This virus, this plague,

The vaccination roll out. Vague,

Public disorder and so much rage,

Doom and gloom,

Lockdowns loom,

Tolerance waning,

People complaining,

Politician’s mansplaining,

No end in sight,

Conspirators talk shite,

Gates and Obama,

Clinton and Xi,

Microchips in vaccines,

Eugenics at work,

World domination,

Alien nation,

What have we become?

Social media pawns,

A world on the brink,

We need to swim not sink,

The weeks are rolling on and I look forward to each day off. Work is ok but it takes up so much of my
time and really just gets in the way. This is my long weekend and it has gone in a blink of an eye
although I have managed to be the social butterfly on both Sunday and Monday.

We have a short working week because it’s Easter next week. I will have five days off in a row which I
am really looking forward to. Got plenty to do around the house and yard and so therefore I have no
plans to go anywhere which is just as well because the state government have issued a three day
lockdown which will no doubt impact the Easter holiday.
For me it makes no difference really, but I would’ve liked to go and get some mulch for the garden
and a few non essential supplies. I have plenty of rice, toilet paper and the fridge is stocked. Mind
you I could run out of chocolate which is scary.

So many people have had plans turned upside down due to this new lockdown. I think this vaccine
roll out needs to be quicker so that if a new case is found the rest of society does not have to be
impacted. No one will want to make any plans to travel interstate because you might end up being
stranded far from home,

So back to work tomorrow, apparently I am in an essential service industry. I wonder what new rules
will be in place. No doubt we will have to wear masks once more, which are really quite
uncomfortable, but on a positive note it might keep people away.

Although I don’t really want to work it is an opportunity to pick up materials for projects in the
future. The company I work for owns many different businesses and so I am able to pick up bits and
pieces at reasonable prices. So I’ll stay a bit longer until I’ve had enough.

The ides of March came and went and unlike Julius Caesar I survived, and it was also my one year anniversary of returning to Australia. I had flown back from Shanghai and arrived in the wee hours of the morning escaping the onslaught of Covid.

The journey from my home in Suzhou to Armidale was long and quite the adventure. I was sad to leave China after being there for four years and I really did not want to return to my old way of life. I had hoped to be travelling to Jordan, Egypt and a few other exotic places rather than Australia.

Catherine and Stuart put me up for three months before I could get back up to Queensland due to the state borders being closed. I had only planned to be there for about two weeks while I did my quarantine but the borders closed while I was there.

The three months passed and I returned to Queensland where I was met by my friend Peter who had offered me the ground floor of his two-storey house, I was able to live here for about two months until my house became available.

I remember the feeling well when I finally entered my empty house; it was one of failure and sadness. Failure because this is was not where I wanted to be, but then things were out of my control and I really had no choice but I still felt I had failed in some way.

Sad; because of the way my house and garden looked……….I also felt a bit guilty that I betrayed my home in some weird way by letting parasites live there and slowly work their magic to mark walls, carpets and to destroy the garden. Even after being there for months I still come across minor damage and marks, which I get very angry about, but what can I do.

The jobs around the house have been keeping me busy and for the first four months, I eased myself back into my previous lifestyle. Apart from the house and garden, I enjoyed getting out for bush walks and rides on the bike once more, two benefits of being back.

I had no plans to get a job but I had signed on the brew and the government told me I had to apply for 8 jobs a month and that was easier said than done. I could not believe it when I got a job offer. Even on the eve of my start date, I was still contemplating whether I would turn up.

I did and I have been here for nearly four months and it’s not bad although I would rather be home. Oh and it is nice to have a few more dollars in me pocket.

I’m on a short-term contract which finishes in November and the plan is to once again pack my bags and head of into the wild blue yonder but the world is in a hell of a state at the moment so it might be next year or even later before that comes to fruition.

So, after one year I have slowly adjusted to life as I knew it and for the most part its fine. I am able to rekindle old relationships and avoid some as well. Go back to my public speaking, drive my car, which I really missed while away and working around the house and yard is not a chore anymore.

Mind you sometimes, I feel my age. After digging in the garden the other day my body was sore from top to bottom and I just wanted to eat pizza and lie on the couch, although I did not.

Change, adapt and enjoy, it is a way of life.

