10 years ago today the Ipswich region was under water. The small town of Grantham had been washed away and many people had been killed. My house soon became under threat from these rising flood waters.

I left work early and by the time I got home the rain was bucketing down. The water was running off next doors property and I tried desperately to divert the water from going through the garage and along the side of the house. The garden was a quagmire and the ground was so wet that it was liquid.

About 3.30pm the rain eased and while I was surveying the mess the police came to the house and told me that I would have to evacuate, I couldn’t believe it…………..

I looked out over the park behind the house and I could see that the water was already covering half of the park. A friend came down to see me and said that I could stay at his place. We went upstairs to the house and he suggested that we lift everything up to higher ground just in case, I laughed at this idea and thought he was taking the piss but as it turned out this saved me a lot of time and money. I never thought for one minute that the water would reach the second story of my house, but it did.

The flood waters rose very slowly; this flooding was very different from the waters that wiped Grantham off the map. The waters took a long time to rise and it was almost like a form of water torture. Little by little the water climbed up the walls of the house.

Neighbours told me that the 1974 flood had been worse and that the waters still had a long way to go yet before they would begin to drop. I had resigned myself to the fact that I would have a bit of damage and was hoping that the waters would stay out the main part of the house, which is the second story, and only go through the garage and I was fairly confident at this stage, but I think I just wanted to hear some good news.

The next morning after breakfast I walked down to the house. I stayed with Danny and Maria, their house was only a five-minute walk back down the hill. At about 8am the water was about a metre deep and had reached the downstairs windows.

I stood there with others in the street as we all watched the incremental advance of the water. Putting a stone on the road in front of the rising waters and seeing how quickly that it was reached. Two or three centimetres was covered in just a few minutes which is absolutely staggering if you think of the area that this flood was covering.

By mid-afternoon the water was just below the floor boards and I was praying to Poseidon to shut the taps off, but the water didn’t stop, but I was still hopeful.

A few hours later it had covered the floor and was reaching the windows of the second story. Mick’s house next to mine on the down side of the hill was already ¾ submerged. A group of us just stood inches in front of the water checking to see if it was still rising.

In the late afternoon, while we chatted and looked at the amazing vista of this new landscape before us we all suddenly realised that the water had stopped rising Before us was an expanse of water, an inland sea which had eaten up houses and left TV ariels, trees and telegraph poles standing to attention in the middle of this vast ocean. The waters were calm and the sun was hot and to be honest it did have a certain tranquility and beauty.

The small stones that we had put in front of the advancing waters were still dry and it really looked as if there was a slightly bigger gap than there had been a few minutes ago……………the tide was finally beginning to turn. But it was only when the waters finally receded did we see the damage that had taken place………..even although this water stealthily attacked our neighbourhood it still bought heartache and destruction to many

The next morning, we drove down to the house to discover that the waters had dropped significantly and we pulled into the driveway which was still covered by about 100mm of water. I opened up the garage door and couldn’t believe the mess, benches were upturned or flipped on their ends and there was a thick layer of ooze.

Outside the water heater had been ripped off the wall and the pipe work was bent and twisted. The garden was covered in a thick layer of the same ooze.

I was dreading to look upstairs by this time because the reality of the situation was finally starting to sink in. Most of my furniture is solid timber and so it survived ok. There was a tide mark throughout the house on the walls and furniture and the carpets were just disgusting. I felt helpless and overwhelmed by what lay before me.

I came back downstairs and already friends were pulling anything that could be salvaged out of the garage and putting it to one side. Someone was hosing out the garage and pavers out the back to get rid of that ooze before it baked hard under the summer sun. It was hot and steamy, the sun was shining and the sky was blue.

I think it was on the second or third day the firemen stopped by the house and asked if I needed anything hosed out and I said yes, could they hose out the shed at the bottom of the garden…………..that was quite a spectacle.

Strangers as well as neighbours lended a hand and brought cups of tea and comforting words. On the third day of the clean-up a Brazilian guy stopped by with a large pot of homemade curry, it was delicious. Another day a Ute with some pretty girls on the back handed out water.

