A burger, a beach and a big weekend

Everyone’s quite excited in Sydney this week: there’s a long weekend ahead. It’s the last one here in New South Wales till Christmas, so everyone’s making the most of it.

What’s more, Summertime has also come, so our clocks will all go forward an hour. It means one hour less in bed but it also means an hour more of daylight in the evenings, which is lovely!

Mrs Romance is quite clearly excited about it all. She’s been on fire with her excellent come-backs. At one point this week I randomly asked her what the difference between ‘malign’ and ‘malignant’ was. Her response:

“An ant!”

Classic.

I don’t know if it’s a bad habit or not, but recently I’ve got into the habit of taking a meagre Vegemite sandwich and $6 in for lunch. The sanger is obvious but the $6 I use to buy a strong flat white coffee and the biggest bastard Anzac biscuit I’ve ever seen. I see it as good value. Good health? Not so sure.

Either way, I plant myself in a little park near Circular Quay, scoff my sarny, check social media, then read my Kindle over my coffee an biccie till it’s time to head back to work.

Tonight, we’re checking out Bowery Lane and their new dinner menu. The cocktails we sip on before our mains come are really quite good – this is Mrs Romance’s gin cocktail called the Southside Gangster. Very tasty. My New York Sour with rye whiskey is also good, but Mrs R’s won this round!

It’s taken us ages to decide, but I dutifully continue with the NYC theme and go for the New York Cheeseburger. This time I’m much further from dissatisfaction. It’s thick, it’s juicy, it’s really tasty… top marks, Bowery Lane. Watch this space for our review.

It’s Wednesday, and that means Romance Media meeting time. We’re running through some pretty important stuff today so we can deliver the very best content we possibly can to you, our lovely readers. Hope you enjoy what we’ve got planned for the last few months of the year.

Mrs Romance has discovered something rather exciting: her book is now available in Sports Girl! Pretty cool, ay?

The weekend’s finally here! We’ve gone north-side today to Balmoral Beach. We’re here to see our ridiculously lovely friends Glen and Barbs. They had a little baby girl a few months ago, so we’re looking forward to catching up with her as well!

Balmoral’s a beautiful part of the world. There’s a little reserve right on the water like a little island. It’s the perfect place for a fish and chip picnic… and of course a cheeky beer!

It’s a pristine spring afternoon at Balmoral. It’s clear all the way out to the heads and the gusty wind has made it just too tempting for the boaties – they’re out in force today.

And here we are! Mrs Romance, little Grace and me.

This morning we’re up an hour later without knowing it. The clocks have gone forward an hour for summer time here in New South Wales. The result is something larger than breakfast, but something not quite as big as lunch. We call it ‘brunch’. Heard of it?

This 2.5 egg omelette has smokey bacon, thyme-fried mushrooms, truffle oil onions with a hint of garlic and little bit of cheese for fun. And a touch of avo, of course!

This evening – after a hot day here in Sydney – I’ve decided to fire up a cigar I’ve been thinking about for quite a while. I bought this from Tabac Cafe in San Diego, California. It’s a very good smoke. I’m very pleased it’s aged as well as it has.

I’m looking forward to heading back to Southern California to pick more of these up. It’ll be good to follow my own San Diego cigar bar tour… maybe even add a couple of new ones!

We’re making the most of Sydney’s public holiday Monday – we’re catching up with our lovely mate Steph from Lipstick and Cake She’s been away for the last couple of months, so it’s great to see her.

We’re settling in for a long lunch at The Cottage Bar and Kitchen in Balmain. This is a cracking little place for a bite to eat and a decent cocktail. We’re tucking into a couple of pizzas (gluten-free bases, of course) – the jamon with rocket, pear, walnut and parmesan, and the diavola with pepperoni, gorgonzola, olives and chili oil.

Both delicious and both recommended by the waitress lady. Thank you, waitress lady!

Now all we’ve got to do is get through four days of work and it’s the weekend again! Love a long weekend!

How was your weekend? What do you think of my lunchtime eating habit? Can you tell me – other than a small but powerful insect – what the difference is between ‘malign’ and ‘malignant’? Tell us in the comments!

Images by Mr and Mrs Romance via Instagram: @MrAndMrsRomance, @HairRomance and of course @AngryBastard!