A PERFECT POST LOCK-DOWN SUNDAY OUTING AND JACKARD BEACH DRESS FROM SEAFOLLY

 Hello my dear friends, hope you are all well.

Armed with our newfound freedom of movement, my husband and I are jumping at every opportunity to take a drive way past our 5 km former lockdown zone.  Every Sunday we choose a different destination for our traditional lunch date and a nice walk before and after.  Last weekend we decided to take a drive towards the Northern Beaches  with a lunch stop at Newport, which is about a one hour drive from our home in the Sydney's East.  

It is one of the many coastal suburbs of Sydney and loved by the locals and tourists for its stretch of sandy beaches, surf culture and a multitude of alfresco dining and drinking venues.  We searched the net and found a nice restaurant called Lovat and made a booking.  Just a few years ago such a trip would take over two hours and a lot of traffic lights along the way but now thanks to recently built high speed tunnels, you can get there in under an hour.  

My mini length dress for this outing is from Seafolly that I bought on-line during the last lockdown.  I like its simplicity and how effortlessly you can put it on and off you go on your errands or for a lunch with your girlfriends or a just a nice stroll along the boardwalk.   It is made of 100% pure cotton for a soft and breeze feel which is what you want to wear on a warm day when you live close to the beach.  The long puffy sleeves are ideal for letting in the breeze and protecting my arms and shoulders from the harsh Australian sun🌞.

We left home soon after breakfast allowing us plenty of time to make a stop at the Baha'i Temple which we have driven past many times but have never been inside.  It was built in the mid 20th century and is  considered Sydney's fourth most significant religious building constructed in that era.  For those who is not familiar with Baha'i Faith, below is an a brief summary but if you want to learn more about this Faith, please follow the link provided above.

The Baha’i Faith is a worldwide religion based on the teachings of Baha’u’llah, the most recent in the series of Divine Messengers who founded the world religions as part of the progressive revelation of God’s guidance to humanity.  A central theme of the Baha’i Faith is that humanity is one family bound together in a common destiny: a global society.

Key principles of the Baha’i Faith:

• equality of women and men
• harmony of science and religion
• abolition of extremes of poverty and wealth
• elimination of all forms of prejudice
• equal standard of human rights for all people

The Temple is a prominent landmark of the Northern Beaches and it is impossible to miss.  As we drove through the gates, we couldn't help but notice how blissfully peaceful this place is.  The Sunday sermon was over when we arrived and the grounds and the Temple look absolutely deserted so we could take a good look around.  I was immediately attracted to the beauty of the grounds surrounding the Temple and the variety of flowers in full bloom, bushes and trees that were masterfully planted around the Temple.  

Back in the car, we sped off to our lunch destination.  Lovat's food menu is described as home-style dishes focused on locally sourced fresh seafood, excellent steaks and home-made pasta and we were looking forward to taste it.  Every dish on the menu sounds delicious so we decided to spoil ourselves with entree, main and desert washed down by a couple of glasses of my favourite Sauvignon blanc wine 🍷🍷🍷.  

I was hoping that after lunch we would walk along the beach and take some photos but it was pouring cats and dogs so we just got back in our car and went home🌧.  Luckily for us, ten minutes the later the downpour stopped and we were able to get out of the car and take a nice walk and get some pictures along the way 👍.  

After three months of lockdown, we almost forgot how to have a good time and enjoy ourselves and it was so nice to have this feeling back again 😁😁😁.