The mounds of rubbish on the street were increasing and so were the many tradesmen who were in short supply. I called my plumber, Shane, and he came and got the hot water connected and checked the gas connections and things. At Mick’s house there was an electrician with many guys and I asked him if he could come to my place when he had a chance. There was so much electrical damage and one of the bigger items was the air conditioner and I was lucky enough to buy one so that the electrician could install it.

The electricians were at the house for two days as they repaired the damage and also put in some new lights around the place but it took nearly ten days until the power was finally switched back on. I was really surprised that the remote garage door still worked along with the solar panels.

The council came along one day and cleared all the rubbish that had been dumped, mind you there were also the scavengers out and about picking their way through the detritus……………..me included. I picked up a metal rack from my next door neighbour and it’s still in my shed to this day.

The flood was traumatic and at the same time an amazing experience although painful at times but the worst part I think for me and for many others was having to deal with the Insurance companies. I was with RACQ and they would not pay out because they said that it was a rain event and not a flood and they gave me a compassionate payment of $12,400. The cost of the electrician and plumber and air conditioner was already around $5500 and there was so much more to take care of.

The stress and suffering that we were put under by insurance companies like RACQ was intense. Other insurance companies paid out my next door neighbours and they just got on with the rebuild. Assessors were on the ground within a few days and repairs were set in motion, meanwhile myself and Mick were wondering where we would get the money to repair our houses.

I was off work for a month; my blood pressure was through the roof. I was depressed and didn’t know how I was going to fund the repairs. I was not enjoying work and with everything else going on it felt like a very dark time in my life.

One day in October on the way back from work, I received a call from RACQ and they told me that they had re-evaluated my claim and they would now send out an assessor, this was only because they had come under a lot of pressure from the public, government and other business bodies. I was stunned and elated at the same time and also a bit pissed off because I had started to repair things myself whereas if I had had the insurance money at the beginning I would have done things differently.

As it turned out in the end I got a very generous cash settlement and I also received government compensation and so for a time there I thought that I had won lotto………..the bank balance was full once more and I could now use that cash in any way I saw fit.

I’ve seen many others over the years being flooded and I can sympathies and empathies with them, especially having gone through it myself. Whether it be by fire or flood the consequences of such an event can stay with you for years and even the unity of the community gives you hope that humanity is not dead and still has a heart but you are quickly brought back to reality when the insurance companies try to do everything they possibly can to wriggle free of their obligations by trying to split hairs within the wording of the policy.

I went to Aldi,
The shelves were empty,
No meat and no vegies,
No rice and cheese,
Come on people please,
It’s a 3 day lock down,
For fucks sake,
Catch a grip,
Not even a dram to sip,
But I got my chocolate 🙄🍫

Well a year ago to the today, the 8/1/2020, I returned to Suzhou from Thailand. I was really surprised this morning when I got to work and they told me that we are now going into lock down nearly a year to the date of the initial covid lock down in China.

The new UK strain has been passed to a hotel cleaner in Brisbane and she has been to many places since she discovered that she was infected and so the state government has decided that initially a 3-day lock down will take place but I’m sure it will be extended.

And so from 6pm today until 6pm Monday 11^th we are in lock down and need to wear a mask outside and of course when we are at work. The panic buying began shortly after the announcement, the shops soon filled with crazy folk emptying shelves for a 3 day lock down, they need to be shot.

Mind you I only have one bar of chocolate left so I might go to Aldi and wait in line for a couple of hours to make sure I won’t run out over the weekend.

The world is in a hell of a state, people are dropping like flies all over the world and yet Australia has been relatively lucky in the big scheme of things mainly due to geography. The UK has surprised me, the amount of chaos and death there is not what I expected and thankfully most of my friends and relations are still well although my brother in laws father died of covid last March. 

The virus is coming in waves and each wave seems to be getting bigger and stronger and it only takes one small mistake or act of stupidity to fuel the virus and then it begins to spread exponentially faster and more aggressive. Mind you, stupidity and selfishness seem to be major contributors.

America is the one to watch though, they are living in very interesting times where they have a megalomaniac president that lives each day in an alternate universe preaching to his flock who hang onto his every word living and breathing the Trump bullshit and then there is the rest of America that live in the real world with the rest of us.

