quicko: the newtown festival

We're trying to be a watermelon.  You can tell, right??

quicko: this is why we take the manly ferry

quicko: hens and weddings

American girls have bachelorette parties before their weddings; Australian girls have hen's nights/days.  I've recently been invited to a hen's celebration and have been researching protocol to be sure I get it right.  It's a good thing, too, because it turns out they're slightly different.  This Australian party is an afternoon of fun scavenger hunting in the Rocks.  It has an admissions fee, though, I've thankfully just learned, no present/card requirement.  Thankfully because I could really have embarrassed myself, seeing as bachelorette parties are generally the time to bring the sauciest underwear imaginable for the bride-to-be.  (This can also be done at the American bridal shower -- and there are generally two; one for the friends to bring underwear and one for the relatives to bring practical things.  (The difference between the saucy bridal shower and the bachelorette party is that the shower has a wider guest list, is an afternoon sort of event well before the wedding and often includes silly games, etc.  The bachelorette party is more of a pajama party for a select number of close friends -- more of a night on the town affair just before the wedding.)  The Australian bridal shower equivalent is the kitchen tea, which is only like the latter type of American bridal shower.  I'm not exactly sure how Australian girls get their ... trousseaux, if you will ... but evidently it's not my job to provide too much of it for a friend.  I think ...)

quicko: no food afternoons

Heaven forbid you try to find food before dinner in Australia.  Today I went to Manly, hoping to get a late lunch at Ground Zero.  Unfortunately, it had just closed.  Granted, it was a very late lunch -- nigh on to 5 pm -- but all I really wanted was a BLT and I couldn't get one for love or for money anywhere in Manly.  Well, I suppose I could have if you count $15 as money, but I find that egregious for a BLT and refuse to pay.  But between the two cafes I really wanted to go being closed for food, the open ones being atrociously priced (and also not even having BLTs), I finally had to settle on a chicken sandwich (consummately not bacon) for $11.  Still pricey, but I was starving.  I hadn't eaten since 7 am, and last time I tried that and missed lunch I made it to 8 pm without getting food, at which point I gave up and waited till breakfast the next day.  This time I seized the day and went for Ben and Jerry's while I was at it.  Nothing like chocolate brownie ice cream on the beach to make you forget your BLT woes.

quicko: dental work

Thankfully I've never had to have dental work done in Australia -- mostly because it's egregiously expensive.  It's generally known to be one of the most ridiculously priced services in the country -- and that is saying something!

quicko: hessian sacks

AKA burlap sacks. 

quicko: cremorne point is a beautiful spot to spend an afternoon