I wrote this article a few years ago for The Album of Suzhou, It describes one of my favourite gardens….The Master Of Nets.

Just click on the link below ⬇️

Master of Nets Garden with audio

It’s going to be 2025,
I’m going to be 65,
Where is Moon Base Alpha?
Where’s my replecator?
Where is my flying Ford?
Where are all the robots?

Instead we have chat bots,
Scam calls from India,
And Skins so thin! ,
More genders than grains of sand,
Too many acronyms to understand.

But some things stay the same,
Scottish weather,
The purple Heather,
Black pudding and Haggis,
Single Malt; preferably Jura, 
Which I will imbibe.

Happy New Year!! 🥃

Up at the crack of dawn which is pretty early at this time of the year, the sun just can’t wait to show it’s face.

I got the train to Rosewood again this morning and went via Marburg, another small town.

I then headed to Glamorgan Vale,

I turned right and then headed to the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail,

Very different terrains today. When I left Rosewood there is a hill called Evans Hill which was very hard to climb. My breakfast hadn’t kicked in and when I hit this hill I ran out of juice real quick and began to overheat. I stopped three times on the climb just to get my temperature down and this is where my heart rate peaked so it wasn’t a very good start. I think if I had come across this after about 30 minutes or so after setting off I would have handled it better.

There were a few other hills to tackle but for the most part it was relatively flat and there was a nice breeze crossing the plains, only problem really was the road surface which was very rough and that makes it a bit more difficult.

I had to go on to the main Brisbane Valley Highway for about ten minutes and then I headed to the old rail track that lead me right back into Ipswich.

I stopped for fuel at the cafe just to make sure I’d get home. I paused my tracker while I had coffee and cake and when I set off again I was a couple of hundred metres down the road before I realised, and so I was a bit disappointed when I finally made it home that I had recorded just under 50KM. I haven’t done this distance for years and I could still climb the stairs of the house without too much bother and if course I had no choice but to treat myself to pizza.

The big fat guy is coming your way,

Is that still OK to say?

Apparently he drives an open sleigh,

A convertible no less, he’s got too much money,

I heard his girlfriend is a bit of a honey,

Can you still say that?

Or is that woke or sexist?

I can never tell,

It doesn’t always go down well,

So no matter whether you are a he, she or it,

Merry Christmas

Tis the Season to Be Jolly,

It’s cold outside; it’s still and white,

The stars abound and the moon is bright,

A UFO appears and streaks across the sky,

We are not alone, who is this guy?

His annual visit is upon us once more,

His work is tireless but he will just laugh and roar,

There is never too much work; there is never an end,

How can he deliver all these presents my friend?

Well he runs a very modern sleigh pulled by reindeer you say,

They are not normal of course but special indeed,

They feed on special grass which gives them more speed,

They’re as high as kites no matter the weather,

They can’t feel a thing just more pleasure and pleasure,

They’re here to help Santa on the one night of the year,

They park the sleigh on the roof as he nips doon the chimney for a beer,

So what happens if there is no chimney?

Do you think he might just climb in a windy?

Ah mean how does he do it? I’ve never worked it oot,

Our house had no chimney yet the pressies were there,

Sometimes there were many sometimes the tree was bare,

But it didn’t matter ‘cause that’s not what it’s about,

But I hear people say and I hear them shout,

That it’s Christmas and the kids should have plenty,

But all this seems to do is make them greedy and make their hearts empty,

The more they get, the less they appreciate,

The meaning is lost and the credit card is in deficit,

Too much is spent because we are told that we must,

The winner is the retail but the pressure will bust.

It’s a pagan festival after all high jacked by the Christians,

St Nick was used in as an example of tradition,

A poem in 1823 made the first reference to thee,

But it was Coca Cola that finally set you free,

They made you this big fat happy chappy,

With long flowing beard and hair to match,

Bright red clothes with a big red hat,

An invention of the commercial to make us drink coke,

But now we say he is Christmas, what a bloody joke,

Millions are fed a story of fake news,

But I don’t see many people condemning because the money is huge,

The almighty dollar is the truth and the reason,

Wrapped up in some pretty paper to appease even the heathen,

So we don’t mind celebrating Christmas because we know that it’s pagan,

And celebrates no more than a change in the season,

The days will get longer and we will be nice to our friends,

Hell we will even be nice to family although it makes you go round the bend,

We must enjoy ourselves, ‘cause it’s the season to be jolly,

But my friends I say that this could be a folly,

Although I do like the Christmas lights but that won’t make me believe,

I enjoy the Christmas carols but I’m not so naïve.

