NCD

Today, being a certain person’s birthday, has been declared National Carb Day. It is the ONLY day when it is permitted to “Carb out on Carbs”. It is with this in mind that we set out but only managed to get as far as the World’s Best Bakery at Glenorie, our first (and only) visit this trip.

World’s Best Bakery

Here we (over) indulged in carbs. I had my favourite ever pie (mash potato) and a vanilla slice while Mirinda had a birthday steak pie, neenish tart and passion fruit palmier. She also had strawberry milk, something we can’t get in the UK, while I had an iced latte. It was all very much a celebration.

Fully loaded (I was actually a bit more fully loaded than full) we headed off for the mountains for our usual pilgrimage. Of course our first proper stop was the Norman Lindsay Gallery but before that we made a couple of short stops at look-outs.

The first lookout we stopped at was a a place called Yerrimundi Reserve where a lovely little path led the way to a splendid view of the Nepean River. Here a family fished, little kids and grandad (I think) among the birds and water fowl and large piles of discarded beer bottles and the normal detritus of people who don’t care about anything. Clearly it’s a job for Supa Shaz.

Hopping back into the car we then stopped at the once named Hawkesbury Lookout which is now called Yellamundee Reserve which is particularly confusing. Still, the confusion just evaporates when you take in the wonderful view. You can even see Penrith in the far distance…possibly the best way to see Penrith.

Finally we headed off for Faulconbridge and the home (once) of one of my favourite artists, Norman Lindsay. We always pop in on the way up and yet we still find things we’ve not seen before. It’s always a joy to soak in the surroundings of a man determined to paint as many naked women as humanly possible.

Actually, I was quite lucky with the above photo. There was a sign on this room which stated that there were no “cameras, iPhones, iPads or videos” allowed. I figured the person responsible had an Android phone and just didn’t like Apple. I took the photo. Mirinda wasn’t allowed.

Having studied everything in the house (including his ship models) we wandered around the garden for a bit then Mirinda bashed a bit of bush around the bush track while I photographed the fountain.

(I should mention that the weather is, once more, perfect. That’s absolutely no exaggeration.)

Birthday girl

Having settled into the Waldorf Leura Gardens in the wonderfully scenic room 218 overlooking the golf course, we headed out to reminisce over the Three Sisters (along with a few hundred tourists). Unfortunately the sun had vanished behind the mountains by the time we reached the edge of the lookout. We could still see but it very quickly became too dark to see much of anything. We headed back to the hotel via the centre of Katoomba (some things never change) and had a rest before dinner.

For Mirinda’s birthday we decided to go to Silks. We’ve always wanted to go to Silks but, for one reason or another, never have. Tonight that was all to change. And what a fabulous restaurant. Three courses of utter delight plus an excellent white wine from Orange. It rounded off an excellent day.

Especially for Mirinda from Silks