Well, it hasn't been without its hectic moments but, so far, the festive period has been a jolly old time.
Well, that's it for a while. We played six songs last night, had some fun, and now it is time for Christmas.
Tonight the roles were reversed; we took our turn, supporting John McCall at his CD launch.
It's early. I'm exhausted. I feel great.
Last Wednesday I went down The Gov to see Glen Matlock and his mates. The International Swingers describe themselves as a punk supergroup and, although that might be slightly overstating things, there is a degree of pedigree there. Apart from Matlock, co-writer of just about all of the Sex Pistols best songs, the band boasts Clem Burke (legendary drummer from Blondie), Gary Twinn (oz-rockers Supernaut), and James Stevenson (The Cult, Generation X).
The latest album to be assembled and unleashed by the Songwriters, Composers and Lyricists Association was launched earlier this evening. Higher Ground is SCALA's 10th CD, and I have been lucky enough to have had eight of my songs find their way into peoples' consciousness via this esteemed collective.
crazy times with gigs and mountainbikeriding and the madness that comes with owning a house. rescued a baby bird and watched it live in the front garden for a couple of days after having to cover it with a sheet in the middle of the road with cars coming to kill it and listening to mother bird up on high calling and waiting for a response but unable to help the poor thing actually fly. noel gallagher in melbourne tickets booked for end of january. i have a cd launch whatever that is tomorrow night and another on tuesday with my mate ken the eternal urban guerilla stewart. come to the grace emily i promise it will be great. went solar. bought the proclaimers first album sunshine on leith on vinyl for nothing and listened it's actually good. rode my scooter and for a few moments i was the ace face. cooking, planning, working, working and bloody working sometimes everything seems like work. trying to stay happy and balanced in the face of idiocy. george sanders/tom conway falcon films arrived via ebay - oh boy if only i could be that cool with cigars and suits and murder solving. easy when you know how. vegetable garden booming. oh yeah watched melancholia best film i have seen this year. plenty more but i forget. weather here wish you were fine.
I like being home. I've never really understood people that just treat their place as a docking station. I mean, you put a lot of effort into making your house a home - even if you don't realise it - so why not strive to enjoy it?
I finished up work a little early today and went down to Adelaide Oval, to watch some cricket. I wasn't particularly interested in the contest, it was more that I like the idea of sitting at the cricket on a warm afternoon and having a relaxing beer. Enjoying the therapeutic sound of bat on ball. Although, at $7 a pop, the two beers I had were something of a luxury and, quite possibly, a hardship to boot.
I bought the new Noel Gallagher album on Monday. I've been listening to it ever since. It sounds very much like Noel's songs that featured on the latter Oasis albums. Not much of an extension, but all very listenable. I'm not complaining. I like his songs, and his voice.
I emerged from my tent at the irrationally early time of 5.55. Although the sun wasn't up, I could tell that I was walking around in a very thick mist. It wasn't cold, but it was foggy. Extremely foggy.
We left Strathalbyn in pleasant, if a little overcast, conditions. Because of Saturday morning traffic concerns, the published route had been altered to take a more relaxed road into Wistow. Perhaps it was more relaxed as far as cars were concerned, but it contained a stonking climb that seemed endless. Oh well, it got the body into gear...
Friday. The seventh day of the tour, and probably the coolest conditions yet. It wasn't cold, far from it, but it was overcast and threatening to rain. We left Goolwa, and spent the bulk of the first 40 kilometres climbing in the drizzle. It was a fun ride though, just a shame the scenery wasn't visible because of the mist. We had a fairly serious climb up and over a hill as we approached Meadows, and once we'd descended into town we learned we had to turn around and climb out again.
A different, but very enjoyable day. I awoke, once again, to the sound of my noisy neighbours sharing pre-dawn inanities at high volume. I figured I might as well get up. The planned ride was a loop; a 60 kilometre jaunt up through Mount Compass. It was overcast but it wasn't cold. We worked pretty hard to get out of town and onto some open road. The traffic was busy, without posing any real danger, all the way until we reached the Mt Compass turnoff. From there, it was a very pleasant ride in to morning tea, apart from one lunatic in a chicken truck.
