After feeling like shit for the last few days I decided not to start on the retaining wall because it is the Sabbath afterall and instead go for a walk around Ipswich.

The sun was shining, it was 20C and perfect weather for a wee stroll. There was hardly a breeze too which made it somewhat different to my last wee walk in Walcha. I also wanted to hit a few hills and get the lungs and legs working as there has been a lot of lying around doing nothing since my return from Armidale.

My stomach is feeling as if it’s on the mend and I feel it won’t be long till I’ll be scoffing some Chilli Con Carne and enjoying the burn.

I fuelled the car with gas and was surprised at how little gas I had used on the way back, mind you I think because I last filled the car at Glen Innis and it was very cold and of course it sits above 1000m. So in other words there was more gas in the tank at that altitude and it appears that the economy was great.

To prepare for my trip to Armidale, I fuelled the car up with gas and petrol. I thought I would run the car on petrol for a few hundred kilometres’ to clean out the injectors because the car had been running like a burst arse when I used the petrol. I mostly use the gas because it is cheaper.

The flap at the top of the tank was sticking slightly and it took a bit of effort to push the nozzle in. It was getting on for 50 litres and it clicked off, so I eased the nozzle out slightly and clicked the trigger once more ………the next thing petrol was going everywhere as a tsunami flew from the nozzle and splashed over my feet and more of a concern all over the car and the floor. This has never happened to me before in my life. Petrol all over the forecourt and dripping profusely from under the car, a deadly waterfall that good ignite at any moment.

When I got back to the house I parked on the driveway and tried to catch as much of the fuel as possible that was coming from every orifice and at the same time trying to wash and dilute the fuel already on the ground. I caught another 4 litres of petrol.

At night I put the car in the garage and left the windows and screen door open for ventilation, what I did not consider was the petrol fumes rising up to the house and so when I woke the next morning the smell of petrol was very strong. As I cleared the snot from my nose my nasal passages complained and the smell of petrol in the hanky was palpable. I was beginning to feel like shit too.

I left the car outside for most of the day with the windows opened to get rid of the smell, however when I headed for Armidale the next morning there was still quite a strong smell in the car and so for the next 500km or so I drove with the windows open slightly to keep the fresh air coming through the car.

Armidale was cold and wet, usually when I go down it is just frosty but this time the rain was there to remove any remaining heat from the body. The house was warm, but I think it was too warm considering the way I was beginning to feel and it was only later I realised that I might have been suffering from the effects of petrol poisoning. My head was sore, sinuses choked and sore and I was very tired and my appetite was not as it should be.

It was good to catch up with Stuart and Catherine; mind you I don’t think I was the best of company…even worse than usual. We got out one day for a bit of a walk and a stroll through a sculpture park in Walcha which was nice, however the wind was always there to remind you that it was winter.

The drive home was uneventful and once more the windows were open slightly to let the fresh air in. The petrol smell was still lingering almost a week after the drama at the petrol station. I was tired when I got home, all I had was a cup of tea and then I went to bed. The next morning I could not eat breakfast. I had no appetite and I felt nauseous. All of Friday I slept and made cups of tea and then tried to force a couple of slices of toast down but failed.

Either I had caught a bug or the extended exposure to the petrol fumes was taking its toll. The garage windows were left open, to let the air circulate. The house was frozen but I could not smell petrol. I read that if you put Bicarb in the infected area it can soak up the smell and so that’s what I did.

Today Saturday, there is still a faint smell of petrol when I opened the boot. I have left the windows and doors open and there has been a breeze which has helped. I opened all the windows in the house and froze me nuts off but at least the air is fresh. I did manage toast and banana this morning and had a very small lunch of pasta but I think that is just about enough for one day. A few more cups of tea of course and maybe some ginger to try and make me and my stomach feel belter once more. My stomach feels as if someone has taken a scraper to the inside, it is rather tender and I still do not have much energy.

I was hoping to start on the retaining wall but I think I will have to wait one more day, refuel the body and at the same time drink lots of fluid to clean out the Benzene poisoning which I think I have encountered.

