Happy Australia Day!

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One of my best mates (in Australia) just moved into a flat in the St Kilda area (Elwood) which is just a couple of blocks from the beach, depending on how one travels to get there. Apparently that can be quite confusing the more one drinks. While I found my way quite easily, particularly given most mobile phones now have maps and gps...but for my friend and her b/f, it was more than they could manage. But I skip ahead...

St Kilda lighthouse

watching the setting sun at St Kilda

So the day began with beautiful-couldn't-ask-for-better weather - sunny, cloudless blue skies, and a median temperature of 25C in the sun, and 20C in the shade. My friend and I had planned a day at the beach, starting out with a picnic at her new but empty apartment. I was up early to start gathering what I would need, and popped down the road to one of the 4 bottle shops on the corner for some beer, but alas, the alcohol section at the IGA was not open until 10am...so I grabbed some food and went back to the apartment to continue packing up to head to St Kilda. Dundee became sulky as he does when he sees me packing up bags, like a child I swear. Then back to the bottle shop (liquor store) for some beer and ice. Finally get on the road with my phone gps maps for guidance as I had not driven to her new digs before and I was looking to try a new route that would take me over the West Gate Bridge, as I usually go over the Bolte. Both offer spectacular views of the city and bay. Traffic was a breeze and I arrived promptly at noon.

setting sun at St Kilda

The drinking was well under way, so I jumped right in, prepared to spend the night sleeping either on her floor or in my car. They had lugged over the spare room mattress and I was meant to bring my air mattress but forgot for some reason. I blanked on that one. Anyhow, we sat around having drinks, getting to know each other and waited for a few more friends to turn up before we headed down to the beach. As it always is with trying to move a group forward to the next destination by foot, it can take awhile as the lambs stray off and then fold back into the herd. St Kilda's main drag was busy, with all the pubs and restaurants spilling out into the street. We ended up grabbing a booth for an hour at a mexican place for late lunch/early supper. And then it all became rather confusing. We began walking along the main drag and on up the street for some reason towards "espy" which no one could explain to me what that meant - were they referring to the esplanade/boardwalk along the beach? was it the name of a pub or restaurant? Was it the name of one of the beaches. When traveling with drunken people, three of whole I barely know, it was rather frustrating, so I let them wander as I broke off from the herd and went straight for the beach. I had come to St Kilda to go to the beach, not to pound the pavement looking for yet another pub to get turned away from. I can do that anytime of year in any part of the country...so I sat on the beach and people watched, wading in at times to my knees. I took several photos of the setting sun which was just beautiful on the water.

nearly there!

Eventually my herd caught up with me again on the beach after they made it to "espy" which still remains undefined for me. They flopped on the boardwalk with a slab of beer, so I thought - great! we can toss back some cold ones while the sun sets. Then it got a bit crazy as everyone else wanted to go to a beach somewhere else about 2 kms from here, promising that I could watch the sunset there, and there would be less people, as my friend is a bit self-conscious about her legs. As one of my friend's mates shoved a phone in my face with a map to the beach, and my drunken friend and her drunken boyfriend rattling on about going to Elwood beach, which would take about 20-30 minutes to walk with this particular herd of slow folks, by which time the sun would be well below the horizon. I finally had to tell them to piss off and let me watch the goddamn sunset. They wanted to swing by the apartment first and change clothes and then head back, which would guarantee another hour for these inebriated folks It wasn't setting in 20-30 minutes, it was setting NOW and would be down within 10 minutes. So they finally took the cue and pissed off, telling me the boyfriend would come back to pick me up later. I'm not sure what that meant really...we had come on foot and I don't need a babysitter to find my way to wherever they were. 

so gorgeous

So I watched the goddamn sunset in peace and quiet, surrounded by people from all walks of life, as the popular beaches tend to be. Everyone left me the hell alone, and the sun slipped below the horizon in all the glory that my Canon could handle. It was magic. Then I began my walk back to my friend's place, skirting the beach for as long as I could before turning up her street. No one home of course, so I sat in my car listening to music while I charged my iPhone. Before long the trio arrived with a tag along they found wandering...he turned out to be a bit of a dick. I notice my friends go to a doorway and attempt to gain access, and struggling, and I recall initially wondering why they are not at their own doorway, but then questioned my own memory since I had only first been there today...some old fella let them in so I followed on up the stairs, all the while the old gent is asking us who we are and if we are there to see Nathan...who? No, my friend's b/f says they just moved into Unit 6 this weekend. Old fella tells them we are in the wrong building as the door we are trying to put the keys into are for apartment 10..a 10 on the door and a 10 on the wall beside the door. Okay then...we should exit...and enter the correct building next door. Off we go..

kissing the horizon

We all tumble into the correct apartment which is now shrouded in darkness as the power was unable to be turned on in time for the weekend. I settle into my chair with a beer on the balcony while the others fumble around in the dark for drinks, cigarettes, etc. The tag along guy is on the phone to someone about his ex girlfriend daring to be at a party held by his mates, because they are HIS mates, and she shouldn't go there. What a moron. He spends about 20 minutes standing on the balcony arguing on the phone, after bumming a cigarette and a beer and still no one really knows who he is. He tried to put the moves on my friend's friend, who is more fond of the ladies than men, and he keeps on trying. We finally convince b/f to move him along...and he seems surprised...I think he thought he was going to crash along with us...no, not happening fella. We are all grown people with real jobs. The crash pad is buried with the wreckage of our twenties...

almost gone

He didn't take being asked to leave very well, but then before I know it, the herd wants to head to the beach and are taking him with them. Great, off you go. Initially I thought b/f was staying back with me as my friend said they were going back down for a dip and would be right back...I knew better. Everyone cleared out, I told them I would probably be in my car, so just come find me there when they get back. I settle down in my car and within 20 minutes, my friend's female friend is trucking back up the street, buzzing to get into the apartment. Apparently my friends did not hear me when I said I was going to my car, and they would need their keys. This gal had left all her stuff in the apartment, including the keys to her own car, and her apartment, as well as wallet, clothes, etc. My friend and her b/f couldn't find the beach they were looking for so started walking to find  another one quite a distance away, and so gal came back to apt....I did not have any keys because no one gave me keys. Now gal is stranded to sleep on the doorstep until drunken friend and b/f return home. Of course, I cannot do that to the girl. I offer for her to jump in my car and wait with me for my friend to return. 

just a smidge left

We then decide to drive around a bit near the beaches to see if we could find them. We were seriously doubting they were fit to be swimming and reckoned they were more likely to be having sex on the beach...or on the grass near the beach. We trolled around, did not locate. They both failed to answer phone or text messages, and we started wondering if this drunken couple that was to play host to us tonight had even taken their phones with them, or were they ringing out to an empty apartment? No, and Yes. So gal and I drove around a bit, then back to the apartment curb to wait. Then drove around and did it all over again. About 2 hours later our friends return, piss eyed drunk, having never found the beach first or last. Stumbled up the door and into their apartment = thankfully they did actually have keys with them. The gal was fretting that they might not and we'd all be stuck...well not me, I was planning to drive home since I'd only had one beer in the previous 8 hours. I grabbed what I needed out of their apartment and drove home...I'm not sure if they will even remember we were there at the end. I was in a bit of a pissy mood and there was no point to address anything with two very drunken and disoriented people in the dark, heh heh. In any case, the beach was lovely and I enjoyed it the most when I was alone...go figure...