Living Contentedly

The mission for today was to deliver and sell my Homalayan. I was annpyed when, for the first time ever it refused to turn over. I knew the cause was a lose plug from a cable I had to move to fit the new battery. A two minute repair, but it irked me.  I didn't want to pass or on like that, but I had little choice. I plugged it back in and she fired right up.  The new pwner, who I thought might be Indian as Aussie as. A nice guy. I'm list about to text him to let him know of he has a problem, to check that.  I dropped by to see my sister afterwards. Good to catch up with her and with family news. She will be missing mum on Mother's Day in two days time. I felt free as soon as I left. Just me and a small pack, walking and catching the train home, walking from the station. Something about walling I love, lately my exercise routines are all full on; jogging, cycling and weights. Walking is enjoyable and done like this I achieve things, travelling to or from places I have to b...

Sailed Ilona, Lemon Tree to Corlette : When I realised I'd left my wallet at home & had to backtrack 15k, I wondered how the rest of the day would go. I needn't have been so pessimistic. Trying the Trailer Skids: I had been frustrated with the old trailer set up. Four sets of rollers on two way tilting brackets tended to hammer the hull severely, knocking paint off, for one.     I'd followed my gut instinct to fit simple skids, two six foot long runners, topped with thin rubber wear strips. To say they worked flawlessly would be an understatement.  Rigging Up    I stripped her rig months ago & hadn't really reassembled her yet. So I rowed across the passage and anchored while I attached the halyard to the yard, & the mainsheet tackle to the boom & centreboard casing ... & got underway. Wangi Queen Vibe The "Wangi Queens Showboat" was boarding as I rowed away from the finger wharf. A few passengers had that whimsical look asxtgey eyed Ilo...

Huh, I got married on this date in 1991. Thirty five years ago and have been  ecstatically separated for the last nine years. But the social worker in me says its useful to acknowledge these things.     Of course, I focus little upon those years beyond the happy times parenting. But there are also reflections of years missed; fitness goals, sailing miles, and so on.     But today I am prepping the most expensive sail boat Ive ever owned, for a sail early tomorrow morning. For me, there is nothing better than stopping midsail on a smooth anchorage for a snack, coffee and a book. Perhaps there will be a beach walk and swim? Bliss.   Clancy, LBG While I was visiting my daughter last week, my son was left to "care" for the cats, chooks and house. Sadly he did a lousy job and part of that was leaving a fate open to let the goats graze my garden. I lost 20 lettuce, raddish, cabbage, book choy, beans, onions, tomatoes and the last of the...

This bike (2017 Classic 500) got me back into motorbiking after giving it away when my children were born. Actually my son got a bike and I thought it was probably OK for me to have a crack.  I immediately loved it's styling, simple build, ease of repair and with a smaller muffler, her sound. Over time I moved on to a Honda Shadow and after a while letcmy son ride The Royal. Initially he loved it, but lost interest when he graduated to a Honda 650 which he bought new.  So I got my Royal back andxits become my daily rider; Honda is being chopped and Himalayan is now for sail. I am still in love with The Royal, her note, nimbleness and knowledge of the fact that if she goes  down I can pick it up again. 

Sunday for me can be a restful day. After yesterday's Gravaleur ride, including a wrong that added 10k and a tumble off my bike in the main street while trying to unclip, I'm feeling a little tender but mostly denourished. So today was ways going to be a slow one.    Fortunately the weather is majestic autumn at its best; no T-shirt and shorts!    Job One: get Yamaha outboard running. This was provided as ballast when I bought Ilona 2years ago with apologies. I had a try some time ago without luck.    It actually looks in perfect condition, but as Ive learned, engines hate sitting idle. I gave her a wash before  consultinf some Yamaha online tutorials then: renewed fuel, checked the plug, checked spark, made sure choke, gear and throttle settings were right. But even using Start Ya Bastard I had no feedback of any kind. Back to the shed.     Selling Ilona : Ive had a query about her rig type from someone wanting the yawl. Its clear in the ad,...

Getting up at 04:30, shovelingy oats and driving 90k is not the ideal start.     But the Gravaleur event was not super just, so I sosmt have to worry about people on my face. There was a big  mix of riders and the early mood was uptight but positive. On the road we quickly settled into their paces. I fell into a rhyrhm of passing two women on the flats and they passed me on climbs. They ultimately led me astray, rising an extra 10-15k. My highlight was meeting a Brisbane rider who had ridden the Tassie Gift twice. Wow. With 6k to go I was feeling a bit yuk due to hettinv lost and feeling depleted. But seeing the aftermath of a road accident put things right. Someone's dream retirement, to tow a caravan around Australia had ended upside down on a steep embankment. Even if the occupants survived tje rollover, the heartache and condition of the wreckage would be devastating.  So my little issue was quickly put into perspective.       

I've kind of developed a plan. Its actually imposing a restraint on me against going big on another boat.  I already have three sailboats; a 15' clinker, 19' dory that I put up for sale today, and my 18' NIS boat. So, I first need to sell two of them because i know if I was to get another boat, these others would languish away.  My other fear is, and this is going to sound weird, that unless I am forced on board say by selling my house, its possible that whatever boat I have will be underused. The fact is, I am very comfortable here at home. Its quiet, cheap living, and everyday I make progress on projects like repairing vehicles, boats and the house and keeping fit, like jogging or cycling every second day. I also like to bugger off to the beach, weather permitting.     So, what I should do is to make cruising my NIS boat a major priority. Get it out on the nay, lake or coast and sail and camp cruise every week. Show myself that this dream is really valid, that...

