Living Contentedly

Fridays always have a special feeling. From my earliest days Back in the 1960s it would be the day mum would "get the car". That meant getting ready early for school & going with mum in the car to drop dad at work. Most often at the mine's office at Whitebridge, over bumpy Flaggy Creek, through the bush until the sparkling sea vista opened on the left &  pit ponies in the yard to the right. On the way home mum was relieved, she only needed to get dress up nice & shop for the rest of the day. There'd be Savemores for bread, cereal & veg, & the health food store for a jar of oozy peanut butter on tap. Then her favorite shop The Store, an expanse of racks of clothes, shelves of wool in every colour, bolts of cloth, household goods & appliances. Here you could waste time & dream a little, plan outfits to make & gather new ideas. Afterwards, if there was any fat left in the allowance, some nice cuts of meat from Gordon Booth's on the way...

I arrived at Sven's a little early. His French bulldog barked hard at me, but he was just defending hiscpstch & the mood remained congenial. Sven negotiated a pile of moving boxes & described a turmoil of changed jobs & addresses, explaining that his Himalayans were collateral. They no longer fit their lifestyle. They stood together, near new, unregisterd, gently dusted.  The one I was set to buy looked the goods; a no fuss, satin black, a straight up work bike. But his partner's bike, stood with a gleaming  black & red livery. It felt warming, softer but obviously equally as capable. They licked over after a brief reluctance as they had been sitting a while. Sven had dreamed big at onr time, adding three piint engine bars, quadlocks & they both had the expedition options kit; barkbusters, panniers & racks.  I left a deposit for the red & black & vowed to "think about" the other bike "for my son". Sven offered me a great deal ...

Today, I will take the penultimate step towards owning an RE Himalayan.   I will meet Sven after his workday (hopefully), & do a deal. He said he would register the bike, so I trust he can expedite that.  Being able to tour & camp off grid is exciting.  So, pretty s9n I will have a fine steed in my stable, 88mpg, cruises the highway at 100kph & can go most places any vehicle can go; forest trail, beach, dirt road & desert. With saddle bags to carry a stove, water & food, clothes & "toys" or tools to help enjoy where I am. The simplicity & utility of this bike excite me. A centre stand to prop the wheels for puncture repair, chain lubing, generous ground clearance, knobby tyres & ample storage options. One owner likened it to a Series III Land Rover. Well I agree but; for one man, but more reliable, easier to service & economic in every sense. An  off-road touring vehicle for our time (ie: global warming). 

3k & local, but with complicated electronics.  ok, gangster looking & local 16k on the clock, but suss.  it says 30k  on the clock, but its improbable. Seller is v active with other bikes, exhaust etc. But basic & looks clean & is local.  ok, a neat big bore Harley. Has 57k, nothing for this big boy, is old school, geared up, clean, just a bit fer away.  65k, but well tended. Near Tamworth. 

I am feeling completely rested for two significant reasons; regular exercise & sleep.  During my month housesitting in the Central West, I had time to rest. I would nap after morning exercise & again after lunch, as well as sleep until I woke. I soon realised, as supported by Simon Alexander Ong (life coach of note), that adequate rest makes you happier, healthier & more effective. In a day I would typically achieve much more than if I'd woken earlier & got busy . Being busy, is not the same as being effective. Being stressed is not a symptom of hard work. I suspect that the powers that be, advertisers, like us to remain busy & stressed, because we are unfulfilled & consume "stuff" to try & make us feel better, save time or relax.  Last evening reading SAO I was reminded of the need for electronic dieting. Clues such as weening off devices well before bedtime & shutting them off listening mode while you sleep & complete breakfast. This ...

Yesterday's plan was to pack Robyn the Brompton in the Land Rover & drop down off the hill. Get train to Telarah to print application. Grab sushi on the way back. Lodge forms & cash at Paterson PO, then wait.  It went to script until the final stage. I was 2 pages short! So I ride back to Rover, home for lunch, rest, recoup. I then ride my cruiser out, print & lodge to finally get it done. Philatelic Phil warned me of a 6 week wait, I muttered to myself, I don't care & went home. While at PO I got some fun parcels; a wet weather onesy for my motorcycle travels & a Q rack for Robyn. Fitting the latter was trickeee. Its still underway.  Later I got a msg from Sven who has 2 Himalayans for sale, both with less than 10k. I'm looking fwd to seeing them on under two hours.  Squashed Q Rack box & Philatelic Phil looking concerned. Stay calm. 

