The surf is most definitely not up here in Manly right now. The last few days have seen almost zero waves and a whole host of very disappointed wet suit bedraggled youngsters pacing up and down the beach, some of whom are more optimistic than their buddies as they are 20 metres off the shore expecting at least one "big one" at any moment. The truth is you are more likely to see the Loch Ness monster on vacation than any waves today but who am i to spoil their sense of expectation?.
There has been a steady procession of whales slipping across the cost this last week too, followed by the ubiquitous ferries and tour boats as they make their steady but meaningful way to warmer waters in the north.
Once more we tag along with nature and sit and watch it at surely it's best when we observe such wonderful sea creatures, though I have to admit there is a huge amount of irony that the majority of whale "tourists" are Japanese and Chinese clicking with their cameras yet again but if this were back home the Nikon's would be "Smith and Weston" with a harpoon stuck in the end of the barrel, it beggars belief that they would want to study an animal so close up that their own governments readily kill for "research" reasons, hey ho it's a strange world we live in.
While here in Manly I have to admit I have been amazed at just how many fellow Brit's are here also. There are families obviously on holiday but also youngsters earning a crust in bars and seeking their fortune elsewhere in the world other than Blighty, it's great to see but I guess it's understandable given the fact this is a tourist destination.
While sat one night quietly soaking up the evening atmosphere in the Mall i heard a familiar accent that immediately got my attention, it belonged to a young cockney lad in his early 20's he was quite tall had a baseball cap and a rucksack, he was shouting into his mobile so i could hardly be accused of eavesdropping. He was telling his mates back home just how great things were over here, he was telling them about the bars and that he had a "quote" "Aussie bird on the go". I listened intently as he shouted out his intentions of "giving her one mate" and that he would be applying for residency very shortly and find some work in a bar somewhere close, far be it from me to point out it needed to be the other way round or the fact he was very much on his own in the square at the time.
This all carried on a while and soon he started walking the length of the mall still chatting at the top of his voice, it was as funny as it was a little sad but a few white lies to the boys back home isn't the end of the world, so i chuckled a little, paid my bar bill and left for some well earned sleep.
A couple of nights after this episode i returned to the same bar for a meal as it was $10 dollar steak night (you can take the man out of Shropshire...etc) never one to miss a bargain as ever, but lo and behold who should come walking across the square than our cockney friend with the same clothes on and the same ruck sack, looking a little less well manicured and worse for wear. His outward appearance may have been slightly rougher but his banter hadn't changed one iota, he was still telling the "lads" back home of his wonderful trip and the "birds", despite the obvious lack of said "birds" anywhere in sight, in fact a few more unwashed days and he will be attracting the attention of a bird or two of a different kind, those with sharp beaks and beady eyes. If he returns to the square again soon i may have to buy the guy a meal, I am starting to feel quite sorry for him, call me an old softy if you like.
There has been a steady procession of whales slipping across the cost this last week too, followed by the ubiquitous ferries and tour boats as they make their steady but meaningful way to warmer waters in the north.
Once more we tag along with nature and sit and watch it at surely it's best when we observe such wonderful sea creatures, though I have to admit there is a huge amount of irony that the majority of whale "tourists" are Japanese and Chinese clicking with their cameras yet again but if this were back home the Nikon's would be "Smith and Weston" with a harpoon stuck in the end of the barrel, it beggars belief that they would want to study an animal so close up that their own governments readily kill for "research" reasons, hey ho it's a strange world we live in.
While here in Manly I have to admit I have been amazed at just how many fellow Brit's are here also. There are families obviously on holiday but also youngsters earning a crust in bars and seeking their fortune elsewhere in the world other than Blighty, it's great to see but I guess it's understandable given the fact this is a tourist destination.
While sat one night quietly soaking up the evening atmosphere in the Mall i heard a familiar accent that immediately got my attention, it belonged to a young cockney lad in his early 20's he was quite tall had a baseball cap and a rucksack, he was shouting into his mobile so i could hardly be accused of eavesdropping. He was telling his mates back home just how great things were over here, he was telling them about the bars and that he had a "quote" "Aussie bird on the go". I listened intently as he shouted out his intentions of "giving her one mate" and that he would be applying for residency very shortly and find some work in a bar somewhere close, far be it from me to point out it needed to be the other way round or the fact he was very much on his own in the square at the time.
This all carried on a while and soon he started walking the length of the mall still chatting at the top of his voice, it was as funny as it was a little sad but a few white lies to the boys back home isn't the end of the world, so i chuckled a little, paid my bar bill and left for some well earned sleep.
A couple of nights after this episode i returned to the same bar for a meal as it was $10 dollar steak night (you can take the man out of Shropshire...etc) never one to miss a bargain as ever, but lo and behold who should come walking across the square than our cockney friend with the same clothes on and the same ruck sack, looking a little less well manicured and worse for wear. His outward appearance may have been slightly rougher but his banter hadn't changed one iota, he was still telling the "lads" back home of his wonderful trip and the "birds", despite the obvious lack of said "birds" anywhere in sight, in fact a few more unwashed days and he will be attracting the attention of a bird or two of a different kind, those with sharp beaks and beady eyes. If he returns to the square again soon i may have to buy the guy a meal, I am starting to feel quite sorry for him, call me an old softy if you like.
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