Two months seem to have gone by in the blink of an eye as the summer holidays come to an end and just to top it off Mother Earth has cranked up the temperature, it’s just over 36C in the shade at 2 pm. Supposed to peak around 40C by 4 pm.

I got up early in preparation and tidied up a few things in the garden before cutting the grass. We had a storm last night and I’m sure we will have one later today and if we do it will hopefully cool the place down. I just took a look outside and you could hear a pin drop. All the birds have found a cooler place to see out the oppressive heat and it’s not just the heat but the UV is mental out there today.

Once again, I am really happy with the way the house is coping with the heat. That extra insulation I did last year has made an amazing difference. I have the Aircon set to 26C, 10 degrees cooler than outside and it is cruising along rather than blowing a gale. If I have the energy and willpower this year then I might insulate my bedroom wall, which is the last one that needs done. Mind you the sun is only on it for about 5 hours and usually the heat is not too extreme before it moves around the house.

I managed to achieve most of what I set out to do. The most important being the retaining wall. Some days I was just completely washed out. Digging all the post holes by hand through some of the stickiest soil made it very tough. Next morning I could hardly move and sometimes my fingers and hands would cramp up. On those days I either read a book or watched TV and drank too much coffee. I got a few bike rides in, however not as many as I would have liked. After slaving away in the garden, I just didn’t have to juice to even think about the bike. But now that the wall has more or less been completed, I should be able to allocate more time to the bike.

In March I’m off to Thailand for three weeks, marvellous. Haven’t been for a few years and I’m really looking forward to the trip. In preparation I bought myself a new phone, the Xiaomi 15. I’ll be able to claim the tax back at the VAT counter in the airport. It’s good that you can buy an item worth $300 or more within 60 days of departure.

I’m back at work tomorrow and I’m kinda looking forward to it in some ways. Some days driving the bus can be enjoyable. I’m back to run 2, which I was on before but I moved to another for about two months. The other run I was covering had a fraction of the kids although there was a bit more driving, but a couple of the kids were just savages and that’s putting it politely. So, I won’t be missing them. The bus that’s allocated to me is an old beast but it has some grunt and the aircon is cold 😊

6 weeks of work and then it’s my holiday and then I come back for one week and then it’s the next school holidays…..happy days. Need to get some spending money!

Hopefully 2026 will be a year of travel. Have to squeeze in as much as possible before that orange piece of shit does something to upset the apple cart and plus, I really don’t want to work this year too much. I’m only working because I can’t afford to retire yet and I can’t get the pension until next year and of course the extra pennies makes it easier to buy flights. My thinking is, if I can make this year go as quick as possible then retirement will be just around the corner so to speak.

In November I’m thinking of going to China once more. They still have visa free entry for this year and I think a month of travel there is enough. I’ll fly to Xinjiang and then make my way across to Suzhou where I’ll stay for about one week. That will give me enough time to catch up with friends that I have there and to be honest I want to spend more time on my own travelling and struggling with the language. Being out my depth is part of the fun of the whole experience. No way do I want to go on a guided tour and have a translator; I enjoy the struggle and the charades that you need to play to buy coffee and lunch or whatever it may be. And maybe I might be lucky to go Business class to celebrate in style.

It was overcast this morning, although still warm. I’ve been wanting to do a long run on the bike, but because of me building the great wall of the shed I really haven’t had the time or the energy and so today I thought let’s go to Indooroopilly and get the train home.

It’s just under 32 km and believe it or not the bulk of this ride was done off road. The section from Goodna to Wacol, and I know you know exactly where I am of course, was the most dodgy part and of course there were two drivers that I had to shout at and give the finger too. One of them hit their breaks and I thought , “Here we go” But they just kept going. A couple of young guys in a BMW, so I can guess they were a pair of wankers who thought that their shit don’t stink!

There are many hills along this route but I think the ride is definitely easier riding into the city than out. Not sure if that’s down to my fitness levels or that the hills are more in your favour heading in.

I really wanted to get into Brisbane, however by the time I came up to Indooroopilly Station my legs were telling me to stop. There are still quite a few challenging hills from this point into the city centre. Oh and as it turned out when I was having a wee break I checked my phone and realised I had to check in with the Brew, so I really had to get back home a bit earlier than planned. If the weather is Ok next week I’ll give it another go because I have one more week of freedom before the schools return.

