Boots and Suits

Ahhh a weekend away in a nice and peaceful town is sometimes all you need. What better place than Bowral right?

Me, Ruby, and Stephen were all heading down there as Stephen had a wedding to attend. He explained to me a few days prior that the theme was Boots and Suits. He started searching for that perfect pair of cowboy boots to complement his charcoal grey suit.

A few days later we were off! Stephen had trekked it from the inner west to the Northern Beaches via bus with a small suitcase and head full of dreams. We began our drive with Ruby being the driver (Yes I still don't have my license, and neither does Stephen, and its just getting sad now) We packed our things, filled up the tank and then Stephen decided to ask us a question "When we get there, can we go to the charity shop to purchase a pair of boots?" Ruby and I both looked at him in surprise.

"You didn't buy your cowboy boots??! The wedding is tomorrow" I said.

Ruby added on "You know by the time we get there the shops will be closed right?"

It seemed to catch Stephen off guard as he began to argue that its only an hour and a half drive and we'll be fine. Ruby pointed to the navigation system that showed the approximate arrival time of 4:49.

Yeah nah there was no time.

In true type B Stephen fashion, he brushed it off with a "No worries, I'll buy them tomorrow before the wedding"

Sometimes I think i'm type B, and then I have a conversation with Stephen. There's truly nobody quite like him. And it only got worse from there. As if the boots weren't an issue, he nonchalantly dropped it on us, that he didn't have his suit.

I'm sorry...what? Who forgets their suit when they're going to a wedding?!

He said he wanted to buy a new suit anyway, but it seemed he forgot one small detail. We were going to Bowral. A place not exactly known for their huge suit shop range.

Honestly I had no words. Oh well. He'll have to sort it out I suppose.

Two hours later and a venture through suburbs of Sydney that us Northern Beaches folk have never seen before, we arrived at our cute little airbnb. Situated about 5 minutes from Bong Bong street. A street we became extremely familiar with.

We ended our day with a pub feed, a few bevs, and a game of Kings cup.

Day 2. Wedding day.

Wedding start time: 12:30

Approximate time Stephen left to shop for his suit and boots: 10:20 Rubes and I met up with him at 10:50. No suit. No boots. Somehow still confident.

He had seemingly visited every suitable store on Bong Bong Street, but nothing was working. At this point we decided to ditch the boots altogether. He was only attending the ceremony anyway.

The suit, however, was non-negotiable.

We headed back to Gazman, a store he'd already browsed. Now, Gazman aren't exactly known for their suits, but by 11:15 we weren't exactly in a position to be picky.

The thing that slows any shopping trip down is Stephen's inability to make a decision on his own.

He'll hold up two shirts and ask which one you'd choose.

You answer.

Then he asks why.

You explain.

He argues with your reasoning.

Eventually we settled on a blazer and some pants that were close enough to suit pants. Then Stephen became concerned about finding the perfect belt.

Forget the damn belt Stephen! It's nearly 11:30 and you're still trying clothes on.

The sales assistant took pity on us after learning he had a wedding to attend in less than an hour.

"I better start steaming the shirt then," she said.

Finally, against all odds, we had an outfit and made our way back to the Airbnb.

With Stephen at the wedding, Ruby's mum suggested we visit a local bee farm owned by people she knew. I like bees! Can't stand honey though. Even the smell of it makes me gag. Bees are amazing though. Their teamwork is so admirable you know? I digress.

Off to the Bee farm we went!

Perhaps this is my fault, but when somebody says "bee farm", I picture rolling hills covered in beehives.

There were about five hives at this one.

A tour was underway when we arrived, which we had of course missed, so we decided to browse the shop instead. It consisted of honey, a few books and an awkward, silent atmosphere.

Eventually a sales assistant appeared and offered us some honey to taste.

Unfortunately, I hate honey.

Not dislike.

Hate.

So instead, we stood there in awkward silence while I attempted to salvage the interaction with a few jokes. They received polite chuckles, which somehow made the situation worse.

After approximately three minutes, Ruby and I accepted defeat and retreated back to the car.

With no other plans, we decided to visit a lookout we'd found on Google Maps.

Unfortunately, Google Maps was using the term lookout very loosely.

What we found was a cul-de-sac and a bush.

Thankfully, we later found the actual Bowral lookout. We were enjoying the view when another woman arrived and stood so close to us that mine and Ruby's conversation ended immediately.

Now, she had every right to be there.

But she was standing at a distance usually reserved for people actively participating in the conversation.

Naturally, we left.

After briefly acknowledging that we were being ridiculous, we returned for a few photos before heading back to the Airbnb.

That night we saw the new scary movie. Not as good as the previous ones, but entertaining enough

Eventually it was home time.

Not much to say on this one. We scrambled cleaning up and managed to leave by 10. The drive back home was a lot quieter than on the way there. We had a little too much fun the night before and I don't think any of us really had any energy to hold a conversation.

All in all, it was a great weekend.

Stephen got to the wedding.

Ruby and I learned that bee farms contain significantly fewer bees than expected.

And Google Maps apparently has a very loose definition of the word "lookout."

I'd call that a success. I do recommend booking activities in advance if you're planning on going to Bowral☺️

Sez