Living Contentedly

I have been pretty good training bit have probably gone a bit slack.  A three hour and one hour walk and a hour bike ride and regular almost daily exercises. I will say that during the long walk, my energy level was surprisingly high.  My diet crashed on the weekend, but otherwise has been very disciplined.  The weather in Spain has cooled. With fires and 40° last week, to low twenties maximums and no fires extant.  Later today I am heading west by 400k to house and horse sit for my daughter. I'll Jake my boots, bike and kayak and do my best.  My sisters walk the Camino for five days starting later this week! They are on Madrid right now - see photo.   

These photos, out of order, are the two bikes I'd like to buy.  Both are black Harley Sportsters, the bottom one is a 2007 with 30 000k on the clock. The top bike, I discovered last night is a twenty teen era with only a few thousand kilometers. Unfortunately its a five hour drive, 14hrs on public transport.  Two things spurred me on; I've loved Harleys forever and never had one, and my son sold his Himalayan for half the price of wither of these Harleys. I could sell my Himi for even more. So for a few thousand sheckles, I could be on a Harley.  Do I want a Harley sitting in an open shed here on the farm, no other resident and no dogs, while I go to Spain for two months is a moot protest.  This sculpture is the one bright spot in my efforts to replace the CV shaft on my Forrester. After 3+ weeks delays getting it out of the factory, Australia Post has taken more than a week to get it to Dungog PO where I will go in a few minutes. ...

Myth : Big VV is cheap  Cost for a Prester to Schraeder valve at Big VV is $21.73. Same item at 99 Bikes, $1. Big VV is 2000% more expensive. Facts : Big VV is a rip off. Big VV can't spell properly.

Pope Leo IV says;  "I appeal for all hostages to be freed, a permanent ceasefire to be reached, the safe entry of humanitarian aid to be facilitated, and humanitarian law to be fully respected—especially the obligation to protect civilians and the prohibitions against collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of populations ". Peace

Today's Vatican News  details the Pope's prayer for world peace. Pope Leo IV  “ invites humanity to reject the logic of violence and war, and to embrace an authentic peace based on love and justice ". War Mongering Leaders  How beautiful an expression, " reject the logic of violence and war ". It gets at the heart of mankinds stupidity, his blanket response to an imposition of any kind is commonly violent. We witness various wars around the world, usually over land and assets, two parties going at it. Until a  "world superpower" asks the to stop, which rarely happens, before the superpower dives in either directly or by resourcing one side. More bloodshed and aggression ensues, many more citizens are killed. How sad. What would happen if the Superpower asked for calm amf placed both countries under administration (just like when a corporate goes bankrupt), and is held in abeyance until peace is restored.  One rule might be to nev...

Peter said, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you.” – Acts 8:19-22) Pilgrims Progress discusses something to the forefront of my mind, that of people of wealth believing themselves to be morally superior to others. Yet here is example of how  bible teachings instruct the well minded Christian to shun material wealth as a fool's errand. Further perhaps that the worship of money is a falling away from the way.  It is true that I have followed Voluntary Frugality for almost forty years. But I am no more worthy than the next man, I just face fewer distractions.  As an additional element in opposition to a high consumption lifestyle, is its impact on the environment. Clearly a frugal life is one that demon...

     “Judge not, and you will not       be judged; condemn not, and       you will not be condemned;         forgive, and you will be                  forgiven ". As I woke and felt for certain stresses that will need work to resolve. This is when  a certain troubling thought occurred to me, that is; being betrayed by my wife. This event fell on me a decade ago but still, harsh judgements of her continually invade my thoughts. I have been steadfast in my unforgiveness.  I realise I need to release these thoughts so I can be free to live happy, healthy and more peacefully. I read that anger and unforegiveness go hand in hand.  Essentially forgiveness is a choice to discard old patterns of thought. Every time I recite Our Father , I am asking God to " forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us" . I underst...

Your heart jumps when you see her. You smile so much it hurts. You spend all the time you can with her. When you're apart, you know she's being amazing.  You hope it lasts forever.  You enjoy her every gesture.  She makes you feel better about yourself. She oozes positivity.  You marvel that one day there might be a little human that looks just like her.  You love her smell. She writes poetry so artful that it leaves you speechless.  You replay in your head the little things she says and it makes you smile.  You just want to hold her hand and be with her.  Her absence is painful.  I had that once, so long ago, but I remember the feeling. 

