Give me a break

I made the outrageous and erroneous statement in a blog post on Friday that I planned to rest over the weekend.

As soon as I typed the words I thought to myself “you are MAD. There is absolutely nothing restful about your weekend”.

It kicked off with a walk and coffee at Balmoral Beach, followed by a spot of book editing, then a trip into the city to visit my friends at The Whisky List, who were hosting The American Whiskey Show at the Overseas Passenger Terminal.

Oliver, David, Scott, Chris and the gang are the most lovely team.

(Do you like my new linen jacket I bought in Hawaii? It was perfect for the unseasonably warm weather.)

David (above right) founded The Whisky Show many years ago and is one of the most knowledgeable men in the business.

There were more than 90 different whiskeys on offer at the show, from all over the United States and Canada.

DD loves his bourbon and was invited to join me, but had been invited by his Warrior Workout mates to a seven-course bottomless brunch on the Northern Beaches.

So I went on my own.

There were Jim Beam slushies, peanut butter whiskies and other novelties, but I preferred the classics. My favourite distilleries were Epoch, Four Gate and Woodford Reserve.

I wanted to try Whistlepig but I couldn’t get near the stand, it was swarmed the whole afternoon.

Scott showed me the most amazing music box/bourbon bottle at the Rare Whiskey Bar, which was in the shape of the Sydney Opera House.

Jim Beam created it many decades ago to try and entice Aussies to drink the spirit. No such embellishments are needed these days – we’re now one of the biggest American whiskey markets in the world.

I also enjoyed a very delicious pulled pork roll from the Smokin Hot n Saucy Texas BBQ food truck on site, which boasted the most spectacular view …

While I savoured every juicy morsel a duo played Southern American music. It was a very fun atmosphere.

The afternoon was spent helping a former client sort out some LinkedIn stuff and doing more work on the book.

Sunday morning kicked off with a two-hour drive to Newcastle for morning tea with Mum and Dad, followed by a 40-minute drive to have a pub lunch with my friends Megz and Kath, with a five-second visit to the beach to put some sand between my toes. Sadly there wasn’t time for a splash in the surf to lift my spirits.

When I got home, DD texted to say he was at North Head with a visiting medical contact, showing him the sights and watching a cruise ship sail out.

He asked if I fancied an early dinner with them at a nearby pub … and so my weekend ended with my second steak of the day under a sea of beer garden fairylights.

Now it’s Monday.

Yawn.

And I’m out again tonight.

I’m an absolute loony, I know.

I need to give myself a break.

I hope you were more sensible than me and actually got some rest over the weekend.

Song of the day: Kylie Minogue “Spinning Around”