Guns Blazing
I’m in my office at uni, I think there was just an earthquake. It felt like an earthquake anyway… Maybe it was the Army blowing something up over the range… or, it could’ve been the throbbing hangover that’s lingering from two nights ago. A hangover bought on by multiple jugs of rum and coke (which they have on tap in FNQ, and which I largely avoid, but at $12/jug what are you going to do?). The reason for the merriment? Phildo’s last night in The Ville.
Phildo arrived on Friday afternoon. I collected him from the ‘airport’ and whisked him along The Strand, to the pub for a quick beer, and up Castle Hill for an overview of the city. Once properly orientated, we headed back to our place and dropped off our stuff. Out to the uni to collect Zoe, and promptly onto the Magnetic Island ferry for some random-drunken-backpacker-fun. This ‘fun’ included Jailbird Jake doing the ‘backstroke’ dance move (where you lie on your back on the floor and imitate backstroke) and the ‘pussy commando’ (where you commando crawl along the floor) through the legs of the girlfriends of the Magnetic Island locals.
Saturday morning arrives too soon and it’s ‘all on’ at Horseshoe Bay, where jet-skiing is the order of the day. I’d never riden one before; All I’d heard was that they were either ‘loud and annoying’ or ’so much fun… like a motorbike on water’. They turned out to be both. Phil and I fanged around the bay for 30 mins. Ripping cutbacks as we gained confidence and got the hang of them. Phil went a little too hard and got launched off in a cloud of spray. We then had a drag race, maxing them out at 52mph. Heaps of fun, I’d love to take one out in surf.
Saturday afternoon we headed back to The Ville for some baseball action. Unfortunately the umpires were a little too blind and JCU went down 9-6.
Saturday night was barbie time. Karin, a German friend, was very confused when I emailed a bunch of the guys here at uni saying, “bring something for the barbie”. She replied, “do I bring a little skirt or some hair clips?”. But, to Karin’s dissapointment it was a new barbeque, not a new barbie doll. That’s right, after two and a half years, Zoe and I have finally got ourselves a BBQ; just a little two burner for the back balcony.
Phil had bought the good weather with him, and I’d bought some fish home from the last field trip. Three Barramundi (one in foil with lemon and two others in a secret 11 herbs and spices marinade) and a Mangrove Jack (in foil with macadamia nuts, lime, oil, salt, pepper, and spring onions). Yummo.
Sunday morning of the “weekend that keeps on giving”. The Tully Extremists meet at the Mobil on the Bruce Highway to inflate the tubes. I stop in at Raging Thunder (the local rafting company) to ask if we can hire some additional helmets as we’re three short. The grumpiest woman alive unlocks the door, tells me that all the gear is on the river and asks, “Do you know what you’re doing?”. I reply, “We’re all over it!” and leg it out of there before she slaps me.
We hit the river at lunch time and flex it down the river all afternoon. There are a variety of injuries. Taking the cake is Rusty with more bruising on his shins than me after the first baseball training of the season (which is saying something). I get a fat lip by smacking myself in the mouth with a paddle while manning the two-man tractor tube. Andy bangs his knee, Phil gets sunburnt, and Paul whacks his back. Tim (former Australian whitewater kayaking champion) is the only one to escape unscathed! Rusty took his underwater camera so there’ll be some sweet video clips coming soon!
Later that night, in between jugs of rum and coke, Phil gets Paul Kelly’s “I’ve done all the dumb things” dedicated to the Tully Extremists. What a weekend.
By the way, this was the view from our balcony this morning. Sucks to be you if you’re cold and damp!
May 17th, 2005 at 11:45 am
Sydney is 18 degrees - cold and miserable.
Go the extremists!!!!
May 17th, 2005 at 6:59 pm
where are the photos of Phil?????
May 18th, 2005 at 9:41 am
on their way!