It’s been six years since I moved from Sydney to New York and over three years since I had last visited. Having lived in Sydney for nearly ten years I was looking forward to catching up with good friends and visiting my favourite haunts. I spent two weeks staying with friends on the northern beaches together with my parents who had arrived a few days earlier.

We spent a very happy and busy couple of weeks together that included a very exciting trip to the cricket a 20/20 between Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder at the SCG. The Sixers needed 4 runs from the final ball of the match which they managed in a nail biting end to the game! Other highlights included a very rainy Australia Day party, an evening at the Opera House for a wonderful performance of Madame Butterfly and a beautiful bush walk in the Kuring-gai National Park (where I got leeched!).

The Harbour Bridge.

Post opera.

Bush walk in the Kuring-gai National Park.

Bush walk in the Kuring-gai National Park.

Leech bites can bleed for many hours due to an enzyme called hirudin that they secrete into the victims bloodstream. Fortunately for me, it was only 40 minutes!

On the Sunday before we left for NZ Nina and I went to the Laneway Festival at the Sydney College of the Arts in Rozelle. A brilliant festival with a great local and international line up across four stages. We saw Eves the Behaviour, Perfect Pussy, Eagulls, Royal Blood, Mac DeMarco, Pond, Future Islands, St Vincent and Flight Facilities….my feet were aching and I was slightly bruised but very happy by the end of it all, I’m obviously not as young as I used to be!

Waiting for Eves the Behaviour at Laneway and ignoring the rain.

Eves the Behaviour at Laneway.

The amazing Meredith Graves from Perfect Pussy at Laneway.

The view across to the Garden Stage at Laneway.

George Mitchell from Eagulls at Laneway.

Royal Blood performs at Laneway.