I’ve been back in Sydney for 6 weeks now & love taking the time out to rediscover this city.  There have been so many lovely days, so it’s not difficult to be motivated to pick up the camera & go for a walk.  On this day I walked from Bellvue Hill to the city (approx. 3hrs) passing Woolloomooloo Wharf….

Then headed toward the Botanic Gardens, passing the Andrew (Boy) Charlton pool, situated in the Domain, overlooking the Navy base…..

then I  sat with an ice-cream for a well earned rest. I loved this day – just taking it all in, appreciating the gorgeous landscape, sunshine & open spaces.

yep…. I certainly did have a lovely day rediscovering Sydney

Well….it’s been another week in Sydney & in between job hunting I’ve been enjoying the sunshine. I’ve been working on my tan on Bondi Beach, & this day hit 30º but the water was still quite fresh (I over heard some people near me saying) It was nice to get back down to the beach & just chill out like old times.

Ive shared a bottle of bubbles with the very lovely Linda down at the Opera Bar.  It was a lovely evening & the harbour was buzzing with activity, big ships & ferry’s maneuvering in & out of each others way.

I was lucky enough to be invited out on the boat with the Brackens, a whale swam by, the boys caught some flathead & us chicks sat in the sun enjoying champagne (well….it was Meg’s birthday!)

I’m glad I made it back to Sydney in time to celebrate Craigs 40th birthday.  Hawaiian theme means loads of loud shirts & chicks with flowers (& umbrellas) in their hair.  Thanks Joy & Craig for putting on a lovely party.

How’s your week been?

I love these Jacaranda trees!  I’ve lived in London for the last 2.5 years & have not seen them, so now that I’m back I’m loving the gorgeous splash of colour around Sydney.  They are just everywhere.  I walked from Bondi to Alexandria today & lost count of the amount of times I saw theses lovely trees on the side of the road or in a park.

That’s us on the right (randoms, Barry & Louise on the left) My dear friend Ammy invited me to see U2 in Glasgow on Tuesday 18th September, so of course I was sooo there.  I’d seen them before but not for 20 years so was pretty excited to be seeing them again & can I say…..They ROCKED THE HOUSE!  I only had my little compact camera so pics aren’t good but I will remember this concert/trip for ever!

THANK YOU AMMY!!!!

My lovely friend Bex had the day off on Friday & mentioned she’d not been to Camden yet so the both of us jumped on the tube to spend a chilled out afternoon there. First impressions….heaps of police just outside the station, sniffer dogs & a couple of guys getting questioned and patted down so we got out of there & went for a wander.  The shops are fabulous, the fashion amazingly cheap, the vibe was relaxed & the food yummy.

Then we found the canals…so peacefull & relaxing.  We did have plans to walk to Regents Park BUT….we walked the wrong way & ended up in Kings Cross (hehe) best thing about making that little mistake is that we are going back next friday to walk the other way to Regents Park….yippee!

We came to Camden because it’s time for us to go back to Australia so we’re trying to see as much of London before we head back…where else should we go. It’s hard in a new city sometimes because you don’t know where is worth checking out…got any suggestions?  Somewhere we really MUST see before we leave this wonderful city…let me know.

I entered this into a photo competion yesterday.  I took this before I left Sydney but it’s still one of my favorite shots (its got nothing to do with Max (on right) being my godson)  I just love it – I didn’t ask them to pose like this, we were all just having fun in the sun with this tree.  So now I will be able to carry my camera gear around in a lovely new Lowepro Terraclime 30!  Thanks Lowepro UK & thanks Isobel, Jack & Max xx

London – Eating & Drinking – Pubs & Bars – Pubs

Used this pub as a meeting place for friends before we all went out.

Great location, lovely views over Tower of London, great atmosphere & ok food.

It was a friday night & the place was packed but we went upstairs & were able to secure a couple of couches.

The staff were friendly & the drinks were cold…what more do we need

Check out my review of Bridge Lounge & Dining Room – I am beelarge – on Qype

London – Eating & Drinking – Cafes & Coffee Shops – Cafes

This is the second time I’ve been to Carluccio’s & both times have been full of great food, easy atmosphere & a nice drop of wine to go with it all.

I was lucky enough to be invited to the Planeta (Sicilian)wine tasting in the private room upstairs of their Garrick St restaurant in Covent Garden…everything from rose’, light whites, oaked whites, deep reds & a lovely crisp desert wine to finish off the evening. The antipasto platter that was served with these wines was sooo tasty & fresh but the cannoli – what can i say….YUM!

There were 20 of us at the tasting & by the looks of it we all learned a bit about Planeta wines I even their olive oil (thanks to Michael).

Thanks to Carluccio’s, Planeta & Qype for a lovely night out.

Check out my review of Carluccio’s – I am beelarge – on Qype

London – Nightlife – Cinemas

Loved it! Wine, cheese n crackers whilst in a big comfy chair…the only way to see a film.

Check out my review of Electric Cinema – I am beelarge – on Qype

London – Art & Culture – Street Festivals

I went on Saturday & Sunday! Saturday I took my camera & really enjoyed the people watching & dancing in the park to Irations Steppas, black Voices & Red Earth & Soothsayers collective. Everything from dub/reggae fusion, acapella & even afrobeat jazz-reggae with a great horn section! Sunday I was there to see Top Cats – rock n roll ska party! My photos are here : http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/bee.large/LambethCountryFai…

Check out my review of Lambeth Country Show – I am beelarge – on Qype

Fun for everyone!!!