Of Sand and Surf

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Thursday Night September 8, 2005

Let me just begin by saying that Vanilla Custard is NOT a suitable substitute for flavored creamer. Secondly, thanks for all the research on the church. We’ll give it a whirl and see how it goes. Finally, my dad has suggested that maybe the birds that I think look like Cockatoos, ARE in fact wild Cockatoos. That’d be exciting, like living in our own jungle minus the bugs and humidity.

Speaking of weather, I realize I’ve talked a lot about the lack of heat because it’s so cold. But the actual daytime is fairly warm. Warm enough for shorts and tees. Warm enough (apparently) for all the lifeguards to ‘run the sand’ in their lifeguard red speedos. “Running the sand” is a popular form of exercise. The beach is long and slightly curved but closed at either end by cliffs. And the thing to do is run back and forth on the sand all Chariots-of-Fire style. Probably one lap up and back is a little over a mile.

Apparently it’s best to ‘run the sand’ in minimal clothing. Speedos for the men and bikinis for the women. I’d think this only increases the amount of sweaty skin to which sand can stick, but I just moved here. What with the nearly naked running about in the sand and the fully wetsuit-clad surfers running pell-mell around town with long boards, it seems the only people walking are Abby and me. And we walk a lot and enjoy it just fine in our clothes and shoes.

Big weekend plans ahead: Ferry rides around Sydney on Saturday and the Festival of the Winds on Sunday right here in Bondi Beach. It’s a big kite extravaganza with an expected 45,000 people attending. Plus a trip to some home stores in the burbs in search of the elusive floor fan and area rug.

Till Mondayish when hopefully we’ll be online from home!

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