1033: on the train with Brompton. I've packed water, snacks & swimmers, but really I'm just on a mission to enjoy the ride.  .   Riding the breakwall into the Tasman Sea besides the harbour.  Looking back towards Nobbies, commonly believed to be a headland, but really an island adjoined by a  manmade spit. In the early days ships cutting inside the island typically ran aground, hence the spit. Not only linking the island & its lighthouse with the land, the  served as a useful fortification to defend the harbour. During the 1930s Depression the government established a  shantytown for unemployed men. More recently homeless people set up shanties in nearby scrubby dunes, but today's government sent the packing.    The King Edward Park rotunda. Many rotunda people were seen too.  Steps leading to The Bogey Hole; a swimming pool hewn by prisoners for a Colonial Governor. Par...

Each day I religiously adhere to a fitness regime: 50x5 (push ups, squats, lunges, wall sit, plank), 10x3x3 weights & today I rode up the gill from here. Its only about one kilometre but its steep as. I got a good sweat up & the thighs were burning. (I will increase l this each week). My much cherished part of a morning routine is the finish off with something hilarious in a physical sense. At Peaky I would go on the flying fox at the play park. I would zoom along backwards yahooing & giggle as I slammed the stop. Today it was the raucous downhill run on my fatbike. Woohoo.  Unfortunately I had an appointment to get my eyes checked late in the morning, & I suspected that the test would find a cataract in my left. My younger brother has had two removed, & a younger sister is on a Watch & Act with her left eye. We had "the talk"; they begin growing at age 30, blah blah surgery blah blah.  Afterwards, even though I knew what might come, talk of surgery ki...

Daniel with Alan Jackson star. This musician's final concert initiated the trip to the States for my daughter & Daniel.     Their plane in red. They landed in Sydney this morning & after a few hours on a train will arrive home tonight.  So today is my last full day in the west. Yes I have enjoyed the break from routines at home. I've been doing fitness tasks every day. That I can't seem to manage when I am home. So physically & mentally I am feeling great.  Just today i ordered a rechargeable bike pump & Onesy dry suit & hope to get some motorbike touring underway soon.  

This glorious soul Gill Hicks, spoke on Anh Do's program (ABC TV) today about surviving a terrorist bomb explosion on a London train.  She spoke eloquently, beautifully about choosing between the mistress of death luring her: "You've lost your legs, you don't want to live like that. Come with me." Gill described the persona she heard as being gentle and alluring, very tempting. But "then an angry male voice" over rode death urging Gill to fight for life. Gill commented that although she could easily have gone with Death, she feared having to tell Life of her decision. its an interesting phenomena, death as an alluring & female, that life comes as aggressive, urging is to fight on despite the temptation to give up. Powerful?   Gill Hicks ref TED Talks

Todays Little Free Adventure was to walk all the lanes in Peak Hill. It is good-different to  the street walk. Trees are left to grow wild, but some yards are like tips! All up we roused17 barking dogs including Sam & a dead cat.  This afternoon's LFA was on top of my morning fitness routine which today included a 2k jog. Up from Ok jogs I'd been doing for several decades. 

In the wake of a thinderstorm. Everything is cleansed, the bauhinia tree outshines the Peak Hill. 

Right at the beginning of plans for a Camino del Norte in March or April next year. Apart from this blog, that nobody reads, I will not be revealing my intentions until I have to.  I have been thinking of riding a Camino for years but having children, caring for my mum & lacking finances i couldn't go any earlier. Already i am feeling the power .  ,

.         goobang dawn Goal: To take a series of photos from after first light, until dawn. The view being from Peak Hill NSW towards the Hervey Range in Goobang National Park                     *     *     * As a surfer & later sailor  getting up & out before sunrise was a routine part of my early life. Each dawn presents a virgin day that is unspoiled at a time when our vision is especially sensitive to beauty.  Unfortunately encountering older men walking about the trails in the predawn made me wonder about safety. Without my dog & handy flick knife I might not have chosen to wait for the sun. May be they were  innocently getting fit, but I am alert to men's predatory ways.  This final image was taken @ 06:35, a whole 7 minutes later than predicted sunrise. I learned that I muc...

It seems like everytime I find a half decent channel the subject goes; quiet, too up themselves or full-on drama llamas.  Rarely do you get someone that remains consistently humble yet moderately engaging. I have a wide range of interests related to modest solo travel by foot, bike, sail boat or motorcycle. I've literally given up TV & have never watched tik tok or any other socials, & youtube pickings are slim. Fortunately, every now & again you find a channel that works. I've just turned away from Million Dollar Bogan for the second & final time & had a huge gap in my watching. Then I discovered Joe Ryan . A motorcycle based solo traveller. I'm working through his older stuff & its really well filmed, not commercial & without manufactured dramas. I have peeked at his new stuff & although his playground has changed, his modesty remains. Fingers crossed.   . PS: I commented on one of Joe's older posts. He had ridden a loop th...

