Something happened to me yesterday that has never happened to me before. I got a sunburn.
So much for the topless sunbathing effect from Bondi.
Regardless, I hopped back on the ole cancer horse and took the ferry to lovely Manly Beach today, where I wandered to the far, far end of the beach. Away from screaming children and men in speedos (this beach was a bit more touristy than Bondi). There were a couple surfers and a few other gals going topless, so I again joined in. Kinda. Had to sort of cover that burn. I'm going to have all sorts of confusing lines when I get back.
The ferry ride back was wonderful (thanks in part to some home made ice cream I'd picked up along the way), but the best thing about it was the fact that I had two lovely old ladies to eavesdrop on. They had obviously been friends for ages. They were talking about art and culture and architecture and men. At one point, Old Swedish lady pointed at a restaurant next to the Opera House and said, "I had a nice lunch there with a man - but I've always wondered what dinner would be like." Old English friend said, "Why didn't you two have dinner?" "Well, he was 80 years old and won't go out at night anymore."
This made me chuckle a bit, and they caught me. Old Swedish lady said, "We take what we can get!" and we all laughed. I said, " Are you kidding? I don't even get lunch!" They liked that. It turned out they had been friends for 60 years, having met on family vacations in England, and stayed close all these years. Swedish lady lives in Sydney now, and English lady visits her every summer. When they got off the ferry, they were giggling about something... It was just so nice, to see old friends like that. It made me feel especially lucky to have as many friends as I do, whom I've known forever. And hope to keep knowing.
And maybe one day we'll take some exotic vacations together and giggle about men. (I'm looking at you, Rachael.)
After I cleaned up, I ate the fanciest and tastiest dinner I've ever had in my whole life, got hit on hardcore by a nerdy Italian man, and checked out the sky because my Dad wants me to get a picture of this comet that's just come into Sydney's skyline. I didn't see it tonight, but I've got a few more days to find it...
