Well, I'm back, not looking quite as jet-lagged as I might thanks, in part, to a new Ellis Faas under eye concealer discovered Down Under.
I'm of course thrilled to be back home, but I am wistfully missing Oz as I download the pics I took from my phone on the last leg of my visit in Sydney. There wasn't really the time in my schedule, but I did manage a pit-stop (as I dreamed of the minute my plane tickets were booked) to Earth Food Store on Bondi. The minute I got in, Caroline, who runs the joint, enquired "Boiled eggs with toast?" which made me feel very cosy and welcomed, as the last time I'd been in was 3 years' ago — though admittedly, it was my regular breakfast for about 3 weeks! I should have taken a pic of my divine golden-yolked eggs but ate them too fast; here, instead, is the gorgeous fruit and veg lined roomed that greets you as you enter. I did manage later on to get in a pic of a truly scrumptious breakfast — that doubled as lunch, too, which explains the heftiness of the portions — at Cafe Giulia in Chippendale: poached eggs on toast, with a side order of grilled halloumi, avocado and — nestling at the back — a pile of corn fritters. Oh and how I miss the Flat Whites of Oz.
I miss, too, the views — the big skies of Bondi — one taken at the crack of dawn, with the landscape looking like an Australian Turner, another as the sun was going down in the evening. And yes, I even caught a rainbow! In between, during a hectic day, I did manage a lightning fast visit to my fave Chargrill Charlie's (though sadly, did not have time for their gorgeous roast chook) and a quick look-around the fabulous butchers, Victor Churchill — or Vic's Meats! — both in Woollhara, and I had to grab a gelato and pic of the fantabulous Campari chandeliers back at the beach at Pompei's.
I know it's out of focus (and I can't quite be blamed, as I didn't take the pic myself) but I had to include this pic of me, happy as larry on Balmoral Beach, just before eating a feast that Chef Serge had concocted out of my recipe at Bathers', as it sums up that laid-back, joyful Sydney vibe. Now, I'm back I can hardly believe I've ever been away — but there it is: proof! As Arnold Schwarzenegger said: 'I'll be back...'
