A Brunch, a City Trip and Time with the Girls

We started the week with a full house at the Barn for our Labour Day Brunch.

Our Swiss-inspired buffet once again brought together a lovely mix of locals and visitors from further afield, all gathering for a slow morning around good food and conversation.

It’s always wonderful to see the Barn buzzing with people enjoying themselves. For those who missed out, the next brunch is already pencilled in for Easter Monday.

Very early on Tuesday morning the girls and I headed off on a little adventure of our own and caught a flight to Sydney.

We began our time in the city with breakfast at the Rocks, which also happened to be where our accommodation was located.

From there we wandered along the harbour, taking in the views of the magnificent Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge before strolling through the peaceful paths of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.

One of the highlights was catching the ferry across the harbour to Watsons Bay, where we slowed things down for a coffee and simply enjoyed watching the water and the boats come and go.

Wednesday had a more official purpose. We made our way to Bondi Junction and headed up to the offices of the Embassy of Switzerland in Australia. Twenty-three floors up in the middle of the massive shopping complex, we met some lovely people and took care of business — yes indeed, a brand new passport was produced! After that we made the most of being surrounded by shops and did a bit of browsing until we were quite literally ready to drop. Travelling with only carry-on luggage was probably a blessing, as it kept our shopping fairly sensible and much kinder to the wallet.

By Thursday it was time to head home again.

We had a wonderful few days, discovered some great little places to eat, enjoyed the harbour as the sun set over the water and, most of all, I truly appreciated the time away with the girls.

Back on the farm the rhythm continues — the patch, the animals and the Barn all waiting for us to pick up right where we left off.

And while city trips are lovely, there is always something special about coming home to the quiet of the countryside.