Another month gone and closer to my travels. Only 25 working days till the holidays and then I can get on with doing a few things around the house. My travels however are a few weeks later.

The broo has left me alone in the meantime because I’m doing steady work and I’ll be supported through the holidays, although I’m trying to find work for the school holidays to boost the travel fund.

Great book by the way, began the second in the series today and highly recommend it.

I’ve had a lazy week, I’ve worked around the garden, read my books and drove the bus. At times the bus is a chore and I really wish I didn’t have to do it but as I’ve said before”It is a means to an end”

The weekend is almost gone. Saturday I went for a walk and listened to a podcast and then came back and spent some time researching Indonesia, I booked another hotel but I don’t want to do anymore of that because I really want to travel on more of a whim during this trip but sometimes I need the certainty.

Today I got on the bike but didn’t manage to complete the route I wanted to do, I’d say that I fell short by about 10km or so but 20km in the headwind got stronger and my energy was being sapped very quickly and so I headed home.

After twenty years or so I finally met up with Marie and her husband Dave, well I’ve never met Dave before, but it’s been over twenty years since Marie and I last met in Greenock.

I remember the night vividly even although I was very drunk. We had gone to a nightclub with friends and late in the evening I needed some fresh air and so I asked the bouncer if it was OK to step outside for ten minutes and he said “Sure”….. Then he wouldn’t let me back in and so I had to stay outside in the rain for quite some time until Marie came looking for me, she had no idea where I had gone.

And so yesterday Dave and Marie were at Brisbane Airport on there way back to Auckland after being on a cruise to PNG and I was lucky to catch up with them there. It didn’t feel as if twenty years had passed, we hugged and it felt as if I only saw her yesterday.

I’m hoping that I can go and visit them in September next year.

We sat for hours and hours and the time just flew by, great afternoon.

Sunday

This morning I was knackered, so I had a lazy morning and then went out on the bike for an hour…. I would have loved to go for a long run but I just didn’t have the energy so I’ll try to get out during the week.

Not much happened after this, although I did retire to the hammock for an hour or so which was magic. I need another lazy day but I’ll be up at crack of dawn in the morn to go to work.

I managed to find a new route this morning and even travelled some new territory, it was good to go exploring for a change.

I left about 8am, I’d been up for a while but wanted to let breakfast settle. I took two bottles of water today, it’s going to be a long ride. Once committed you have no options.

It wasn’t too hot and even throughout it didn’t seem too hot although the sweat was running off me. I went through an area called Ripley, a densely built up area with tiny houses on some streets and then utter monstrositys tucked in using every inch of their land. Horrible place to live, and it’s not cheap.

Managed just over 30km today and felt OK when I got back, not too many hills this time. Mind you there were a few difficult sections.

At this time of the year the Jacaranda are out in full bloom and all over the city there are fine beautiful examples. When the petals fall they carpet the ground with stunning colour.

I took this video the other day along Brisbane Terrace when coming back with the bus, hence the reason for the bumpy playback and noise.

Take the liver of the sheep,
Take the heart too,
And the stomach and lungs,
It’ll no miss them the noo.

Grab your pot,
And stick in the lot,
Liver, heart and the lungs to stew,
Simmer for twa hours or till done,
Remove from the pot sit it on its bum.

Now it’s time to chop and mix,
Grab all the bits and finely dice,
Liver, heart and lungs suffice,
Onion oats and suet, in a bowl we mix,
Seasoned whispers—salt, nutmeg, pepper fix.

In a pot so deep, our journey starts,
Gather ’round with hungry hearts,
A humble meal from Scotland’s pride,
Where artistry and texture coincide.
In that pot let the water boil,
Now grab all ingredients and don’t recoil,
Add the mixture, stir with glee,
The Haggis is about to be set free.

Now grab yer stomach, no yours but the sheeps,
And with meat and spice bring together to complete,
Seal it up with needle and thread,
You’re nearly there no need to dread,
Make it tight but then prick the skin,
You don’t want that wee haggis explodin”
Fill it up, but leave some space
Bring it back to life in the waters warm embrace.

When the time is right and the colour is fine,
Remove the Haggis and be gentle this time,
Sitting on the plate steam rising high,
And the delicious aroma travels through the sky.

To accompany we need the neeps and tatties,
We need some whisky too,
And if you want to do it right,
A few words from you know who?
For haggis made with heart and hand,
Is a taste of history, a feast so grand.
That Robert Burns told it so,
That on the 25th January when we celebrate the Bard,
And the Haggis is front and centre,
And is piped into place,
Why?
Because he is the Chieftain of the Pudding race.

