Didn’t we have a lov-erly time…
…the day we went to Manly.
It was a picture perfect day in Sydney yesterday, so we took a few hours off. On a whim we caught the ferry to Manly, with no purpose in mind other than to enjoy the ride, like this little lad.
Neither of us works full-time any more. No-one is forcing me to sit at my computer and bash away at the keys in a so far unsucessful attempt to write a novel (not that I’m giving up any time soon) but it still felt like we were skipping school.
We hopped on a ferry from Balmain to Circular Quay then joined hundreds of tourists on the top deck of the Manly ferry.
Commuters in a hurry get the fast ferry. Those of us on a day out wait for the slower boat that glides past the Opera House with plenty of time for photos, before chugging along the length of the harbour and ending up in Manly half an hour later.
With no plan in mind we wandered up the main street, from the calm waters of the harbour at one end to an ocean beach with a long surf break at the other.
We dropped onto the warm sand with coffee and muffin and sat with our backs to the breakwater to enjoy the view.
We weren’t the only ones relaxing in the sunshine.
An hour later we wandered back to the ferry, bought an ice-cream and caught the ferry home. There can’t be too many cities in the world where you can nip out for a long lunch and come back with sand in your shoes.
What a glorious day. And I got to enjoy it with this lovely man.
PS For anyone interested, the title is cribbed from an old Fiddlers Dram song, Day Trip to Bangor:
Didn’t we have a lovely time the day we went to Bangor,
A beautiful day, we had lunch on the way, and all for under a pound.
If you’re over sixty you can travel on Sydney ferries all day for just $2.50. That’s not much more than a British pound!
17 comments on “Didn’t we have a lov-erly time…”
Leave a reply to rthepotter Cancel reply
I'm a writer based in Australia with a passion for gardening, remote places and people with a story to tell.
Strawberries in the Desert 
I lived in Mosman for a long time, and worked in the city. Commuting by ferry (slow ones) kept me sane.
Good luck with the novel.
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I completely agree Helen, sanity gets restored when you’re out on the water away from all those buildings. And thank you for your good wishes, nothing to be done but glue my backside to a chair and get on with it I fear!!
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Your country is one that I have always wanted to visit. I used to talk to an Amateur Radio Operator there a long time ago. It was truly a beautiful day you had with fantastic pictures.
Good luck with the novel, I hope it starts ticking up for you again.
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Hope you get to make that trip one day Ron, Australia really is a beautiful country. And thank you for your good wishes re the novel, ticking up sounds like just what it needs, and a nice gentle encouragement too!
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Thanks for the mini tour!
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Ha ha, that’s what it felt like for us too, a teeny tiny cruise, without the need to stay on board for two weeks!
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At times, we need to be spontaneous and just let go and enjoy.
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Too true!
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(Groaning with nostalgia) Lucky lucky you. I lived in Manly for a while, long long ago, and went to work on the old ferries. Manly and Fairy Bower are all poshed up now I see on Google – our little block of flats has been replaced by some orgulous lump. The ocean still looks wonderful though.
(I wonder if the enormous cockroaches still swarm out of the rocks onto the promenade as soon as it gets dark?)
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Oh my goodness! I somehow always imagined you in England next to a roaring fire in winter, I suppose because of your pic, yet when I think back many of your posts are of the shore and the ocean. Amazing to think how some of us scuttle across from one side of this world to the other. Hope those Aprille shoures have produced some May floures.
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PS I hope Elsie wasn’t sick 🙂
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Ah Deb! Sounds delightful. Not so many sleeveless days down here but magnificently crisp and lovely nonetheless! Keep having these luvverly days love!
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Looks like Canberra skipped autumn and went straight to winter! Hope you’re enjoying those sunny days from the top of the hill
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It’s hard for me to even fathom a day like this, it feels like it’s been that long:). And yet, you made me long for one. Thank you! The kick in the rear I needed . . .
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It should be so easy in Sydney, we really have no excuse for sitting too long in front of a computer, yet all too often it gets to the end of a day and I’ve barely glanced out of the window. These machines are so seductive, you can definitely have too much of a good thing (hah, and I thought I’d learn that by now!)
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You have captured that wonderful unique atmosphere of Sydney, Deb. How wonderful to travel by ferry. I’m sure it benefits your writing to get some sea air.
Wishing you well with your novel.
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Thanks Barbara, I’m a bit stuck on the novel but I’m not panicking yet, just letting it be for a while. And Sydney really is a very special city, no wonder so many tourists want to visit!
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