Friday 2 March 2018

Saturday 3rd March 2018 - 40th Anniversary Mardi Gras , Northside Markets & 2 Games of Strike Bowling @ EQ

After taking care of my father next thing on my list is laundry and off to the Northside Markets.

A bus ride on the 343 then a short walk from West Street to Miller Street to get there. Between 9.30 am and 10.30 am I make a quick purchase of 100 grams of woodear and oyster mushrooms, a packet of  smoked fish sausages, young ginger, lemon thyme, 6 x finger limes, 1 x packet of spinach leaves and 2 x rounds of gluten free potato bread after scoffing down a freshly made $7.50 bacon and egg roll with chilli jam (which was the smallest bacon and egg roll I have ever had at a market and I could not even taste the chilli jam. To be honest it was not worth the price or the wait and the taste was very ordinary. Only 1 small slice of bacon with a small free range egg which both looked more appertizing being fried on the bbq then when I ate them in the bun - another stall further up had the same bacon and egg roll for $6 and it looked even tastier and better value. Will have to try theirs next time I visit the markets!). I also sampled foods along the way.











Next a quick trip home to dump my purchases into the refridgerator before heading off to babysit my nephew from 1 pm - 5 pm

A direct bus M40 from the North to the East. Met my sister at Bondi Junction and onto EQ about 15 minutes drive away. I was early despite the traffic and trip planner app indicating it would take 1 hour and 8 minutes to arrive at Bondi Junction.

Booked by phone for 1 adult and 1 kid for 2 games of 10 pin bowling at Strike Bowling at 2 pm . Not knowing how good (or bad) my nephew would be at bowling I ticked the bumpers up for under 12 year olds to give him an advantage from gutter balls.

First game over and even with my 2 strikes we tied. Next game I started to lose concentration and my nephew beat me by a long shot.




A very quick trip to the outdoor markets before ten pin bowling and a toliet stop (actually 3), my nephew decides he wants to only spend $10 of his pocket money on 20 minutes on the jumping castles. 3.10 pm a quick snack of my gluten free potato bread (which my nephew kept asking "please sir could I have some more" of , some chocolate and some water later , it was then time to take the 355 bus back to Bondi Junction which was running 4 minutes late.

At Westfield Bondi Junction my nephew decides to go to Harry Hartogs to purchase a Mindcraft book then he takes me to Blinq a photograph and print store where he wanted to purchase a whale print for $180 only to find it was sold out. Then onto Myers toy department and finally to Target to meet up with his sister and mother. 5 pm and it is time for me to head back to the city before the Mardi Gras parade begins at 7 pm. If I don't get to see the parade I hope to at least see them rehearsing in Hyde Park.

Walked to Hyde Park but rehearsals were limited. Took a few photos of parade participants then just followed the crowds. As usual had no idea where I was going.

Managed to find a spot next to a group of Melbourne girls all dressed up with their milk crates. I think Sydney residents have to learn a few manners. These Melbourne girls were so polite. They looked after me because I was so small and people kept pushing me off my little step stool or in front of me when they arrived late. It was not a pretty sight. I was not only pushed a lot but a fan someone threw hit a girl on her really hard on the shoulder standing on a crate next to me, it then bounced off just hitting my left thumb onto the ground. My water bottle and half of my unfinished sandwich was completely trampled on. And those bloody Asian tourists just have no manners at all. I somehow managed to withstand the entire 3.75 hours of the Mardi Gras parade with only one change in my pose - the Melbourne girls were so nice as soon as they saw someone leave in front of them they made sure I got the spot on the vacant milk crate but I was afraid that if I stood on it in front of them I would block their view. In the end I didn't even need the milk crate to stand on as I was so close to the front I could just stand and gave the milk crate to someone behind me. Unsure if the group of  Melbourne girls stayed for the entire parade as I turned around they had disappeared. This was their first time at a Mardi Gras and they were not really intetested in going to the after party - they just wanted to see the parade. There is glitter all over me even in my eyes (a group of tourist had a plastic bag which when I first turned around thought was a bag of drugs they were helping themselves to but it was just a bag of fine gold glitter which they tossed into the crowd getting all over me including my eyes) - it will take several showers to wash out!

Great parade though to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Mardi Gras. Took lots of photos causing my phone to only have 22% of battery life left! Therefore sorry no videos to upload.

End of another Mardi Gras! Hope to be home by 12 midnight. Rating : 8/10 one of the better Mardi Gras I have attended but still not enough crowd control or direction. Why can't everyone with milk crates and stools be allocated front row seats and everyone else stand behind so not to block others views. The people in front of me would not sit on their crates despite people asking them to and were much taller then me when I stood on mine hence blocking not only my view but others as well behind them.

The reversals @ Hyde Park.........





The parade from day to night...........












































The crowds.........

















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