I watched a video this morning where there was an Irish journalist in Georgia asking the Trump supporters what they thought about Biden winning the election and everyone they asked were in complete denial and were convinced that Trump had won and would be president until 2024, it’s fuckin’ madness and reality and fiction are almost aligned.

In Australia they had just begun to get on top of the virus and life began to return to normal just before Christmas. Internal borders were re-opened and flights resumed and it really looked like Australia had returned to normality, but then there were a few cases discovered in North Sydney and because of that restrictions were put in place very quickly and so once again people were in lockdown.

On Christmas day at Bronte Beach a few hundred young folk had a party and everyone from politicians, police and the community condemned them for being so stupid and selfish. Having so many people together in such a confined space is just ludicrous and irresponsible. So for days it’s all over the news, it’s all people are talking about. Meanwhile not too far away from said party there is the Sydney Cricket ground who just happen to be hosting a cricket match between Australia and India and guess what they are allowing up to 25% of capacity to spectate. Nothing can stand in the way of sport in Australia.

So if you like sport it’s OK to come together and participate but if you just want to go to a friend’s place for a cup of tea you cannot because you are in lockdown and it goes against all the health rules and guidance. So I’m slowly coming to the conclusion that we do not need a vaccine to prevent covid, maybe we just need to play sport.

Sport has always been the most important thing in Australia and don’t whatever you do allow it to get pushed into the background due to any catastrophe, including bushfires, floods, war, famine, pestilence and any other life changing situation.

Well al the holidays are finished and I’m back to reality…. how sad. The next holiday is the 26^th of January and I am hoping that we will be closed….10 months to go and counting………

The renovation is progressing, I’ve just about set everything and filled in the gaps around the concrete piers and other fiddley bits and I have even sanded two walls and I must admit I am quite happy with the finish. I hate setting and I could only do a couple of hours at a time but it has turned out better than I expected although I would have rather had my friend’s son do it, just so that I didn’t have too. I still don’t like setting.

I bought the paint and if all goes well I will start this weekend coming. I’ve still got some undercoat left which should be sufficient to do one coat and then top coat it. Architraves will then be put on and at the end of the month I’ll get the builders back to finish off a few things.

The weather has been quite miserable, high humidity and not very pleasant to work in. Even the setting has taken a long time to dry between coats.

New Year’s day I caught up with the family in Brisbane at Southbank. It’s been five years since we last did that. On the Sunday I went for a bush walk at mount Coo-tha with a friend, we walked on the Honeyeater trail, it’s quite good but a bit short for me, it’s only 5kms. I prefer to do at least a minimum of 10 and to try and get one that is a bit of a challenge, get the heart rate up a wee bit.

I’m still not convinced of this work thing. Today has not been too bad, it’s been busy and I have been out on the trade counter helping out there. Lunch Man is still freaking out about almost anything. He keeps on telling people how busy he was last week; he was obviously in a different reality to myself because I didn’t think that at all. Mind you he pops a lot of pills because of his “damaged Knee” and so half the time I don’t think he is on the same plane as the rest of us.

I have a friend that is a mad Trump supporter and we had a chat the other day, he is a member of the Trump caliphate of nutters. He was telling me how ridiculous it was that the election had been “stolen” and that the democrats were utterly corrupt………..he also watches Sky News and Fox news which is one and the same thing. Now this guy is quite intelligent and I am really surprised at just how stupid and gullible he is being in regards to the information about this election and at the same time fascinated by his alternate reality. He also thinks that Trump is an amazing business man that has done nothing wrong and that the impeachment and everything else has been concocted from false information. It’s really staggering……….

I used to watch Dallas on the TV years ago and I think Trump must model himself on JR, mind you he is definitely not as smart in business as JR was but is certainly very devious and corrupt with very few boundries……..

This time last year I was on my way to Singapore to start my solar eclipse adventure. This as it turned out was my last visa run and last taste of the great lifestyle I had been living for the past number of years. As usual I had to travel every three months and this time it worked out perfectly.

I stayed in Malaysia at Johor Bahru and went into Singapore on two days to explore and to do some bush walking and of course to watch the solar eclipse. Krabi followed and my final destination was Chiang Mai.

I returned to China on the 8^th of January and immediately began to finalise my last remaining months before I had to return to the UK to renew my visa. I got my trip to Taiwan organised and then started to book my travel to the west of China where I would leave from to head to the UK via Jordan, Egypt, Greece and hopefully Barcelona.

