School holidays are on us, it is summer here in aus, and we’re surfing in the early morns…

Day one today. Up at 512am. On the beach by 6. An hour of water. Then run home tired and hungry.

Hit the local bakery for fresh meat pies and sausage rolls.

The boys were unhappy. They wanted to eat first then wash our gear… so we’re all cleaned up. All fed. Mendozza is showered and Angelo in the process.

8am and it’s time for a nap.

Very good early morning beach run.

Always fun to start fires in the house…

… that one finds wisdom on the Bruce Highway…

Saw this as I was driving to Brisbane the other day:

“If you chase it,

It will run”

Made me smile

Santas favourite elf says…

Ho, ho, ho…

It is going on noon, and I am still in my lava lava…

Sometimes this retired BS is purty damn good.

My lil corner of suburbia is almost silent. I just heard the noon train give a hoot. Birds and bugs buzz n chirp. The wind chimes tinkle in the background.

A pleasing breeze rattles the palms and cools the house. The last two days have been blistering… over 35c in the high 90s, f. Today is much cooler.

I have lived here enough to no longer be much of a spectacle. Even Gracie has given up trying to say anything. She worries about “what the neighbors will think”.

I’m not sure which scares the straights more…

Is it that I wake up and start doing my doings without thinking about my hair? I expect my doo to be more like a cross between Bozo the Clown’s and the ghoul from “Tales from the Crypt”. Bald dome surrounded by scraggly fringe which is sticking straight out with a bad case of bed-head.

Is it the my bare chested, ink adorned body?

Or the fact that I wear a dress?

I know that cars often slow to get a good look.

These days I’m up and in the garden early, cooling the plants down in prep for the daily onslaught of heat that is summer here.

My garden is doing great and we’re getting into stuffed peppers, and shall soon be having another harvest of green tomatoes that will end up as chutney. Passion fruit are doing magnificent. We’ll get loads of ice cream there.

But everything is getting a bit weary from this heat wave.

Was out about 730 this morn. Dern sun comes up about 430 here and it warms up quickly. It is nice that the nights cool off almost to being chilly, even cold from a Solo-context. As soon as the sun sets we get the blankets out. I woke early this morn because I was cold and had to get another blanket. Within an hour or so I was over warm and up and about.

Mendozza has always been a very early riser. Angelo has followed suit so our house is awake and happening very early any given morning. Getting up earlier due to the sun and the noise from the birds and the warmth of the morning is easy. Our summer is going to be filled with early morning surfing, trips to the skate park, etc.

So, this morning, there I am; hair a mess, tats hanging out, belly joggling above my stylish lava lava. The straights are all driving to work. The neighborhood kids are all heading to school. I talk to the kids and wave as the cars drive past. I smugly smile and wish all a good day.

And its been a purty good day… it’s now 20 past noon and I am still in my lava lava, hair a mess. This being retired BS aint all that bad.

More later

Amazing what you find hidden in your garden…

The Flying Gecko bros are at it again… a new project, some more fun…

Getting into 4 x 4 skateboards. The aim here is to combine the big wheeled boards with a decent sized, 2 meter, kite. We have long flat beaches here that should give us a great run…

Have been riding a lot. The weather has been better than perfect. The roads are in good condition. Have been up and down the highways and around the back roads. Have been on the 12oo and the 800. A big smile on my face as I race along.

It is spring here and the fine sunshine coast weather blends well with the smells and vibrancy of life as the buds burst and the air fills with hypnotic perfumes. One of the features here in Queensland is the Jacaranda tree. It offers lavender colored flowers that tend to carpet the ground underneath the tree so at times, as I run through the countryside, I get to race over a carpet of purple petals.

And, my favorite… I just love that hit of jasmine as I’m cruising the countryside @ 1ookpm. Had a number of good olfactory hits today. The weather is great for it… dry but cool with the air clean and fresh. At times the hit of perfume is so strong it’s like riding into an invisible wall.

And I really, really, really like it.

Gonna get ready for another ride…

big smiles…

…last night at our place…

Had our Halloween party. Also had Dave show up with his snazzy 56 hard-top… guud fun…

… you had a mess of crayfish like this…

This is worth a read, very clever…

Letter to Toyota

… to be played in the key of C… I think I hear a tune similar to the Folsom Prison Blues…

Back in Honiara. Have been here a couple of days. I find that I can sadly allow my jaded soul to overshadow the beauty of this tropical land. It is a bit sad but then it is grand when I find myself waking from my jaded lethargy and start, once again, to appreciate this mystical and magical land…

The political scene here is such a waste. There is so much struggling and fighting for power that the business of governance simply does not get attended to.