Sunday morning was a lazy start, lazy breakfast and eased into the day. Got the washing on because they say it will rain tomorrow. About 9.30 I got on me bike and headed to the petrol station first of all to pump up the tyres, I still wasn’t sure where I would head.

The tyres only had 20 psi, very low and so I got them up to 55 psi before heading off. I was staying around Ipswich today and really I was only guided by the quiet roads and I wanted to hit a few hills and there are plenty in Ipswich.

I’ll go via Yamanto and then down to the Sunday markets and have a look. Haven’t been there for a while. One road I had to go on has two steep hills, but on both you are able to take a run at them. I got up to around 40 kph on the downhill and as I hit the hill I dropped the gears to keep my cadence up, first hill conquered.

A bit out of breath and I could feel my Xiaomi wrist band vibrating and it’s telling me that my heart rate is up there. Down the hill pedalling like billy-o and nearly reached ¾ of the way up before dropping gears and then I was at the top.

I pulled over and grabbed some water, it was hot and I could feel the sun starting to cook me. I looked around for some shade and saw and old real estate office that had some carports so I headed there to get out of the sun. I really struggled to get off the bike and then I thought I was about to bring my breakfast up. I stood by a small wall with my head in my hands controlling my breathing to keep my toast and banana at bay.

This went on for a long time. I grabbed more water and sat down by the small wall. The breeze was coming from my right and felt great. Not sure how long I sat there but finally I felt better and planned the easiest route home. Mind you there were hills no matter which way I went.

I got up, felt ok and straddled the bike……another drink of water before setting off. I then felt like shit once more, I couldn’t see clearly and I had these huge black rosettes in front of me….I blinked and blinked and it just got worse. Big drops of rain falling into black puddles in front of my face. This was all being exacerbated by the smells of fatty oil coming from red Rooster across the road, that smell was enough to make anyone feel ill.

I got off the bike and sat down once more in the same spot. Head in my hands and knees up to my chest once more. The breeze began from my right and it felt great. I poured some water on my head and that felt even better. Slowly my body returned to normal, my temperature was returning to a level where I could function once more. I had over heated. I hadn’t done that in a long time and to be honest I didn’t think it was that hot today but I guess it was, and later in the day I noticed some sun burn from where I had missed a bit of sun cream on my knee.

I think I was also a bit dehydrated which added to my moment.

I climbed back on the bike and I felt brand new, full of beans and ready to take on the world. Not sure how long I sat there but I knew I was 10 kms from home and that I was going to be taking it easy on the way back.

I felt strong all the way back, with no hesitation going up hills and when I stopped outside my front door I was glad to be home but could have easily gone on a bit more.

I think I underestimated the temperature today and the strength of the sun, the UV was high and my brain was getting fried through the bike helmet. I was completely covered, sweating like a pig but I guess hiding from the sun and trying to keep cool is a fine balance sometimes. I never felt light headed or felt anything until I stopped and got off the bike and this wave of nausea took hold as my breakfast ebbed and flowed but luckily it stayed where it was. I’m just glad I took two bottles of water on such a short journey.

I had toast and ginger marmalade and a pot of tea for lunch followed by some fruit and then it was out to the garden to spread some mulch. By 4.30pm I had had enough and it was time to have left over curry but first a strong black coffee to rejuvenate the mind.

It takes about 10 minutes to drive to work in the morning and even in that short distance a lot can happen and there are strange things afoot. As you drive along Jacaranda Street, you pass Ipswich East State School and of course we must slow down to 40 kph.

In the middle of the school zone there is a pedestrian crossing patrolled by a “Lollipop Lady”. The one that is here most mornings is a bit weird but she really enjoys her work because you can tell by the fearless way she will jump out in front of traffic with her back completely straight, looking as if she would be better suited to a military parade ground. With the stop sign held aloft on a 45° in front of her, she will boldly walk out to the middle of the crossing with little regard for traffic. In fact, I get the impression that this is the main reason for doing this job.

There is a small tree in a garden near the crossing. She will hide in the shade of this tree and so when you drive along you will not really notice her until she begins her lunge to get to the crossing before you do. I personally feel she is a bit of a fucking lunatic and should not be anywhere near children and more so being in charge of their safety.

I have only one right hand turn to make at a set of lights. If the right hand turn is controlled by a filter arrow, then it is not a problem but when the poor Australian driver has to do this manoeuvre themselves, it turns out that most really don’t know how to do it and I get very frustrated if I am stuck behind them. The right hand turn that I have to make has to be done at your own peril, no filter arrow here.

