Station Ident: Beached

Disappearing handrails at Dee Why beach, Sydney
Disappearing handrails at Dee Why beach, Sydney

I’ve taken temporary refuge1 in a country so emphatically beachy that it resists any attempts us monkeys make to lay infrastructure on the shore. There’s always plenty of “research” to be done while I’m here — I can confirm, for example, that Toohey’s Extra Dry (“Ted”, to its friends) does have contexts in which it’s perfectly fine and lovely,2 and that the Murray’s bar in Manly has morphed significantly since my last visit (though not obviously to the worse, at all). More-exotic explorations to follow, and possibly also some things to upload here while I’m away, since we have a podcast in the bag and I’ve got several drafts (some ranty, some rapturous) I may find time to hack away at.

But mostly it’s a holiday, in that particular time of year rich with people-to-see and plenty of food and all sorts of idiosyncratic traditions. I’ve just indulged in one of mine, re-watching Seinfeld’s ‘The Strike’ episode,3 and so should take the time to with you all a happy Festivus and a bloody marvellous holiday season all round. Since I always used to work right through what everyone else called “the break”; I always have to ask that everyone be especially nice to their bar staff and everyone else who keeps the world ticking over — and if you are one of those people, I hope you have a munter-free and convivial week. Stay safe and as stress-free as possible, and may there be plenty of lovely beers — to have, and to give. Cheers!


†: Indeed, it occurs to me — closer to the writing of this post rather than (you know) this one, hence the un-numbered footnote — that I’m in a town that’s basically built on fossilised beach. The sandstone around here, a sprawling coastal metropolis very-fond of carving motorways about the place, is gorgeous. 
1: If you can call it that. Given my kegtris-technician cold-weather constitution and the heatwave Sydney’s having, a lot of effort has to go into simply not spotaneously combusting. 
2: It’ll come as no great shock that these mostly involve a) extremes of temperature outside and b) Ted’s prior existence in the fridge. 
3: No bagel no bagel no bagel

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