Blooming Hearts: Sophie's Sundays

Showing posts with label Sophie's Sundays. Show all posts

Friday, 6 November 2015

Sculpture by the Sea '15

Sculpture by the Sea is one of the highlights of Sydney’s spring calendar. If you haven’t been before, just imagine a contemporary art gallery, where the lighting is replaced by the warm sun, aircon is replaced by the fresh sea breeze, elevator music is replaced by the sound of breaking waves, and the floor is actually the shoreline running between two gorgeous beaches. Plus, there’s no walls or ceiling, just greenery, clear blue sky and breathtaking ocean views.

After that description, I’m sure it’s not hard to tell that I’m a massive fan. Sculpture by the Sea runs from Bondi to Tamarama, and showcases sculptures from around the world. The free event rolls a lot of my favourite things into one: sun, beach, walking, photography and art –well, sort of. More like, admiring the pretty sculptures and dissecting the ones that clearly have another meaning that we can only hope to guess.

I’ve featured my personal favourite sculptures here (spoiler alert!). Before I let the photos speak for themselves, here are some tips for your own Sculpture to the Sea outing:

Wear comfy, walking shoes (I saw a girl in heels and could not deal).
Bring water and even a snack, because the walk is quite long and when there are crowds of people, it takes even longer.
Aim to go on a weekday or avoid the middle of the day on a weekend. Otherwise, just be prepared get caught in quite a bit of foot traffic.
Bring your camera but be considerate of other people and your fellow photographers. Avoid standing in the middle of the footpath for five minutes to get the perfect shot if it’s a really busy time and for goodness sakes, don’t pose with the sculptures for more than two shots. That’s just poor etiquette.
Don’t touch the sculptures if it says “do not touch”! That one sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised.
Go at sunset or early morning for the best photos (less people and a more colourful sky).

Every year, the creativity of the Sculpture by the Sea artists astound me. I love the striking simplicity of some sculptures and the brow-furrowing complexity of others. Even the range of materials, from newspaper to security cameras, is incredible. But my favourite part is just turning around a corner and being surprised, and seeing the same look of wonder on the faces of happy strangers around me.

I hope you have the same great experience that I did!

Sculpture by the Sea '15

19th Annual Bondi Exhibition

22 October – 8 November 2015

www.sculpturebythesea.com

Kayaking & Picnicking in Manly

It's been a while since my last post, and I apologise for that. Life threw me a couple of curve balls, but I'm happy to be back on my laptop, drinking a latte and typing in the sun.

Now that I’m back in the swing of things, I’ll tell you a little about last weekend. It was a special occasion for Anthony and myself: our three-year anniversary. In the spirit of equality, compromise and taking the pressure off, we planned our celebration together, and I have to say, it all went splendidly. We stayed a night in Manly (through Airbnb of course) and spent the next day at the beach.

Because we were kayaking, we stayed around Manly Cove, not the main beach. It’s such a gorgeous area, a little tourist-y but still cool and relaxed. Obviously, there are plenty of cafes to choose from, but we stumbled into one called The Manly Coffee Guild. The coffee was good, nice and smooth, and the guys in there were super sweet and didn’t laugh at us when we asked if we could charge our selfie stick behind the counter (I was highly opposed to this idea but you gotta do what you gotta do for a good kayak photo.)

Speaking of photos, I noticed that a lot of the shots I took came up a bit smudgy, because my lense was foggy and I didn’t realise! Also, I didn’t take as many as I wanted, but I think both of these issues were a sign of being too preoccupied, which is what you want on your anniversary, right?

The boys at Manly Kayak Centre were really helpful and calming, they looked liked they lived there, and moved in and out of the water with a sense of ease that I was totally jealous of. They told us to paddle to Store Beach, because it wasn’t accessible by car or even foot really. They gave us a map, we stuffed our stuff into a waterproof bag, then they helped us into the kayak and sent us on our way.

So the actual kayaking. It was fun, don’t get me wrong. But as you know, we are not very active people, therefore, kayaking against the wind all the way to another beach killed us a little bit. Plus, my dad instilled a fear of sharks in me the night before, so there was that. But we pulled through with aching arms – and weirdly, legs – and I managed not to bite Anth’s head off too much for almost steering us into the rocks.

Anyway, Store Beach was absolutely beautiful, serene and still. We packed a picnic with provisions from Coles and Pressed Juices, and sat down on my new Turkish towel from Twenty3 (which is amazing by the way). We ate, checked out the rock pools, jumped in the water for a bit, lay on the sand, then Anth had to drag me kicking and screaming back to the kayak.

Emotionally and physically, it was a full day, a contrasting mix of stress and contentment, fun and frustration. But in the end we had learnt new things about each other and ourselves, and came out happy. Wait, that kind of sounded like the description of a successful relationship. Well what do you know?

Till next Sunday everyone!

Manly Coffee Guild

1/10-16 Darley Rd, Manly NSW 2095

www.facebook.com/eastcoastcoffeemanly

Manly Kayak Centre

Eastside Pier Manly Wharf

Manly NSW 2095

www.manlykayakcentre.com.au

Cafes & Chocolates in Alexandria

Often I like to go somewhere where there isn’t just one thing to do or one place to eat at. That’s why I love this little complex in Alexandria, which houses (among other stores) Bread & Circus, Pana Chocolate & Campos Coffee. This is a bit of a long post, but there were so many good things to write about this places that I had to cram it all in. Bear with me, here we go.