We have been watching for weeks as another vote of no confidence is being tabled in parliament. It would, I fear, be safe to say that we cannot have a sitting of parliament without a no confidence motion being tabled. (or as in this recent sitting, two separate motions of no confidence… must be some kinda record?)

The effect this has on the machinery of governance is that the incumbent(s) are forced to spend their time playing the “numbers in power” game rather than attending to the business of governing and leading this fair land.

The headlines from the past week or so do not help… they discuss the unhappy teachers who have not been paid in months, the compensation ceremony between clans in Honiara fighting over the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl, 2 ministers of the Crown resigning due to the gov being ineffective and the immediate appointment of two replacements, a couple different headlines about the PM’s recent travels to New York and Australia and the size of the entourage he likes to take with him…

And the beat goes on…

There is not much good news and being jaded may be understandable.

By my heart is made happy by the day and the smiles found therein:

1) Nancy is #1 housekeeper and a valued member of the family. She is from Santa Cruz, a pregnant mother of 3, is about 5 foot nothing, has a huge smile and a habit of singing as she works. She is simply a pleasure to be around and lightens the day’s burdens by her relaxed and happy attitude. Today she told me the ironing board is broken and, being a tight-arse, I decided to try to fix it rather than buy a new one. Upon inspection I found that the legs had simply come apart and in the coming-apart we’d lost some pieces. (of course I got the “I tink some piece hem lose ia”)

So the legs are not usable at all. But the board is fine. So I take it all to pieces and devise a way where we simply set the ironing board on the kitchen table. It does work and noting that the house is generally empty I don’t think ironing like this is a burden to Nancy so I discussed it with her. I started the discussion by saying that I know that she may be unhappy, being so tall and all, that the board has only one height, and may not work for her… Of course she loved being told she was tall and laughed and laughed. She is still laughing and it makes me smile.

2) Peter is my Major Domo. A tall, elegant Lord Howe (Ong Tong java) elder, Peter is a traditional healer who came into my life when I was crippled by sciatica. He tore me apart in the traditional manner and laughed as I howled with pain as he “fixed” me. And indeed he did fix me. That was well over 10 years ago and Peter has been on the payroll ever since. He is second only to Nancy and is my trusted man about the house, and my person masseur. He runs the dozen or so security guys we have and has learned how to keep the pool sparking clean. A job/ responsiblity he takes very seriously.

I/ we are very busy this week so I was up early and rushing around. I needed some cash so sent Peter down to the bank to cash a cheque. Though trust worthy and an honest friend he does move slowly so I was bit shocked to see him, before noon, out cleaning the pool. I smiled like an idiot when I saw Peter; a bright yellow hard hat on his silver haired head, and, as gloves, a different coloured plastic bag, one on each hand. He was out at the pool methodically applying chlorine.

3) There was another vote of no confidence scheduled for the morning session in parliament today. The Member who was bringing the motion failed to show up so the motion was deferred until 2pm. Conjecture has it that the esteemed member was too hung over from last night’s lobbying to get out of bed. I unofficially hear the motion did get much support.

And indeed life is good…

By the way… much to the displeasure all close to me, I have started playing the harmonica again. I have started with two simple songs and once I learn these two I’ll be able to start busking at the Queen Street Mall. One of the two is indeed the Folsom Prison bluez…

4  5    5    -5   6  4  4

I hear that train a-com-in’

4    5   5     -5    6   4

It’s rol-lin’ ’round the bend,

4  5  5    -5   5   6    4

And I ain’t seen the sun-shine,

4   -4   5     4  -4 4

Since, I don’t know when,

-44   -4  4  -4   4  -4   4

I’m stuck in Fol-som Pri-son,

-4   -4    4   -4 4 -4    3

And time keeps drag-gin’ on,

4   4    -4    -4   4 -4   3

But that train keeps a-rol-lin’,

3   3   3   3   2  1

On down to San An-tone.

When I was just a baby,

My Mama told me, “Son,

Always be a good boy,

Don’t ever play with guns,”

But I shot a man in Reno,

Just to watch him die,

When I hear that whistle blowin’,

I hang my head and cry.

I bet there’s rich folks eatin’,

In a fancy dining car,

They’re probably drinkin’ coffee,

And smokin’ big cigars,

But I know I had it comin’,

I know I can’t be free,

But those people keep a-movin’,

And that’s what tortures me.

Well, if they freed me from this prison,

If that railroad train was mine,

I bet I’d move out over a little,

Farther down the line,

Far from Folsom Prison,

That’s where I want to stay,

And I’d let that lonesome whistle,

Blow my Blues away.

At lunch at the new fancy hotel in town, a young fellow offered to sell me his owl…

Not something that happens everyday.