Kooling off in Kogarah

I wake up feeling like Death; I am dripping in sweat, my bed sheets are soaked, my nose is blocked, my lungs feel wretched and my bladder is fit to bursting. I get up at half seven as quiet as I can, so as not to rouse the other inmates. With acute dexterity I quietly take the padlocks off my case and take out my bathroom gear and a fresh pair of underpants. I put on my shorts, making sure I have my room key card, and go out the door. I wander down a long corridor; there are loads of rooms in this place, just on this place alone. Finally I reach the bathroom area; there is a Mens and a Ladies. Uh oh. That means it's not going to be like the lush lockable bathrooms of Eva's. Indeed indoors, there are two toilet cubicles and two shower cubicles. However the sink and mirror are completely public access which I find pretty impersonal. I have slight OCDs about brushing my teeth and coming my hair, generally preferring to do these things alone without some random occupying the sink next to me. Anyhow I get things done, go back to my room, get dressed and then it's off to Campbell Parade for a spot of breakfast. I feel terrible and right now what I need is another big fruit salad. I trot down the road, dodging the early morning joggers, and the people off to surf before work. I buy a big punnet of mixed fruit salad for $7. I walk back up the road and over to the park area behind the beach. Sitting on a bench, I plug in my headphones and listen to some Mark III Deep Purple (Burn and Stormbringer albums), lightly tapping my feet as I eat while watching the beach people.
After the feast I head back up the road and back to the hostel. In my room, most people are up and have already disappeared. I gather my belongings, bring my linen down and check out. Fortunately, I now have the perfect place to convalesce and get away from most of this searing heat and crazy beach fanatics. Bondi is not a good place for ill people, especially if you are staying in a hostel. Thankfully my friend Alex, who my sister brought back with her from Australia, is very keen for me to meet and stay with his family. I am keen to meet them as well, and it seems there's no time like the present. A big white car pulls up; it's Rina, Alex's mother. She is a lovely lady, full of joy and laughter. She was born in Italy and is quite small with blonde hair. She kind of reminds me of my own mum in some respects. I put my case in her car, step inside and greet her grandson Antonio, who is sitting in a special baby's chair in the back. We chat for awhile as she drives us out of Bondi and on towards Kogarah. We make several stops on the way to get provisions; fruit, bread, cooked meats, cakes. She is very keen for me to choose what I want but I am still feeling pretty lousy and I am fully aware than I am coming across as non-commital and hard work. I worry that she is losing patience with me.
After gathering supplies we arrive at Alex's family's house. They live in a road called Payten Street, in Kogarah Bay. A couple of houses up in the same street, Alex's brother Matt lives with his wife Simone and Alex's grandmother (in the bottom part of the house). The houses on this road are magnificent; most of them have pillars and balconies that run the length of the place. Rina presses a button in the car which makes the garage door open; nice. We drive in, I get out and get my case from the boot. Inside the house everything is really bright and clean with big marble flooring and staircase. The room that I am staying in has a big double bed and private balcony, and the bathroom is right across the hallway with lovely marble-lined walk-in shower. Bliss!
Rina prepares the food while I sit on the couch watching FoxTel. This being Australia, it is of course Murdoch country, and his influence is everywhere. FoxTel is Australia's satellite service and it has a mixture of Australian, American and British programming. I watch a bit of Ratatouille while I eat, then after sitting back down in the couch I realise I am still unwell and completely shattered from the previous night. I head upstairs, lay down on my bed and sleep for 5 hours.
At around six there is a knock at the door. It is Matthew, Alex's brother. He is a lovely bloke, good sense of humour, small and rugged and with a kind of tough working Aussie charm. I head downstairs after freshening up and meet Simone, Matt's wife and mother to Antonio. She is bright as a button, pleasant to talk to and has a lovely smile. Her friend Rachel is here; she also seems nice, a bit quieter than the others but then so am I. Apparently her parents are from Felixstowe, in England. After a short while Alex's dad arrives home. Robert is in a word, awesome. He is a lot smaller than me and the first thing he says when he sees me is that I've come from the land of the giants. Over the course of the weekend I've discovered he has a brilliant personality and his sense of humour is spot on. He is of Italian parentage (but born here) and reminds me of a lovable cross between Sid James and Super Mario. He is also sports mad. I myself have only recently come to appreciate watching English football let alone anything else but I do my best to impart the little bit of sports knowledge I have. Also in the house are Alex's two boys, Andrew and James. Apparently they visit here on Fridays and stay over. They are playing on a Nintendo Wii. The game is Lego Star Wars and one of them is brandishing a wireless light sabre, which lights up blue and everything! The next day when I am briefly home alone I secretly pick it up and wave it about when no one else can see me. I had to try it, you understand?
We sit down to an excellent meal of chicken schnitzel, rice and potatoes. After dinner Matthew and Simone take me to their house up the street. It's another really nice, big house; lots of rooms lead off from corridors and there is a bar area near the front door (which is up the front stairs). Dotted around the perimetre of the main room are several cages containing lizards, geckos, snakes. Matthew takes out a small carpet python and lets me have a feel. I let it curl itself around my hands for a short while. Then we sit down and watch the new Rambo movie on dvd (yes it's pirated) with tea and cakes. I'm quite impressed, I thought the film would be worse than it is. I believe it is coming out cut in the UK to get more bums on seats (rather than censorship), but this is the uncut version and it shows. 
They have really gone to town on the special effects for the gratuitous violence. 
Stallone's face and body though still freak me out; he looks like Droopy Dog 
and his veins are showing up everywhere. Serious 'roid abuse methinks.
I am still feeling fairly lousy but definitely happier. There is wind, rain and lightning tonight. I am very glad to be away from hostels and pleased to be in the company of these friendly people. I head back to Alex's house and collapse onto my bed.