As my daughter packs to return home from Montana USA, its just about my turn to hit the road. But, I'll be doing it my way, throw some stuff together & take off with only vague ideas of destinations. I'll be avoiding "must see" hotspots, luxurious getaways & well travelled highways. It'll look messy, disorganised & unprofessional because I aim to impress noone. My vehicle will be old, untrendy but well serviced, if it breaks I will fix it. And can guarantee I won't be uploading or downloading, posting, streaming or broadcasting a thing.  In fact I've just been looking online for a podcast about my style of travel, by bike, motorcycle or sailboat & have come away annoyed at the pollish & professionalism. It does seem that you've got to spend as much time in production as what you have touring & rely on subscriptions, merch & sponsors so you patronise the world saying shit like "get out there", "be inspired by t...

My spanking new Brompton C Line us becoming a great joy for me. Yes, it was very expensive, but as an older guy living frugally I see this bike as am investment in this lifestyle choice. I can lash it to my motorbike, lump it into a car, bus, train or plane or just roll out the door & ride. While a complex engineering feat, the Brompton is really about simplicity. Unlike my carbon fibre  fatbike hanging on my shed & stares down intimidating me, the Brompton is like a terrier, right by your side, fun & ready to please.  Underway, while she can turn on pace, she's very happy poking about. R ather than blasting through like a tornado she's happier negotiating  side trails, or pathways. She loves ,an easier pace where more detail is evident. And other people find her less intimidating & are more acceptong, more willing to identify with her rider.  My Brompton Love has been fed mostly by Joanna Thornton's utoob channel. A mere slip of a woman with a lions ...

Today I rode to Dubbo via Obley. A good road due to how quiet utvis, however the quality of the surface deteriorated north of Obley. I hit botton twice leaving a crack in my arse.  Nearing big Dub I discovered the bike path by the side of the Obkey Road, opposite Taronga Zoo. I hit Maccas first for coffee. I bought an Angus burger & even before consuming it I had second thoughts on my choice. Interesting that I met a fellow motorcyclist at Maccas but he snubbed me?! I noticed he was riding a BMW adventure bike, so obviously a certified prick.  The cycleway was a great ride. It was a good surface & had a few ups & downs by the Macquarie River. But it actually turned out to be death defying day; the maggies were plentiful & swooped ferociously, I nearly got hit by a brown snake & had a close encounter with a foul lookingvpublic toilet. So pretty exciting.  Rather than take the Newell Highway past the site of a recent multiple fatality acciden...

My little sister went to a doctor with chronic gut pains. A scan showed a back log if you know what i mean. I'm sure they have a pill for it.  I was incredulous over it. How could just not shit? When I calmed down I got to thinking how I void better if I'm out walking & get "caught short" & squatt down by the trail. Them. I remembered heating something about pooping stools. No not the stools, a step of sorts that raises your feet. Apparently the squatting position helps you void your bowel.  Fortunately my current bathroom has a well situated bath tub & propping feet on it sets me up well. After a few days of testing, I'm calling it a win. 

Pyramid  as a symbol of a perfect balance of community and friendship .                              Gillie & Marc. This artwork alone adds depth to an already quite amenable little town.  But you'd have to say; if people started having sex with rabbits it could become a habbit.  Not that the sculpture is about sex. Its about balanced relationships in community.  The artists inspire fellowship regardless of creed, gender & religion. Lofty ideals.        X.    X.    X.    X.     X.    X On a very different note. As I was filming Pyramid, a dishevelled fellow, cuddling a tinny, slumped in a park bench started talking at me in a loud gravelly voice. He started commenting about the beautiful human rear ends on the rabbit & dogs. He then began saying he preferred the (Albion) hotel, a historic bu...

Just back from a ride up Golf Club Road & Rosser Lane, Peak Hill. Basically the quality of the surface deteriorated progressively.  On the middle section of PL after I had walked a bit, the "road" transformed to a twin track trail through long grasses. Riding along rehearsing how Iight contact emergency services if I emcountered a cranky brown snake, my eyes flashed alarm signals from a sight just metres ahead. But panic quickly turned to delight as the long brown reptile actually revealed itself as a pair of shingleback, or double-ended lizards.  My ability to snap a photo in full sunlight is slow but faster than these guys' capacity to flee. I photographed from all angles & even had a conversation, before the rear one aggressively (for a shingleback), opened his mouth & poked his tongue out. Wow! Anyway they were super cute & after a brief halt, they were allowed to continue their swaggering walk along the lane.  Of course as my blood pressure subsided, ...