Writing this is; an act in procrastination from today's list, counter to my usual decision making which is mostly "organic", discounts the prospect that my NIS boat might be it, and a skip too far ahead. But hey its always delicious to think about possibilities. The topic will be my choice of a larger live aboard boat. I am in the troubling position of loving being on the water and having a broad and unstructured experience of boats.  My Love of Being on The Water :  My love of "sailing" is really a love of being in or on the water. So, not just ocean or coastal sailing, but lakes and backwaters as well as creeks and rivers. The outcome of this is that this doesn't provide a clear direction on boat choice and alternatively steers me toward a " pocket knife " type boat. One that's not specialised towards any single discipline and one that's flexible in application eg: collapsible rig, centreboard or shoal draft, able to be manhandled by one ...

I recently traveled to Parkes where my to daughter has just bought a home in need.  The work was constant and hard but it was very satisfying. Increasingly, as I am in the groove of training hard and running a property at home, any time away gives me pause for thought. My main concerns are balancing my love of furry companions with a keen desire to travel by bike, camping and sailing. As my son is becoming more independent and choosing to stay away, my options are dwindling. In fact after returning home I discovered my veggie garden had been devastated by the goats and finished off by the chooks which he had let free range. It was not only disrespectful and ugly, it hurt me deeply.  This now has me contemplating renting out or selling the property.    Yesterday I came across a prayer that offered help:  " Jesus walks with us even when we don’t recognize Him, gently turning our sorrow into understanding and hope ". While walking my pilgrimage on camino on discove...

pope John Paul II blessing convicted paedophile network head Epstein & his didekick, child recruiter Maxwell.  years later PJPII promoted George Pell to the rank of Cardinal. Pell was later promoted to The Vatican before being deported and found guilty of sexual abuse of children.  Here is Pell escorting disgraced paedophile priest Ridsdale to legal proceedings. He was arguably Australia's most prolific paedophiles.  I was warned in 1992, during a Child Protection class, that an international network of paedophiles existed. 

. I didn’t know anything about vision quests in those days — the Native American rite of passage — fasting and going solo in the wilderness in search of a vision.                            Lloyd Khan Ah haa. So by walking two Caminos, solo, and eating essentially once a day, I inadvertently entered a Vision Quest!  Whatever happened the impact was/is, profound.  

Okay, I am here explicitly to rennovate Mia's home. This mostly means addressing the symptoms of rising damp. So removing damaged bricks, raking out crumbly mortar, and repairing the damage using lime mortar. Going into the job, lime mortar was an unknown, but a fantastic eBook about traditional bricklaying and rendering walked through the process of mixing and application. Happily, the effects are top knotch and although there's still a lot to do, Mia seems pleased and relieved with the results so far.   I must say the work is very enjoyable, meditative and productive.  Meanwhile, my son Joe has a few revelations of his own. One, his girlfriend of some months has been revealed as a Korean national, only here as an exchange student. Obviously, she will be returning in the future. Third party reports care that he is very happy and his statement to me a couple of days ago expressed an intent to leave his job in coming months. I may be pulling blindly at too many loose strings, b...

Monday 6 Apr '26 As of this afternoon I have the carbs fitted and its running.  Needed for rego :- Horn Mirrors Speedo (NB won't know if speedo actually works) Test ride to rego.

5 April: After too long spent screwing around with my chopper build, I finally got the carbs in and the fuel line connected. So I decided to have a lunch party only to realised that the cupboard was bare. So out with Rastus and panniers. Today I kickedcoff from the local school. What with me being tired and hungry I was going to chicken out and drive halfway. But, I'm really aware its only 20 days till my first Gravel Event and I needed to get miles behind me.  I forgot my speaker and wasnt wearing a vest, so to listen to the footy I had my phone in the lolly bag. I listened to my favorite team playing the locals. The locals came last last year, my team won the minor premiership. Guess who won? The ride was into a stiff breeze, but the aero bars helped a lot. The roads were mostly quiet, but you can never drop your guard. I had my mirror working, in the upright position only, and was ready to abort at short notice.  I arrived at ALDI at 23k and despite online info that they wo...

Some cyclists ride daily, each second day, or "every Saturday come rain, hail or shine". Ive noticed many touring riders, commute daily or hardly ride between tours.  Their basic riding purpose varies widely too: fitness, ecological, social and  practical. While their higher purpose may be; to collect (information, big things, historic sites etc), to avoid air travel, curiosity and so on.  That's all I want to think about now. 

A fog that rises to my front fence erases all manmade structures. Below and beyond the nation is engrossed in lethal doses of petroleum and chocolate. Here, a clarified air carries rich doses of oxygen and the cackle and screech of honeyeaters, king parrots and lorikeets. . 

Does the hype of aero bars'  comfort & speed stand to the light of day? Along with I was clipless pedals,  Rastus felt speedy. And no finger numbness.   

I'm wondering where adventuring will take me next. But I have an  adventurous life, perhaps a micro adventurous life, most days I do novel things, mostly related to building fitness. But last year's Camino taught me that getting in a grind for a month or more, doing one thing everyday for an extended period has significance beyond daily life. You achieve something that makes you go wow and takes you to a new level in life. A packaged travel deal experience is glossy and artificially positive. Many people enjoy that form of travel, but the fact that you leave as the next batch of holiday makers arrive and it costs a fortune, really make the experience very hollow. Lacking depth of experience and personal meaning. I now know that suffering is important.  On the other end of the scale is super adventurous travel. Again, this can be canned adventure, like a 7 day hike to Everest Base Camp, or even to the top of Everest. But, with respect and although these outings are mega ac...