Dear All,

A long week of absolute silence. Not that I have gone lost in the wilds of Australia, far from it: I have thoroughly enjoyed several long walks along the lovely beach at Dee Why. Mid-winter but this Belgian lady can go hiking in her lightest summer dress. In the afternoon, the temperatures easily reach 20 °C. The only drawback to the climate here is, once the sun disappears behind the horizon (which is always the case by 6 o’clock), the heat seems to be absorbed by a large air-conditioning system, switched on to blow very strong cold air. The difference between day and night can easily exceed 20°C, and that is something I struggle to get used to.

Last week had a very bizarre start. Having dealt with many e-mails, I just wanted to reward myself with an enjoyable walk. Because it is in my nature to link the pleasant (having a chat) to the useful (stretching the legs), I am always on the lookout for a collocutor. Walking along the beach, I spotted 2 men talking to each other, while one of them picked something up from the beach and that was more than sufficient to arouse my curiosity. So, I decided to walk up to them in order to find out what proved to be so interesting. Just as I was about to reach them, one of the 2 was shooting away, as if he had been stung by a scorpion. The remaining man, realising that no escape was possible, not knowing what to say, showed me the piece of rock, which he held in his hand, asking “Do you recognize this shape?”. I could not resist to laugh, as that piece of rock looked like a stone penis. Smiling I replied: “ Well, this certainly counts as an opening sentence!”. The ice was immediately broken, eventually we ended up walking the beach together. He told me that his friend had disappeared at the speed of lightning since he did not know what to say. I still chuckle when thinking of the one that stayed behind, trying to talk himself out of it… One of the many chance encounters on my trek. One, that has proved to be very interesting since he was a mining engineer, who had worked in the mining industry. During our walk I was given a respectable geology lesson on the rocks of Long Reef. It does not always have to be history…

The week was pretty quiet until Thursday afternoon, when I was being collected to go to Ashfield, where I was to lecture that evening. The local RSL club was chartered by the Historical Motor Vehicles Association. Sometimes, I wonder whether people are worried about my waistline as I am always being offered food. The restaurant of this club ticks all the boxes though. It very rarely happens that I fill my plate twice!  This is also something typical Australian: people go to a club instead of a café. Each club requires an annual membership fee (which varies from 3 to 10 dollars) which entitles you to discount for each meal, you take there. So one can easily recover the dues that way since meals are really cheap. For 17 dollar, you can eat as much as you like, with appetizer and dessert included. The disadvantage is that you must be a member, or a guest invited by a member ( which is the case for me every time). I need to register again and again. Another huge difference with Belgium is that clubs all have countless poker machines. It is the generous income from these “one armed bandits “(as we refer to these machines in Belgium), which allows the meals to be offered at a more than reasonable price. It is nothing new to me that Australia has a problem with ambling addicts, which in many cases appear to be middle-aged women.

My mother often told me that I was born talking since I rattled endlessly. Sure enough, I am beginning to believe it too. When the chairman told me that there was no time limit, I knew straight away that it would be a pleasant chat. And this is what it proved to be: a reading of 2.15 hours with a break of 15 minutes can count. It still gives me a kick to capture an audience and hearing afterwards that this was the best lecture they had heard for long, made it so much more rewarding.

After that lecture, I was going to stay in Castle Hill, another suburb of Sydney. Having thrown a quick look at the map (against better judgement) I had estimated my destination to be some 15 minutes away. Since I had informed my new hosts that I was most likely going to be arriving by 10.30 pm, I began to worry when noticing that it was 10.20 pm, by the time everything was cleaned up. When mentioning to Ray, who was kind enough to drop me off at my new residence, that we were going to be a bit late, he calmly replied that it would take some 50 minutes to cover the distance. Oops… so far for my timing! At that stage, I realise that I am going to be arriving awfully late…When I finally show up at 11.30 pm, I find Phil and Carol waiting for me. But the evening is not to come to an end as yet since we retrieve memories till late into the night. What a wonderful experience it is to sense the feeling of “coming home” when arriving with such friendly people.