I leave for home in a weeks time and I need to use the following week to finish the retaining wall and a few other small chores. The sun is supposed to be shining this week so at this stage I still feel confident of getting things done, well kinda confident if I’m honest 🤔

It was the Ipswich Horse Racing Carnival today and the sun had not come out to play. It was a bit dull and overcast as I walked by the racecourse looking at the “Mutton” walking around wearing clothing more designed for a Biafran than a fully rounded Australian. Make up was caked on and many had a tide mark around their necks. Faces the colour of sandstone, neck and limbs chalk white. Legs that have not seen the light of day or exercised in a millennia wobbling under the large tare weight propped up on skyscraper heels and this was them walking to the races.

God knows what disastrous sights would be prowling the streets at the end of the day, but one thing I knew for sure I was not going back to check it out. I’ve seen what a day at the races does to a mad keen punter. I went with friends maybe 15 years ago and for $130 you got into a booze tent to quench your thirst on beer, wine and soft drinks. I was not able to walk in a straight line that day and I nearly got sunstroke to boot.

Instead I did a bit of retail therapy, well it is nearly my birthday afterall. And so I bought some Sony 1000XM4 noise cancelling headphones which I’m hoping will come in useful on me flight home in a few weeks. Mind you, since Trump has decided to start WWIII I might not be able to get on said flight.

What a Fuckin’ stupid piece of shit he is…..

I got an email from my bank telling me that my mortgage is 21 years old this June. A few weeks ago they sent me another email which said that because my mortgage had been in credit for a while they might go ahead and finalise it and give me the title deeds. This is not what I want because I currently use my mortgage equity to my advantage and I need it to continue with life as I know it.

It runs for another 9 years and yes there is an account keeping fee of $400 per year, this also provides me with a credit card and a few other benefits and besides I like the flexibility it lends me if I need money in a hurry. I might not be here in 9 years’ time and if I am then my “Super” will cover any outstanding payments needed.

Pictures above from 2004

I’m struggling to process the fact that I have been here since 2004, I have lived in this house for 21 years and it has changed along the way just like me….both for the better I think. My old house has been through the wars. In 2011, massive floods in South East Queensland caused major damage to communities and my house had water around 300mm on the second level of the house and is an experience I do not want to ever repeat. The insurance would not pay out immediately and it took nearly 9 months of fighting to get paid out and this I think was more stressful than the actual event.

Going through the flood was very surreal; it felt as if for the most part you were having an out of body experience watching yourself or someone that looked like you navigate through the chaos. Strangers stopping to help, or giving you food and drink, and the fire brigade coming in to hose out the shed and bottom of the house. Finding small fish in the garden and of course the smells were ripe and intense. It was the middle of summer and very hot and decay was in the air.

In 2022 after what was called a rain bomb sat over SE Queensland the flooding came within10m or so from the back of the house and that brought back many dark memories and stress, I guess it must be PTSD and that was the case for many years after the 2011 flood.

The house has protected me from many storms, it’s kept me dry and with the help of the air conditioning warm and cool when needed. It was built around 1980 and I have done much work to it over the years. This is my sanctuary. When I come home and lock the doors, close the blinds and leave the outside world behind then there is a sense of calm. At this time of the year the house is cool in the morning and so I like to sit out the back on the deck that was added many moons ago, a great place to read a book or have a siesta or just to contemplate.

I’m so glad that I was unable to sell up a few years ago when I had a bit of a “mental glitch” I would have regretted that decision I feel. I have everything I need here and the house has changed through the years like me. I would still like to make a few changes and I will get around to them at a later date. One thing I always think I should get is a wood burner for downstairs, especially when winter arrives and the frost comes.

Present Day 2025

This also means that I have owned my olde Ford for 21 years also; my trusty steed has also been through the wars during this time but I still enjoy driving my old friend.

Back again to this walk and this time I went on my own so that I could try the loop that goes via the Summit of Mount Coot-Tha. It rained last night and parts of the track were fairly muddy.

I arrived about 9:30am, it was overcast and perfect really for walking. The track soon begins to climb and the first few kilometres would have been more challenging coming down due to the conditions. The track is steep and and slippy, however today I gave my walking sticks a go. Well I took one which for the most part was perfect. It just gives you a bit more  confidence when traversing the muddy sections and it was great. I’ll need to start using them more often to try and get the hang of them. Get my fitness levels up before heading home. I’d like to climb Ben Nevis.

