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NSW, Australia
I'm made it past 50! married for over half my life, have 3 kids all grown and I'm loving this part of my life.I was a nurse in my younger days but an unhealthy dose of rheumatoid arthritis put a damper on my career,so I'm at home with the internet.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Those crazy lazy days of summer?

smell that?? it's the smell of summer, 1979



There are lots of people in Australia complaining today,It's the last official day of summer and most people feel we didn't have summer at all.If you listened to them you would think it had been like THIS for 3 months .


It has been mild...and wet. But for the most part,me personally, I've enjoyed it, I think I've only used the aircon 5 times in 3 months, 2 of those times may have actually been to warm the place up back in early December. It's been a pleasant relief to not be sticky and hot ALL the time , nor burn my hands on the steering wheel in the car... you'd have to pay me a lot of money to live in Queensland again I reckon.
I imagine if I was 17, young and chasing the sun and sand I'd be a bit miffed though.

I remember catching trains for an hour to get to Cronulla Beach to sunbake all day. A 2 km walk to the station to catch the railmotor.

picture source(old people must feel cold all the time?...oh..are that mans pants too short or is it just me?)

then change at Sutherland for the electric train to Cronulla, feet up on the seats ,one eye on the door for the conductor who would tell us to put them on the floor.The beach bag with the huge towel, Coppertone tanning lotion, reef coconut oil, packets of lifesavers,hairbrush lipgloss(vaseline) and hidden somewhere always the tampon, OMG..... if it rolled loose!!!
On arrival we would pick "the spot" this could take 10 minutes for maximum sun angle and view of any boys "talent" that looked promisingly "hunky",mind you we only watched them surf swim and play none of us were brazen enough to ever approach.
Roasting in coconut oil all day, the smell of the Coppertone, chips and potato scollaps in newspaper and thick milkshakes eaten on the beach, the slothlike feeling under the sun, such an effort to roll over or reapply the oil ,the argument over who was going to walk across the road to obtain the chips and shake and then everyone strolling across. Slipping on the hot thongs(flipflops) and the sand between your toes, an overall feeling of being like a cake randomly iced by a 3 year old with a spatula , sand and suncream.
Bananna or chocolate paddlepops all round while waiting for the train home, still feeling baked and gritty from the sand ,wondering if our "burn" will turn into "tan". Getting home to find blisters between your toes from the 2km walk back from the station with sand attached to the thong toe thingy had rubbed them raw. ahhh Bo Derek you have a lot to answer for !!

It was so much fun then, but today..I'd be too hot, the sand would bug me,I'd probably get a rash and the heat would make me dizzy...ahhh I'm such a whiner now .

Ha ,it's raining!!!

5 comments:

  1. Oh, seeing the summer of 1979 brought back memories. I really, really enjoyed that summer when I was 17 for a lot of reasons. Loved reading your post today!

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  2. I was transported back in time with your post. I loved the beach, although I had to hitch-hike to get there or catch a ride with someone. Those were the days, weren't they? No problems except to get a good tan and find a boy.

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  3. Ahhh I remember it well... as a fellow soon to be 50yr old I think of that Ol 55 song "Looking for an echo" coming out of a crappy old transistor on Bondi Beach...

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  4. I spent hours on the beach as a kid. Now, only if there is a beach side cafe that serves good coffee and I can sit outside but in the shade.

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  5. I didn't spend much time on the beach in the 70's. Only on the boardwalk chasing boys!! haha. Maybe that's why I'm so addicted to the beach now. I can't get enough of it. It's beautiful. Even some of the boys grew into good looking men to view too! haha. Wish you lived closer! What fun we would have.

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