When the lights change to green they will not move to the middle of the junction if there is oncoming traffic, they just sit still behind the line. I learned to drive in the UK where we were taught properly. We were told to move to the middle of the junction and wait until it was clear to turn. If you were still sat there when the lights changed to red you were still able to get one or two cars through the junction. In Australia however, most drivers sit behind the line and will not move to the middle of the junction, which means if there is no gap in the traffic then no one gets through the lights. And this can go on for more than one change of the lights if it’s a busy junction which makes one rather pissed off.

Turning right, merging into traffic, especially on the motorway. Leaving a motorway they will usually slow down while on the motorway rather than slow down on the exit ramp. They love to indicate and will do so for any deviation, even going around a bend in the road. They love indicating so much that will do it at every opportunity and most of it makes no sense. You can never trust Australian drivers’ indicating signals. For them it is like breathing, no thought is used it is completely instinctive and completely stupid.

Bends really fuck with Australians…….they’re great in a straight line with their big powerful V8’s and four wheel drives but don’t ask them to go around a corner without dropping 10 to 15 kph.

If they wish to run right, they will indicate right but not necessarily for the road that they wish to turn in to. Sometimes they will pass two previous roads before the actual turn. Indicating just means that at some point in time they will go in that direction, but not always just to confuse things.

Oh another thing. Many people here lean in when they go round corners and they might only being doing 40 kph, no G forces here to fight. Driver stupidity seems to be increasing year on year.

Cars on the other hand are becoming “Smarter”. I therefore have come to the conclusion, that on the day when everyone is running about in autonomous vehicles, many will just become vegetables. The rot has already begun…………….

One more thing I managed to put a cube of mulch on the garden at the weekend and it’s looking rather good, although I’ll need to buy some more soon……………..

On Monday, I went to the dentist, for the first time in a long time. I would usually go and see by brother in law Mike, but he no longer has the dental practice but instead has become a teacher. I think that it is always difficult to find a new person to go and see, to put your trust in. Whether it be a new mechanic for the car, a doctor anybody really and I usually go by word of mouth rather than search online or follow any form of advertising.

A few weeks ago a nurse came into the store and we got chatting and I happened to ask her where did she go to get her dental work done and she told me that she went to Ipswich City Dental in the town centre and so I thought I would check them out.

I paid them a visit and then I checked them out online and the reviews all seemed very positive and they were also running a special price for new patients, $99 for a clean and check-up. That will do me. I do not have a health fund and so it can be quite costly to visit a dentist in Australia.

First impressions were good. My dentist is Dr Cheng and he is from Taiwan. We got talking and he asked why I hadn’t been to the dentist for so long and I explained that I had been out the country and secondly because Mike had retired and I hadn’t found anyone to go to yet. He asked about Mike and I told him that when he gave up the practice he went into teaching………..it turns out that Mike was Dr Cheng’s supervisor for three years……tis a small world indeed. Not sure if this put a bit of pressure on Dr Cheng but his approach was very methodical and at times resembling the way Mike would have done things……..which was great.

I don’t enjoy going to the dentist, one reason because I have sensitive gums and the jet of cold air that comes off some of the tools always seems to find its way to the tooth nerves making it very unpleasant. I sat there meditating repeating “no pain” over and over in my mind trying to block it out. I got through it OK but my gums took a battering, two days later they are still a bit tender.

Dr Cheng drew up a dental plan and gave me the low down on the condition of my gums and teeth. He picked up on 4 small areas where there are signs of tooth decay, not much but they will turn into problems down the track. Two old amalgams are cracking up, he recommends having them replaced, and lastly there are four teeth where the gum is a little bit exposed so they will fill that with a composite filler. All up, I am looking around $1500.

More than I would want to pay but realistically in the big scheme of things I don’t have much choice and that’s just the going rate. I’ve booked in to have the first session done in two weeks and then every two weeks until finished.

Just as well I’ve got this job to cover these kinds of unexpected outlays.

9.00am

There’s a part of me that thinks that when it’s my day off I should get up and make the most of the day in a productive manner and then there’ the old me that sneaks out every so often and convinces me to lie around like a couch potato and just relax. I like the old me, although he doesn’t get channelled so often these days.

