Living Contentedly

1Aug: Thar she blows! An ECL forming offshore from here & just north. This is not good because this means (L pressure cycling clockwise) we get a strong & wet onshore winds. But if youre tucked up inside/below decks it should pass over on 24 hrs.  It could be that it begins later today, so after feeding the animals & getting wood in, we should get am hours walk behind us. I know the dogs would enjoy it too. They were couped up yesterday as I went to get safety pins (to hang my laundry on the Camino) & coloured laces (to distinguish my shoes against mistaken identity/ theft). I searched high & low for no benefit. Brandi the pup destroyed the lounge chair again & the other boys were peaking out. Actually it was my first visit to the shopping mall in many months. My usual visiting style is to hit one shop, head down flatout, them escape. But unfortunately yesterday I had to shop around & look hard for the elusive needle in the haystack. I can sa...

1 Aug:  This will be life changing! Its all about the journey. Find purpose in suffering.  Spend less to enjoy more Others are worse off. Carry less, become fearless Dwell on the positives Clear cities by midday. Carry tuna, banana, rolls. Swim often, be alone, listen. Visit churches to reset. Dwell on M&D, SrdP, Rob, Jo Bad feelings, events will pass Don't over think, the C will do.

Approaching the camino walk, I  am reading & ruminating on what it is that I would like to leave behind. Of course losing dad, then mum, & in between my marriage, as poor as it was. I am realising though that I had little time and little space to properly grieve these events. After dad passed I became a part time carer as well as continuing home educator & house keeper with an increasingly antagonistic oppositional partner who did everything to make our live difficult. Ultimately, she left & within literally days, I had to start up a business to put food on the table & pay bills.  A handful of years later I was juggling a court case, that risked putting us out of home, with Mia running to & from college. Then mum passed suddenly, but I was just on the new role as foster carer to a child whose behaviours I found both challenging & upsetting to witness.  A recent podcast introduced the idea of grief as creating emotional rawness & accumulatin...

 Key times, dates & places to be confirmed.   16/9/2025 14:40.  fly BA16  SYD to   SIN   23:29.  fly BA12) SIN to L HR 17/9/2025: 07'49   fly BA458 LHR to MAD   13:15  bus #2@T4 MAD to BUR   15:45. bus #41 BUR to IRU           20:45  bed Pen Gema, IRUN 18/9/2025: 09:00 walk   IRUN to SdC 11/11/2025: 18:05.  fly BA465  MAD  to LHR 21:00.    fly BA15 LHR to SYD 13/11/2025 : 06:55  train  SYD  to HOME British Visa :  ETA reference number: 2021-2506-1110-9640 Email 11Jun British Airways Reference DU8GZY Email 11Jun ALSA Coaches Booking ref : 1g19k85 Pass code: RA5021505 Email 24Jul Travel insurance Huddle Insurance @ 30Jul Pension Gemma Booking #  5241200503 VISAS . Singapore  &  Spain are  not required.

Like many Camino First Timers & tho.se thousands that have enjoyed the romance of The Way, my intentions were to hit The Way, or The Camino Frances.  But latterly I had notions about the Camino del Norte and the Camino Portuguese Coastal. Both these Caminos hug the coastlines for much of their duration. For most of my life surfing, sailing and swimming have been major feature. I've been lucky to indulge these loves all along Australia's east coast. One of the desirable features of a good day on the water is a lack of crowds. Without mobs you can sw free, catch as many waves you want, just wander and have privacy to wear as little amount of clothing you want, without being watched or judged.  On the other side of the ledger, I often hear that the Camino Frances is very crowded. I don't so crowds well due to the circulations of energies that people carry with them. I think I would find the atmosphere on the Frances too mentally cpmplex, and stressful as people compete for...

We (Cuddy, Sam & I) left Su (the Subaru) to walk Lennoxton Road in light rain. Of course the dogs loved it, & gave me in a lime green poncho, funny looks. But happy dogs are laughing creatures & they soon ignored me, except to bump my legs to say thanks for the walk.  As they sniffed piles of farmy excrement, roadkill & other interesting longs I jostled about with a bouncy & heavy pack & a hood that sat skewiff on my melon.  Sam stared down a too large 'too but as it ran & he set to follow, he just as happily wheeled around to rejoin our little pack. The rain set in, but the hills nearby topped with shredded gray cloud distracted me from my pack & early walk settling in reluctance.  As the pack, containing everything I would carry on my Camino, jostled about I realised that in my haste I had not balanced the pack load.  At about the1.5k mark I set it down & applied some thought to how best arrange the baggies, & ret...