The Cold Hard Factibles 19" long by 7' wide drawing 6" at her skinniest, 3' with twin boards fully stretched down.  She's also a lightweight, with 113kg added ballast, her bare weight is under 500kg.  But there's more to this little gem. Her weighted centreboards get sucked up into the sides of berths, and there are no bulkheads below. Under the for'ard bunks & 'neath the cockpit is built in ballast to render her unsinkable. Well, at least she won't sink like a shot balloon. I had the great good fortune or raw intelligence to buy her as my first boat & enjoyed her a lot & sailed her even more. It was unusual to sail two different waterways on a single weekend. She towed like nothing; literally you forgot she was there I sold her because I could not raise the mast by myself. I now know better, a simple pulley system would easily get the job done. Camping on her was a dream, because she could sneak up to the shore out of the w...

I've had run ins with these pricks before.  Fast talking sales lady suggests: "Become a member".  Me:" Why?". cashier: "well on this sale you will save $5"/ Me: " OK". Then provide my personal details. Caching come in spinner. I get home & realise she charge me full price.  Verdict: Lying staff. Deceptive sales techniques.  Today, I go in to get se small straps to lashy Brompton to my motorcycle . First of all I'm confronted with an array of different.t types of strap under the one brand. I see pne asked as being on special, 2/$10. At the checkout the guy says "that'll be $15".  Me: " They're marked at $10"/  Cashier; "Really, oh I'll,can check if you like".  Me: Nod. Cashier: walls directly to the exact display and holds the ticket out straight so it can be read at normal height " Its $10 only if you buy three [pairs]". Me: "oh nice, what a scam".  Verdict: Deceptive sales...

Only my most optimistic thoughts predicted thecarrivsl of my new Brompton today. But tracking advice at 5am put a hole in the negative thoughts balloon. Then during lunch a big blue truck rumbled to a halt out the front & within minutes I spied my new baby.  The first pleasant surprise was colour. I was expecting a glossy crimson red but it's actually a low sheen blood red. With black rims & bars, it looks hard.  There was some confusion over the unfolding ... its now sorted. Then I got to admire the intricate design (there is a nipple & cup to retain the headstock in position), & quality build. Its easy to fall into the trap of thinking its a pretend bike. But the history of the mach & a ride quickly dispel those thoughts. Unlike my cheap "folder" it is as firm as a rigid framed bike. The skinny tyres demand attention, but beyond that its the Real McCoy Touring Cycle.  A ride of a few k's whizzed by almost effortlessly & I began fe...

It wasn't far, a little over 12k, but performed brilliantly. Clearly not a toy, it feels rigid, power under way, well balanced. 

This is Sam. He is waiting for a corner of a Scotch Finger Biscuit. Be more like Sam.

In the wake of a quadruple fatality on the highway to the north a few days ago, heading 45k on the same made me nervous. Its enough to have a road train buzz past at 110kph, but having one on your tail in 'roo territory, doesn't bare thinking about.  So after stocking up at ALDI I took the back roads via Goonumbla & Tweilga. These are localities, nothing places, & the road quality immediately north of Parkes was excellent; smooth and wide. After veering right at Goonumbla, things got a bit rougher & more pokey. But, through the entire run there were no trucks, less than a handful of cars & I could slow down in possible kangaroo haunts without suffering pressure from motorists. The icing on the cake was showing up in the middle of Peaky right by the house, & no highway usage. 10/10. 

No surprises really. The very affable & quick to toward emails & invoices, Renae of Drift Cycles - Metro, has gone quiet. The last I heard was last Thursday , "awesome received payment ...will get mechanics to  prepare your new bike tomorrow & then it will be on its way. As soon as it is we'll send tracking information " blah, blah,, blah.  Monday? Nothin.. Tuesday? Nothin.. Wednesday mid afternoon? Nothin, so I send an email asking for tracking information.  Wednesday 5pm? Crickets.  So I send a second email to Renae, who only last week was very communicative & a fair bit sassy.  Don't walk away Renae, I just want my new Brompton, you know the one you said was "a lovely red " & " a cool bike "? Yeah, well its mine now, I paid, I want it in reasonable time.  PS: Thursday : A further email got a bight, Renae " I'll check tracking info with mechanics". Then nothing for four hours. So I write & say "thanks...