My week in pictures: Mulligans Flat and Sydney

We had a public holiday for Reconciliation Day, so decided to mark it with a walk around Mulligan's Flat, followed by lunch at Casey Jones Pub.

Vodka-battered fish, fennel and radish salad, thick-cut chips and squid ink aioli

Slow-braised lamb shank pie with garlic bread and creamy mash

A couple of days later I tried cooking another new recipe, and, as you can see, I nailed it yet again!

Moroccan beef, pumpkin and couscous filo pie

But enough of food... time to go drinking in Sydney for GABS. First stop Marrikville to admire the graffiti and the beer.

Wildflower Brewing and Blending is one of my favourite breweries in Sydney. I love the way they operate and the beers they blend are sensational, so we called in to sample several.

And this is the sour beer-drinking outfit, that everyone needs to wear - baseball cap; bushy beard; one-handed-smart-phone-use; long-sleeved top; jeans/chinos; smart expensive brand trainers; jacket optional.

Him Outdoors getting passionate about beer - again

And then we moved on to Sauce Brewery and Tap Room, which had a good busy vibe and dogs are welcome.

And then to Batch, another great favourite, where we were pleased to drink delicious beer and talk stuff and nonsense with friends.

And then we went to Sydney GABS, which is smaller than Melbourne GABS, but equally exciting to see the Rogan Josh beer from Wignall Brewery that Him Outdoors and The Stutchbury Farmer brewed on the specialty bar.

Him Outdoors and The Stutchbury Farmer

One of these beers contains beetroot; no prizes for guessing which

My most frequented stand of the night: no, it's not (entirely) my fault that things sold out

We also spent a fair bit of time here...

...and here

Stonedog Meadery lineup

Fun times with great people

The next day we felt slightly fragile, so we had an easy day walking around Darling Harbour and Barangaroo.

I like bridges, and I like bridges which open up even more. The Pyrmont Bridge is one of the world's oldest surviving electrically operated swingspan bridges, so I like it a lot.

We then walked to The Botanic Gardens checking out the architecture and statues en route.

Shakespeare Memorial by Sir Edgar Bertram Mackennal

The Botanic Gardens featured an exhibition called Pollination. The display is described as 'an ever-changing kaleidoscope of colour featuring a collection of plants and flowers showcasing the role colour plays in nature's magnificent act of pollination. In the plant world, colour is the essential ingredient for pollination, and colour is all in the eye of the bee-holder.

'Different pollinators see colour differently so the plants throughout the display are grouped together by colour to reflect pollinator attraction. The types of flowers on display will change throughout the ten-month display period as seasons and availability change.'

I had wanted to see a particular exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, but there was a cost and a queue, the latter of which seemed excessive, so I contented myself with studying some artwork in the foyer, and gazing at a few of my favourite pieces.

sb/eighteen by Prabhavathi Meppayil

This is one of those artworks I don't really understand. It is a piece by Prabhavathi Meppayil called sb/eighteen and is part of the Biennale of Sydney. It consists of layers of gesso and 875 found iron, copper and brass tools, conventionally used by goldsmiths in the application of their craft, carefully assembled on a wall with a pristine white surface.

The explanatory notes go on to state that 'the individual objects are deliberately arranged in a pattern suggesting a low-relief grid, alluding to postwar abstraction and minimalist art where geometric structures were often used to facilitate non-hierarchical methods of organisation. By taking objects that are commonly used in the process of artisanal manufacture and presenting them as aesthetic, sculptural forms, Meppayil liberates the implements from their intended use, while also retaining vestiges of their individual histories.'

If I had not read that, I would have had no idea what the piece was meant to be or represent, and it doesn't appeal to me aesthetically or intellectually. These other works, however abstract, mean a lot more to me.