I sucked in the philosophical belief of the Protestant Work Ethic with my mother's milk and always regarded hard work as a component of my moral and spiritual duty and lived my life accordingly.
However, as I have been slaving away at "Riverbend" over the past few days and weeks in temperatures above 30 degrees, I have come to the conclusion that it is a belief strongly held only by people who have never visited hot climates.
... who is also an ex-Bougie and now in (semi-)retirement, much of which he spends in this 'Hansel-and-Gretel' house, hammering, cutting, and drilling, and very occasionally, when not shovelling snow, writing some poetry.
Watching this clip, I am reminded of the time when I was sitting in the 'Grape Escape' in North Sydney with an old friend to whom I pointed out two old drunks sitting across from us.
"That's us in ten years", I said.
"That's a mirror, you dip shit!", he replied.
P.S. Oh, I forgot to mention that he's a good friend of Red Green's:
... so we went fifty clicks up the Pacific Highway to Ulladulla.
It's nestled around a very picturesque harbour, with an ocean-water swimming pool, a harbourside seafood restaurant which gets its supplies fresh off the local fishing fleet, several good clubs, a good variety of shops, and one of the best second-hand book selections at the local Vinnies.
Books in Australia are too expensive!
That's an established fact on which Bob Carr, the former NSW premier, wrote an insightful article in The Australian.
I buy many of my books online from the Book Depository in the U.K. whose prices are often half, and usually a third below, the Australian retail price. And they offer free worldwide delivery!
After my first acquaintance with Julian Barnes through The Sense of an Ending, I have ordered five more of his books - from the Book Depository, of course:
Today is the first day of summer and, hopefully, the last day of the winter blues.
We have guests arriving for Christmas and New Year and we also expect Brian Darcey to make landfall at "Riverbend" in his yacht TEKANI II sometime around the end of this month. Read about it at the Nelligen Yacht Club blog.
Ich wanderte im Jahre 1965 vom (k)alten Deutschland nach Australien aus. In Erinnerung an das alte Sprichwort "Gott hüte mich vor Sturm und Wind und Deutschen die im Ausland sind" wurde ich in 1971 im Dschungel von Neu-Guinea australischer Staatsbürger. Das kostete mich nur einen Umlaut und das zweite n im Nachnamen - von -mann auf -man.
Australien gab mir eine zweite Sprache und eine zweite Chance und es war auch der Anfang und das Ende: nach fünfzig Arbeiten in fünfzehn Ländern - "Die ganze Welt mein Arbeitsfeld" - lebe ich jetzt im Ruhestand in Australien an der schönen Südküste von Neusüdwales.
Ich verbringe meine Tage mit dem Lesen von Büchern, segle mein Boot den Fluss hinunter, beschäftige mich mit Holzarbeit, oder mache Pläne für eine neue Reise.
For a translation, click here.
This blog is written in the version of English that is standard here. So recognise is spelled recognise and not recognize etc. I recognise that some North American readers may find this upsetting, and while I sympathise with them, I sympathise even more with my countrymen who taught me how to spell. However, as an apology, here are a bunch of Zs for you to put where needed.
He reserves the right to revise his views at any time. He might even indulge in the freedom of contradicting himself. He has done so in the past and will most certainly do so in the future. He is not persuading you or anyone else to believe anything that is reported on or linked to from this site, but encourages you to use all available resources to form your own opinions about important things that affect all our lives and to express them in accordance with Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Everything on this website, including any material that third parties may consider to be their copyright, has been used on the basis of “fair dealing” for the purposes of research and study, and criticism and review. Any party who feels that their copyright has been infringed should contact me with details of the copyright material and proof of their ownership and I will remove it.
And finally, don't bother trying to read between the lines. There are no lines - only snapshots, most out of focus.
