Saturday was a busy day at the Bowen's getting ready for the big birthday bash for Mark's sixtieth. We had received the invite a few weeks prior to our trip and somehow had to figure out how to jam some 'Cocktail Dress' clothes into our already stuffed suitcases. A pair of heeled sandals and some jewelry for me to dress up black trousers and a black dress sweater and for Steve a jacket and dress trousers- the kind of clothes we used to pack for vacation 30 years ago before jeans became okay anywhere.
( If you really are interested, go to http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2015/08/what-all-of-those-confusing-dress-code-terms-really-mean/ )
We knew that Georgia and Tom, and Tim and Christie, the Bowen kids and their spouses, were heading over around noon to help get the house set up, the grog was being delivered at 4 and the caterers arriving at 6:30. Steve and I love a party, including helping, but we also know how to be good guests and so we headed out and into the city for a while to get out of everyone's hair.
There was a market at The Rocks, the oldest area in Sydney, with tents of food and jewelry and clothing, a nice hour stroll with a couple small purchases.
We headed up George Street in the direction of the QVB, Queen Victoria Building, an old British/Parisian style shopping arcade.
As we were walking, a peep down an alley found a musical group of instruments and singers playing Xmas music and being filmed. We headed over to watch and listen as they sang under a sky-full of birdcages, what a great secret piece of alley art!
The secret in Angel Alley..... 
The concert hall right there seemed the perfect spot to find a quick and clean bathroom. We popped in and saw quite a bit of activity- young Asian boys and girls in tuxedos and fancy dresses, beautiful faces, and they appeared to be getting ready for a recital. So in we snuck....and if this wasn't the epitome of Asian culture. The auditorium was filled, there were exactly two Caucasians, Steve and I, and dozens of Chinese kids, probably nervously awaiting their turn at the extra large grand piano.
Of course I wanted to stay and watch. Those faces were completely adorable. The recital started with the youngest and smallest, a boy maybe 4 years old, in white tails. He formally walked to the piano, sat, flipped his tails behind him and with great pomp played a fifteen second rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, to great applause. I could have watched all day but after about four songs, we had to pull ourselves away and get on with our day so we could get back for the Big Party.
By the time we returned to Paradise Lane, the sofas were moved back, the table pushed aside, the candles ready to be lit and the flowers perfectly arranged. We got to meet the Bowen clan, including the adorable Rosie, the first of the next generation.
In just a few short hours the house had transformed from it's usual fantastic look to an event venue with a bar on the porch to grab your first drink to a huge space with the back glass door/walls completely opening onto to deck to form one flowing floor. The day was cool, perfect for having 80 of your closest friends over to celebrate. We managed to find time for all eight of us to get showered and dressed and ready by 7PM, everyone in their finery.
I don't even know where to begin to describe the evening except to say, the Bowen's have amazing friends, from the caterer who did the spectacular food, to the warm welcomes we got from each person we met, and the kids who created a special birthday cocktail at the bar and put together a montage of Mark, from young with hair to costumed at the many Fancy Dress parties through the years.
The night was full of champagne and conversation and although it was impossible to keep up on all the names, I can recall the countries of origin and living went from all parts of Australia to New Zealand to Britain to Uganda, the Caribbean and Asia.
Everyone was so friendly with warm hugs hello and lots of advice for our continuing escapades Down Under. It was one of those buzzy parties, where the volume of the chatter just built and built until every person was talking loud and fast and laughter heard everywhere. At 2AM, when the last guest was gone and the clean up was enough for Andrea to insist we go to bed, the party was over, and boy, it was fun.
Everyone was so friendly with warm hugs hello and lots of advice for our continuing escapades Down Under. It was one of those buzzy parties, where the volume of the chatter just built and built until every person was talking loud and fast and laughter heard everywhere. At 2AM, when the last guest was gone and the clean up was enough for Andrea to insist we go to bed, the party was over, and boy, it was fun.
Everyone had slept over, the four bedrooms were full of kids and grandkids, and the morning was filled with coffee, picking at the leftover smoked ham and pushing back the furniture. We played with Rosie and Betty, their sweetheart of a schnauzer, and hung out, feeling so part of the family. Although they might not agree, the Bowens are a made for TV family, funny and smart, and we love that they let us take the behind the scene tour. And so even though we love the sights, like the bridge and the zoo, the beaches and the markets, being absorbed into the daily Aussie life and culture is the best part of all. You can't buy these kind of experiences, and doing it with Mark and Andrea is certainly doing it "Five Star" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. They are the best of Sydney for us and in such a quick time feel like the best of friends.
The rest of Sunday was for recuperating and we again got out of Andrea's hair to let her 'unparty' the place as she liked. We walked into Chatswood CBD for a manicure and a dumpling snack, enjoying the bustle of a Sunday afternoon in 'Little Asia' with everyone out and about starting their Christmas shopping.
Sunday evening found us at a little neighborhood Indian restaurant meeting up with Sheila and John, two more 'boatmates' from the Panorama sail. It was lovely to catch up and to find they will be in Colorado this winter for five weeks. We are hoping they will find a few days to stop skiing (John is a skiing enthusiast, which is putting it mildly, and intends to ski all day, everyday for the solid 35 days of their house swap) and visit us in Santa Fe, only a six hour drive or a short flight from Denver. We had a lovely meal, a couple of good bottles of wine and yet again, an evening that made us feel like we were living in Sydney and dining with old friends. It doesn't get much better.
P.S. - On Monday an email arrived from Trish, a feisty red-headed friend who had promised to send a list of great Noosa eats (our next destination). Not only was it chock full of information on where to go, when and what to order, but a reservation had been booked in Steve's name, for lunch on Friday at Seasons, 12:00, right on the beach, at her favorite table, #374……. That pretty much sums up Aussie hospitality!
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