Each mormingvi wall or do weights. My breakfast is a cup of pays, a scoop of almond meal, Mate and a spoon of peanut butter and an egg yoke. I love it. I've realised, my daily food intake requires nothing from the fridge.  At present my body feels hard and I am motivated to push every day.  I feel blessed to have found SVEN YRVIND online, with his calm intelligence, odd diet & devotion to little sea boats. I watch short video of him daily.   

Its Monday, and although I have stuff to do I need to walk. My Camino is less than two months off and there's a need to harden up. I heard yesterday that an ex-footballer who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's several years ago was using walking to stage the disease off. For someone with Alzheimer's he sounded very good and he revealed that he got up at a quarter to six everyday and walked between 5 and 23k in the Blue Mountains. Note, every day, and its winter!  Surely I could have a go. So with camelback and boots I headed off down the hill with the dogs. As dogs do, they were all bouncy and happy to be walking. I used my stick to keep them behind and they seemed to like the order.  The tar hill felt steeper due to the ragged surface and of being wet, so I was worried about hitting the deck. I didn't even slip, but I find myself being extra cautious before heading overseas, and having to keep healthy to walk the Camino.  Rather than stir up the local village dogs we ...

I always wondered why  disclosures of cleric abuse are met with hatred.  Friends, colleagues and even family immediately backed away emotionally, even physically, repulsed by this information. Never did anyone acknowledge my private pain and come forwards to embrace me or offer comfort. Universally, I was abhorred.  Yet, it was never my fault. I did all I could to avoid it, on one occasion I tried to physically resist my abuser but at 12 years of age, I was easily overpowered. So why the hatred? This has bothered me deeply over twenty plus years and caused great hurt when I needed comfort the most. I can admit that it cauaed me to distrust people, to avoid people lest I upset them or they hurt me again.  But today I understand thanks to a statement by Saint Anthony of Padua hundreds of years ago. Although St. Anthony encouraged Christians to love and care and to live in peace, he did find that: " TRUTH BRINGS HATRED "  in response to his messages to live a simpl...

Just wow! Read it in two settings and my head is still spinning. 

The companionway hatch is sometimes described as the biggest hole in a boat is: Cruising World  magazine does it. I'll ignore cockpit hatches just for the sake of simplicity.  The requirements of a safe working hatchway include;- - being able to secure hatchboards in place. - keeping boards tethered to the boat. - sliding hatch lockable from below and from the cockpit. We're assuming that each component is of stout dimensions and well fitted.   Cruising World suggest a few other requirements:- - visibility through hatch boards from below - relatively high bridge. - side panels creating an entrance tunnel. - handholds. - large steps on a sloping ladder.   Famous JESTER CHALLENGER, Ming Ming showing tunnel companionway, sloping hatch with portlight, deck hatch for ventilation and viewing. A small collapsanlr hood was available for deployment as needed. She also had a remote control station below for steering and windvane control. She also has re...

Reading Cape Horn Birthday, Peter Freedman. A memoir from 1985 of sailing Hartley 32' around the world via the southern capes. Here he is on the 39° soith in the South Pacific spotting albatross and wondering if these were the last he would see as he sailed north. During sea trials of my old Top Hat, also in 1985, I saw an albatross off Newcastle at 33°south. I first noticed a large white bird on the sea off our port bow. The conditions were between oily calm and cats paws, so I sailed over for a closer look. As I neared this vividly white creature stirred reluctantly and with massive effort set to flight with a deal of paddling and flapping. After witnessing the effort it had to make lifting off the sea, I immediately regretted disturbing such a peaceable bird. But, I did see it.    NB: Freedman had two, then three albatrosses for company as far north as 35°56′ South.  Newcastle sits on latitude 33° South.  Xxxxx.    XxxxX     Xx...

It has been going really well. Losing bulk, feeling clear minded and getting firmer. One drawback is that I feel gutty after breakfrast and suspect the yoke is responsible.  So, in my wisdom, I cut the yoke. Tastes better and no reaction, but this afternoon I am hungry! Yrvind said, the " yoke contains just about all the vitamins you need". And I decide I can drop it out without consequence?! Tomorrow, l'll be having a yoke with my breakfast.  Also I tool delivery of vitamin and mineral pills this afternoon. I took a multi and a mag. The recommended dose is 11 Mag a day, but I won't be taking all that, I think 4 or 6 will suffice given that I've not taken them before so taking a few will help.  Today, feeling very energetic. Bursting with energy all day.  Keep it up! 