The trail was fairly quiet, although sections of this loop use other trails as you criss cross over the mountain and I passed a few groups but the more difficult sections were quiet.

My legs knew I’d had a workout and when I got home and sat down my legs were beginning to feel a bit weak, but I think that I would have been able to continue after a bit of food, so I think climbing the Ben might be doable.

It rained for about a minute early on Saturday morning after a glorious week and it looked as if it was going to be another wasted opportunity, however the sun turned up the volume shortly afterwards. 😁

Time to start the retaining wall behind the shed. There has been a problem with it for years, however this year’s rain has caused a bit of subsidence and the slab of the shed is beginning to crack and you can feel that the last bay is not level.

Water running down in the park has carved a gully and exposed tree roots and in turn more of the old wall is slowly letting it’s contents out, so I need to stop it before it gets any worse. The soil is “Black Soil” which when wet just sticks to your feet and the tools. When it’s dry it can be as hard as concrete, it’s a bastard to work with.

I needed to dig two post holes, one 700 mm deep and the other around 500 mm deep. Just under the surface it began to get sticky which slowed things down but eventually I got the two holes dug. I found a paver to put in the bottom under the post and then levelled them ready for the concrete.

I used rapid set which goes off in 15 mins. Having not done this before I’d asked for a bit of advice which was, to fill the hole with one third water, have a big stick to push everything around to get it all even and just add in the premix and add more water if necessary. If I add too much it just takes a bit longer to cure apparently so that OK.

The cross timbers are just bracing. To the right side you can see the storm water pipe which has dropped quite a bit so what I hope to do is build up that corner too and then back fill with the earth in front. It will take a few weeks to get it done I think. I’d carried 9 bags of concrete and used 7, each one weighing 20kg…so that was a workout.

I’m about 30m from the house so getting power and water to this location is challenging and so a lot of legwork is needed and also because I can’t get a wheel barrow through the gap in the fence.

I’m quite pleased with the outcome but I’m knackered today but that didn’t stop catching up with friends to go to Mt Cootha for a bit of a hike. I think I’ll sleep well tonight 😴

Another long weekend, however they are never long enough. Friday was a bit of washout, raining and too tired to do anything really. Saturday I started on painting the garage. I found a tin of old paint in the shed, not sure how old but after giving it a vigorous stir it seemed to get its act together and stuck to the wall. It’s not white, I think they call it Hedgehog grey or something like that, I really can’t remember. It’s not too offensive so it will do for the moment, I don’t think the car is going to complain.

I bought a 10 m long LED strip, multi coloured and stuck it to the roof of the patio above the deck. I got it working ok but haven’t been able to pair it to my phone yet. Yes I have smart LED’s and they can sing and dance and really show off.

Sunday morning, today, I caught the train to Indooroopilly once more so that I could cycle home. Yes a glutton for punishment indeed. And it was! I haven’t been out for a couple of week, mainly due to the weather being a tad damp and I knew it was going to be a bit difficult today because there are many hill to climb and a few to go down of course.

No coffee stops on the way home which is a bit sad. Having a break and a coffee helps to cover the last 10 km or so and today I must admit my calf muscles and thighs were complaining as I climbed the last hill of the day.

I got this email from a 105 year old lady living in Scotland no less, that wants to give me lots of money and I am sure it must be true! Mind you there are a few things with it that make me a wee bit suspicious…….I think it is the line that says ” I am a childless window”

I managed to sheet the garage, at times it was a bit of a struggle. The sheets are awkward and there were pipes and other little obstacles in the way to make it more exciting. I enjoy doing this but I don’t think I could get up every day and do it like I used to, mind you that was nearly 30 years ago.

It’s only when I look back at the video I see just how much off centre I am at times when trying to lift the sheets up but I guess that’s all part of the fun. I slept well that evening or that might have been down to the generous Jura single malt that I had after dinner.

 I didn’t get out on the bike the next day because I was knackered. After breakfast I went back to bed and had a lazy day. I’ve had a few books to get through and I’m reading the “Slow Horses” books by Mick Herron so it was sitting in the rocking chair and drinking coffee.

