Living Contentedly

SitRep. A chain of soggy days will give 25 hrs respite. I'm here alone with the cats, chooks and goats. Cuddy left with Joe to visit his mother for her birthday and have a few days rest. He probably has his Korean girlfriend but I'm unlikely to meet her. On a few days I head off to visit Mia, and work on her house, bricks to be precise.  Yesterday, driven by better eyesight, greater inner peace and a love of boats, decide to refit ILONA. It has only been 11 months since I last did this, but my new eyesight has revealed poor quality painting.  So, the spars are off and sanded. They will be spot painted before three coats or so.  The topsides will be lightly sanded and repainted. If I can add lacquer, I will be happy.  Internally, the bin will have it's new lid fitted (I may also remove the plug.) and have the deckboards sanded and varnished. Only then will I repost her for sale.     

My goal to chop my Honda Shadow has been abandoned. After much work and effort, she is not running well enough to continue. Chopping the airbox has upset the fuel settings enough to warrant rejetting, and as my previous carby clean cost $350, I'm not tempted. Besides, with the fuel tap on tank assembly can't to be fitted clear of the engine.  Apart from this, two things have made my mind up to abandon. One, with tight fitting carbs, complex electrics and water cooling, its too difficult a bike to chop. And secondly, I'm trying to downsize my lifestyle so I can jist ride bikes and sail cruise a lot more than I have (not) been.   A bit sad, bit meh, move on.  

After being head down with boatwork and then 48hrs of cabin fever, i woke to a this fog and a drive to go surfing.  Unfortunately, the southerly  seabreeze was cooking and with so  much standing up and a big low tide, the surf was not good and getting worse. Wanting to make the most of the trip, I changed into my swim gear and set off to slow jog for a while.    But when I reached the northern extremity of the main beach, I got this itch to keep going around the cliffs. My running suffered, the rocks were sharp, slimy or just too dangerous to traverse at anything faster than a steady walk.  I walked this stretch in the opposite direction almost sixty years ago with my buddy Scott. It was amazing how strong the memory flooded my mind. I vividly remembered one bit where it was necessary to teeter on a wet ledge over a sea tossed chasm. PTSD? Yep.  I kept pushing under rock faces that seem to continually fret away, corr...

There is a lot of vagueness here, but I hope the essence of what I write is comprehensible.  Years ago my high regard for "cockleshell" sailors blossomed through reading. I actually met the fellow intent on sailing " G'day 88" across the Tasman but he probably caused me more trsuma than good, he was rescued at sea during a cyclone and was later gaoled for the planned murders of people advertising rooms to let. I'm just glad I didn't venture on board to have a look at his little craft.  While this is obviously an extreme example of a cockleshell sailor, there have been a few odd bods on this genre.  Anyway, one good example was a fellow who successfully sailed a self designed and built 9 footer across the Atlantic Ocean. Several aspects of his preparation marked him for success in my mind, one was his single mindedness (is. focus) on achieving the goal safely. He also trialled the boat on a local lake, living in the midwest of USA he had limited access to...

Progress is a life long pursuit. Sometimes progress is not slow or smooth, but comes on leaps.  Today was a leap day. I'm not sure why my mind was so relaxed, it was raining so my List (of things I must do) was cast aside, I  also prayed a full Rosary early. But clearly my mental perception was clear and my mood relaxed. I learned that when I'm unsure how to do something I am best to stop and look, really invest your mind on the issue, be there fully. Then a near perfect solution will emerge. You'll know its great because it will feel right, and its simplicity will make you giggle.  Your mind will visit Gnomes and jazz music will send you to an orgasmic high.   

I have two secret goals, one fresh & the other has been buried in my heart for years.  The first involves motorcycles, well a motorcycle. Not before getting back aboard my old Royal Enfield Classic 500 had I realised how much pleasure I derived from gearing up and riding. Earlier this week, standing alongside her at the beach a fellow rider came over and mentioned proudly that he had done a "lap of Australia". What's funny is that although he didn't look like your typical motorcyclist, he was muscled and clean cut, I anticipated that he was about to say it. Then, I felt a dart of excitement. To ride a circumnavigation of Australia was something I could achieve. The seed as not so much sowed, it was germinated. My style of circumnavigation, like my style of riding of anything else, will be unique. It cod well involve my Royal, with new wheel, headstock and swingarm bearings and a sidecar full of spares, camping gear and a dog. Its fermenting and growing as we are. ...