On Friday the 9^th the schools closed for the summer break and so I am out of a job for the next 6 weeks or so, however I am very happy to have a break and of course I will be heading off in three weeks or so on holiday.

Driving the school bus is one of those stop gap jobs, it’s not a career move and so I treat it in that fashion. I arrive in the morning and pick up my keys and head to the bus to do the pre-checks which need to be done each day. I am not a social butterfly and I usually walk with a demeanour that says as much. If I am spoken to I will speak back but I have no desire to make new friends and relate my life story or hear about theirs. I keep myself to myself and I usually speak to those that I have worked with and have had a rapport with. Many have very little in common and believe it or not I have struggled with some to find common ground which is not something I am used to and anyway its way too much effort.

I’ve worked with Grant for the past few months and we get on really well, and we manage each day to put the world to rights………..although if the casual passer-by was to eavesdrop mid-way through some of the conversations they would be horrified. No subject has been off the table and it is very refreshing to be able to chat with someone without it turning into a major shit fight. We have had a few laughs and this has been the same for the others that I worked with. I have come to realise that I am not the only non-political correctness creature that works there and it is those folk whose company I have enjoyed.

And so it was no surprise to hear the other day that I was not one of the more popular drivers in the yard and this is not because I have been rude to anyone but because I don’t go around and be a social butterfly and also possibly because I have disagreed with a couple of them and told them in plain English in no uncertain terms. As I said before I went there to make money, not friends.

Next year however I will need to change direction as feel that stagnation is setting in. I need to start using my brain once more and try to face a few challenges in whatever job I end up in. of course I would rather not work but the bank balance is not healthy enough for me to sit back and chill.

This has been the worst year I have had in a long time and it began with the flooding at the beginning of the year. I didn’t lose much because the water only went through the shed at the bottom of the garden but the stress that it created was immense and I more or less shut down and retreated to my cave. PTFD (Post Traumatic Flood Disorder) it’s a thing and when it rains you just have to get up to check that all is well. The sound of torrential rain on the roof has only brought stress and anxiety to me and to many others. I tried to sell the house and move away from future potential dramas but that was unsuccessful mostly due to the other flooding disasters that took place all down the East coast of Australia. Some communities have been flooded multiple times in the last few years and I don’t know how they are able to cope. I would not be surprised if a few of them topped themselves.

Insurance companies are no longer insuring many of these communities and of course many don’t have insurance because the premiums are just too expensive, this is something I am extremely worried about because my insurance has gone up 150% since 2020. The one bit of good news is that they are predicting that next year will be dry in comparison. La Niña will persist until March of next year which means that there may be flooding still to come in the short term.

And so to the future and what will it bring? Well whatever happens I need to change my current trajectory and I am hoping that once I return from my adventure I will have a clearer picture. I think I will still try to sell the house but I also need the weather to behave or I will have no chance of that unless I take a hit to the hip pocket and I am in no position for that to happen. Next year is the year of the Rabbit and well maybe it might put a little bounce back into Life, the Universe and Everything.

They say it is better to have tried than failed and this is the case when it comes to the selling of my house. I must have picked the worst year in for a long time to try and sell it. This year in Australia there has been widespread flooding, including near my house in February although the house was not touched. However this was the catalyst for me to sell up and move on. My plans were to sell and move to Rockhampton to start a new chapter but things have not turned out as planned.

For the last couple of years the property prices have risen dramatically and the real estate put a value of half a million dollars on my home, I thought that will do me nicely thank you very much. And so it was done. Pictures were taken and the house was up for sale. Initially I had many people come to the open house days but that soon slowly lost momentum.

I reduced the price to what I thought was a more reasonable amount which attracted a few more folk but no one wanted to part with their cash just yet. Everyone told me, “You have a lovely home” and some asked me why I wanted to move and the response I gave was not a hundred percent true but it also was not a lie……..I wanted a change of scenery, but the other reason was that I wanted to move to higher ground and so I knew that it would be a hard sell as others would be looking at the house through the same lenses as me.

I’d fallen out of love with the house and just wanted to go somewhere, anywhere really. The costs involved to move were staggering and the sales tax on a new property were obscene. All up I would have forked put about $30,000.

A few weeks ago I started to implement plan B, which is to travel. The world has finally opened up and I have not travelled for nearly three years and I am champing at the bit to go somewhere. I had a big trip planned before I left China which was taking me through Egypt, Jordan, Greece and Turkey and so I have made plans to pick up where I have left off.

I leave on the 2^nd of January and fly to Aswan via Cairo and Doha. I have already booked my hotel in Aswan and I am really looking forward to having an adventure which I have longed to do for decades. Egypt is right at the top of places I want to see. The world is becoming scarier each day and the cost of living is going through the roof and so I feel if I don’t go now then I might not get another opportunity.

Not looking forward to the flight. The first leg is 14 hours which is just crazy. I have a long wait in Cairo airport before my connecting flight to Aswan, it’s going to be an extremely long day indeed. However once I arrive I will be able to relax for a day before I visit Abu Simbel which if you don’t anything about it I suggest you do a Google and check it out or just click on the above link. This is just one of the wonders of a country where history is so embedded into the fabric of everyday life.

