IN TOWN

FRIDAY 10th DECEMBER

  The weather continues to be very warm, if a tad overcast. After the morning coffee/tea and toast, Mark and I walked down to Eastwood Station and caught the express train into Sydney Central, which only stopped at Strathfield on the way in.  We walked up Pitt Street and suddenly discovered we were heading the wrong way, and turned back and cut across to George Street.  After a while we parted company with Mark carrying on up George Street whilst I returned to Pitt Street.  Lawson's Record Shop was still there and I had a thorough browse and came away with three CD's including a triple Barbara Streisand for $10.  I failed to find Red Eye in Pitt Street, but the better Red Eye store in King Street was still there and I found a Brownsville Station CD for just under $10 as well as a Gary Puckett & the Union Gap CD with their first two LP's on it.

  Mark duly phoned me at 12.30pm and we met up at the bottom of the pedestrianised section of Pitt Street, and adjourned to a bar where for $10 we got a beer and a very nice meat sandwich.  We then went our separate ways again and I looked into Dymock's book shop and utilised one of their armchairs to read a part of a book on sledging.  By the time I got to Town Hall, I had had enough of walking and phoned Mark to say there was a train at 4.15pm back to Eastwood.  He said he was still wandering around, so discovering there was also a train at 4.00pm I jumped on that.  Mark did make the next train and so arrived soon after me.

  After we had got back, Robert phoned to say he was going to be at the Epping Hotel with Pav later on, so we eventually walked to the station and caught a train the one stop to Epping.  Pav was there with his wife Leslie as well as Rob, sitting outside in the smoking area.  Pav is of Croatian origins whilst Leslie is from Canada.  Mark accused Pav of being a poofter for switching his drink to an iced Tequila something or other that Leslie was drinking, but shot himself in the foot somewhat when admitting that if he wasn't drinking beer he might indulge in a Bailey's!

We seemed to get through quite a few rounds (Mark and I were in our own round), before eventually Pav and Leslie went home.  We adjourned inside where Rob talked to his Irish mate Kevin and his son Steve who had recently come over from Eire.  More drinks were consumed.  We then got into conversation with an English immigrant, who had been in Oz for 10 years and purported to support Australia in the cricket.  He got some stick from Mark and Robert!  However he did have one redeeming feature in being a Spurs supporter.  As the evening wore we suddenly noticed that Robert was not in our midst.  Mark went off to search for him but returned empty handed.  We were baffled, but also hungry so eventually decided to catch a train back to Eastwood and go to the Eastwood Hotel for something to eat.  The something turned out to be T-bone steaks, and mine I recall was very good, however Mark has no recollection of what his tasted like!  We walked back home and I reckon I was asleep before my head even touched the pillow!