I got a cube of mulch yesterday and I really need to get it onto the garden but so far the very thought of that is sending me back to the couch. It was raining earlier today and so that’s my excuse for not venturing out even although the rain stopped some time ago. However the temperature is wonderful, a clean fresh 23c or so, way better than yesterday where it felt as if you could have fried an egg on the driveway.

I’ll get to the mulch at some point but for now it’s just good to have a second coffee and to waste time wandering the internet. Mind you it’s disappointing how the second cup of coffee for the day never quite meets the expectations of the first.

Internal politics and the lack of staff have made this week at work a little fractious. We are waiting for the new manager to arrive; the current manager is busy getting sore thumbs playing games on his phone. Others are bickering about this and that and often do so in front of customers which I find very strange but I will often distract the customer by asking questions and completely ignoring the staff member that’s having the rant. I don’t understand how people cannot be aware of their surroundings and act appropriately, although at times it can be amusing.

I checked the news this morning whilst having breakfast and saw the headlines about Trump, really America! Civil war looks more likely than ever, mind you it will be interesting to watch the fallout from the failed impeachment trial which I think everyone knew would never achieve the desired result.

Teflon Trump is just that and it will be some small issue that will be the downfall of this man, some insignificant event will happen or come back to haunt him and it will be this event, whatever that may be, that will finally give Trump his comeuppance because it is only a matter of time. Maybe someone will top him but that will be too quick, we really want to see him suffer long and hard and watch him wither away slowly.

So what else is new? Well not much…………oh yes its Valentine’s Day………..and I am overwhelmed with cards, flowers and desires from many places……….aye right. Not a jot I may add and I never sent any either. At one time this was a day we would all dread because in the build up to Valentine’s Day we had expectations of a mountain of cards from available and willing young women and when the reality hit you like a brick as the postie walked past the door, or he only dropped off the gas bill instead of a letter with S.W.A.L.K. on it, the final nail in the coffin was rammed home with so much force and that bloody reality was a bitter pill to swallow. However as one gets older, well me to be precise I would worry more if I received a mountain of mail because I am quite content to meander this path alone at the moment without distractions, no matter how cute they be. But that thought is not set hard and fast into concrete and as Joan Armatrading says “I am open to persuasion”.

1.30pm

The Butcher birds don’t seem to know its Valentine’s Day either as there is no love lost as they shout at each other with chest puffed up staring each other down just because I put a bit of mince out on the plate, so I went out with another piece to keep the peace.

I’ve had lunch and watched a bit of the Mandalorian. I’m still in my”PJ’s” as it were and I’m not feeling at all guilty and why should I? Mind you I think that I’ll maybe venture out to the garden at some point but I’m in no hurry, I think I said that before…………….. I would like to put some mulch along the front of the house to stop all the mud from getting splashed up on the new paint which in turn is difficult to clean without damaging the finish. The rain is coming this week and I’m glad that the downpipes seem to be functioning again once more. The grass also needs cut again but that’s not going to happen today, maybe tomorrow. I have many jobs to do about the place but I am still being resolute at being completely lazy.

Lunch was not too bad, stir fried mince, onion and tomatoes with a Mongolian Lamb mix and I’m feeling very full and ready for a siesta which is what I will do as soon as I put my keyboard down.

“Bon après-midi, il est temps de faire une sieste”

Written for the Bremer Forum to the title of “Hope”

What do you hope for today?

I hope it rains,

The heat is insane,

The car is running on fumes,

Are we there yet?

I hope they deliver ma pizza soon,

Am Hank Marvin……………

Hopes and dreams in many forms,

We need them,

We want them,

What’s yours?

Sometimes it doesn’t matter,

For others it does,

Far away and distant,

To the sun and back,

Do we care?

Can we help?

Peace in our time, really?

No pollution, sure

Water to drink, clean and clear,

Is it too much to ask?

Disease free,

A full belly, not skeletal,

A safe place to sleep,

To keep warm,

Feel welcome,

A place to call home,

Not to be alone,

The collective or the individual,

It can be one and the same,

Our hopes collide,

Only the gods can decide,

Nowhere to turn to,

Running in vain,

Living a dream,

To escape the reality,

And we’re back,

It didn’t rain, I need a shower

I have a full tank, where do you want to go?

