Summer was back with a vengeance last week, the bus was running hot. A couple of times going up the hills the temp gauge was in the red, although only briefly.

The air-conditioning was just managing to keep me cool. The problem is that when I do my afternoon run I’m heading west most of the time directly facing the fire in the sky and last week the temps were back to 35C.

The bus has a retarder, which is really necessary when the bus is loaded because you just can’t rely only on the brakes. A couple of weeks ago the brakes got a bit hot and there was some smoke, however last week as I was sitting at a red light a cloud of smoke came passed the bus heading in front of me. The rear nearside wheel was smoking badly.

I pulled over as soon as I could. Stopped and got out to check and the blue smoke was billowing out, although no flames. One of the other bus drivers pulled up behind me and grabbed his fire extinguisher and blasted the rear wheels and I went and got some water.

We called the mechanic and he arrived some time later and assessed that the brakes were cool enough now to drive the 4km back to the depot. Because of the retarder you don’t really need the brakes for such a short distance anyway.

It turns out that the wheel bearing had been incorrectly fitted and since it had been fitted in October last year it had begun to break down and the oil and grease ignited due to the high temperature and of course the heat from the brakes.

The previous mechanic had made a right arse of the repair done in October and it turns out that a few of the other buses have had other problems caused by him. To be honest this does not surprise me in the least because he was such and arrogant bastard that could do no wrong, who thought his shit did not stink and if it did then it would be the smell of strawberry.

Fucking wanker!! We, the drivers, are the ones who’s life’s are being put at risk first and foremost and of course everyone that gets on the bus. And what about other road users? And meanwhile this prick is strutting around without a care in the world with his conscience clear 😠

My long time friend and partner in crime, sometimes, left the corporate lifestyle a few years ago to pursue a career in movies. So far he’s has been lucky to play in some of the biggest grossing movies and now he has produced and directed in partnership with others his first short movie where he obviously plays the lead role.

We met years ago, I think about 2006 or there abouts when we worked together in the Outback department at Stratco. We looked after all sales for the Outback Patios and carports etc. We designed and processed the orders for production, including a bill of materials for all components even down to the last rivet. Along with Janine, we were a very efficient team and we really did work like a well oiled machine.

We both enjoyed travelling and we did a couple of trips together. Our first trip was to Shanghai with a stopover in KL. We got so drunk on the plane on the way over and our flight to Shanghai the next day was just dreadful. It was one hell of a hangover. After Shanghai we went our separate ways travelling through south east Asia.

A few years later we met up in Cambodia, of course this is where Peter is from. We met up in Phnom Penh and caught up with his cousins. They organised a car for us to travel to Battambang, where the rest of the family were paying their respects to his Late Grandfather, on Ancestors’ Day. I felt very privileged to be here at such an emotional time. However we did have time to enjoy and celebrate our time together and his Grandfathers life. We could learn a few things in the West from these ancient traditions.

We both left Stratco and moved onto other things. Peter ended up in the Corporate world flying here and there and travelling way too much at times, me? well I had a midlife crisis and went travelling. Ended up in China for a number of years and had a great time.

So Peter left the high life to pursue his passion, which is acting. It does not surprise me in the least that he excels at this. He has always been a very outgoing person with way too much energy sometimes and I think this is the only career that can really satisfy his zest for life.

20 years on, we catch up when we can and usually go to a Vietnamese restaurant to have Phở and I’m very proud to call Peter Phan my friend 🙂

If you want to see a bit more about Peter, then you can go to the IMBD site and see his BIO here,

Peter Phan IMBD

Summer has had a resurgence this week, humidity is through the roof and we are heading for a high of 37C by Thursday and then hopefully a wee bit of rain to follow, which I hope cools it all down. Mind you I have awoken in the middle of the night to cover me self because me bum wus freezing.

I’m back at work, unfortunately. Yesterday had a bit of excitement, not that I needed any, but when I pulled up at the stop before the school there was blue smoke coming from the rear nearside wheel and the strong smell of rubber. Not a good look. I opened up all the side panels and the boot, where the engine is, and could not see anything out of the ordinary. After sitting for about 15mins everything seemed to be back to normal and the only thing I can think of is that when they washed the bus earlier in the day I think that they must have hosed the wheels for a fair amount of time and it’s just oil and residue burning off from the heat of the brakes which I had to hit fairly hard coming off the motorway minutes before. There were no dramas on the way home thankfully.

When I was in the garden the other day, I heard something clatter to the ground. When I popped into the park behind the shed, I found a very large Bunya Pinecone which had fallen from the Bunya Pine Tree which lives in the corner of the park.

For weeks the Corellas and Cockatoo’s have been making a hell of racket in its canopy. They have very strong beaks and claws and they can easily rip open one of these massive pinecones, you really have to see it to believe it. You just don’t want to be anywhere near it when gravity kicks in or you will be pan breed. By the way the post it is sitting on is 200mm wide, that’s 8″ in the old money!

Haven’t been up to much the past two weeks, although I am enjoying Stuart MacBride’s book called “The House of Burning Bones” So much better than the last two books of his I read, well tried to read.

This one is back to great banter, good story lines with a bit of gore and plenty of drama. I’m just over half way through it and I have two more weeks before I have to return it. I think I’ll be ok. Not much to do this week, so when I get home after the morning run, I head out onto the deck, pull up a comfy chair and with book in hand sit and enjoy the moment until it gets too hot and then I retire to the Aircon.

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