Christmas Lights in Surbubia

A fortnight before Christmas, Sydney's northern suburb of Ryde already showed the spirit of the festive and holiday season.Two residential streets, Stephen and Cutler, had houses glowing in positive merriment community spirit. The tinkles, the bulbs, the glitter and the ideas behind the decorations did not tell the full extent of dedication, thoughtfulness and work that went into preparing such outdoor lights. There were even house owners with their families and mates sitting in their gardens, whilst outsiders and visitors looked in awe at the displays.

There were no rules, except to delight and fascinate. Some kept it streamlined, others maintained simple effects and yet there were always pockets of concentrated happiness and glow. The quarter moon hung above it all like a sentry on duty - and not fazed by all this possibly competing brightness below.

There were different themes to pick out, and I enjoyed the Santa sliding down a long rope crossing over the abyss of the lawn below. All you had to do was give him a clap and he would perform. Icons and memorabilia of Christmas were carefully arranged, not just on roof top lines, around shrubs and bay windows, but also on closed garage doors, fencing and more. Perhaps even the residents would not be able to recognise certain house frontages on first sight - they were truly transformed.

The evening air was punctuated by laughter, small talk and the hush of impressed faces. Families got out, teenagers collected donations and couples held hands. The collective sense of community was heightened by participation, sharing and taking an interest. The late sunset of summer nights meant people could stay up late and feel the vibrant vibes of an otherwise quiet neighbourhood.

The Haberfield Post Restaurant, NSW

The waiter was most attentive and smiling, offering suggestions and dish details with a patience and countenance of being interested. We took up his confirmation of zucchini flowers as an entree after Joyce had proposed it from the menu. We had no regrets. The former Il Goloso occupies a former real post office building, and instead of stamps and cards, it now serves as an unusual setting for Italian inspired traditions in cuisine.

Indoors at the Haberfield Post, it was an overall impression of white. Outdoors, it was more casual and more befitting a lazy evening after a long day for me in the north west corner of the larger Sydney area.

I had made a quick dash around the Windsor markets earlier in the morning, and amazingly (to me) found nothing to purchase there. Haha, maybe it was that rude lady stall market holder who put me off, by behaving as if I could not speak English and did not want me to approach her stall with my Iphone. She made me honestly think instead that she was mute by her not making a word but instead angrily displaying hand signs of unwelcome. However I reckoned that she was not mute. I said to her, no worries, that's fine and cool.

I then more than made up in recovery from that unexpected encounter by finding some bargain priced Villarey and Boch trinkets for the Christmas tree from the newly opened outlet of Victoria's Basement at Castle Hill. So it was a further delight for me to be able to relax in the Italian enclave of Haberfield, one of my fav hideouts in Sydney.

The Dragon Peking, Parramatta NSW

My cousin Sooi Lin and her hubby Joseph introduced me to this northern Chinese restaurant, located along Parramatta's bustling food street section of Church Street. It is not difficult to find it if you turn out from Westfield and follow the crowds going for Asian grocery shopping. Northern Chinese can be a catch-all term for the variety of cooking styles from Beijing to Shandong. This cuisine seems to be spreading over the greater Sydney area, even with an outlet in Wollongong CBD.

For Sunday lunch starters, we had a traditional cold dish, comprising of jellyfish stir mixed with cooked chicken strips and garnished with a chili aftertaste. It was just the perfect thing for a hot Australian summer's day.

Joseph chose the above dish of Beijing egg rolls. I found it a bit over the top in saltiness, but otherwise it was a crunchy bite into the ingredients wrapped inside - bean sprouts, minced pork and veg all fused with a delicious gravy.

I found the above pictured hotpot, tofu braised with hints of salted cod fish (ala Portuguese and Norwegian

cooking) and garnished with bite-sized chicken cuts, reminding me and Sooi Lin of home cooking in Penang Island, Malaysia.

We did not go for the full blown Beijing crispy skin duck, but opted instead for the crispy fried version, still served to us with small round-shaped flat wraps. The fun was to smoother the flat warps with hoi sin sauce and place thinly cut strips of sweet tasting cucumber and lettuce before topping the emerging small pile with slices of the duck. Then we folded the wrap around and bit into them.

Christmas In The City

City bells, city sights, you know it's Christmas time in the city......these are selections from across the greater Sydney area in 2010.

A simple but elegant Christmas wreath hangs above a walkway at the Rocks Village (above) while

more decorations surround the Santa photograph opportunity corner at Bankstown's Centro shopping centre (below).

Sydney Town Hall at night (above) and Dora The Explorer performed for children and their parents at Wollongong's Crown Street shopping mall (below).

Lower East Cafe, Crown Street, Wollongong CBD

The very name provides the clue as to where to locate this place - lower east side, towards the ocean, of the straddling Crown Street in Wollongong CBD. Blake runs an outfit that can only be described as very Bondi, with lots of offerings on sourdough and with an understated kind of atmosphere to suit relaxing breakfasts and non-fussy lunches. Detail can be appreciated in the line-up of drink bottle varieties on an upper shelf, together with the choice of seating arrangements inside or outside and in the placement around the cafe of various types of coffee culture icons and utilities.

My choice of smoked salmon slices and slices of hard boiled eggs on toasted sour dough (above) complemented well with the coffee on brunch with mates on a lazy Saturday morning.

There are alternatives in cosy wood based decor (above) for regulars, but my attention was diverted to the

espresso machine (below) that serves as a much loved part of the household. When you finish your meal, you turn right to head for retail therapy or turn left to soak in the summer at the beach.