Today was an OK day. Up late, a cooked breakfast, and a departure around 8.40. The three of us headed out of Goolwa and set sail (on our bikes) for The Bluff, about five kilometres the other side of Victor Harbor. The 60 km ride was great; we got wetlands, lovely views of the coast, and a good run all the way. We had to take a detour to avoid a brown snake as it sunbathed, but otherwise it was plain sailing. We got to The Bluff in good nick, and had a short break before turning around.
Today wasn't the official rest day, but it might as well have been. The three of us plan to do more riding tomorrow (on the designated rest day) than we did today. I enjoyed a sleep in until around 6.45, packed up Camp David in a relaxed manner, and then went to the Meningie Bakery for breakfast. We hung around, eating while we scanned the newspapers, before heading back to camp. We needed to load our bikes onto a trailer before getting on a bus. The bus would take us to Long Point, where we would get on a boat for a tour of the Coorong and Murray Mouth. While were waiting I developed a raging thirst so I rode back into town to get cans of Coke for me and the boys. I also went to the newsagent and bought two mountain bike mags for $2 each.
A much more enjoyable day. We got up late, broke our fast in a most leisurely manner, and hit the road at 8.30. The only downer was that my rear tyre was flat, and was showing some real signs of fatigue. Bulging, perishing etc. I knew the tyre was old, but I hadn't noticed this degree of damage previously. I pumped up the tube and decided to ride my luck, as well as my bike. Please, please, please, no blowouts.
Probably the best thing I can say about the first two days is that they are over and done with.
Fit enough? I hope so...
Tonight I think I will head down to the Duke of Brunswick Hotel to play a few songs. Because of my Ethelton Entertaners' commitments, and a few other obstacles & issues, I haven't played any of my own stuff for a few weeks. I am away all of next week so tonight is my only chance to have a little original music fun.
Tonight I indulged my inner child and watched The Railway Children. I remember my mum taking me to see it at the pictures when I was very young, and also sitting through it a few times on television back in the day. I probably last watched it sometime in the middle 1970s, so it's been a while... What a delightful way to spend a couple of hours. The film is little more that a collection of episodes, I suspect they are chapters from the book, with a hint of plotline that just about holds the film together. It describes an almost-heavenly existence in an idyllic Yorkshire village, where innocence abounds, the crises are manageable, and there is hope in every passing train.
I doubt a village like ever really existed but, if it did, I'd move tomorrow.
I love this time of year. The days are lengthening, and the sun feels warmer. The buds on the plants are bursting into life, and the lawn is growing madly. Tomatoes are in, and the winter greens are finished. It is daylight when I walk to work, and I am greeted by the new-born ducklings and their protective parents most mornings. I can leave the windows open longer in the evenings, and I doubt I’ll be using the heating again this year. The baby swallows have learned to fly, so the car roof is almost free of swallow crap. I wake up to birdsong. I can smell blossom and freshly-mowed lawns wherever I go.
The 2011 season of the Ethelton Entertainers has been and gone. This year I played guitar, rather than bass, as part of the EE band. I had to cede my bass playing duties to a man with an upright bass - not only did the upright bass deserve a place in the band on aesthetic merits alone, but Kym is a much better player than me. In any event, it allowed me to road test my new Telecaster. Which was nice.If I could find a job singing this stuff regularly, I reckon I'd take it.
One day a real rain will come...On occasion, it can be really, really difficult to see the good in humans. The rampant stupidity, self-interest, chewing gum, bullshit, mob-mentality, litter, inordinately loud cars, dog crap, idiot media, single-sided printing and general pig-headedness wears me down. And that's just the local experience.
Globally, we appear to be heading inexorably towards an Armageddon comprising environmental, financial and military meltdown, faster than you can say "Rupert Murdoch".
I know I'm not perfect, but I do try to ensure that my personal pursuit of happiness doesn't deliberately trample all over other people's lives. Sure, I make mistakes, but nothing in the realm of the ongoing idiocy which I witness first-hand most days.
All it takes is a little consideration for the needs and desires of other people.
Sometimes I think I'd like to be The Omega Man.