Threay of rain thwarted my keen attitide to resume painting Ilona. So I took to the road to "practice walking" for my Camino in September. I don't really think to practice walking is needed, but just to increase muscle tone and harden my feet.  The walk I did was for an hour, so just 4k but in this case with am elevation of 200m, down, then back up. The spotting rain did not hinder, but kept us (three dogs and i), cooler. I wore only heavy work boots, with camelback and earphones for Camino podcast listening, it was pleasant.  But, the rain hovers, so I will need to draw upon the reserve jobs list.  The Camino Frances, 800+k where I plan to walk in just two month's time. 

15 July: Oughtred Ness boat "Ilona" All this while I've been hunting about for a pocket cruiser, my Ness Boat has been sat. I bought Ilona just before Christmas and sailed her quite a bit, but she no longer fits my goal to sail offshore, so she must go. Besides sailing fast, she is quite tender and very wet. Pumping out while hard on the wind, you run out of arms and legs.  Anyway today I got serious with refitting to prepare her for sale.   I sanded gun'als ready to paint. At the hardware store there was green paint on sale for $15. On the boat the colour match was perfect. It was getting late so I had just time to touch up areas where sanding had taken off the top coat. Tomorrow, weather willing, I'll tape up and hit it. My soon to be sea boat  Clancy   has a beautiful finish with a coat of clear applied over her hull. Her lustre and finish is magnificent. This tempting to do on Ilona.  16 July: Painting Green Bits I lightly sanded t...

I just bought a Burke drogue. A multifunctional apparatus but one that i may never use. Functions include:- drogue to allow the boat when running, can be towed for directional durability, when crossing bars to allow and steady the boat through surf, emergency steering, sea anchor to take storms bow on, to allow drift and to steady roll at anchor.  The Seabrake device has been developed in the wake of Bass Strait storms and the devastation of the Sydney to Hobart fleet some years ago. It satisfies Australian Yachting Federation for storm sailing and emergency steering. I relearned today that "Old Man Sailing" has one of these aboard and is happy with it's use during circumnavigation.  I will use it of course, if only to familiarise myself with it at sea. 

Fresh back from visiting my daughter in the Central West, helping her get settled into her new home.  Recent weather has been with windy, over 40 knots at times, & although sunny way too unpleasant to even be putside et alone sailing. Today has seem some easing, so the "Bote Cote - Glue Mix" was sanded back on the chine. It sanded really well & adhesion seems strong.  Next is to fit a Tiller Tamer & electric Autopilot. The latter needing lots of work; mounting up, routing cable, mounting plug etc. -------------------------------------------- Sven Yrvind: I'm a big fan. Presently building a radical design, based on many hours at sea, from divinyl cell foam. He's so thorough.  After each days report on progress he tells a story from his sailing past its so engaging & enjoyable. I looked through his back catalogue looking for diet tips; he's an active & alert 86 yo so he's doing a lot right. His dietary regime is as follows:- Overweight?  Fas...

Immediately upon leaving P proper we settled into classic country road driving; mostly smooth, two lanes, no edge markings. Alongside the road are alternating, cropping fields, lush pastures with sheep or light remnant bush. Traffic was light, with few trucks or caravans and no road trains.     Wellington proved a high point, with its romantic rural decay, modern touches and pristine riverfront scenes. To the east large solar farms, gave way to wind farms, than lush rolling paddocks with wooly sheep grazing. Occasionally ranges topped with large grey mossy stones added ruggedness. I actually teared up with the beauty of the various features. At Gulgong it gets flatter, browner, The Drip National Park was an oasis.   Golbourn River.    The Drip.  From Ulan through to south of Singleton via the turn off south of Sandy Hollow (pretty), was shit. Soulessness created by mining, mounds of grey waste heaps and alpha males on hi viz beh...

I have calculated that among thw most pious and hard working demographic in a church congregation are those older women sitting quietly I'm the middle rows.  Yesterday I attended a funeral service of one such parishioner, Aud. She was 99 when she passed amd had been dragged into the glare of the media stage 86. Her unfortunate reality of losing a son to suicide when aged 12 many years earlier, had come into focus. Aud became a staunch advocate for her son Andrew, a classmate of mine, and all victims of clergy abuse locally. Over .many years she gave evidence in criminal court trials, supported the call for a Royal Commission and later gave evidence at that Commission, as well as giving media interviews. She lived to see all possible offenders against Andrew gaoled for their offences.  But, contrary to popular assumptions, Aud lived a joyous life. She loved a few glasses of Chardonnay, a good sing and the company of her large family and friends.  Let her be an inspiration ...