Living Contentedly

My eagerness to return to the surf with both eyes working was tempered by an uninspiring surf. So I went running instead; 7k of laps along Glenrock Beach.   

I'm really drawn to Summer Hill Road for training rides at the moment. I first rode it last week and my initial thoughts were: " this is way longer and way more hilly " than when I travelled it by Land Rover. So I was really impressed by completing a loop from my local fire station.  As is common among cyclists is, that we are drawn to complete ever-more-difficult activities. So off we went.  But after working on my chopper all day and a bit of procrastination, I had run short of time, so I drove to the Eaglereach access road, cranked up my Flow speaker with football and jingled off. Unlike when I was jogging here a on Friday, the weather was glorious; cool, pretty calm, light cloud.  I had changed my peddles out for clipless and found the hills less daunting, even faster. I got to the T-intersection marking the end of SHR (9k) and needed more. Glendonbrook Road, normally a rat run for coal miners and farm boys, seemed quiet. So I rode towards Gresford (5k). More folly hi...

I'm in a routine of making each second day an "active" day for running, riding and so on. On the other days I work on the house, property or vehicles.  So today's biggy was getting the Bullet inspected for registration.  As expected she flew through, but there' are always a few nerves. On the way back I was thinking " one more year of living dangerously", that is   by riding a motorbike. anyway, I really enjoying the Bullet. while her grip in the gravel is not so good, on the road she is faster and as always a real character. I am actually thinking of her being a part of my next step towards " car-lite " living.Fitting a sidecar to the Bullet would open the door to selling my car. I've always wanted a sidecar. Apartfrom the quirkiness ans fun factors, i carrying tools, a dog and gear for swimming, fishing or  camping and the weekly groceries would be cool. Just like a car but just for me. Joy, economical and environmentally friendly.  One ...

26 March: Hooey! Today's outing began in the rain. Earlier I'd procrastinated due to sun, a  home work project that really needed completing, and so on.  I got so far as to take my Royal Enfield Bullet for a rego check; the town's main mechanic had semi-retired so was unavailable today. I then went to his son's workshop and he was closed too. Hrrmph!  At home I got set to work on my other bike, my chopper, that I need to get ready before the lapsed rego period of grace expires. I picked up the battery drill and it went flat on the first hole. I'd used it earlier, and thought it had more charge.  So I pulled on my NBs, coaxed the dog, filled a bottle with Powerade and headed to Summer Hill Road.  There were some serious clumps of rain-dumping clouds to the SW of our destination and we copped loads for brief peroods on our drive. But it wasnt windy or cold, so no risk of death.   I felt driven to return here after riding by a few days ago, the rolling gr...

23 March:  Home life has been pretty full on, so I actually lost two days to just resistance training.  So today I was busting to stretch my legs. Rather than head into town for groceries and run the gauntlet of busy roads, I hit local roads that are not well used. The recent death of a pedestrian on roads that i frequent has really made me timid. He wasnt riding, it was a freakishly unlucky affair, but still, it seems to have  involved a careless motorist. Anyway, today's ride was pretty hard. The temperature was good, it wasnt too sunny, and the wind was OK, but today it was hills. They werent monsters, but there were a lot of them. It was a case that you seemed to be going up or down, rarely cruising on flat ground. But, that was too because I really wanted to push myself a bit. Mission accomished.  A novel element for today's ride was a Bluetooth speaker. As soon as I got going I cranked up "100 Greatest Reggae Songs". Wow, it made the ride really enjoyable and I...

Here is a cutting from an ANC News story posted at the present. A father and son are taking a year off to do some of the worlds greatest hikes.  "For 18-year-old Ashton Toole, there is no better place than the great outdoors, and no better feeling than exploring it on foot . [ EDIT son has Autism] "s pectrum disorder, ADHD and Tourette syndrome. "People with autism tend to have fixations, and his, fortunately, was bushwalking," Mr Toole said. Ashton is non verbal and the father has to caution nearby campers about odd yips and copralalia through the might. The father says, they "indirectly educate" hikers about Tourettes. Excellent, those who don't tend to meet people with obvious disabilities in daily life can become very able body thinking. Good luck.  .

When I was a kid there was a huge spanner at home and it was stamped "King Dick". It never failed to get a rise when I showed my friends. But, jist as a preamble, my dick size has never been something Ive either thought about or worried upon. I mean, what can you do about it?  Well that's what I thought until a month ago. I was drying myself off after a bath and I noticed my willy had grown! No I wasnt particularly excited, if you know what I mean. Does it continue to grow, or respond to gravity as you get older? I had one inkling that it was because I'd lost weight and was fitter. I checked again later, same. So I Googled it and yes, losing weight removes fat from the groin so more Roger is seen. And better health leads to better blood flow and Kong Dick is in da house. Bloody hell. 

