Happy Thanksgiving!

Guess who made another appearance this weekend?! Nick flew down from Darwin for his second whirlwind trip and I was so excited I could hardly contain myself. We had a very full weekend planned and certainly made the most of every last moment :) First, I picked him up at the airport and whisked him off to Glebe for breakfast at one of my favourite cafes- Clipper! The shabby chic decor (think vintage bikes on the wall and mismatched dinnerware) and long communal bench tables match the homemade tone of the menu- lots of yummy porridge with fruit compotes and free range egg options. We decided to enjoy the beautiful weather and dined outside, basking in each other's in-person company in the warm sun (hey five weeks is a long time to have to deal with temperamental skype connections and buzzy phone lines!)

That evening, after a roast lamb made by yours truly, we went to Star City Casino's Astral Bar. Located up on the 17th floor, we were treated to stunning panoramic city views, incredible cocktails (my ginger pear number was delicious!) and an amazing band too! My friend Tom, whom I met through one of the first girls I met here in Sydney (he's her boyfriend) is a jazz pianist and his band was playing at the Astral Bar the evening we were in Sydney. It was a perfect choice for our night out on the town. As it was a Thursday we were one of the only parties there, but the bar didn't feel empty; how could it with the vast lights of the city below sparkling through the floor-to-ceiling windows? The waiters were wonderful and it felt like the band was playing just for us. We even started an impromptu dance floor where Nick twirled me around in my new pink dress... with the surrounding lights of the city and the old fashioned glamour of the bar I felt like I'd stepped into a 1940s movie!

After a perfect evening out in Sydney (Nick didn't even bat an eyelash when, due to my directional challenges, I took us along the...ahem... scenic route to get back to the main road) we packed up and took the train down the coast to Nick's house.

Nick's family very generously offered to host Thanksgiving dinner, their first one ever! I was very grateful to be able to have Thanksgiving dinner with such lovely people and thankful not to have to miss out on my favourite dinner of the year. The turkey Nick's sister ordered from the local butcher was beautiful and it was lots of fun getting right in there and cooking together. Nick's mom is a great cook- everything tasted delicious! For dessert we made a traditional Steam Pudding which was utterly divine, especially with the warm custard poured over top. mmm... drool.

After such a lovely (and filling!) dinner we were looking forward to the evening's events. Nick made plans for us to see a concert at the Brass Monkey in Cronulla. We arrived early (can you tell this guy's a good influence on me or what!?) and so had time for a lovely walk along the beach and some lollies from the local store.

The Brass Monkey had a great atmosphere; warm, intimate and friendly, and we topped it all off by scoring really good seats! There were three different acts and they were all really good but the final one, an indie folk band called Dead Letter Chorus from Newtown in Sydney (aka my neighbourhood) was amazing! Nick bought me the CD so that I can listen to their songs when I'm studying for exams and trying to remember what it feels like to have fun.

On our final day together, we took a lovely long walk down to the beach near Nick's house. Imagine growing up five minutes from here.... No wonder it's so hard to say goodbye! Well all good things come to an end and so our weekend was over. Even though it will be three and a half months until our next in-person hello, I'm very happy and grateful that Nick was able to visit for the weekend and I hope he enjoys and makes the most of his last couple of months in Darwin before moving back to Sydney (yay!) next year.