A Bowral Of Laughs

The 4th Wedding of 2009 was a total hit. John & Soph slammed the whole thing together in 6 weeks and it was a resounding success, with good food, boutique beers and roaring fires.

She looked stunning (he scrubbed up well too) and from the first hints of 'Moon River' by the quartet, I felt like there was a finch fluttering behind my epiglotis. A reading about love as a garden is PERfect for a landscape gardener's wedding day, and the autumnal leaves floated down right on cue. It was just like a bought one, really.

Bowral makes West Bubblefuck seem like a tropical escape, and for the first time in years, I came home with my clothes smelling like smoke. But it was from the fireplace rather than cigarettes. Bill, Robyn & I hit the Royal on Friday night - 18 year olds in Armani tshirts with shiners dropping vodka into each others beers and dealing coke in the toilets. With brand new Suzuki Swifts lining the carpark. CUB central!

I love the fact that weddings are a chance to catch up with people who I feel were pretty formative in who I am today, but who I never get to see, separated by distance and the insanity of life. Robyn asked me if it was weird seeing the friends from the past, and my response astounded me. Mostly because I hadn't conciously thought it before, and also because I had been (gently) drinking for a number of hours, and wasn't aware I was capable of such insight at such a juncture.

Such occasions that allow us to reconnect with the peeps from our past are rarely awkward. In fact, they feel like comfort. Making new friends at nearly-30 is harder than it used to be. The friends that feel like old jeans, that feel like eating soup, that feel like a nanna rug, they are the ones that know all the stories. The ones about skinny dipping in Coogee, the ones about the rats in the kitchen, the ones about sinking into the floor, the ones about cheating on the Playstation and using the hose through the bathroom window. They are the ones who are effortless and easy. These kinds of friendships don't need much maintenance. Maybe a once a year catch up, an occasional text and an invite to a wedding! I love these friends the most.