Friday is listed as a true Australian day and that means: nothing must be done, everything can be done…My host family has invited some friends, who clearly have been bitten by the WW I bug, so they would love to hear my talk. So I am to set off for a private show for a captive audience of 4 people. A different experience which is only interrupted to lack of time.

After that, I get to know their daughter, bringing her 4 children and the dog for a weekend at grandpa and grandma’s place. On the spot, the house changes into a hive in which Ewan, Emma, Hayley, Jordan and Russell, a oversized lively dog, are playing the main parts.  Later that evening a lava lamp doesn’t survive the cheerful lot and … stains the newly revamped carpet. Whilst grandma starts googling for a solution to remove the coloured oil, grandpa starts the cleaning. I am being assigned as a babysitter, a role which I thoroughly enjoy. Frankly, I was surprised that I managed to captivate them because that experience lays many years behind me now… It is late in the evening, when finally everyone get into her of his bed and the rest returns in this crowded house.

On Saturday, I am on the go for another Australian tour: from Castle Hill to Bathurst over the Blue Mountains. A trip of 4 hours, would you believe! No matter how many months I have been in Oz so far, I still struggle to understand that people are willing to drive 4 hours in order to attend a lecture. Our first stop is the RSL to check out on the room and the equipment, in order to check in to our hotel half an hour later. It appears to be a Best Western hotel  on the outskirts of Bathurst, a city with some 37000 inhabitants. Nothing new, when saying that standards in Australia differ from the European ones. However, I am pleasantly surprised to end up in a room with a very good working heating system. Although the size of the room proves to be rather small, that can not be said of the bathroom which is really spacious. A more than friendly hotel manager completes the picture.

It was reported to me that we were going to have dinner at a Thai restaurant with a group of 13 people. Fearing that spicy food was going to come my way, I have to admit that I looked forward with very little enthusiasm. However, I soon realised that there was no reason to worry, since the restaurant had an Aussie menu just as well. The chops I was presented, tasted like more… they were more than delicious. Only problem is: if I keep on eating at this pace, I will soon need to upgrade my wardrobe with one size! Only one negative comment to be mentioned: it is really cold in the restaurant. When one of our group asks for the heating to be switched on, no action is being undertaken. The same old story throughout the world: there are still people who do not understand that it is important to listen to your customers. It soon becomes apparent that one of the board members must have missed a career as a comedian: we are set for a long evening of laughing…and another laugh!

I has been a long time since I slept in a hotel room… I do miss the family atmosphere but since it is only for the one night, it doesn’t present that much of a problem. At 10 am the entire group leaves for the RSL club where I get an interview with a journalist from the local newspaper. Meanwhile, the room fills in with 60 people, who give me an extended thanks after a 2 hours lecture which came over them as a waterfall. One lady appears to be of French origin and would like to communicate with me in her native tongue. She doesn’t seem to grasp that I don’t feel comfortable to express myself in Molière’s language, not to mention that it is not very tactful to converse in a language, which the rest of the group doesn’t understand. On the other hand, I have to admit that a bit of French exercise surely doesn’t harm me…

And then it is time to hit the road to Sydney again: having left Bathurst at 3.15 pm, we arrive in Dee Why by 8.30 pm… On the return trip, the driver decided to take a different road in order to show me some more of the Blue Mountains. Until then I had wondered why the mountains had been given that name but then it became so obvious: there is a blue haze, caused by the oil of the gum trees, which  hangs just above the top of the trees. It changes the whole atmosphere into a fairly tale. It is simply impossible to describe this colour. Depending on the incidence of the sunlight, it varies from light blue to a very brittle intense shade of blue. This image burns itself into my brain… where ever I might end up on this planet, this is a picture I shall never forget.

Meanwhile I am back in my “permanent” home in Dee Why. I have a few days to pack my bright red suitcase for the umpteenth time, in order to drag it on it’s way to a new adventure. Brisbane , here I come!

Warm wishes,

Charlotte

Copyright : Charlotte Descamps 2012