Today was the first complete day off I’ve had in a long time. No work, no tidying up of Mum’s house, no running, nothing. Bliss!
I woke up somewhat late, read the paper for a while on the back deck, then set off to Avoca Beach to lay in the sun while reading a book. “Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper” by Fuschia Dunlop is a foodie’s memoir of living in China in the mid-1990s and early noughties, and it’s bloody good. Appetite whetted, I had a passable lunch of grilled snapper and chat potatoes with garlic mayonnaise at one of the two beachside cafes (the other one, The Point, is much better) before heading back to the house to pack up.
Then for something completely different: I met up with James at Gosford stadium to watch the Central Coast Mariners soccer team lose 1-0 to the Wellington Phoenix. A personal derby match if you will, as both Wellington and Gosford were the home towns I grew up in. It was a very dour game, prompting James to make the memorable comment at one point that the Phoenix were “avoiding the ball more than I did in high school”.
But it was a great chance to test out my new camera by taking some action shots, and they turned out much better than expected. Most were taken at up to 300mm zoom equivalent, without a tripod, yet they were sharp with good resolution and colour despite the high speed setting:
Then a slow drive home before we had dinner at an old favourite: Mehrey da Dhaba on Cleveland Street. Lamb curry, malai kofta (cottage cheese, potato and sultana dumplings in a mild creamy sauce), peshwari naan, raita and rice, washed down with Coopers Pale Ale.
Seven thumbs for the meal, it rounded off a great day perfectly.
Happy Trails 