The shops are too busy and I only want to buy a loaf,

But instead I have to fight my way through all the oafs,

Panicking about how much they spent,

Panicking about what friend they missed,

I have to buy bigger ‘cause that’s what you do,

It’s not the thought that counts anymore,

Its’ the price tag or name,

Christmas could be so good but now it’s a shame.

You celebrate Christmas and this is your right,

Stop changing the language to suit the minority,

If the foreigners are not happy then they can grab the first flight,

You know you want to say it but no one will stand up and fight,

If the schools tradition is there from the first stone,

And you celebrate Christmas then carry on,

If your city or village is similar too,

Tell them all to bugger off and stick their head doon the loo.

But every year it gets bigger and bigger,

Although the rules change and I begin to snigger,

There are more gutless wonders that can’t make a decision,

Christ I feel that I’m on a bit of a mission.

We should say Merry Christmas and nothing else,

We should not be sensitive to other religions,

Sensitive to a poor ethnic that complains about tradition,

Well I say bugger off and shove your petition,

This is a Christian country and I am a heathen,

But I believe in tradition and culture,

And we must protect it because of the future and for the past,

We must be more proud of our heritage and help make it last,

We celebrate Christmas and that’s just fine,

But don’t ask me to enjoy it, but I will have some wine………….

Is 30 mins by train from home and is a small country town which is nice place to go for coffee and I guess a slower pace of life. I took the bike on the train so that I could cycle back via god knows where.

Mind you today is getting up to 37C so I guess it wasn’t such a wise move to go today but I thought what the hell. When I arrived in Rosewood at 8:30am it was already 30C but there was a breeze blowing so it didn’t feel that bad.

I took two bottles of water but forgot to take snacks which was silly because there were a couple of hills that were really tough and took a bit of effort to climb, one was on gravel which makes for a difficult climb. You can’t get out of the saddle because the rear wheel spins and you get no where fast.

I had intended to go to Fernvale to join the bike path but the road was too busy and the temperature was rising so I headed towards home a bit earlier and cut across a few gravel quiet roads and headed to the cafe in North Ipswich for refreshments.

Just before getting there I came across a convoy of motorbikes as they were heading on their annual Santa Ride, there were hundreds of them and they had a police escort plus cars were stopped at junctions to let them through. Some were dressed for the occasion.

I made it home, it was 34C when I arrived and I put on the air conditioning, got changed, heated the left over pasta and made a pot of tea and I’ll be inside for the rest of the day.

Yesterday was the 8th anniversary of the Album of Suzhou which is a group of people who wished to promote Suzhou and introduce it to the expats that were living there.

Eight years ago I was part of the initial group led by Patrick that participated in getting it off the ground. There were many people back then both locals and foreigners that took part and enjoyed exploring this amazing city which is a cultural centre spanning 2500 years.

The AOS has gone from strength to strength and now in its 8th year the celebration is quite the spectacle.

I felt privileged to be part of this and it allowed me to get to know many people and also many hidden gems.

If you ever get a chance to visit China then you need to come here for a few days.

When I lived there I had a great time, and if Covid hadn’t come along there is a good chance that I might still be there. Life was simple yet fulfilling and part of that has to be because of the Album of Suzhou that gave me purpose and a sense of wonder of what can be achieved over the millenia when man is not killing each other.

I also wrote this poem about Suzhou,

People write about Suzhou all the time,
But never seem to do it in rhyme,
So I thought what the hell Ill give it a go,
And so here we are Ill be done in a mo.

There are gardens a plenty for all to see,
The Master of Nets, The Lingering Garden and the Couples Retreat To name but three,
We have Tiger Hill and Jinji Hu,
But you might still discover something new.
It has character and history,
It has longevity and mystery,
It has beauty and culture,
It has canals and boats,
Around the old city there is a wonderful moat,

The food is tasty but a little too sweet,
So I will add some chilly and eat some meat.
I like to walk the old streets and the lanes of the past,
I like it here because the pace of life is not too fast,
There are over 6 million people, but you would not know it,
So lets keep it to ourselves we dont want to blow it.

At night the city is reborn in the light,
New life has been given and its a wondrous sight,
The colours abound and the buildings look new,
The canals are exquisite, many colours and hue,

So to one and all this is Suzhou for me,
Oh and dont forget to come here and drink the tea,
The tea is expensive, the tea is divine,
And always remember if you have the time,
To come to Suzhou to look and explore,
Cause everyday you will find more and more.

