Living Contentedly

Our first run of hot days for the summer (not quite), have sent me scurrying off to the beach. Sunday to Big Rock on the Tomaree NP, & yesterday I used my mat to surf at merewether beach where I grew up.  At some point on years past I've noticed a swimwear trend among our young lady folk. From when I surfed & the beach going womenfolk wrapped their modesty in towels. When they did swim, they displayed only a modest amount of skin for thev briefest times.  Fast forward to one of my surfing comebacks & boom, the thong. The girls I did see then were surfers, & I clearly recall a pair of brown butt cheeks paddling past. My ability to surf dwindled as I was a bit shaken.  But after a bit, while I admired glimpses of curvy bums, I realised it wasn't for me, they had boyfriends laid on no doubt, it was just plain showing off. Look at me they cried. I doubt the thing did anything to enhance sun protection or from knocks on their surfboards.  Since then blood ...

Even when are having en easy time, we need a break. Lately I've been tying my head in a knot wondering about the future; will my son find work, where, will he stay here, should I buy keel boat & go cruising, if so which one, etcetera.    So I took to my Himalayan trail bike hoping to find a quiet swimming place. Google Maps showed Big Rock, it was at the end of a 3k trail into Tomaree National Park.  As I neared the place, I got a little worried after seeing a bunch of cars exiting the trail. Then, walking to the beach through wonder coastal scrublands I was followed by an Indian fellow having a rapid staccato phone conversation. As it turned out, the car park was nearly empty, & the Indian fellow took a selfie on the beach & left. For the rest of my stay only a few people visited the beach. A group off  Vietnamese scoured rocks for food before leaving. Then a small family came along, but respected my space & kept to themselves.  It seems that th...

My parents home has now been sold & soon enough I shall come into money. Then in less than two months I shall turn 64 years old. Now my dream has been to sail wide & live aboard a little ship, & it occurs to me that the time has come .  I read recently that its the obstacles that are the journey . My my there are a few; the chosen boat is likely to dwell a great sea distance from my land home & there are no moorings available about here. Well there could be with work, but ... I believe that having a mooring will literally be having an anchor. So that shifting aboard on the move will be my impetus to continue moving about. This is how obstacles work; one can either work around them (make do), crumble before them (do nothing), or turn away (give up).  

A series of westerns, from USA c.1960s. These books are an engaging set of stories, some serialised, about getting the bad guys. There's often a simple line drawn & you are either side of it; good or bad.  The uncomplicated morality & timeless actions of cowboys on the trail are soothing. Bloody chick lit! Keen to learn more of Spanish Caminos I snatched up this title without due diligence. And paid the price, an older woman author casting her judgemental mind over past events on a small Spanish village in incremental detail. Should one have the time to read as much detail as possible about events & people of no consequence to anyone but the author, it may be mildly entertaining.    Ah the great Charles Dickens. Why describe a child as  ashen faced & timid when you can  write "uncrimsoned countenance"?  There are so many flourishes in this writing that distract from the tale, but among them you will discov...

Now, as the cicadas chorus begins for the first this summer, & the jacaranda sheds its purple flowers & the koel bird woo woops. I recall my father's mercilous mimicking of that bird, I reflect on the overnight sale of my childhood home.  Many years back dad proudly annoumced to us kids that he was about to start building a new house on The Quarterdeck, Merewether Heights. Rather than shouts of glee, the protests from the children was assertive & brief ; "No. I don't want to live up there !". Dad was bewildered. Why on earth would his offsprings not want to live at such a prestigious address? Each child had their own take, but the central themes were; it was too far to get to the beach, to friends', school or the shop & it was far too hilly. Mum smiled gently in agreement, she loved our home at 97 Ridge Street Merewetherxtill her dying day. Dad was perhaps easily convinced  & within hours said he would sell his block of land on The ...

"...few people know the secrecy that is in the young, under terror ".                             Charles Dickens Driving about yesterday, running errands for a sister, who having spent thirteen years away tending to my parents' needs & who is currently restoring to her own home, I listened to a community radio  fellow advertising the benefit of reading Great Expectations. I recall he said something about readers' growth as an outcome of reading this book on particular.  What's not commonly known is that I worked, for about a decade working to protect children from harm, mostly from their parents & guardians. What makes this a devil of a task is the plain difficulty of gathering evidence from the mouths of the children. Yes, I undertook undergraduate studies & specialist training on the matter, but often came up short, shorter than i would have liked on many occasions.  Now, I re...

Butterflies that had been busy since sunup worked themselves to a frenzy as the first year social work students gathered. The seats were arranged on a very social worky way, in a circle around the room. Its supposed to represent an equality among the attendees, but Terry noticed a distinct separation of the five seats backing onto the office door & the rest. It was the kind of hypocracy that plagued the social sciences. Welfare organisations competing for scarce funds & even clients were rife with jealousy & back bighting. It was easy to identify the Christian roots of many of those agencies.  A the students entered, a junior member of staff smiled weakly & softly encouraged the two dozen or students to "grab a seat". The ruse about seat spacing was unmasked by their avoidance of kthe elite seats.  Finally, like any procession, the seniorwmbwrs of staff filed out, smiling, at ease with the equality role play farce.  As only a handful of men were present, h...