Oh and I have taken the house off the market, it’s obviously not the right time to sell and honestly I can’t be arsed with packing up and moving any time soon, it will happen but not just yet. And I’m sick of always having the place tidy just in case someone might want to have a swatch at the hoose.

Since I got back from the Blue Mountains I haven’t been up to much and life has returned to the monochrome, to a holding pattern until the next phase begins. In just over six weeks time the next round of school holidays begins and I will hopefully set off on a few adventures then.

Over the past few weekends I’ve caught up with folk and gone for a few bushwalks which have been grand but I’m still starved of the adventure I seek. I have spent many hours researching next year’s trip, where I wish to go to Japan and then onto Egypt via the moon and I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the cost of some of the airfares, they still seem to be affordable.

Ideally the house would sell and then I can head off for a few months and on my return head north and buy a new place, unless of course I find myself finding a piece of paradise in some far off distant land…….Which is a possibility 🙂

As I write this I am listening to the Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show on the BBC, definitely worth a listen if you have never checked it out.

This weekend had been pencilled in as, “The Ipswich Air show” but on Sunday evening I got a message to tell me that it had been cancelled because the parking area was too soggy for the expected amount of visitors. We have had a lot of rain for weeks and yes everything is a bit soggy, however the sun has shone this week and the UV has been so strong it would cut you in two if you did not have protection.

By Saturday morning the parks near me seem to be rather solid and the area near the Air force base is one of the hottest places in the district and I can only surmise that the fields there would be in a similar state or even better. I think the decision to cancel was the wrong one and I would think that many of the folk organising this event would have the same thoughts. I can understand if the weather was not conducive to the event; however the blue skies that we have had for the last two days are here to stay for a bit longer.

The only inconvenience I have suffered is the disappointment in not being able to go, I’m a local, what about the folk that have booked hotels and flights and made the trek from interstate to attend this once in a decade event………will they get any expenses reimbursed or compensation for a bad decision? 20.000 people were expected to attend, that’s how many tickets were sold and I don’t think that they would all be local.

Every day on the media we hear how the cost of living is rising for everyone. Events such as the air show are cheap, $8 a ticket, almost everyone can afford to go for a great day out and of course the community as a whole would welcome the influx of visitors in such trying times to boost the bottom line and so I really feel that whoever made the decision to cancel was short sighted and they have fucked up massively.

Surely if the field were a little bit soggy a plan B could have been put into place, don’t all the defence forces have plan B’s or is a sign of the times that at the first hurdle we just all collapse and give up. What happened to the never say die attitude?

On the flip side I still have my long weekend and so that’s good. Today (Saturday) I have done very little apart from finishing another book “The Gathering Dark” by James Oswald. First time I have read this Scottish author. For the last few months I have done very little around the house because I have been reading books, all of which have been Scottish authors. I find it rather enjoyable to read in the vernacular and in a style I feel is natural even although many of the books are set in Edinburgh where as we know its all fur coat and nae knickers country and they do talk rather strange.

The local library only has a few of Oswald’s books and the one I read is the 8^th in the Inspector McLean series, I’ll hopefully source the previous ones at some stage. The library has a copy of the next one which is called “Cold as the Grave”……….I’ll go and get that tomorrow.

And so I think it’s time for food. It’s hot outside and I have closed the house up and stuck the air con on and its way more pleasant……………….

Encouragement,

Environment,

It’s a long road,

It’s ok to be wrong,

Think it through,

Listen to others,

Perceiver,

Keep your thoughts clear,

Those bumps and bruises,

They have their uses,

Sharpening the mind,

Protecting your behind,

The obstacles are many,

Large and small,

Carpe diem,

Keep the horizon in sight,

Don’t look back,

Your focus is true,

You must keep doubt at bay,

Then Confidence grows,

Your future is in view,

However, failure is an option,

But there’s no need to fear,

Listen to the critics,

Both wheat and chaff,

Some understand and some are just a laugh,

And when you do, embrace the energy,

Enjoy the rush,

Feel the toxins dissipate,

Feel the dopamine rising,

Feel free and clear,

Your perception focused,

Hold your nerve,

You know you are the magnificent,

But stay humble,

Carpe diem.

Those grazes and cuts tell their own story,

It’s the writing of the words that give you the glory,

Not the notches on the belt,

But writing the words,

The ones that you feel,

Sometimes they flow,

Sometimes they go,

Lost in the moment,

But when the mist clears,

So will the fears,

The rivers flow,

The Ying and the Yang,

The confluence surges,

The journey continues,

To be one with yourself,

This is your moment of Zen…………

I did just over 2400 km on my trip to Penrith and the Blue Mountains. The car ran well apart from the cold mornings upsetting the fuel relay and there also seems to be a smell of diff oil which I will have to get checked out. The diff looks a bit wet but I haven’t crawled underneath to physically check it out. There does seem another noise somewhere but I’ll have to get the mechanics to check that out.