Another thought is that I think riding in and getting the train home is better than when I did the opposite. It was more enjoyable riding into the city because it’s a bit more scenic the closer you get to the city and you are also on more bike tracks which makes it a bit more relaxed. Mind you, two cyclists passed me, going the opposite way, and they were horsing on. I think they were doing in excess of 80 kph, because they were just as fast as the traffic.

It was hot by the time I got home, so the air con was on until about 7pm until the breeze got up from the storms that were in the neighbourhood. Nothing for us , but the air temp reduced dramatically. There are supposed to be storms tomorrow before the temperatures drop a few degrees. It’s not only hot but the UV is intense and you really feel that when you step outside. A couple of young folk came to the door today trying to flog me solar panels and the young girls face was scarlet. She was not wearing a hat, I asked her if she was wearing her factor 50 and she just looked at me. I think she will suffer tonight and tomorrow for wandering about today in this bloody heat because I had seen her going down the other side of the street a few hours before completely oblivious. I don’t understand how they can suffer the intensity of the sun on a day like this. I saw so many people today out and about with no hats and many with no dark specs on, utter madness.

I did a bit of socialising over the festive period, which I know is unusual for me, however it is the season to be jolly apparently.

For the last few days I’ve been back in the garden fixing up the dodgy retaining wall, although this bit is only 400 mm high and is between Mick’s garden and mine.

It has been getting worse and worse in the past few years, but it’s been a noticeable problem for some time. It didn’t take long to find the problem. The stormwater was once more causing the problem. A root had begun to push the pipe just as it turned north and the pressure on the joint just snapped it. This has obviously happened years ago and has slowly been washing away the soil.

A relatively easy fix which took me two days to fix before I back filled it. So that’s two points on the wall that have had damage due to a leaky or broken pipe.

The cube of earth that was behind where the bin is sitting is slowly disappearing, I’ve still got a bit more to put around the back of the shed. I have at least one more post hole to dog at the rear of the shed and then that is much of the major work done. I just need to fix a few bits of storm water run off and a bit of pipe and then we should be hunky dory………

I took the day off from the garden and took a wee drive out to Moogerah Dam, I’ve driven passed this area many times but never stopped. I’m playing tourist today.

The roads were quiet so I was able to saunter along listening to “Sounds of the Seventies” on the BBC of course. Bob Harris must be in his eighties these days but and his voice is as recognisable as it had always been. This week was all about 1976, the infamous heatwave which we all can remember.

I stopped for lunch in Boonah on the way home, tis a quaint wee town, haven’t stopped here in years. I came across this strange looking clock in the main street and you can see what it is all about if you click on the wee pick to the left.

I’ll go back out here in a couple of months time because I want to climb Mount Edwards and the access to it is via Moogerah Dam. It’s classed as difficult and about 4 km long, but of course it will be 4 km back too. So I’ll put in a few steps and wait until the weather behaves itself and returns to a more conducive temperature for walking.

The burden of the tattoo,
Have to display,
No matter the play,
Get your kit off,
This cost a fortune,
I want to share,
My canvas,
My muscle,
My fat,
Would you look at that,
I wish they would put that away,
I’ve just had breakfast.
Hail, rain, sleet or snow,
My tatts are on show,
My vanity vast,
My taste in my arse,

The Dragons are getting ready to leave,
Bags being packed,
Plans being made,
Heading home to their own dimension.

In the distance a rumble begins,
The sound of a thousand hooves,
The year of the horse approaching,
Bringing a new beginning,
Maybe they can remove the wolves from power,
The ones that lie to the masses,
But cry when words are thrown,
But always cast the first stone,
Killing in the name of!
Cruel, merciless, racist but weak,
The righteous fall at their feet,
No criticism,
Only defence,
Don’t want to lose power or money,
Don’t want to lose face,
If god were real he’d wipe them from the human race,

A handful of “men”, can you really call them that?
Narcissistic, brutal psychopaths bent on legacy,
Re-writing history distorting the past,
Pretend not to understand when tragedy comes home,
Shocked at the carnage,
But the truth will never be spoke,
Because it’s suicide for any folk,
So we sit in our comfy chair,
And have a cup of tea,
Is this Netflix or reality TV?