Following weekend

The next room to insulate is the back bedroom and so instead of ripping off the whole wall I decided to remove as much as I needed to and then push the insulation up behind the existing plasterboard and for the most part it went Ok. I used a bit more insulation than I calculated for but I think this is because I was compressing it a bit too much at times. It will be interesting to see how much difference it makes in the overall scheme of things.

I still have to plaster the joints and paint of course but I’ll get to that in time, at least the insulation is in and My picture is squinty 😅

This morning I didn’t go out on the bike but went for a walk instead. They were predicting rain and so I thought I’d go for a walk and break in my boots that I got in Scotland last time I was there because I really haven’t done much off road walking since I bought them and when I do, I use my boots that are already broken in. So I’ll be heading home in two months’ time and I’ll be taking these as I hope to climb Ben Nevis.

I wrote this last year but never posted it. I had just returned from China.

Everywhere you go in China the mobile phone is never far from view, on the metro, the street, or on the bus they sit glued to the tiny screen as though their life’s depended on it. Their faces are often only inches from the screen which sometimes gives them a ghostly appearance.

Electric cars are also very common here and I’ve been really surprised by the diversity of them, some brands I have never heard of before and then there are the replicas of other expensive European brands. Mind you it seems that Tesla has quite the foothold here.

So what do you get when you combine the two of these things? Well you get many folk sitting in their cars watching TV, either on the big screen or as I saw the other day a girl had propped her phone onto the steering wheel to watch the small screen rather than use the tablet on the middle of the dash.

So is the electric car popular because it’s electric or is it just a big extension of the phone? I think in China it is the latter.

The electric car is made for the Chinese consumers, it’s just a big phone on wheels and they are everywhere. I’ve been in a few of them, a friend has a BMW I 3 which is comfortable and quiet and she says that if it’s also more economical to run than her old petrol powered car.

The Chinese are not drivers, no one has really experienced the joy of belting down a country road flat out, using a manual gearbox in perfect harmony with hands and feet feeling the rush of adrenaline as you nearly make a mistake. For most of them the car is a tool or a status symbol and so therfore an electric car is perfect for them because it is no more than a tool, they don’t buy it for the thrill of driving.

EV’s are struggling to gain a foothold in many countries and the push to net zero is slowly killing the car industry in Europe and I think for many of us it’s because these cars have no soul. I have never driven one and would love to have a go to see what they are like, however I have driven a CVT Subaru which someone told me is a similar experience. You don’t feel the gears change , it’s just constant acceleration and you don’t have the gearbox to play with, you don’t feel connected to the car…..you are just hanging on for grim death.

I feel that they have a place in this world, however at the moment they do not deliver the driver experience that so many people desire. Most “Petrol Heads” would rather have a rear wheel drive front engined car that they can give it laldy.🤗

Since I wrote this I have had a drive in an electric car and I was stunned at the acceleration. Your head is thumped into the headrest. The acceleration is warp speed.

It was easy to drive, responsive and comfortable but I only drove it on the highway not along winding roads… however I was pleasantly surprised by the experience and would consider one if I could charge it at home. The MG EV I drove was getting just under 5 km/kW which if you can charge at home and especially if you can use solar then it would be very cheap to run.

The downside of most EV’S in Australia is the range of them, driving 500 km here is very y common and not many of them can do that on a single charge.

If I had the money I would possibly buy one, I don’t drive to much these days and so a range of 3 to 4 hundred km would be fine however I would still keep the old Ford for the longer journeys,as my friend James that has the MG  has kept his diesel four wheel drive.

My body was very tired this morning, yesterday’s work in the garage made its presence felt. I wasn’t sore but my body knew that it had been through an ordeal.

Just a short run to get out and about, followed a well worn route with a few hills and all the while knowing that it would lead me to a double shot latte 🤗

The sun was shining, the humidity high…. Over 75% this morning. Once moving the air was refreshing and I never really struggled although my legs were very stiff for the first 10 kms or so.

The Coffee was good, no dramas too report and so for the rest of the day I’m not going to do a lot. Back to work tomorrow and so I’ll rest today. Start my new book, have a Siesta and drink more coffee ☕