Living Contentedly

Getting up at 04:30, shovelingy oats and driving 90k is not the ideal start.     But the Gravaleur event was not super just, so I sosmt have to worry about people on my face. There was a big  mix of riders and the early mood was uptight but positive. On the road we quickly settled into their paces. I fell into a rhyrhm of passing two women on the flats and they passed me on climbs. They ultimately led me astray, rising an extra 10-15k. My highlight was meeting a Brisbane rider who had ridden the Tassie Gift twice. Wow. With 6k to go I was feeling a bit yuk due to hettinv lost and feeling depleted. But seeing the aftermath of a road accident put things right. Someone's dream retirement, to tow a caravan around Australia had ended upside down on a steep embankment. Even if the occupants survived tje rollover, the heartache and condition of the wreckage would be devastating.  So my little issue was quickly put into perspective.       

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.