The minutia so important,
The obvious dormant,
I don’t watch anymore,
I can sleep at night,
As long as my world is right, then that’s all I can do,
Everyone has an opinion,
Everyone is right,
You’ll just go Fuckin’ mad if you listen to all that shite,

So in 2026, may I suggest,
Put down your phone,
Turn off the news,
Go to places with great views,
Focus on your life,
Focus on home,
Clear the slate,
Plan for the future,
And have a Happy New Year,
In, The year of the Horse of course 🤗

The wall is progressing, digging the holes has been the challenge for sure. One of the neighbours offered to give me a post hole digger and after a bit of consideration I declined. I’ve never used one before and from all accounts they are a pretty wild ride if you don’t know what you’re doing. So, I opted for the slow unproductive option of crowbar and shovel, well it works and it’s like going to the gym every day. Some mornings I’ve woken up and just done nothing because of complete exhaustion. Oh and I got a skelf 🙄 and it has been hot, today was 37C, but I went out on my bike instead.

I only did around 21km; however, I did that in under two hours which is an improvement on average speed. As usual there are drivers that would rather try and kill you than give you a wide berth and most of the time it is because they need to cross a double white line and of course God forbid that they break the law, no let’s just kill a cyclist. Fuckin’ Morons!

We are in the middle of a heatwave, not pleasant at all. Yesterday was hot but the wind kept the humidity away and so it was very nice sitting outside reading my book or just having a siesta on the day bed.

The humidity was also low today and so after lunch I went down to the shed for a couple of hours to tidy up and get the trailer ready for tomorrow because I’ll need to go and get a few bags of post mix for the remaining posts. I’ll pick up a few other bits and pieces and I’ll need to fix one of the storm water pipes as they are predicating rain and storms for Tuesday and Wednesday. Mind you the aircon was put on full when I came back in the house ’cause it was over 35C.

Tuesday last week I went to Ikea for the first time in donkeys, hasn’t changed much of course, although they did not have any large canvas prints that I was looking for so I had the meatballs instead and a very nice coffee. Oh, and I went to the optometrist but my eyes were so dry due to either dehydration or air conditioning that Simon could not get a good reading, but I’ll go back in June when the weather will be cooler. You just don’t realise how dehydration affects the body.

I think Wednesday was also a lazy day and I had “Dirty Nachos” in town after wandering around the library to escape the heat. Absolutely delicious 😋

But the wall has been the main focus of the week and it is coming along nicely. I’ve been on holiday for two weeks and it has flown by because I have been so busy. Very glad that I have a few more weeks of holidays because I have more things on my list to do.

I’ve decided to get rid of my water tank, well it’s an IBC plastic tank and it’s really quite the eyesore. I first got a tank due to the drought we were having but now I am going to just use water as I please. I’m not going completely feral, however if the water company won’t reduce the water levels in the dams to a more realistic level, then I am going to do my part in reducing their capacity before the rains come.

Monday morning, poured the concrete

The holidays are here and so it’s time for the dreaded retaining wall, I’m really looking forward to getting on with it. On Monday I picked up a new drop saw and most of the timber that I’ll need, I’ve already picked up concrete, although I think I only have enough for about 3 posts.

The ground slopes behind the shed and so I have been pondering on the best way to build the wall. It’s only once I get started that I’ve decided on the design.

First I took down the old chain link fence. Used my new fancy DeWalt reciprocal saw to cut through the bent galvanized posts, it’s a very powerful beast, made light work of them. The timber wall that was there was only held together by a few small timbers and nothing was fixed into the ground, so I’m thinking that when I get finished with my design it will last for another 20 years which should see me out.

As you can see above the existing bit of wall is not square, it was just too difficult to remove the old steel fence which was holding up the old timbers and so I just built around it. The new section I am doing now that will join to it will be square to the shed and I don’t think it will look out of place once it’s done.