I was pleasantly surprised with the fuel consumption while on gas, it was returning over 8 km to the litre which was not bad for the olde Ford. With fuel prices only on the way up it was very satisfying.

I broke the journey in two by stopping at Tuncurry to see Val, she seems to have the weight of the world on her shoulders which isn’t good, and I just hope that when she sells the business that she takes time out for herself. We haven’t seen each other for about 8 years but we just picked up where we left off. This was the case with Jenny and Brett and Graham and Sandra, we just feel so comfortable with each other and the time from our last meeting seems to vanish in an instant. I hope it won’t be as long till we catch up again.

The coast road was a good choice, it’s boring but at least the road surface is less demanding on the car and me for that matter. On the inland and rural roads you are concentrating so hard on avoiding the pot holes which are sometimes hidden by shadows, the poor car took a battering but came through it relatively unscathed…….I think……..

The Pacific Highway is more or less complete from north Sydney all the way to Brisbane apart from Coffs Harbour and I can’t remember the other section, but it was only short. The road surface is mostly concrete which is a bit noisy but it also has the machining grooves which almost feel as if you are stuck in train tracks. From time to time it felt as if the car was on auto as it was getting directed by this texture. Speed cameras and police were everywhere and you really had to be vigilant, it’s easy to let your speed run away from time to time.

The highway made the 1000 km journey way easier than the inland road, having the cruise set to just under a 100 kph was comfortable for the car and myself. One thing I did notice though was before my next trip I’ll have to update the Tom Tom as it wanted to take me on a mystery tour sometimes and I’ll also need to check out LPG availability, the only place I found LPG was at Coffs which would have been an issue If the olde Ford was not duel fuel.

Staying in the Blue Mountains was a great choice, in fact if I had the money I would consider moving there instead of Rockhampton. The atmosphere of the mountains was magic and I could easily spend my days exploring the mountains and visiting cafes. The only problem of course is the amount of folk that visit here. I know it was school holidays but the main highway was at a standstill several times which would piss me right off if I had to deal with it on a daily basis. This is the biggest problem of living in a popular tourist area. I don’t feel Rockhampton is this way as it seems to be more of a transit town where you go west to the Outback or of course north or south.

I got back on Tuesday around tea time. Wednesday I stayed home all day and sat on the couch, I was knackered and my legs felt a wee bit like jelly from all the walking I did. This morning I woke up at the crack of dawn, I’m still a bit weary but I’m sure after today I will be ready for life as we know it. Today will be another day on the couch, I did go shopping this morning and that’s it until around 5pm when I have someone coming to look at the house which is fandabbydozy……………

After lunch I headed here to have a wander, it’s free to enter and is well worth the effort. It’s on the Bells Line road about 30 km west of Mount Victoria.

I had a late start today, the body was very stiff and tired from yesterday. I headed to Mount Piddington at Mount Victoria, a short walk to the summit along very muddy trails. It was quite lethal underfoot. When I reached the top I was very surprised to see many cars in the big car park. I stayed for only a few minutes and decided to follow the loop back to the car, too many people.

A short walk but just enough for the legs after my big day yesterday.

I wanted to walk via the bush trails to get to Katoomba and so this morning I picked up the trail behind the house. I followed it passed Edinburgh Rock and down towards Lillian Glen and then onto the Fairmont resort, however the path I needed to get to was under repair after the recent rains and so I had to go via Empress Falls.

When I reached the falls that path was blocked also and so I had to return to the surface to get to Katoomba. A bit disappointed but I guess I will have to come back another day.

The path I took was up the main road, turning off at the Leura exit. It’s uphill all the way at around 100m more in elevation. My calf muscles were beginning to scream at me as I turned on to the Katoomba high street. I headed to the cafe that was offering Nasi Leemak Rendang. I enjoyed it, however I just wish it had been a bit more spicy. It was obviously made for the Australian Market.

I headed for the bus, but sadly it was going to be another hour and a half before it arrived and so I decided to walk. Of course I had to wait until the huge storm moved on and on the way home I came across several areas that had deposits of hail.

I didn’t know I had a garden here and so I thought it was only right that I went and had a look. It was still a bit damp but it was very pleasant.

I went for a walk this morning at the Grand Canyon which is one of the prettiest walks here. You will need to travel to Blackheath and then access it from there.

The rain had been on all night and by this morning it was drizzle with plenty of mist. I was dressed for the rain but it would have been better if it had been dry.

It’s a very pretty walk and you quickly descend to the floor passing through the dripping rain forest down a track that is well maintained, mind you it is still slippy underfoot.

When you reach the bottom you cross the river and head along the other side crossing it a few times more in a zig zag fashion until you once again head for the surface. A really enjoyable walk even though I was soaked through. When I got back to the car I changed my shirt for a nice dry one and put on a dry coat but me feet were still soggy.

I headed to Blackheath centre and parked up and went on the hunt for food. I found it in the form of an all day breakfast which I washed down with two lovely cups of coffee.