About a week after I returned the Coronavirus was spreading rapidly and China went into lockdown. Overnight travel was curtailed and a police state began. Movements were limited and life as we knew it came to an end. Suzhou is a bustling city and almost overnight the city centre turned into a ghost town. All the business ceased trading over the course of about three days leaving only one or two restaurants where you could only buy takeaway which for me was a lifesaver. My local Muslim restaurant stayed open luckily and so I was able to feed myself.

Security was ramped up at supermarkets; you had to register with them before entry. You also needed a Suzhou health card which was an app on your phone which you had to show if you wanted to use the metro or gain access to shopping centres. 

I still went to the park every day after breakfast to do my exercise and even here I had to register with the security guards. The park was very quiet almost deserted. After a few days there were still no more people but there were more birds, the wildlife was beginning to return and as we have seen all over the world this is one of the great side effects of Covid.

I sometimes got into an argument with the gate security of the complex I was staying in. They wanted me to prove I lived there and wanted me to show them my passport and I told them to fuck off. One day a young guy kept on asking for my passport and I said “Why?” and he looked totally confused. There was a young police officer on the gate that day too and he told him to let me through.

Every day when entering the complex you had your temperature taken, sometimes I was so cold after being in the park that their thermometers didn’t register anything for me………..this used to be  a source of amusement………..and possibly because I was an old guy in the height of winter still wearing shorts and a shirt ………..crazy foreigners.

After a few weeks it was becoming clear that Covid was going to be a bit of a problem. It had started to travel around the globe and countries were slowly reducing flights and banning flights from China. Australia closed its borders in March and so when I heard that this was on the cards I thought it was time to head back there for a while, after all my visa ran out in April and I would have to leave anyway. Flights were becoming scarce and expensive. I was unable to transit any country on the way back due to the Covid restrictions and so a direct flight was the only choice. Prices were going up and up, some as much as $8000. I checked all the time and I was lucky to find a direct flight for $1000 to Sydney and so I bought it with a sense of relief. Just a few days later the flight prices just got more and more expensive.

I was lucky that I could stay with Catherine and Stuart in country NSW to do my two weeks’ quarantine rather than having to go to hotel quarantine. I ended up staying with them for three months. By this time there were more cases of Covid in Australia and the state borders were closed, this meant that I could not get back to my home state and to be honest I really enjoyed my stay in Armidale………..it had been over 30 years since I had spent this length of time here and it allowed me to adjust to a very different lifestyle, after being in China for the best part of four years and coming to a place that was so quiet was very different but very enjoyable too.

And so now to the present day………It’s Christmas Eve and I am working at my new job rather than jet setting around the planet which is shit really, but the job will allow me to put away a few bob for my future travels. I’m not a lover of Christmas and being in Asia at this time life goes on and you don’t know that it’s Christmas and for me that just fine. We finished at 2pm today and I’m off for four days and rather than going to a family gathering I have opted to stay put and work on the house and maybe I’ll get out for a bush walk or ride on the bike.

One more thing………. every night on the news there are stories of people stranded overseas and complaining because the Australian government won’t bring them home, it’s Christmas and this is just not Australian. Give me a break, what a load of shit. I know people that did not read the signs and thought everything will blow over and life will return to normal, what’s all the fuss about. Unfortunately, they were wrong. Not everyone that is “stranded” is stranded because of circumstances beyond their control, some were of the afore mentioned. Hell mend them I say. I personally know of one family that did not leave China when I did and they were faced with ticket prices in excess of $10.000 per person, but as it turned out they were lucky because two months later they managed to get a ticket for just over $1000. They too ignored the warning signs but were just fortunate that an opportunity arose. Much the same as other locations around the world, flights have become available and people have made it home. And some of the early travellers were also lucky that they didn’t have to pay any hotel quarantine.

Many people are using this time of the year to get their 15 mins of fame complaining about the Australian government because they are not here for Christmas…………these folk need to get a life. After all it’s an old pagan festival that has been high jacked by Christianity and then turned into a commercial fiesta………In this day and age where we can use technology to communicate what’s the big deal. If you are ill or sick or there is an underlying reason why you really need to get back to your home then that is different, but I don’t believe for one minute that the estimated 40.000 Australian’s “stranded” overseas are all in this basket……………many ignored the writing on the wall and only have themselves to blame…………….