Sadly, my only son has turned against me of late. He constantly verbally abuses and degrades me and is physically disrespectful to the house. Initially I suspected he was facing stress in his new job and needed to blow off his anxieties against me at home. But recently he tells me he loves his job & so on. Nothing i can do will help, as I have arrived at the conclusion that his dislike of me has been hidden until he became financially independent. Now the true beast has been released & I am beginning to see a historic pattern. Eventually he will leave home, but on the meantime I have asked that he mind the house & pets when I am walking.  It is a struggle for me to respond on a caring way. This morning I went to the internet for guidances & I found this in the Vatican News in my inbox:-  "Pope Leo XIV reminds us that "acting in truth has its cost, because there are those in the world who choose lies." He urges us "not to respond to insolence with ve...

Things are warming up for my Camino walk. Today I cycled to & from church (about 17k). I went the long way out and arrived late to miss the readings. I usually only stay for the readings & the homily. I'm really over the regularity of the main service, but today I hung out, if only to catch my breath.  After the service while trying to repair a broken zipper on my shoulder pack, an elderly parishioner invites me to the hall for tea or coffee. I felt like a heel refusing the invite, she was quite persistent & a "new" parishioner is a big thing for them. If I become a regular, i may attend.  Anyway, I knew the day's readings were copied out on the Bulletin, so I grabbed a copy.  Two things got my attention:  a) the opening quote "You bore me to be a man of strife for the whole world". After  a reading Pilgrim's Progress I learned that the way is " straight and narrow" not wide and inviting the road taken my the majority of...

Goodwill pointing the way to Christian on his pilgrimage. You must distinguish the right way from the wrong by paying attention to which is straight and narrow.” (For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it . References: Pilgrim's Progress x John Bunyon & thr Gospel of Matthew. 

Leaving early Thursday morning Julie and Chrissy arrived on Rome, via Dubai, very early Saturday morning our time.  They have five days there during which time they will do a tour of Vatican City. No audience with the pope; its too hot to wear his zachetta and besides he is busy celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Obviously the actual event occurred    much earlier ;)  its the anniversary of Pope Pius VII  official ceremony in the Vatican in the 1950s.  Well I'm sure they will enjoy the sites, the history and the heat.  

Although it was gloomy up until modday, on the afternoon the sum beamed through and eventually the sky went totally clear.  So unused to fine weather, I stopped what I was doing at one point because my right calf got hot. When I checked it was list sunlight on my leg! No hot exhaust or anything weird, just good old sunshine. Its beautiful and nourishing.  We've had so much rain, drizzle and overcast skies in recent months, when there is no wind you can heard water seeping through the grass. Everywhere, the ground is spongy, with  water in solution on the soil. The henhouse smells rank, from constantly being a bog, so I let the hens out to roam. They are so appreciative, they let me pat them, and I had a long conversation with Penny Penuto this afternoon. She stood still, listening, with her head cocked on the side.  Inspired by Yagai No Moriko I spent all day decluttering, sorting and cleaning in my bedroom. I have a pressing repair needed onvmy car, but the weather ...

A Pilgrim’s Prayer :   O God, who brought your servant Abraham out of the land of the Chaldeans, watching over him in all his wanderings, and guided the Hebrew people as they crossed the desert, we ask you to watch over us as we walk in the love of your name to Santiago de Compostela. Be our companion on the way, our guide at the crossroads, our strength in weariness, our defense in danger, our shelter on the path, our shade in the heat, our light in darkness, our comfort in discouragement, our firmness in our intentions. So that through your guidance, we may arrive safely at the end of our journey, and, enriched with grace and virtue, may return to our homes filled with salutary and lasting joy. Buen Camino to Julie and Chrissy . ~.         ~.         ~.         ~.         ~.         ~.           ~ Whoa a slow a...

The moral midget Pres Trump:-  * daily policy changes without consultations,  * human rights abuses against migrants,  * boasting illogically and dishonestly how he is controlling various world events.  Quite apart from his shady early life and having committed serious legal breaches, is now turning guns on his own people. How much longer before:- * the law gets him?  * his party reel him in?  * the masses revolt?  * he is assassinated? 

Two of my sisters met in Sydney today in preparation for an early flight in the morning. After landing in Rome, they will go to the south coast for a week before going on to Paris.     After Paris they will walk on the Camino Frances for six days. The older of the two took a big chunk out of life to care for mum until she passed away and this is a well earned break. Hopefully it will give her a lift after a heart attack and surgery undertaken last year. The Camino can lead to change, and she really needs to engage with nature and healthy living rather than seeking shortlived joy through sweet and fatty foods. .~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~      I am very proud of myself today. I'm having an issue with my Subaru & I used my diary to highlight the way this type of problem can cause me to lock up and do little. But after a super productive morning cleaning and...