19 March 2026: A little after 4am I began a spontaneous fitness session that went for an hour. Beginning with limbering up, then stretches, cowbell then dumbell. It left me feeling energised & ready for an active day.  After a leisurely breakfast I sowed some beetroot and beans in the garden under gentle rain. Later I did kaundry & worked  on the Royal Enfield 500 (speedo). I then completed as much of the new verandah framework, putting in steel screws thst i could without getting the drill wet.   After a salad & lettingbit digest I took the dog & I for a run. We went pretty solidly at it for one hour. The dog was fragging himself about by the end, & it feels great to outrun a dog.  Afterwards , I grabbed my first burger & chips in months. I was starving & should have waited till it all cooled, but nah. I saved some bacon & burger meat for the dog, which he loved of course.  Keep it illegal. .     

So called x-spurts, influencers and the almighty world of commerce and trade, always encourage us to charge forward to create our identity. This usually means consuming whatever product they are peddling at that moment. Sociologists call this Conspicuous Consumption is: " the practice of purchasing luxury goods and services to publicly display wealth, status, or social prestige rather than for functional utility ". This lifestyle is rarely good for your spirit, or the environment. It creates piles of "hard rubbish" for collection each few years as the new trend sweeps through your life. Many years ago a curmudgeonly  TAFE teacher once told my class in welfare how '  the system" works. " The technology for storing and listening to music is far in advance of the shops. As they introduce music discs they have three completely different systems that will be placed on the market as the outdated system has saturated the market. They are now marketing the co...

Noted bikepacker Ryan Van Duzer, yes thats his name, and no, he's American suggests fear may be holding me back.  I don't think its   the principal reason because I was waiting to get my eye surgery done and dusted, and to get gear together and then do some testing.  One of RVDs suggested fears may be 'wild animals", particularly bears. Well no bears in Australia, but I did just buy a bear bell. It only cost a few bucks and when I heard one on the Camino walk, it was effective in gently alerting walkers to the approach of a bike and sounded quite nice. In Australia it wouldn't help for snakes but would help with people and other critters.   RVDs other fears included mechanical or equipment failure, and weather exposure. Basically his position was that I should prepare well, without getting bogged down on the detail, and accept that occasionally things will fail, but will be overcome.  I just want to get out for a 24hr run to get the wheels turning, and take...

We all know there is a lot of rubbish on the socials, that's eben when we exclude the ads. Knowing that more than half is generated by bots is a reveal on our culture. People are paid to sit in a hot room generating messages of division within communities they will never visit in real life.  Yesterday, while waiting for a tube to be fitted to the Royal, I visited an old cemetery at Telarah-Rutherford for a gem. There were many surnames I knew, but one headstone stood tall for its inscription:-           We do not see with           eyes, we see with            our soul. A guide for our viewing of social media.  In the evening, on a social feed I saw an older Japanese woman, looking positive, sparky and healthy.   Part of her lifestyle is to exercise one hour every morning. I can report that ive tried it this morning and it feels good. But I will have to jog later on because an our is not enoug...

18 March Maitland: Rode train to Waratah.  Where i encountered a foolish old man with a trolley trying to negotiate stairs with a load lashed to a trolley, 4m from a perfectly good lift!  Waratah: found a nice path to stadium and linked with known path to join Fernleigh Track. Saw older guys on racers, like Fernleigh -only riders.  Redhead: meet a lovely little lady in the mini mart, struggling with mopping in the humidity. Bought kitkats on special and bananas. Are held at the beach, it looked really flat but the breaks were crappy.  Rode around road resurfacing to find the Coastal Path. An overgrown Sandy trail where bottle brush bloomed. A bit magic.  Dudley: Rode to the bluff with panorama++. Up through village an older toguy steps,  on ebike overtook. Lumpy exit to Whitebridge, kindergarten children were blocking the Gly up labar tracl local Bearded Dragon sk, roads bumped into poo farm fence, turned right toenrock trail so i Rode the service road . ro...

14 March 2026 Wow! I removed the eye cover first thing this morning and was immediately stunned by the clarity & colour range. I had to drive to make my appointment against hospital instructions, but I was very confident my sight had improved on the previous day. I have this weird shimmying on the edge occasionally, but surgeon said I had significant swelling. So I'm expecting that to settle.  With regards pain, I had been convinced this was a thing, bit apart from it feeling like a bruise earlier, this afternoon I have lost that sensation.  I have drops to take, I suspect to ward off infection, & although there is no infection evident, the drops are quite soothing.  I go back on 8 weeks to plan work on the right eye, but so far I am ecstatic. No glasses required & the restoration is beyond my best expectations. There were many activities I was told to avoid,including strenuous exercise, bending over & heavy weights. But to celebrate my new lease in life, ...

I think of this occasionally. A small bunker, with light streaming in weakly, while I dwell serenely on the belly of mother earth.  I bought a small excavator a handful of months ago with intentions to dabble. But last night I had a dream of actually living underground.  The context; I was temporarily studying away from home. I could imagine, living away from home, with strangers like this would cause great stress.  One day while out walking, I saw my grandmother Dot, just as she entered an underground dwelling! It was situated into a hillside just before a bridge over a river. At a later time I met her, she kept her circumstances private, except that she had to go away soon.   Chosing my time carefully I took up life there. Initially I was shocked at the difficulty entering, but realised this was a security measure, created by whomever built the dwelling. I remained there peacefully for the duration.    Isn't it amazing how the thoughts from deep insi...