On Saturday after work I went over to pick up my lawnmower from Peter who had been kind enough to rebuild the chassis a little and to strengthen the handles. The grass was beginning to get out of control and if I didn’t do it soon I would need a scythe to tackle it. 

On Sunday I decided to start the setting of the gyprock, reluctantly of course………..Mick, my neighbour, told me that his son was taking “ICE” again and that he had not seen him for nearly a week. A few weeks ago his son and I had gone to the dump to get rid of garden waste and we spoke about him coming to do the setting on the new build that I have done. It wasn’t much and he said that it would take him a day and that he would charge me $200 and I said “Bargain”. 

The week before last he had been working down the coast and could not do the job and so I thought that this week would be the best option. I knew that he had been on the drugs before and because of this knowledge I had changed the locks on two of the doors so that he could not enter the garage just in case his little fingers went shopping. But when Mick told me about his latest episode, well I wasn’t surprised just a little bit disappointed that I would have to now finish the setting. And so I did the taping and put one coat on the walls and it doesn’t look too bad, even if I say so myself. 

Yesterday was hot (21/12) I had many plans for yesterday but after doing a little bit more setting and cutting the grass I decided that I would retire to the comfort of the air con for the rest of the day. The humidity was high and I was feeling absolutely knackered. 

I cooked lunch, stir fry mince with tomatoes and other vegies and chilly of course, then I put on the new Bee Gees movie which is more like a documentary and I really enjoyed it. If you liked their music check it out. After lunch and a bit of TV it was then time for a siesta which I have really missed over the last few weeks. This work thing really does ruin my simple way of life; I really have to win lotto. 

Three days of work this week and then it’s a four-day weekend as it’s Christmas. Looking forward to that. I’ll go out on the bike at least once, maybe Christmas day because I guess most folk will be doing the family thing and so the roads will be quiet. I’d also like to do a bush walk if possible and maybe work around the house, lots to do and not enough time to do it. 

Thursday the 17^th and I’m bored to tears. I brought a book in with me today, “To Kill a Mockingbird” which I started months ago and got bored with it. I’d left it on the table outside and grabbed it this morning to bring to work. This afternoon after lunch nothing was happening and I had already gone through a few training modules and had enough of that so I thought I would read my book for a bit. I’ve tried to keep busy doing the online training or creating spreadsheets which I think will be useful to me in the future but there is only so much of that you can do to kill time.

I had 3 customers come into the showroom area today and they only wanted some quick info and then they left. The trade counter was busy before lunch but has been dead since. I know it’s partly down to this time of the year, many people will be heading off on holiday and I’m sure I’ll be complaining in the future that things are just too busy.

The guys in the trade side are busy with many other tasks and so I only get taught anything when I need to ask a question. The Manager that had been here for some time has left; this is what I got an inkling of the other day. He had personal issues and it was now beginning to interfere with his work and so it was decided that he had to leave the building. He seemed a nice guy and better than the newly appointed temporary manager that is just a lazy bastard. Today for instance he was too busy making his lunch to come and help at the counter. I tried to help one of the customers but had no idea what he was talking about so I went looking for “Lunchman” to get him to come out and help. He is on manager’s wages so he should be looking after his staff and customers rather than be a selfish prick. He comes in on time and leaves after his 8 hours even although for much of that time he is doing fuck all and he is guilt free. Mind you I will have some fun with him if I decide to stay here, I don’t know if I will last 12 months…………

This weekend I have the Monday off and next week will be a short week and then it’s Christmas. The Christmas weekend will be a four day weekend

Week two, somethings afoot…….. but I was told I’d find out on Monday. I sense a change in the air, maybe a little bit of despair from one or two of the staff. When I came in this morning (Saturday) two of the guys were talking about the situation but quickly changed the subject when I appeared, but I can wait till Monday and I don’t think that the events on Monday will make too much of a difference to my position. Mind you there is one staff member that has been quite helpful and knowledgeable and I have a funny feeling that they will not be here much longer……. there are some underlying issues that I mentioned before but this time I heard that there is money missing which adds a different feel and possible consequences to the mix.

