Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 134 b (Saturday 14 May) - Out and About With the Lovely Kerry

Excurstion time and all without a note from my mother, showing my devil-may-care attitude in full flight!


After a late night the night before watching Semi Final 1 of Eurovision, and loving it, Kerry and I got up at what felt like the crack of dawn, 6.30 a.m. (OK so it was the crack of dawn pretty much!) and headed off just before 7.30 for Balmain on a pilgrinage to Adriano Zumbo's Patissiere. I am not a massive Masterchef (or Mastercrap as I less than lovingly refer to it) fan but even I had heard of Mr Zumbo, and his delicious macaroons, including flavours like Satay and Burnt Butter Caramel, and being the macaroon fan that I am, I didn't need much persuading to hit the road to macaroon nirvana. What I did have second thoughts about though as we drove out was whether I'd survive the early start, but after deciding the afternoon would be devoted to some serious napping, it all seemed far more doable, and survivable, becoming all the more so when the early start meant that the inevitable getting lost phase of the journey - believe it or not but I hadn't been to Balmain before despite years in Sydney - and finding parking were minor blips on the radar. we even got a parking spot just down the road from the shop, which was miraculous, and then got there to find that instead of the rumoured massive queues, only two people ahead of us. we were quickly but without being made to feel like we were being bundled out the door, by friendly, warm staff who didn't behave like I had thought they might. That is, 'Hey look at us we work for the great Adriano Zumbo..kneel before us peasants!' In fact they were wonderfully down to earth and we had a ball choosing the flavours we wanted including such exotic ones as Burnt Butter Caramel and Satay. Much more fun than I'd expected!

With the macaroons safely tucked away in the car, Fahmi came and collected us at Balmain (we had paid for parking till 11 a.m.) at 9 a.m. and we we headed to Rozelle for some markets browsing - I only spent $6 on an ABBA LP and got a free Christmas moose plush from a generous stall holder elsewhere - before settling into Piccolo's Cafe for some yummy brunch and lovely catch up in the sunny coutryard out back. It was a perfectly delightful morning.

This is creepy and arty all at once....plastic dolls in a bowl at the markets

Where's Andrew?!

My yummy spicy chorizo omeletter and bacon, mushroom & fetta sides

The photo we used for the obligatory Facebook check in

Kerry's Eggs Florentine. Like me she loathes soft eggs but thankfully these were hard enough to be palatable.

Very funky graffitti on the wall of Adriano Zumbo's Rozelle shop (we were earlier at the Balmain one)

While at Rozelle Markets I found an LP of Waterloo by ABBA for $6. I had only ever owned cassettes of the early ABBA albums so this was a cool find. Not to mention, and yet I am, that I bought it on Eurovision weekend which was quite appropo!

Once home, we crashed for a looong nap - Eurovision and and early rising on a Saturday does exhaust one so - before more Indian food for dinner and Semi Final 2!