If I am going to cycle the Camino del Norte next year, I need to get training, prepare my gear & up my bike camp-touring skills. So, here's an idea! Ride the Central West Cycle Trail or CWCT. A 400k loop east of where my daughter lives, & where I'll be house sitting over a weekend next month.  I could ride out on my motorsickle, Brompton lashed astern, do my duties & ride The Trail on the way back. I'm wondering now whether I could carry cycling & motor touring gear all on one motorbike, but there is some overlap of gear required for either activity & there's plenty of time to get organised. TIP: It could work better if I go ultralight on both.  Here are the legs (tho I can do a bit of corner cutting -_I'm only after experience):- Mudgee to Gulgong: 30km Gulgong to Dunedoo: 58km Dunedoo to Mendooran: 51km Mendooran to Ballimore: 53km Ballimore to (Wongarbon/Geurie) Wellington: 71km Wellington to (Goolma) Gulgong: 81km Gear List : Bike , helmet, ...

Lately I've been reading inspirational quotes about going hard at life, squeezing what you can from everyday.  And, I can honestly say i've embraced the creed & begun some fresh trails. And life is feeling thrilling. Two days ago, my oldest dog passed from paralysis tick envenomation. I laid with him on the floor as he breathed his last, then buried him on the garden. The following day I prepared for visitors; my son was coming back from visiting his mother on the eve of his birthday, & my daughter was driving on from the Central West for the occasion. Eventually we were all united, & talked & caught up.  The following morning we had pancakes & talked & hung out some more. Not wanting my secret to be busted by the only other person that knew of it besides my daughter, I handed Joe his birthday gift. A pair of lightly used ridipng pants that fitted him well. I urged him to check the pockets until he eventually found a set of keys. He looked at me slightl...

Ever willing to criticise  The Pres with the Snake Eyes When he calls out "Fake News!". The media lead a people's chorus of boos.   The same singers when at home Before the neon god they lay prone Soaking up bullshit ads & sculpted boobs Glitzy endless crap on the tube.

More powerful advice from SAO today.  Was this stuff around years ago? Or  I just listening?  One thing I,have taught myself is to push aside the voice that delays action. EG. During my month in the outback, when I had more time for self care, I got into a morning routine that went something like: coffee, feed pets, coffee, 5x50 (pushups, squats, lunges, plank & wall sit), 4x20/30 weights), the a walk or ride, finishing up on the outdoor gym (30xchair squats, butterflies?, leg extensions, chin ups) & a rum on the flying fox slide, then a simple breakfast.  At home I have continied. One thing I have found notable is that each morning I Just Do It, as the advertising slogan goes. IE: when its weights time & that lazy voice says "no have a day off" or, "oh god not this again", I just push on. As SAO says, I just act. My mind had developed its ability to say " shut up Mr Negativity!". I know that I have to just do X & I will be rewa...

Pervasive memories of spring three years or so ago when we lost two goat kids, several kittens & nursed several more back to health.  Just this last two weeks have seen a repeat of sorts. First a healthy young goat went down like it was hit by lightning. Soon after, even though treated with preventive sprays, collars & topical goo, we lost our oldest dog Zipper today. To see am animal die this way is difficult. Unfortunately, Zipper had two prior admissions in intensive care for tick envenomation & I was warned a further strike would do him in. This despite two different tick prevention systems in place.  Our other dog, also treated topically with goo on the past week, has had two ticks removed from within two inches of that too!? The cat Sooty also had a tick removed from her brow. Neither suffered on any way. Bastards!

As I set out to check out some boots I see a Land rover filling my mirrors. I pick up speed to evade gim but he's still there. Already his driver was  displaying considerable aggression. Perhaps denying this initial realisation I applied more throttle up to the 100kph speed limit, but he's still there all over the back of the bike as we hit a straightaway. Next thing he's right beside me, I mean a foot away, still in my lane zooming by. As he clears ahead I wave him off to admonish his dangerous stunt. But it gets worse, very quickly. I see the truck lurchvunder brakes, the blackbexhaust smoke gives way to white smoke trailing off asxall four tyres are licked up & hes skidding as he veers across my path. Hes trying to drive me off the road! I apply as much brake as I can without locking up, but with his four fat tyres locked up he's stopping a bit faster. Thinking I'm about to collide with this idiot I veer right to avoid hitting the tray back. Just then, he get...

Yesterday's trail riding took a bit out of me physically & probably emotionally too. Coming off steep hills into off camber trails with steep drops to the sides, provides food for self doubt. As this was my first trail ride for decades, & my first on a large bike, had me self doubting often. Ultimately I gained confidence & the serious self doubt ebbed away. Then there was the concerns about being on a bike unknown to me & riding on remote ground, so fear of mechanical breakdown & recovery. Even the positive impact from the excitement of it all, the anticipation, taking on the challemge, succeeding & blasting off down the road, all takes am energy toll. Probably at the time it boosts you, bit afterwards there is fatigue, good fatigue, but fatigue none the less.  So I dozed after washing the bike down & then went to bed early. I slept like a log for a few hours but had some blowback from the higgledy piggledy of hydration through yesterday, ...

"Is there any thing you have been putting off that if you did today would take you a step closer to your vision ".                 Simon Alexander Ong The "things" for today are; to test the Trangia & Himalayan & to get into the outdoors life. Two of these were a raging success, but the committee is debating the other.  The Himalayan took me here. There & everywhere too actually. A total of 160 kilometres of a fifty-fifty mix of dirt trails & raucous Dungog roads. It was tiring, but the bike was fine, a big tick.  This is the pool where I had a lunch break. The Trangia had a modest task of boiling water & heating beans. It did this in fine form, cleaned up & packed away nicely. A tick there too. Unfortunately, this pool was about 100m upstream from a popular place called The Ladies Well. As I arrived I saw it packed with yobbos & bogans, which translate as louts & hooligans. It was immediately obvious...