That pizza was great thanks,

Happy and feeling like a beached whale, with not a care in the world…………………

It seems as if weeks have passed since I last put fingers to keyboard. I spend quite a lot of time on the computer at work and so I’m not so keen on firing it up when I get home and I have had to deal with the storm water problems yet again.

I thought after I repaired the pipe at the front of the house, that the problem was fixed but alas no.

It rained the next day. I back filled the hole and covered it with flagstones and mulch I was very happy, but when the rain came the torrent of water spewing out of the gutters and downpipe was enormous and so it was obvious that there had to be another problem.

I got the extension ladder out and precariously leaned it up against the house, the angle of incline was very steep and so I tied the ladder to the house but was not very confident climbing up. I peered over the roof and into the gutter and downpipe, the gutter was dry but the downpipe was filled to the brim with water, how can that be me thinks?

I hoped it wouldn’t rain too much until I got an opportunity to dig up the other connection to the storm water to try to find the problem or try to find out what was blocking the pipe. At the same time as all of this is happening one of the downpipes going under the deck had also begun to leak and I’m thinking it never rains but it pours. I never connected these two problems but as it turned out, they were.

I was going to start digging on Saturday after work but by the afternoon, the sun was already cooking that side of the house so I thought I’d start bright and early on Sunday, well 8.30 am bright and early. The ground was not too hard thankfully and after I got down a few inches, the soil was easy to move.

I found the storm water and soon found out why the pipe was “blocked” apparently my builders offsider isn’t skilled in the art of plumbing and so he connected both downpipes to each other completely bypassing the storm water pipe rendering it useless and of course this accounted for the stagnant water in the both pipes.

I rectified the problem but it did take a few hours. The shadow on the western wall was retreating and being consumed by the sun and if I didn’t hurry it would get to me too. Sunday was hot, really hot and the humidity was around 70% , so all and all a bit miserable.

In the afternoon, I popped out the shops and the temperature on the billboard said 38c and this was around 3.30pm in the afternoon, so working out in the midday sun was not very pleasant but I finally got the job done and was quite happy with the result.

I haven’t filled in the hole yet because it hasn’t rained and I just want to make sure that all is working before I cover up my masterpiece. But when I get home today, if I have the energy I’ll start to fill the hole again because I want to finish putting mulch down on that side of the house so that I can get another trailer load on Saturday.

It was my long weekend, Saturday after work was very hot and so it was back to the air conditioning for me. Sunday I had a slow start but then put the undercoat on the downstairs renovation. I find painting soul destroying and it’s a real effort mentally to get it done. I noticed a few flaws in my setting as I worked my way around the room and I’ll have to put a thin layer of plaster back over a few spots, but to be honest I think my setting will suffice………..

The downpipe and stormwater pipe had come adrift and I picked up the bits and pieces to repair it. I cut the pipe and fitted the elbows and joiners and put it in place but I hadn’t glued it in place yet.

Monday morning, I headed into the garden to trim the tree, it’s grown so much over the past few months and it was beginning to go over the fence to my neighbours’ garden and so I thought I’d better give it a haircut before they said something.

I borrowed the extended saw from Mick next door because even with my new fancy extension ladder that can be folded into many shapes it was still not high enough and I really didn’t want to lean the ladder against the tree branch…………I’ve seen too many YouTube videos.

When I finished I was surprised at the amount of the tree I had cut down but I think she still looks great after her wee trim. I’ll drag the trailer out at the weekend and go to the green recycling centre.

After cutting the grass it was around 4.30pm and time for coffee after which I had a shower and looked forward to the evening ahead watching some TV.

The rain started; at first it was very light but then the clouds gathered and the rain began to batter off the roof. I suddenly thought of my downpipe to storm water fix which I hadn’t glued yet. I went to have a look and I didn’t like what I saw…………..The water was pissing about everywhere. The bends and connections had blown off with the water pressure from the downpipe, but more so from the stormwater which is connected to my 3000 litre tank and so there was a quite a bit of pressure from that. Nothing I could do but to try and divert the water into the garden so that it didn’t erode anymore of the ground around the base of the downpipe.

So this morning I checked the connections once more and modified one part to make the connection snug but I had to go to work, I hate this work thing it just gets in the way. They are predicting rain later and so I just hope I can get this glued and fixed before it arrives.