Some Aussie Ranting

Cannot pass up the opportunity to be in Australia and not write at least one blog - or have one rant.

Presently sitting in a really cool (ambience and temperature wise) café in The Rocks - one that even Katherine has yet to discover and one that my friend Joy brought me to a couple of days ago.

Katherine and I flew into Sydney last Friday - she had to come over for yet another business reason and had to be here for a few days, so at her suggestion I managed to have Lovely Big Son Danny organise a staff family member fare for me to fly over with Katherine.  The really interesting thing was that the fare was exceptionally reasonable in price - but the Sydney airport tax far exceeded the cost of the Air NZ fare.  It did almost have me cancel the trip for financial common sense, but when I thought it through for a whole ten seconds, realised this was one of those opportunities I should never turn down.

Katherine's business meant she had to stay in central Sydney, in a rather up market hotel. Due to the hotel being totally full with guests in every one of the rooms in the 32 levels (was City to Surf run this past weekend which brought thousands into Sydney), we had to have a room with only one bed.  Fortunately they made sure we had a room with a king size bed and we certainly clung to our respective sides of the bed each night as we slide into those hotel crispy sheets.  Just in case Katherine did inadvertently roll all the way over to my side of the bed during the night and in her comatose sleep state mistook the figure lying there as her Lovely David, I strategically placed one of those over large hotel pillows down the midline of the bed, thus meaning she would have to mountain climb in her sleep to get anywhere near my side.

In saying that - I consider Katherine a warm and dear friend.  But not that warm and dear!

The weather has been magnificent.  I do not feel at all pleased that the Auckland weather turned to custard the day Katherine and I left - as had hoped that everyone would be enjoying the sunshine as much as we were.  And that all those budding Ironman and Half Ironman triathletes would be enjoying delightful bike rides in the country and sunshine.  Seems not so.  Methinks no one went cycling. ??

Saturday & Sunday Katherine was not required at the office - so she determined that we would walk to all the places of interest she deemed necessary for me to go to.  That meant there were two and a half days of walking.  Lots of walking.  Walking for eternity, but we never found eternity.  By Monday morning my hip joints were requiring titanium replacements and as for my bung knee....?  800mg of Brufen three times a day did nothing to stop my inability to swing the attached bones below the knee into going forwards in a straight line.  I am still suffering from the initial two days of walking - however it has been compounded by my managing to entertain myself, without cost, via my legs, over the past couple of days - and more walking.  I am coming home a cripple.  The weather meant there would be no inside time wasters - far to lovely to be inside museums and art galleries- so it was outside, walking sojourns each day.

Which meant it gave me ample time to take in a broader perspective of Sydney, of Australia, of Australians, of tourists in Australia and of butt cracks.  All things I would have seen and absorbed on previous visits but those visits were always with my darling man and he's no longer with me which left the onus on myself to entertain myself with the observances from this one set of Kiwi eyes and ears.  I felt like I had internal split personalities, talking to myself each time I saw something that Tony and I would have enjoyed seeing, hearing and sharing. 

As for ears and hearing - judging by the conversation I heard on the bus yesterday afternoon us non-convict-descended Kiwis are certainly not seen in an enlightened light by some Australians.  The young man behind me on the bus yesterday was berating to his other male and female friends yesterday that his sister, for whom he had originally had high praise, was now categorised in his lower status of personage due to the fact that she is now, "Dating a f____king Kiwi!"

I daren't open my Kiwi accented mouth for fear of feather and taring. 

Funnily enough, it was on my bus journey back from Bondi yesterday afternoon when I was reflecting on my days excursion to the golden sands of Bondi, Bronte and the day before to Manly and was noting that the much maligned male Speedo bathing trunks are a necessary form of attire for any male from 5 years to 105 years in this country.  In two days I saw more men in Speedos than I would otherwise ever have seen in my lifetime had I not had this present trip here.  And all Speedos have to be black.  Blue, green, red or any other colour is a no-no.  

Thus my earlier reference to butt cracks.  I followed a number of butt cracks as I strolled the shores of Bondi and Taramara and Bronte.  

Never been one to have found  the sight Speedos as a no-no fashion cloth (no nicer sight that a nice body in a pair of Speedos) I do now have a firm opinion that Speedos are, or should be, standard beach attire for all males - at a beach.  As those in board shorts tended to be those who were pale, unmuscled, of insipid personality, only toe-dippers in water (as opposed to all Speedo wearers being strongly able to swim, surf or bogie board) and they stood out like ... well like ....  umm... well, they just stood out and looked gormless.

In saying all that - there is one strict rule for Speedo wearers - dare not to ever let them get loose.  Then they truly are obscene.  Guys, keep the Speedos relatively new with all the tightness of the lycrac and polyester they are made with.  Once the thread becomes thinner and looser - ditch them and go purchase your new pair.  I saw a number of 60, 70, 80 year old men in loose fitting Speedos - now they and their other free flowing appendages were not a sight to behold.  YUK.  Especially those with the well formed, pregnant looking abdominals - and butt cracks.

Oops, time to publish and close down - have a train to catch to the airport and a short walk to get there.

Maybe more ramblings later.  There's so much more I have.  Soooo much more.



Seeya mate.....