. My first batch is just a big buttery botch job and I manage to burn the second to a cinder! I’m just about to throw in the towel (and a hissy fit!) when I find my original recipe, Caramel Banana Tart. Bah! I’m surprised David and my guests aren’t passing out from hunger, they’ve been waiting for desert for sooo long! Fortunately this recipe is quick to make and incredibly more-ish. All I’m left with is an empty plate! A sure sign of a delicious desert!
I wonder whether Banana-Gate can be attributed to the alcohol consumed or my “Thyroid” brain. I also caught myself trying to put the milk in the pan cupboard and an empty pan in the fridge. Is it weird and weirder? Beer and beerier? Or just a plain old case of Dessert Dementia?!
