This post is the first in a new weekly series of well, weekly highlights. I know. Groundbreaking stuff here on Alexcellent! Also, I know today is Tuesday Wednesday. In what world does one post weekly highlights on a Tuesday/Wednesday? My world, people. Normally I would post it on a weekend, rounding up the previous week. Like when my dad used to ring me every Saturday morning when I was working full-time and said “How did the week finish up, Pet?” But this week, computer said No, making posting difficult.

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Last Saturday I went to The Winter Festival at Darling Harbour (on until July 13) with Spider Boy and his Dad. Beautiful sunny weather with “snow” thrown in. Winter Fest could also be known as Fat, Sugar and Carb fest, what with the plethora of potato-on-a-stick, sugary donuts shaped like a stick, and there was probably some kind of meat-on-a-stick. Then there were the Lindt balls. I couldn’t resist stopping at the pop-up Lindt shop for a selection… including cappuccino and raspberry flavour.

 

Subliminal advertising?

Air New Zealand giant snow-globe. There was a flap at the back that people could enter through. Once you were in there, fake snow was supposed to whirl around you. But according to the Winter Festival ticket booth attendant, snow-globe dude didn’t turn up for his shift, so no one was allowed in. No matter, Spider Boy decided to utilise giant snow-globe as a giant punching bag instead.

Ice-skating on a Sydney Winter’s day.  No sign of ice melting when we were there. We didn’t actually skate but enjoyed the “winter atmosphere”. Brrrr, frosty!

Last week saw me finally getting to those brown bananas that over-ripen in the fruit bowl week after week. But this week, instead of throwing the bananas away, I put them to good use – upcycled them if you will, into banana and apple muffins. I felt so proud of myself for repurposing food instead of throwing it away. I never intend to throw out these bananas. I buy them because they’re a healthy and portable snack. It’s good to know they’re there. But obviously, we’re eating other things as snacks. I think we like the idea of bananas, but not actually eating bananas. Anyway, sometimes the bananas are in the fruit bowl so long they’ve already turned black (I know it’s bad). Each day that passes, I tell myself, “I must make banana muffins.” It rarely happens, but this week, it did! But they weren’t actually very good. Had a bizarre rubbery texture. From memory (it was a week ago now), I didn’t put butter in them. On account of all the frickin’ fruit in there (half a can of stewed apple and five mashed bananas thanks very much). Look, I’ll stop now because I’m supposed to be sparing you the detail. But can I just quickly add that from now on, I will buy fewer bananas.

Met a good friend for lunch at a suburban shopping centre food court.  This is where we always meet. The chocolate fountain at high noon. It’s the new Town Hall* as my friend says. Oh, we don’t actually eat anything at the chocolate fountain. We just meet there. No, we usually just grab a sushi roll and a Coke Zero, like all good middle-age women do. But today, we went to El Topo for Tacos! The food is really good and the décor makes me happy. Being there is like stepping into a little bit of Mexico, right there in Westfield.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… El Topo is “El Topo”!

Sun setting on Friday, the last day of the school term for Spider Boy. He had a playdate at a friend’s house and I went to the supermarket, but on the way to pick him up, I went up to a nearby park to admire one of my favourite Sydney views.

* Town Hall steps was where everyone use to wait to meet their friends for outings in the city back when we were young. Before mobile phone days. When George Street in Sydney was somewhere exciting to go. Now, we meet at chocolate fountains at suburban shopping centre food courts. #MiddleAgeFun.