Living Contentedly

I've kind of developed a plan. Its actually imposing a restraint on me against going big on another boat.  I already have three sailboats; a 15' clinker, 19' dory that I put up for sale today, and my 18' NIS boat. So, I first need to sell two of them because i know if I was to get another boat, these others would languish away.  My other fear is, and this is going to sound weird, that unless I am forced on board say by selling my house, its possible that whatever boat I have will be underused. The fact is, I am very comfortable here at home. Its quiet, cheap living, and everyday I make progress on projects like repairing vehicles, boats and the house and keeping fit, like jogging or cycling every second day. I also like to bugger off to the beach, weather permitting.     So, what I should do is to make cruising my NIS boat a major priority. Get it out on the nay, lake or coast and sail and camp cruise every week. Show myself that this dream is really valid, that...

Writing this is; an act in procrastination from today's list, counter to my usual decision making which is mostly "organic", discounts the prospect that my NIS boat might be it, and a skip too far ahead. But hey its always delicious to think about possibilities. The topic will be my choice of a larger live aboard boat. I am in the troubling position of loving being on the water and having a broad and unstructured experience of boats.  My Love of Being on The Water :  My love of "sailing" is really a love of being in or on the water. So, not just ocean or coastal sailing, but lakes and backwaters as well as creeks and rivers. The outcome of this is that this doesn't provide a clear direction on boat choice and alternatively steers me toward a " pocket knife " type boat. One that's not specialised towards any single discipline and one that's flexible in application eg: collapsible rig, centreboard or shoal draft, able to be manhandled by one ...

I recently traveled to Parkes where my to daughter has just bought a home in need.  The work was constant and hard but it was very satisfying. Increasingly, as I am in the groove of training hard and running a property at home, any time away gives me pause for thought. My main concerns are balancing my love of furry companions with a keen desire to travel by bike, camping and sailing. As my son is becoming more independent and choosing to stay away, my options are dwindling. In fact after returning home I discovered my veggie garden had been devastated by the goats and finished off by the chooks which he had let free range. It was not only disrespectful and ugly, it hurt me deeply.  This now has me contemplating renting out or selling the property.    Yesterday I came across a prayer that offered help:  " Jesus walks with us even when we don’t recognize Him, gently turning our sorrow into understanding and hope ". While walking my pilgrimage on camino on discove...

pope John Paul II blessing convicted paedophile network head Epstein & his didekick, child recruiter Maxwell.  years later PJPII promoted George Pell to the rank of Cardinal. Pell was later promoted to The Vatican before being deported and found guilty of sexual abuse of children.  Here is Pell escorting disgraced paedophile priest Ridsdale to legal proceedings. He was arguably Australia's most prolific paedophiles.  I was warned in 1992, during a Child Protection class, that an international network of paedophiles existed. 

. I didn’t know anything about vision quests in those days — the Native American rite of passage — fasting and going solo in the wilderness in search of a vision.                            Lloyd Khan Ah haa. So by walking two Caminos, solo, and eating essentially once a day, I inadvertently entered a Vision Quest!  Whatever happened the impact was/is, profound.  

Okay, I am here explicitly to rennovate Mia's home. This mostly means addressing the symptoms of rising damp. So removing damaged bricks, raking out crumbly mortar, and repairing the damage using lime mortar. Going into the job, lime mortar was an unknown, but a fantastic eBook about traditional bricklaying and rendering walked through the process of mixing and application. Happily, the effects are top knotch and although there's still a lot to do, Mia seems pleased and relieved with the results so far.   I must say the work is very enjoyable, meditative and productive.  Meanwhile, my son Joe has a few revelations of his own. One, his girlfriend of some months has been revealed as a Korean national, only here as an exchange student. Obviously, she will be returning in the future. Third party reports care that he is very happy and his statement to me a couple of days ago expressed an intent to leave his job in coming months. I may be pulling blindly at too many loose strings, b...