I got paid last Tuesday and was pleasantly surprised with my pay packet and thought to myself that this working gig might not be that bad. I divvied up the funds to the appropriate places and made a generous contribution to the holiday slush fund which if all goes well should be looking pretty healthy by the time I can travel again. As I’ve been on the dole for a few months I intend to live on that same amount and put the rest away for a rainy day.

And last night the rains came, problem was I was awakened a few times through the night because the rain was bouncing of the corrugated roof. There comes a point where the soothing pitter-patter of the rain on a steel roof turns to a deafening roar and no longer fills you with a sense of peace and tranquillity, but it was good to see the rain because everywhere is looking rather dry and I’m sure many will welcome it. The deck at the back of the house was playing shelter for many of the birds, lined up on the balustrade looking drookit and bedraggled, mind you I would prefer it if they had the decency not to shit all over the place while they use it.

So this is Saturday morning, I’m at work but it’s so quiet that I thought I would put pen to paper to pass the time. I finish at noon……….I really wanted to go or a walk somewhere but I think the rain will be too heavy and I really should stay home and do a few jobs around the house. I have the kitchen tap to replace and I have new venetian blinds to put up, so it’s a good day to get on with this.

Week one and I am really struggling with this job situation, I wasn’t meant to work. The job itself ain’t too stressful so far and the folk I’m working with are very down to earth but it’s funny how after only a couple of days you begin to see the cracks appearing. The bitching about the place started on day two, I guess when they realised that I was quite laid back and not a career guy. Happy in the knowledge that I was no company man and would easily become one of them.

Mind you if you have half a brain and can read people it doesn’t take much to work out those that bluff their way through life and those that actually work for a living, you get them in every company. I’m not going to name names as that would just be silly thing to do at this stage. But I was surprised when others had no problem in discussing them when they had left the building.

They complain and give the impression that they could leave here in a heartbeat and walk into another job which might be possible but I don’t think so. As usual there is one staff member that is getting too much work put on their plate and the reason for that is that another has the gift of the gab and spends most of their time talking to customers and basically talking shit. So it’s just really like any other company where the employees are only here for the money and I fit into that category too.

On day one(Monday) I had no login details set up to access the network and it was Wednesday morning before I could start to explore the systems. Uniforms have to be ordered and they won’t be here for a week or so, which means I have to supply my own shirts in the meantime. Steel toecap boots are needed and again I used my own, none supplied. I’ve had about 10 mins of training which was only done because one of the guys was a little bit bored and I had asked him a few questions. Apparently I’ll get training on Friday which is just in time for the weekend.

I’m not complaining just stating what happened. It doesn’t surprise me at all, big companies focus so much on the pre work paperwork and all the OH&S to make sure that they have given you all the information to shift the onus for any future happenings from them to you. If something happens down the track, they will happily retrieve the piece of paper that you signed stating that you understood how dangerous it could be to stand in front of the forklift. The process to get here was long and sometimes frustrating, especially when you go for a medical and they send you to the wrong place. The next appointment lost the urine samples when they were sent off to pathology and it took two weeks for anyone to realise and that was only because I sent an email asking how the results were and there were none to be found. Then again I wasn’t too fussed as I was happy working at home on the house and garden and I’ve still got plenty to do………..I’m not really sure why I took this job in the first place. Yes, I do……………I need the money and there are not many jobs around at the moment.

It pays more than the dole and is only 5 km from home and the jobs in the local area are few and far between. Mind you I would have no problem leaving here if I found something that I thought I would really enjoy. It’s only for 12 months and I’m sure once I get to know more and finally get some training then my day will begin to speed up rather than drag as it’s doing at the moment………so I thought I would blog to pass the time.

With any new job or situation, it takes time to adapt, to work out when to get up in the morning, breakfast is no longer as long as I want, I’m now against the clock. What to have for lunch and preparing it the night before. Having to go to the shops in the evening rather than during the day and much more. I have to squeeze my lifestyle of bushwalking or cycling into a weekend rather than to just go when I felt like it. My whole world has been turned upside down because I need to work, life is a bitch indeed…………………..