Rabbitor meets Rufus

A day in the Paramatta district and we start with urban culture as personified in this Banksie homage.

 

Then we "step up"

 

On our way to the train station P remembers as a 17 year old apprentice in short overalls and hairnet, being sent by a supervisor for a set of these and a short stand.

 

I revert to being 6 again, because our trip means we are sitting atop a double decker train, the same enthusiasm climbing the no n14 bus stairs come flooding back.

In order to get here

 

Where I learn "sportsmanship" is universal; but a little history to set the scene:

Hull Kingston Rovers stadium, a rugny league match

-          Ref I think you might be looking at the match through rose tinted spectacles

In the 10 bleems it takes for me for me to absorb the phrase and think "Wow" that's a first, no swear words and such a delicate metapho.

However the utterer of said phrase is also thinking, and shouts more vehemently,

-       YA BASTARD!

Shift to the present:

Sydney Rabbitors playing Illuwhahahahahahaha Dragons (or something like).

P struggles with the notion of a bunny rabbit for a rugby team emblem and come on you have to admit running out on the pitch after this is hardly going to fill the opposition with dread

 

Especially when the opposition's mascot is really scary.........

But then P’s Hull KR mascot goes by the name of Rufus and ....

 

Anyway where was I, ah yes, Rabbitors have 3 players of the same Burgess family which means ice cream and Beverley, East Yorkshire to me but the boys come from Leeds. Apparently Russell Crowe spotted them during a location hunt for Gladiator when the Sat nav accidentally sent him to the Leeds Corn Exchange.

So play gets underway, with all the expectant rough, tumble, joshing and jolly japes. Behind me is North Sydney’s answer to Alf Garnett, sporting a flag to cover the entire state of New South Wales….it’s that big that whenever he attempts to wave it his mates have to grab hold of his shirt to stop him tipping into the cheap seats.

Youngest Burgess manages a neck high tackle on a dragon player which elicits from Alf :

-       Rip the Pommie bastard’s head off

See what I mean about the universality...

We, plus three hitherto unnoticed Warrington fans, slide down into our seats in case the flag pole is to become a pike.

So have you guessed where it is yet? Ok here’s a great big clue - zoom in and read the words.

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree

The last day of the mammoth trip begins with 3 hours driving through charred forests with the odd snatch of greenery which reminds us of similar trips in the southern US. The road seems interminable and at 2 pm P hears the call of Ulladulla and I instantly have this in my head, as you do.  With the urge to swim in the sea for the last time we pootle on in and I take one look at this and think Carmel 2008, grit, tweezers..and the rest.

 

 

Twenty yards to the right we have this

 

 



And 20 yards to the left  - the mist off the surf

...not a chance; I'll play the admiring wimp with her camera. If you move the scroll bar quick enough it's almost an action movie...I have a highly alliterative film title ...........

Baywatch and the Barmy bu..g..r.

Ursula Undress eat you heart out.

As he emerges from the waves two surfers pass by:

- You wonting the husband's inshoorance?

I look perplexed.

- The surf is very dayngeroos today.

The rain sets in and Flipper has to stop, but not before the high class change of clothes in the public car park and frightening himself to death when half of Niagara Falls cacscades from his nose onto the back seat of the car; and who said romance is dead.

As we leave Ulladulla memories flood back...Witham, Hull,  circa 1971, dad burning rubber on his Honda 50 , me riding shotgun,Jungle Book sticker skid lid bobbling about on my head, checking for PC Jobsworth who might book us for blazing a trail for Banksie with the tin of ice white Dulux that has just fallen off the back making the speed limit on the road into twentybleah miles.

3 hours later Bonnie and Flipper, who is feeling the effects equivalent to having Giant Haystacks administer a sports massage, roll up at the more sedate surroundings of the Royal National Park. And we appear to be in the midst of the most exhibitionist wildfowl , the cutest of which we believe to be

But then this little fellow hollers down and teases us at 10 feet

 

 

Becomes positively coquettish at 4 feet away

…indulge me

There's another 10 and I deleted 10 that were blurry through excitement.