Sat at Glorias coffee house on Manly Wharf Sydney this afternoon I had a little chuckle to myself while listening to a couple of very senior citizens who were so obviously local to the area too, one from Manly and the other I am sure said he was from the Blue Mountain region. I know it is awfully rude to eavesdrop but to be fair if i had been sat on the ferry itself I would have most probably been able to hear them, I think the batteries were running a little low on the deaf aids, if worn at all!.
It began quite innocently enough when he requested the whereabouts of the toilets for his good lady wife, the one woman sat at the table opposite said "No worries I will take you love I am going myself" and off they trotted, I thought to myself how nice, then the old man who i soon learned was 83 years old, (he kept repeating it) sat at the table opposite with the other older lady while they waited for them to return.
No sooner had he sat down than he launched into where he was from and what his son did for a living (he is a vet by the way, covers a huge area around the Blue Mountains you know) he then went on to say when he moved to the Blue mountains it was a cardboard city, not that he minded, he loves the outdoors apparently. He was also very preturbed that 40 years ago he could park anywhere in the street and not worry but now he struggles to find a parking space, there's progress for you eh?.
"Australia is the best Country on earth, I have been to Florida to live and work and I have been all over the place but there is nowhere like Australia, trouble is so many other people think the bleeding same now" he piped up, now just remember he was in the midst of the Manly ferry terminal on the very day of a food and wine festival which was aimed at, yes you've guessed it .. tourists who were about 8 deep on both sides of us...
He then compared his age at one point to Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, who i had gathered from the conversation had recently died, (Neil that is),
"Only a few months ago you know, he was the same age as me!" i could not help but smile as he spoke with such conviction like they were the best of buddies, yet his main worry was that so many people were coming to Australia to live that it would soon be overcrowded. I was dying to introduce myself as one of 60 million Brits from an island a tenth of the size but I have to admit I was simply enjoying listening to the old timer, the two older women returned from their little toilet break and they all proceeded to catch up with each other and talk about astronauts and old times, an amazing range of subjects considering the venue, but just before they parted company I was treated to an old song which I am sure all of Australia will know but me?.. well I just had to sit and listen and try to look inconspicuous as they sang away, I remember it ended with something like "I am just an old char girl" or something or other, simply because they were on top form for the last verse.
God bless the older population I say, but if the biggest worry for the old man in the Coffee shop is Australia becoming overcrowded it will be because people like him charm visitors from the other side of the world like me and his nightmare may become a reality, but i think his fears are unfounded if my own wonderfully diverse Country is anything to go by.
As I mentioned earlier in the above piece, Manly has a Food and Drink festival today, it was full of stalls and live bands which played great music while all the hotels and shops benefited from the huge amount of extra people in attendance, I have to say Australia knows how to party and something else I have noticed since I have arrived on these shores, people know how to smile, they aren't nearly as up tight about every little detail as we Brits, even though the roads were closed and the festival sprawled all over town there were very few officials walking round with their main aim being to ruin somebody's day, it was very much a live and let live event and the key was having fun not just another excuse for the health and safety gestapo culture we live in spoiling what should be a time to dance, a time to sing and a time for fun, well done Australia don't ever let that ability to enjoy such a day without restrictions slip through your fingers ! .
One thing I have to admit really does annoy me here in Manly (and you have probably gathered it isn't much!) is the constant attention of our friends from the skies in the shape of seagulls. If you dare to sit on a seat outside of the Wharf complex you can rest assured you will soon have all the company you could ever want, albeit the winged variety and plenty of them too!. It is much safer to do as the locals do if they grab a sandwich and that is to eat it inside, I wondered if Alfred Hitchcock had ever visited at some point while trying to tuck in this afternoon as it would be very easy to see where he got his inspiration for The Bird's. Seagulls 1 Subway sandwich 0 a result all too often replayed come the tourist season I have no doubt, you have been warned !
It began quite innocently enough when he requested the whereabouts of the toilets for his good lady wife, the one woman sat at the table opposite said "No worries I will take you love I am going myself" and off they trotted, I thought to myself how nice, then the old man who i soon learned was 83 years old, (he kept repeating it) sat at the table opposite with the other older lady while they waited for them to return.
No sooner had he sat down than he launched into where he was from and what his son did for a living (he is a vet by the way, covers a huge area around the Blue Mountains you know) he then went on to say when he moved to the Blue mountains it was a cardboard city, not that he minded, he loves the outdoors apparently. He was also very preturbed that 40 years ago he could park anywhere in the street and not worry but now he struggles to find a parking space, there's progress for you eh?.
"Australia is the best Country on earth, I have been to Florida to live and work and I have been all over the place but there is nowhere like Australia, trouble is so many other people think the bleeding same now" he piped up, now just remember he was in the midst of the Manly ferry terminal on the very day of a food and wine festival which was aimed at, yes you've guessed it .. tourists who were about 8 deep on both sides of us...
He then compared his age at one point to Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, who i had gathered from the conversation had recently died, (Neil that is),
"Only a few months ago you know, he was the same age as me!" i could not help but smile as he spoke with such conviction like they were the best of buddies, yet his main worry was that so many people were coming to Australia to live that it would soon be overcrowded. I was dying to introduce myself as one of 60 million Brits from an island a tenth of the size but I have to admit I was simply enjoying listening to the old timer, the two older women returned from their little toilet break and they all proceeded to catch up with each other and talk about astronauts and old times, an amazing range of subjects considering the venue, but just before they parted company I was treated to an old song which I am sure all of Australia will know but me?.. well I just had to sit and listen and try to look inconspicuous as they sang away, I remember it ended with something like "I am just an old char girl" or something or other, simply because they were on top form for the last verse.
God bless the older population I say, but if the biggest worry for the old man in the Coffee shop is Australia becoming overcrowded it will be because people like him charm visitors from the other side of the world like me and his nightmare may become a reality, but i think his fears are unfounded if my own wonderfully diverse Country is anything to go by.
As I mentioned earlier in the above piece, Manly has a Food and Drink festival today, it was full of stalls and live bands which played great music while all the hotels and shops benefited from the huge amount of extra people in attendance, I have to say Australia knows how to party and something else I have noticed since I have arrived on these shores, people know how to smile, they aren't nearly as up tight about every little detail as we Brits, even though the roads were closed and the festival sprawled all over town there were very few officials walking round with their main aim being to ruin somebody's day, it was very much a live and let live event and the key was having fun not just another excuse for the health and safety gestapo culture we live in spoiling what should be a time to dance, a time to sing and a time for fun, well done Australia don't ever let that ability to enjoy such a day without restrictions slip through your fingers ! .
One thing I have to admit really does annoy me here in Manly (and you have probably gathered it isn't much!) is the constant attention of our friends from the skies in the shape of seagulls. If you dare to sit on a seat outside of the Wharf complex you can rest assured you will soon have all the company you could ever want, albeit the winged variety and plenty of them too!. It is much safer to do as the locals do if they grab a sandwich and that is to eat it inside, I wondered if Alfred Hitchcock had ever visited at some point while trying to tuck in this afternoon as it would be very easy to see where he got his inspiration for The Bird's. Seagulls 1 Subway sandwich 0 a result all too often replayed come the tourist season I have no doubt, you have been warned !
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