Birds in the trees, toad in the hole

Ben told me I’m not allowed to lie in this blog post, so here’s what happened. We didn’t start at Manly the way we were supposed to. We caught a bus to Spit Bridge, wandered around trying to find the beginning of the trail, then walked the 10km to Manly. It was the perfect day for it – dappled sun through the trees, dogs frolicking in the shallows of every bay, a pack of babybels in our bag for any cheese emergencies. It took us something like 3.5 hours, including a coffee break at Clontarf and various pauses to take in the scenery. I can’t believe I’ve lived in Sydney for 10 years (on and off) and never done the Manly Scenic Walk. It really is quite stunning. We even spotted some new birds, both catching a glimpse and hearing the distinctive call of an Eastern Whipbird, and following a couple of charming little New Holland Honeyeaters.

Typically, we planned rather badly and I’ve decided I will not be attempting another 10km walk until I’ve invested in some more appropriate footwear. Somehow I decided to persevere with the trusty Converse even though I knew they would leave me with the wonderful gift of blisters, which of course, they did. Carrying our own water is probably also another no-brainer. But no matter. It was a lovely day.

We did not, however, follow the instructions. I didn’t start at North Head. At Manly, tired and relieved as the sun started to set, I wondered “What would Danny Wallace do?” I answered myself “He’d force himself to walk the extra 90 minute round trip to the Head and back, blisters and all, and make his long-suffering partner join him, and do it with way too much enthusiasm, in the dark”. Needless to say, I did not follow Danny’s imaginary lead. I know I’m supposed to go in one direction, with each walk taking up where the other left off, and I am already cheating. Is it so bad if I do the extra 45 minute trek to North Head later? I’m still going to pick up from The Spit next time... I’m still going to make it around the whole harbour... My eyes are wide with innocence and longing... Grant me absolution!

We made it home in reasonable time and Ben gave me a lesson in onion gravy while I attempted to make my first ‘Toad in the Hole’. How British of us! It’s basically sausages floating in batter, which I know sounds incredibly appealing, but just go with me on this:

It was nom-worthy. Since it was my first go, I used a recipe, but I think I can probably do it from memory now. Probably.