CONVERSATIONS WITH ANGELA
One of the best things about being involved in running our local community markets is you get a chance to catch up with people and have a good yarn. Sometimes you run into an Out of Towner who is either fascinating, unbelievable or both. Last Saturday was such an occasion for the latter experience. We were both looking through some books when we got talking. After a few remarks about the weather and how beautifully unspoilt Mallacoota is it was like I had opened a floodgate. This person talked non-stop at me for what seemed like hours but was only turned out to about ten minutes. The things she talked about would have been mind boggling from a friend but she poured it all out like it was all of no consequence. This is possibly the freedom of the tourist who will never pass this way again. Anyway, she was so remarkable, I have decided to try and capture what it was like in print. There was no way I could reproduce her stream of consciousness and it would have been very hard to make it intelligible without all her body language, nudges, eye rolling etc. So I have packaged it in the form of a diary. The end, however, is mine. Anyway, picture Angela – a lady in her late middle age, somewhat overweight, dyed blonde hair and wearing the most outrageous hot pink matching blouse and shorts – maybe you saw her, maybe she talked to you as well.
Here she goes- Tuesday The weathers turned out nice today after all that rain. We just arrived at a nice little place after two days driving down the coast. Spent last night in a nice little bushy rest area off the highway. You know they should really make those roadside bins bigger. We had heaps of rubbish and we had to leave the rubbish bag next to the bin. I just know the possums will get to it. George managed to pump out the camper down the drop toilet there, which saved some money. Not quite sure where we are, the global thingey says were in Glebe which can’t be right. We had a nice lunch watching TV. We need to restock soon at a big supermarket – the freezer is getting empty. We like the Weight Watcher meals so tasty and convenient. Fill up the freezer every time we get into a big town and away we go. George went out to see what the fishing is like.
Wednesday. Weather still nice though a bit humid. George says the fishing is OK so we launched the boat. When we got here we tried to get a camp site with a mooring but they said we had to book in advance, 12 months they said. That doesn’t seem fair. It’s not too much to ask that we should be able to park our boat next to our camper is it? George went and talked to one of the people with a waterside site and slipped him some dollars so that’s all right. Petrol very expensive here, George says we will just have enough to get to a place where it is cheaper – lucky George got the extra big tanks put in the camper. George is so clever.
Thursday Weather still nice. Still humid. Still here. The Fishing is very good. George was out all day and came home with a big flathead. I watched TV most of the day and went to the opshop. Found a couple of books that should be worth a bit on Ebay – cost only a dollar each! It’s such a shame about the poor people in Japan. My mother was terribly religious and she always said he bad things only happened to bad people. I don’t think that can be right. All those people couldn’t all be bad could they? Fookee called on the mobile to say that everything is Ok at home. She says the baby is due in 3 months. Doesn’t time fly. We will be back by then. We have been on the road for 3 months. George says he misses his business a bit. Mohamed rang from Jakarta to say that the new people we sold out to are doing very well, but not as good as George. The Indonesians are so lucky to be able to employed making clothes to sell in Australia. Mohamed even supplies a shower in the yard at the back of the workshop so the workers can be clean when they come to work. He only charges them a little to use it. That’s real multiculturalism. Fookee used to work there but George bought her back with him to look after the house while we went bush. Shame she got pregnant – careless girl! George is always looking after his girls (as he calls them) The ones that worked in his clothes shops always seemed to be getting pregnant and George always gave hem time off to look after their babies.
Saturday Missed a day. We have moved. Weather still nice. Camping at The local Shire Park. Lovely clean showers and laundry. Much better than that horrible park we stayed in a couple of weeks ago where the manager smelt of claret before lunch and we heard him yelling at his wife in the middle of the night – such language. You just can’t be too careful! This place has a good club – good meals – the global thingey says we are in Parramatta now – probably needs to be fixed. George went up to the Club Rooms. He used to be president of our club and he had a letter of introduction -so we will be treated very well. George was in lots of committees, back home, he said it was good for business. It certainly hasn’t done us any harm. When he was a Councillor he helped the new service station development through and now we never have to pay for petrol. George even made sure that the local servo guy got a job at the new service station after he couldn’t make a go of it. George is like that. While he was on the footie club committee he replaced the ground staff with contractors. He said they were cheaper and more efficient. The man from the company give us a new motor for the boat for Christmas. As George says if you are helpful to people they will be helpful back.
Sunday Fishing not so good here, George says the water is polluted. Found a good berth for the boat in the marina and the camp park is convenient to the moorings. The other end of the park is a bit smelly from the fish farm leases. Not many campers down that end.
Monday Nice weather still, still humid. Went and did a big shop in the local Woollies, huge supermarket, lots of good specials. George filled up the tanks, got a petrol discount through his friend at home. Just had a great night, we met some people who we got to know up north. A whole gang. Had a bar-bee and a bit of a party at the end of the jetty on the other side of The Arm. Nice and quiet. Had a bit to drink. The boys got into a bottle throwing competition, seeing how far out they could throw an empty stubby out into the river. George reckoned he won, the others didn’t. Still it all end in fun when they threw George off the pier. I wonder what happened to him after that…….
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