A change of pace

Last week marked a huge break in routine. I spent it in Sydney, seeing a family member through an operation, which thankfully went really well. I'm glad I made the trip, even though it was nerve-wracking and unpredictable in parts. Here are a few snaps of some of the brighter moments:

Tony couldn't join me until the weekend, so I caught the bus down on Sunday and stayed with my parents. We went out for pho and checked out two new cafes in our neighbourhood. There were also afternoons spent sitting in the sun, drinking tea and catching up.

In between hospital visits, I kept myself busy making pies. They came in handy later in the week, when my sister came for lunch with her two kids. My brother Zac picked up my grandmother and the eight of us shared a meat pie and an apple pie for dessert.

By Wednesday things were starting to settle down, which meant I had some time to see friends. I did yoga with my friend Irini in a studio that used to be an old warehouse. It was right by the harbour so after class we walked down the street to a cafe with a view of the bridge.

That night we had dinner with Angie, who always asks if there's anywhere new I want to try when I'm in Sydney :) We went to Continental Deli in Newtown and sat upstairs in the bistro. We ended up ordering all of the desserts, including an old-school crepe suzette. Seeing old friends (the three of us met when we were 12!) made a daunting week manageable and fun.

The weekend felt more like a holiday. Tony drove down from Canberra and we stayed in a cute Airbnb near the city. We read books on the deck and walked to Newtown for eggplant burgers and excellent sides. We also checked out an exhibition called The National at Carriageworks. It's spread across three different galleries but Carriageworks was easily my favourite, especially for the video works.

One excellent discovery from this trip - there's now a Cornersmith cafe in Annandale. We went two days in a row because it's such a relaxing space and the food was surprising and delicious.

Now that I'm back at home and back at work I realise how unusual the week was. I am often rushing between things but last week was all about family. It felt good to just focus on one thing and it's given me a good jolt of energy (not to mention gratefulness) right before winter hits.