Bread & Circus

Bread & Circus serves up a feast for the eyes, as well as the belly. Big windows flood the café with light and every nook and cranny is filled with fresh produce, jars of paints and pastes, and pink. Loads of pink.

It’s an absolute delight to the senses, including that very particular sixth sense that I feel when I walk into a café or restaurant and can immediately feel the love and care that is poured into the food. Bread & Circus prides itself on serving wholesome, nourishing dishes, which I reckon are as good for your soul as they are for your taste buds.

The menu is mainly vegetarian, shining a light on the gorgeous local produce. The list of sides alone was enough to make me salivate and reconsider the contents of my fridge. When mum and I visited last week, we waited in line for about twenty minutes (seems to be standard on a Sunday) but we didn’t mind because there was so much to look at (plus a nice waitress from Pana Chocolate next door gave us a sample of yummy mint chocolate vegan cheesecake – more on that later).

We ordered a gorgeous six-hour grass fed lamb soup with farrow and lemon. The lemon and chilli packed a punch and the lamb was perfectly melt-in-your-mouth. We also ordered two side salads, a fresh cabbage kale sprouts and shisho, and one with kipfler potatoes*. Both were delicately flavoured and make a great accompaniment to any dish, or a even meal on their own.

For our “main course” we had the caramelised lemony banana pancakes. In emojis, they would be described with the heart-eyes face and bowing down hands (the ultimate combination). The pancakes are flourless, made from ricotta, banana and a biodynamic egg, which made them dense, but not heavy at all. They were served with maple syrup, lemon compound butter, caramelised banana and strawberries. Could the combination be more perfect? I think not.

The Preston hot chocolate. It's steamed with Earl Grey milk. Do yourself a favour and order it.

Pana Chocolate

If you’re vegan, something-intolerant, health-conscious or just appreciative of artisan chocolate, then Pana is for you. Their chocolate is handmade, raw, organic, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free with no refined sugar. Phew! What a list, am I right?

The café is all whites, marble and copper; a minimalist, modern setting to let the chocolate speak for itself. Pana has a large range of chocolates, from flavoured bars to delicate truffles, and also chocolate products like hot chocolate powder (I use this at home, it’s really great) and chocolate granola. You can sit in and enjoy a raw dessert or take some home for a not-so-naughty snack.

We tried the Raw Cacao bar, which was deliciously bitter and nutty. Because the chocolate is raw, the texture is almost soft and crumbly, but in a really nice way. Kind of like biting into a fudgy truffle. I also bought a bar of their limited edition Hemp & Nib chocolate, which I’ve hidden in a secret corner of the kitchen, because I know if my dad gets wind of it, it’s gone.

Special Mention: Campos Coffee

I didn’t actually sit down at Campos, but it’s good to know that it’s there! Plus, with the way the little green cups are infiltrating every corner of Sydney these days, I don’t really think needs an introduction.

*I don’t remember what was in the rest of this dish, serves me right for not taking a photo of a menu that changes almost daily.

Bread & Circus

21 Fountain St, Alexandria

NSW, 2015

breadandcircus.com.au

@breadcircus

Pana Chocolate

21 Fountain Street, Alexandria

NSW, 2015
www.panachocolate.com

@pana_chocolate

Don Campos

21 Fountain Street, Alexandria

NSW, 2015

www.camposcoffee.com

A Museum & A Market

Another cloudy morning had us racking our brains for something (preferably cheap) that we could do indoors. This can often be a struggle in a city like Sydney, but there are options out there. Our pick this Sunday: The Museum of Contemporary art (affectionately known as the MCA).

The museum sits comfortably on the edge of the harbour overlooking the Opera House (and all the ferries in between). It offers several levels of galleries: a permanent collection and a few changing exhibits. Now let's be clear, I’m not what you would call an art lover. I can appreciate the talent of an artist and the aesthetic and/or creative qualities of a work. I love the quiet solemnity of art galleries. But I don’t know much about art and I’m just not as interested as I wish I was.

Kind of looks like an old bank with a spaceship growing out of the side... In a good way.

In saying that though, I reckon the MCA can be enjoyed by anyone, no matter what their art preference (apart from the resolute complainers or intense art purists). We were lucky to catch the Energies exhibit by Haines & Hinterding. The artists aimed to shed light (and sound and smell) on the subtle energies that undercurrent our daily life, such as television signals and electromagnetic waves. A little bit like children, we ran around trying out all the interactive features. Props to all the headphones, a 3D environment controlled by hand movements and the intriguing fragrances of the sun, created in an “aroma lab”.

When we left the MCA the sky had cleared, so we made an impromptu trip to the Rocks Market, which starts on George St (just behind the museum) every Sunday. The stalls line the cobblestone streets that wind through the Rocks, mainly selling designer and handmade jewellery, clothes, art, candles and souvenirs.

Cleanse With Benefits is a gorgeous Australian brand, specialising in natural and ethically made soaps, candles and skincare. I bought their vanilla rose lip scrub, which smells absolutely divine. I also stopped at Cicada Chocolate for samples and a bar of handmade Madagascan chocolate. Another standout is the corn on a cob from the Australian Corn Company. With a simple combination of butter, salt, pepper and a bit of chilli, it was pretty much the best corn I’ve ever had.