Today is the day after the Labour Day public holiday in Victoria, in the land of Oz, and like a true Aussie, I took an extra day of annual leave to stretch out the long weekend.
The weather forecast for today had been looking good for some days, so I planned a day trip to Portarlington, a sleepy little beachside suburb on the Bellarine Peninsula, around 80 minutes' drive from my home. The plan was this:
Leave the house early with Muddy while the sky is still a dark, greyish pink, stop for a breakfast of delicious bacon and eggs or berry pancakes at the Sailors' Rest cafe in Geelong, grab the newspapers (broadsheets only - natch), some takeaway coffees, then head to the beachfront and park the car right under the conifers. We would spend our day swimming, sunbaking, reading the papers, then grab some salty and greasy fish and chips washed down with Blue Heaven milkshakes, followed by more sunbaking and swimming, then drive home relaxed and relatively de-crankified (unless West Gate Freeway traffic was hellish...).
Well, Muddy had other plans, and was unable to join me on this little trip so I put a call out to a few people asking if they'd be willing to play hooky and take the day off from their family, work or study commitments to join me. Sadly, there were no takers.
Haters. Dusty haters. You know who you are...
...and if any of you loved me just a little bit, you'd have said 'yes'. More importantly, if any of you really cared about your own work, life, balance as so many of you profess to do, you'd have given the Man the finger and joined me on my little late Summer (really early Autumn) sojourn.
10 Other Reasons why you should have joined me:
1. Because the drive on the West Gate Freeway was dead easy. The sky was blue and cloudless up high and the roads below were just as clear, the cars driven by mostly polite Zen maniacs.
2. Because I had Machine Gun Fellatio playing on the stereo, then Beastie Boys and Roxy Music.
3. Because I was having such a good time singing along on my own to my favourite naughty Jewish boys, that I missed the turn-off to Geelong city centre and was half way to the Great Ocean Road before I realised what I'd done (Hey Ladies, No Sleep Till Colac!!!) but I figured it out and got to Portarlington anyway.
4. Because the bacon, egg and cheese toastie and capuccino from the Portarlington Bakehouse were awesome.
5. Because the beach was deserted, save for the elderly Italian couple who kindly looked after my stuff when I went for a faux-Triathlon-style swim/splutter to the safety buoy and back.
6. Because the water was ice-cold and crystal clear with nary a ripple, making for easy floating and staring at the sky.
7. Because the grilled flake and potato cake were just salty and greasy enough.
8. Because I would rather someone I know apply the second layer of sunscreen to my back, not someone else's elderly nonna. (Though her hands were pretty marvellous...)
9. Because George Megalogenis' latest book The Australian Moment is so good and so full of wonderful insights I needed to read bits aloud to someone every few pages, and lastly,
10. Because even the most self-contained person needs to share a perfect day with a loved one.
So next time someone invites you to take the day off work, school, study and spend the last days of Summer on the beach, don't say 'no'. Work, study and family will aways be there, but a hot sunny 30-plus-degree day in Autumn is rare and special.
And so am I.
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