My main aim at the moment is to ready for the Camino, mentally and physically. Yesterday I walked 14k pretty well non-stop. All I want to be now is to keep doing the same. My thinking is that if I can bang out 14k nonstop, I can break the day up with coffee and food breaks, I should get buy and once I get by for the first week I should get match fit, and bingo. The mental side, I'm hoping that being mindful and taking one day at a time, I might be OK. But who knows!  Anyway, today I did resistance fitness early and then did some work on my Ness Boat. Scraping the bottom ready for antifouling, and scraping, sandingvand varnishing bright work. Its amazing how each modest step brings great rewards. Hopefully she will sell quickly.  Baluchon x 14'. She's circumnavigated once and is off around again. 

Today I set out for a mid-teens walk. After contemplating how I could drive the car around a looping set of roads to measure off disttances, I decided to just walk one way for two hours, then return. Today's outfit was: small shoulder pack with water, poncho, phone & earphones. I was wearing Keens, thick woolen hiking socks,and hat with a cape  For company I had: Sam the placid, Cuddy the queer & Brandi the bouncy, very many cattle and the odd kangaroo.  Setting off the dogs were typically ecstatic and bumped my legs, as heelers do, sniffed every cow pat and drank from puddles.  Our first car came from behind, I could here and see it about 2k away. Getting the dogs in a huddle off to the side failed to contain B and as the vehicle approached she ran in front to it and jumped about, to be let in. I waved the driver to keep going and decided to put her on a lead with future traffic.   After we passed our usual turn around points at 3 and 4k, the change in ...

Townsvthat are equi-distant to the Camino del Norte from where I live:-      Caloundra to the north;     Poopello lake east of Wilcannia to the west;     Lakes Entrance to the south; But I will not be thinking too much about the full distance once I get underway. In Spain, I will take little bights, is: the next village, bar of albergue, even the next beach. Dwelling on the whole distance is usually considered to be disabling.  

The keen Newport sandals had been in my possession for 24 hours but already i felt transformed, their sole was a little ri stiff but i hoped that would ease will mileage, otherwise they felt great. Cool feeling, light and just right. After a very quick period my feet adjusted and i was happy to keep them on after a 6k stroll, and i did so to 22:00 after a rough wet night at the footy. Walking back to the car i noticed one weak spot, heavy groundwater caused your socks to get wet. Once the dampness warmed up it was fine, but i suspect from what of read, that dampness lead to soft swollen flesh, lead to blisters. So i would have to remain vigilant.  The lightness of being brought on by the keens inspired me to take my sleeping bag out of my pack. I later thought about buying a small pack. As fate had it the following morning i found myself within 2k of a MacPac store. I eyed off the 20l day packs. Too small. Essentially i need to carry a puffer jacket in a dry bag, about 4l, a change...

After being peppered with local gossip & listening to a Camino podcast that featured a film producing couple, I am struck (again) by a certain coterie of society whore chief aim is to broadcast their desire to be seen as superior to others.  This personal broadcast is often interwoven with trendy notions of positive affirmations of success & influence & allusions to greatness. What's not actually revealed is privilege has been bestowed by birth, access to financial freedom or social connections with concomitant codes of behaviour, fuel this preoccupation with public notoriety or fame. They eventually arrive at a point of believing that they are innately above others & deserving of greatness. My own view, my own values have led me see the earthy goodness of, particularly older women, some men, who will typically attend church for example, & chose to sit may be two thirds of the way towards the rear, pray quietly & avoid the glare of the altar & public gaz...

Oskar Speck paddled [the Danube to escape from Germany's depressed economy & oppressive bureaucracy, on] through Austria and Hungary, passing cities like Vienna and Budapest before reaching the Yugoslav-Bulgarian border. Making his way to Greece, where the journey became the goal, he paddled open water to Syria. Refused entry by the Suez Canal Authority, he dismantled Sunshine & sort out the Euphrates River. Along the Euphrates, having sighted no person for 14 days, struggling to find water or food, he pulled up to am island to shelter from harsh winds. He them discovered that someone had stolen his kayak leaving him with nothing.  "The culprits turned out to be the police themselves, who led him back to his boat after Speck offered to pay them a substantial bribe ." This was in the 1930s & is the first case of police corruption, ever, in the world ... No it wasnt, I jest. It began happening much earlier, but I digress.  He overcame long days at the paddle, as...

