A day in Manly

We set off walking early yesterday morning - around Manly's beautiful harbourside beaches (Delwood and Fairlight) and on to the North Harbour Walk skirting Jilling Cove in the beautiful suburb of Balgowlah. The views were breathtaking the WHOLE way - and apart from glimpsing the quiet opulence of the houses fronting this part of the harbour it felt like we really were in a wild place a lot of the time.

We walked as far as the Marina in North Harbour (about 3klm one way), with lots of photo op stops and wow oh wow moments along the way ..........

We saw lots of stunning architecture too  - I especially appreciated this art deco detailing on one of the mansions we happened to pass by......

We eventually made our way back to the Manly Wharf for a reviving coffee at Sonoma and noted how much the Aquarium and Pavillion had changed overnight in the glare of daylight ....

It was lovely to finish off with a coffee and one of our fave Sonoma "morning buns".

We had a lunch date at noon, at the gloriously situated "The Pantry Manly" fronting the beach on North Steyne Road.

We were meeting up with the lovely Áine, a very special young woman (my friend Tania's daughter) about to start work with one of the big 4 consultancy firms, after years of school and study. We found lots to talk about: our lovely lunch, unpicking Les Sculptures Refusées, the joys of the Northern beaches, politics, the last two years and our shared love of Grace Tame. We've vowed to make our catch ups a more regular thing.

We enjoyed another late afternoon walk around to beautiful Fairlight Beach ......

As well as being stunningly beautiful this part of the harbour is great for people and dog watching - and harp playing!!

I thought our little studio villa in Fairlight Street looked very pretty in the late afternoon light.