I had every intention of getting up at 5am to beat the heat, and just after 5am next doors old Nissan Patrol coughed into life to give me that morning alarm call, however I turned the other cheek and didn’t get up till 7am.

It was closer to 9am before I headed off and it was already 23C, and I know it’s going to be hot today so I take extra water.

I’d thought of a new route to take but one voice is saying just go for an easy run and the other side is saying “Don’t be a big Jessie”

Voice 2 won and before you know it I’m in Ipswich centre heading for the bike track at Brassall which I’ll take for a half hour or so before I head back. By the time I get to the turn I need to take and head off up the hill it’s roasting, the heat from above and also from the concrete is getting worse so I have to stop for a bit and remove my bike helmet to cool down, this is the reason why I should’ve been up at 5am.

I reach the top of the hill and then I wander down through a housing estate that leads to the  road which will get me home. I jump back on a bit of the bike path and still have the energy to pass a family on mountain bikes.

I have to stop three more times over the last few kms, really because as soon as I hit a hill I’m beginning to overheat and so I stop before it gets too bad.

It’s 32C when I get back to the house after my ride and I sit out the back and drink the remaining water in both bottles till I feel human once more.

I got changed, because I was soaked and then ordered pizza when I got home and scoffed the lot very easily, in fact I was so hungry I could have eaten two 😋

On the way back from picking up the pizza I passed a bunch of cyclists and a few of them looked rather worse for wear, the heat was taking its toll on a few of them. One was sitting in the shade and really looked like shit, and I knew exactly how he felt.

I set the Air con to 26C and shut the house up and that’s where I stayed….

Up early and out the door this morning to take a walk into the town to have coffee and maybe meet up with an old friend that often does the same on a Saturday. It felt a bit chilly this morn as I set off but I knew it would heat up. I put on my “Fuck off Face” this morning, I really couldn’t be arsed being sociable to anyone that I passed.

There are the usual dog walkers at that time of the morning or the Lycra clad young ladies, mind you they don’t talk to you at any time of the day and as a rule they just happen to have a very important message arrive on their phone just as you get level with them. Aye right!

Four k’s in I’m at the river and there are two rather large women waddling with a fat dog and they said “good morning” and so I did reply, not sure why as I still had my “Fuck off Face” on…….

Early in the morning in the quiet of the gardens beside the river there is a contractor with a leaf blower clearing the paths of debris, I can’t believe how inconsiderate the trees are dropping their leaves all over the fucking place. Mind you the clown with the leaf blower is getting paid to move the detritus around which in turn the wind puts back within seconds and of course it’s our rates that pay for this fiasco….Every weekend is the same.. I really wanted to tell him to Fuck Off!!!, Bloody racket at that time of the morning.

I met another couple, now they were really unhealthy looking and they too were wearing “Fuck off Faces” Nice!

I reach the café, Rafter & Rose, a bit later than expected and it was hoachin’ All the Danish pastries and the like looked very tempting but I settled for coffee and found a seat out on the street. Shortly after Glenn appeared and we shot the breeze for about half an hour and then we went our separate ways, he only had time for breakfast and that suited me too. I was going to get the train back home but then I thought I’d walk and go via the shops and pick up a few supplies.

Popped into the local fruit shop and had a laugh with the owners for a while, mainly laughing at the stupidity of the local population and talking about some of the scary characters that we see around the place. It’s good to know you’re not alone and that this kind of behaviour is quite normal 🙂 , mind you some others that I know would beg to differ.

By the time I got home I was getting hot, it was close to midday and I’d walked just over 10 km’s. Lunch was leftover chilli mince which always seems to taste better the second day and I have a wee bit left for tomorrow, I’ll go out on the bike in the morn and then I think Pizza is on the cards……..I’ll keep you posted.

A finally caught up with Julie after about six months. We usually meet every couple of weeks and go for a walk somewhere and then lunch.

An opportunity to have some Asian style cuisine in Runcorn after we walked at Mount Cootha. We’ve done the walk a few times and it’s a little bit challenging, especially if you haven’t done this kind of thing for a while and I haven’t. Even although I cycle a lot, it’s a different set of muscles being used scrambling up a gravel slope.

Just under 10 km and usually around the two hour mark but we were obviously taking our time this time.

Sunday morning I went for a run on the bike but not too far and not too many hills because my legs were still needing to recover. A beautiful morning and not a breath of wind and not too much traffic which makes it all the better.

Cooked lunch, stir fry beef with chilli and vegetables.

Then coffee and I had to go and check out the hammock.