If you say this word among my old surfing buddies, they will smile proudly & then shake their heads.  Its a word we used to describe dry sores we developed on our legs mostly, but also arms. We gathered, after a while, that they came after surfing at a place we knew as Point X.  It was a handy walk from our local break at Merewether into what is now known as Glenrock Nature Reserve. When the swell had too much north in it for The Rocks or Ladies to break well, small groups of surfers would quietly go south. Point X was never a great quality wave, it was at best an ok break with an average ride. I'm suspect the secrecy, novelty & the walk itself created an appetite for surfing.  But Point X had a catch. It was a mere 200 yards away from Newcastle's largest sewerage outlet to the sea. You could literally see a steady stream of pure sewerage belching into the sea beyond the shorebreak. On the beach little poo bombs waited to stick to your feet, & thousands of tin...

We left home a little early, about 6:30. I quickly fed the furries and chooks, had a chat with the dog and left.  Joe motored a little too fast, at least the engine, with AC on, sounded strained. We went via Buchanan, a quieter rural drive that popped us onto the road leading SE of the town. I asked Joe to drop me in the town so's he could make tracks to work. Apparently he is learning about oxygen therapy in a two day first aid course.  The walk out to the hospital was pleasant, old Australian suburban feel. I would have liked a nice coffee, a rich long black, mmm. At the little hospital I've been through Admissions and am now sat in a robe awaiting the call up. There are four others waiting, but Channel 9 is blaring from the tv, with bright colours, dramatic short stories, its distracting and disturbing.     17:38hrs. Job Done Well I've been home for a feedand snooze and I feel stoked. The operation went well for two reasons according to the surgeon; the catar...

9Mar: Due to life, I missed four days riding. I was not happy until I got out at about 4:30pm today.  Everything went well and I grabbed a nice flat white in pato.  i didn't have any real ?

10Mar: After setting out to my local Parkrun Venue and discovering it was No Dogs site I pivoted.  U turn to a large old rural estate with old school mansions on beautifully landscaped grounds. To the sounds of hedgetrimmers, Cuddy dog and I made our way over about 4k.  Unfortunately, distracted by the No Dogs surprise, and being distracted by the estates I forgot to jog until near the end. I jogged only 1k! Oh well.I did 50x with the kettle bell earlier. HIGHLIGHT on the road's edge passed tocsl college I saw a wedgetailed eagle. It had just cleared the tarmac as I approached and it's size caught my eye.  There was roadkill nearby which it was interested in, but may expose the raptor to car strike. I found a safe place to turn around and headed back to remove the carcas. As I approached, it was clear the eagle had left. The roadkill was a fox and I moved it clear of the road.

4mar: After fitting my clipless pedals and headed to Paterson.  My speed was immediately faster and the body load was distributed more through my body more. At Pato I collected cycling glasses and a candle lantern and was disappointed to see I had only 6k on the Dura. The ride back was enjoyable within more speed on hills with no more physical stress.  Back at the fire station I realised the metering issue, was reading miles in place of kilometres. Total 20k.

For today's ride I parked up at Bunnings Heathbrae and got ready. While I was there a fellow, looking rough and driving a Lexus hit me up. I sussedthat he had a drug problem rather than a "left my credit card at home and need pertrol" problem. So I suggested he go to the pertrol station across the road and make an arrangement. Tellingly he said " no they won't help you". This tipped me off  to  a body on the outer of society. So I made my excuses. Soon after, a guy walking towards Bunnings with his girlfriend fell for it. As D&O thanked a guy in a nearby campervan tipped off the Donor that he'd just for had. This pissed Mr Downandout and he Camperman, calling him an "effing dog"  before going over and slapping him around. They went at it for a while, but it was mostly verbal with the odd slap, until they parted noisily. Mr D&O then drove off still yelling abuse at Camperman. A small group of onlookers, including myself, went over to off...

I chose the ghostgum bike shop because of a previous positive experience and because it was tiny and all about bikes.  The owner, who I later learned was John or Maizy was a bike but, a Sydney refugee of some standing and who owned most bikes on the shop. An on-trend "shopping bike" was prominently displayed. Steel framed, Brooks, swept bars and front rack, mudguards and tan sidewall city tyres. What I call a shopping bike, one you often see European bike nerds zipping along congested city streets to visit their favorite cafe or catch up with a mate. It was all new components and John said "too good to ride". Alongside, slightly lower on the stand, also with pedals removed for security reasons, was a Surly. It was a similar spec to the shopping bike though tougher looking. It could handle a trail, but only for a short run in dry conditions. Most components had been spec'ed up, Cube rear set, flashy rims and hot pink head bearing housings and swept ba...