We had a wee bit of rain over the weekend and this has made the ground that wee bit more difficult to dig. It’s black soil which is very sticky, so every shovel full has to be helped off the spade. It’s taken me three days to get to the point where I will put in the posts and concrete them in. I’ve only dug two holes, although they are connected by a trench. I’ve moved quite a bit of soil. It’s been hot, so I’ve only worked for about 4 hours in the morn and then inside during the middle of the day and then back out late afternoon. My body feels like it has had a workout, but no lasting pain. By Friday , I’m knackered and have a lazy day, just as well really because the rain came for a bit so I didn’t feel bad for not being out there. Tomorrow I’ll get the posts done.

Went out and got me a new library book called, “That was a shiver” by James Kelman, another Scottish author whom I have never read before. It is a book of short stories and so far I have finished the first one as I sat in the “Rafter & Rose” cafe drinking my double shot latte, which is run by the beautiful Portia………….and so if you are looking for great food and great coffee then I suggest you pay a visit very soon!

I returned my Irvine Welsh book “Resolution”, another episode in the life of “Ray Lennox, which brings of course a resolution to some unanswered questions in his life.

A week of the holidays has past already, it just flew by. Tomorrow I’ll get on with the wall in-between the predicted showers and then hopefully on Sunday I’ll get back out on the bike for a wee jaunt.

Friday was my last day of work for about two months, oh happy days. Finally get away from
these mental feral children. There is one family that gets on and they always make too much noise or will be at the centre of the drama on board. The boy got suspended this week because he smashed some other kid into a glass door and so I guess because he is not on the bus one of the other kids have to take his place to be a fucking nuisance.

So as not to disappoint on the return journey home on Friday the two eldest children decide to get out spray paints and have an art class on the way back. I mean, What the Fuck! The stuff is running all over the place and they wipe it over their clothes. I told them that one drop of paint on the bus and the shit will hit the fan. They care not a jot. I asked, “Why do you think it’s a good idea to use this on the bus?”

“Because we can’t do it at home”

“Why do you always have to be a pain in the arse, why do this on the last day?”

Just a shrug of the shoulders and a look of distain. Earlier in the week the eldest one had told me how that she likes to go the supermarket and steal, well whatever she wants. This particular morning, she had pinched some crushed ice drink thing and was extremely pissed off because it didn’t taste nice. Another day she was telling me how that she had been suspended for using Chatgpt to write her homework and that she had stolen the school’s account details so that she had full access to it. So, she is obviously very proud of her criminal endeavours.

Saturday, I headed over to Capalaba to see Peter and Cheryl, haven’t seen them for nearly 12 months. Headed to the Grand View Hotel at Cleveland for lunch, I had a Seniors fish and chips and saved nearly $10…. I like this old age persons card Spent most of the day there and managed to resolve most of the problems in the world which was great.

Sunday, well I had to go out on the bike of course. Had big plans of going for a monster run but in the end, I only did a short run, I just could be arsed. A leisurely stroll into Ipswich and back, I have to ease into holiday mode. However, I have plans to do a few extra long runs coupled with a bit of hiking.

I picked up my new JBL soundbar. The old one has been playing up, sometimes going to sleep
for days at a time before showing signs of life. The JBL mind you seems to have a better sound
quality.

By 3pm the temperature was in the mid 30’s and so I retired to the aircon, switched on the Pc and thought I know I will write a few words for me blog and then low and behold my VPN will not allow me to access my site. Even after switching it off my site will not load, so I’m not sure what is happening, however I can still access it via the phone.

The fat guy eating KFC, is attacking it as if his life depended on it. He has a never ending red and brown bag, which quite frankly seems to be bottomless. A bag of chips on the table seems to be no more than another breath as he pulls another heart attack from the bag.
He’s young, but fat and that ain’t going to change anytime soon. All of this is washed down with a soft drink in a green can. I’ve been sitting here for about 15 min and he has been grazing the whole time. Meanwhile my stomach growls because I haven’t eaten much today. All I have to fend off the hunger pangs is water.
I wonder if this is him getting his exercise, his jaw muscles are certainly being tested. Mind you, you can’t really see his jaw because it’s all become one with his neck. The moon faced young guy will have a lifetime of pain for such a short piece of pleasure.