We have had so  much rain & wind lately that doing anything apart from drinking coffee & reading is difficult. So, fed up with records rains*, & with more die this weekend, I decided to bring The Ness Boat under cover. Then as if the weather admitted defeat, today turns out beautiful, colourful & warming.  So, I got to do some painting. I just need to roll off the cream inside before going below the waterline & turning attention to the trailer. And it feels great to be making progress. 

Only aftery dads passing did I really get him. Previously I found him to be boisterous & impulsive & a mercilous teaser. But attending his funeral, celebrated by five priests & looking around the congregation I realised He Dads behaviours were a smoke screen. Beyond the home he was an inveterate helper. While his family were resting after the days work dad was carrying out pastoral duties. He would visit homes, hospitals, hospices & homeless shelters as well as meetings for various charities.  While I knew of bits of his service to others, the scale of it only came to light after his flame expired. Bearing witness to the appreciation of the many widows on the parish was quite emotional. As a child through to adulthood he devoted himself to his mother's financial & physical support, & it was clear he extended that support to all widows. One woman who was widowed with three primary school aged children, over ought with emotion asserted that my father "was...

This has not been confirmed by any other source. In these days, where blatant lying is expected, I could be creating a disservice by repeating some of what I saw online. But from what I heard ascribed to the new pope by his own brothers, it does seem to fit his character. Vatican watchers among the media indicated that the new Pope Leo XIV was on the same progressive & humble mold as Pope Francis, his predecessor.  Here is what I recall, of what I heard & what stood out to me; That any person's behaviour is not to be called out by the church. The role of the priest is to speak the Bible, offering this as moral leadership to the people. From this we can take that gay people, among others will be allowed to follow the church.  That divorce or unmarried relarionships, also be not judged or banished in any way.  That older married men be allowed to enter priesthood in order to boost numbers of clergy.  That churches do away with extravagant displays of wealth. Th...

I know I shouldn't keep swapping fitness routines, but you know I am keen to improve, nay maximise, my health status.  And frankly, as I read the list of must do exercises to improve your vitality in older age, I knew I'm my gut that the advice was pretty solid. After just two sessions, albeit with a first time in a long while 17k bike ride on between, I feel quite fabulous. So here it is:- 1/ Dead Hang : grab an overhead bar and dangle for as long as possible without letting your shoulders collapse. Do it for two minutes, or longer. (I don't have this facility yet)  2/ Squat : Adopt the squat and hold good form for 2 minutes. 3/ Jumps : do as many as twenty of so free standing jumps, aiming to get your feet 20 inches/500mm off the deck. 4/ Wall Sit : up against any wall. Good square posture and stay there for 2 minutes.  5/ Max Cardio : chose your method, just go hard for 8 min. eg. run an 8 minute mile. 6 / Farmers Carry : carry your own weight, half in each arm and wa...

As a grey, flooded & windlashed dawn emerges from one of the stormiest nightsci remember, my dawn dusk bird is warbling beautifully. Normally this little fellow emits three economical chirps & remains silent until the following dawn or dusk. But this morning its different, so delightful on such a hostile day.  That little bird has offered a delicate beauty that cannot be bought or created. Thank you little bird spirit.

I may have mentioned, that I look forward to watching daily update posts by sven. Typically, there's 2 or 3 minutes about the boat work he has achieved that days, followed by a read  presentation from his books. today he answered a question a woman asked about his daily fitness regime.  NB: Sven is 86 years old. First he cycles 15k to work on his boat. Then cycles home again. He often runs for an hour. In the evening he takes a meditation walk of about an hours duration. Sven then gave some tips: keep a positive mindset on wanting to live well, keep insulin intake down, keep moving, keenly work at a life interest.  Chastened by this, I dressed for the weather & prepared my fatbike. Initially I was set to ride M Ck rd & return. But we kept going around the Paterson Loop. I did this nonstop, the last bit in solid rain. Everything went well; 17.5k on a fat bike with high friction in the rear hub, very wet, windy conditions. 

Headed out under a threatening forecast. Initially planning to complete a short out & back walk, into the walk I felt very good & considered going for a 15+k loop instead of 8k, covering the same route twice. I really dislike out & back walks & would prefer a through hike or loop. However, as good as I was feeling; one of dogs developed a sore leg, the skies began to threaten, & the full loop ran by an 80kph road & put our safety at risk.  So we wheeled around at the 4k mark. Having recently walked most of this route earlier in the week, with pack & hiking boots, I felt much stronger today with just a camelback & work boots.  It bucketed with rain soon after. I did not get as tired afterwards as I had been earlier in my training. The capacity to back up a morning walk with an afternoon walk, & do the same the next day is getting more within my grasp.