Master of Nets Garden with audio

It’s a wet start to summer, the Bremer River is in spate which is always a concern. It’s metres from the height that would cause me problems, however it has risen very quickly because the rain hasn’t stopped for two days. Mid week I could see the sand bar in the middle of the river at King Edwards Parade and today it would be under maybe seven or eight metres of water.

It’s good to get out in the fresh air even though the sweat is running down the shuch o’me arse but I’d rather have that than being stuck inside for another day. I’m out on the bike and the humidity is so high that the sweat is running into my eyes.

I dropped off my library book and then went for a slow ride via the cafe so that I could get a blueberry Danish and coffee, my excuse is that I need fuel for the way home.

The drainage in the garden coped well with the rain but I think I can improve a few areas which I will work on either today if I can be bothered or tackle it during the week when the sun returns.

I’m not working tomorrow, well not as I write this because the school run I’ve been doing finished on Friday, mind you I might pick up a bit here and there over the coming weeks.

This is the beginning of two months of a break which is not good for the finances but good for the soul.

My Trusty Steed is 26 years old this year as of September that is and so far I have given her a few presents. The first was a service including oil change and a full medical check-up.

A few issues were found , one main one was the replacement of the belt tensioner which keeps the pressure on the serpentine belt that snakes through the power steering, alternator etc. I got a call half way through the day to tell me that when they were removing the radiator to access this that the radiator shit itself, I was furious but had no choice but to replace it and we came to a compromise over the cost and I got new upper and lower hoses fitted as well. To be honest the radiator is years old and I do not remember replacing it so it could be the original one and the car is running a lot cooler which is good because the weather is getting rather hot.

On the way home the other night the battery warning light came on a few minutes from home and then I lost the power steering, can’t believe just how difficult it is to turn a corner with no assisted steering. When I got home I looked under the bonnet and the drive belt had come loose somehow and my first thought was that the tensioner had shit itself but as it turns out it was another wee thing that had shit itself.

So yesterday I called the RACQ tow truck and took the car to the mechanic and he diagnosed the problem in seconds, it seems that the Harmonic Balancer had a meltdown and this is why the belt became dislodged. He told me yesterday that it might be Monday before he could get round to it and so I was very surprised when he called me late yesterday afternoon to say she was ready but alas I was still working but thankfully we got reunited this morning.

I had to use the train to get home yesterday and the this morning going to work and the bus home again and I forgot just how much time you waste having to rely on public transport, my car is a necessity and life would be very difficult and very uncomfortable without it.

I know that there are a few other wee things that must be done because she is getting on and some parts are original and wear and tear does take its toll over the years and that is why I try to maintain my Trusty Steed because I would be lost without her.

Another couple of weeks have gone and I’m not sure what I have been up to. Yesterday I went out on the bike for a jaunt and stopped off at Jasper Coffee to have a double shot Latte which was very good indeed and gave me the energy I needed to get back home.

The route I took yesterday was not really difficult but there were a few hills that got the heart rate up there and I could have passed by the café but I think this will be part of the Sunday routine from now on. The coffee was really good and I managed to sneak in a couple of biscuits but maybe next week I’ll opt for one of the delicious looking Danish Pastry’s that were on offer.

Last week it just rained and rained and so the garden is happy and I got a few plants to put in which I will do tomorrow. I cut the grass yesterday and that was quite the challenge, with all that rain the catcher was filling up really quickly and it was so heavy and I nearly filled the large rubbish bin so I have left the lid open to let the moisture escape and lighten the load. Oh I did buy a new electric whipper snipper which I must admit is way better than it’s petrol rival that I have, no skint knuckles or damaged fingers getting this to fire up…..all you need to do is press a button and it is quiet.

Been doing a bit more planning for next year, a bit more research on where to go and I shortened my trip by one week, I think one month is sufficient.

The school holidays begin this weekend, although I might still get the odd hire driving job over the break and I am hoping to get started on a few jobs around the house. I need to finish the insulation on the eaves of the house and I am still wanting to insulate the garage wall as it gets blasted by the rising sun. I’ve tested the air-conditioning in the “Rumpus Room” which is just marvellous. Because it is already so much cooler than upstairs it does not have to work that hard to stay cool and because it is more open it just feels so much better. I’m not sure if I mentioned before but I am going to knock out an internal wall between one of the bedrooms and living room to make it more open plan. I don’t need three bedrooms. My builder is coming in the morning to give me some advice and so if all goes well I’ll get started next week hopefully, although the electrician can’t get here until a few weeks later and so I am hoping I can work around this small detail.