The open mic at The Metropolitan bit the dust last night. It didn't come as a huge shock; attendances have been pretty poor for a while now. It is disappointing personally though because I always found it to be a good night out.
I ride my bike most weekends. I've been doing it for a while now, and have had some marvellous adventures on my longer tours. Most weekend rides are interesting; cars, pedestrians, dogs and other bikes all contributing to the fun and games. Climbing up a steep hill and roaring down the other side provides its own particular joy. But the most enjoyable times on my mountain bike are those rare moments of solitude and tranquility that come from out of nowhere.
OK, right up front, I admit it would be stupid of me to bleat too much. Relative to most of this doomed planet's inhabitants, I have a great life and a great lifestyle. No-one, as far as I know, is trying to blow me up, rip me off, or make my life miserable in any other way. Not directly, at least.
Friday is my favourite day. It always has been, and I suspect it always will. I usually have Fridays off, which adds to the joy.
People die every day. Famous, unknown, heroes, villains, old, young; it doesn't matter - mortality doesn't discriminate.
July has been a pretty good month for gigs. I've made a total of nine appearances, and only two of them saw me playing less than half a dozen songs.
My leave is almost over. I haven't been quite as industrious as I would have liked, but it has been a good break.
Having a little time on your hands can be a wonderful thing. I've had the pleasure of watching a few low-budget classics while I've been on leave.
While walking around the neighbourhood, I've noticed that blossom is appearing on a few of the trees. This is great news for anyone waiting for the longer days and the warmer weather. It is another sign that we are heading in the right direction.
It's been a productive few weeks for David Robinson, boy reporter. Writing takes time and energy, and the pay-off moments are often few and far between. It is most pleasurable, then, to find oneself in the midst of something of a purple patch.
I've just started a fortnight's leave. Fantastic.
I spent most of last week in Canberra. I arrived on Tuesday and flew home on Friday. It was, unsurprisingly, extremely fresh. Mid-July is never going to be warm in the capital. The skies were blue though and the days had a sunny disposition, which made it quite pleasant despite the chill. I was reminded of my longer stints in the city, over the course of a couple of winters back in 1995 and 1996. Despite being a long way from home, they were fun times.
Well, it's been a long time. After lying dormant for few years, underutilised and undercover, my Honda deserved some love.
It's Friday night and I'm playing a two-hour show at The Ambassadors. For someone who relies almost solely on originals, this is a pretty big ask.
Some days, everything falls into place.
Tuesday night. The Metropolitan Hotel is relatively empty as I walk in, escaping the chilly evening air. The true believers are there, and no doubt the place will fill up once things get underway. Although, it is a cold winter's night and I understand why folks may choose to stay at home.
I got out of bed the other Sunday, quite early as it happened, to prepare for a mountain bike ride. My Saturday night had been of a half-decent size so I wasn't overly surprised to feel a little dizzy as I lurched down the hallway.
Back in May, I reunited with my good mate Ken for a weekend of Yours Truly gigs. Ken was in Adelaide for the Alistair Hulett Memorial Fund concert, and we decided to make the most of his four days in town.
After three nights of sleeping in my own bed, things are beginning to return to normal. I am still trying to shake off the cold, so periods of feeling like a wet rag are common. I'd be lying though if I denied that some of the general feeling of fatigue was due to the ride itself. Apart from these minor maladies, I am just about back in the fold.
I'm on the bus. All around me, people are sneezing and coughing, and I wonder how healthy the next eight hours are going to be. I try and snooze...
Another early departure. Start early, finish early. It's a pretty good plan. Let's get this done.
After the joy of the previous day, I was hoping for good riding and rude health for the Rawnsley leg. I'd slept OK, and Ray and I blew out of town a little earlier than usual. The penultimate day is a pretty tough gig, and I wasn't sure how it would pan out.
A really good ride. We woke up in the rain; at least it wasn't cold. Baked beans for breakfast and we left camp after most had set sail for Hawker. We rode like trains for most of the day. It was the fastest I've ever done this leg. There were a couple of stretches into the wind around Simmonston, and we also had the lung-bursting climb at Yarrah Vale Gorge, but the wind was at our back for most of the journey. Even though it is the longest day of the odyssey, it is probably my favourite. We arrived in Hawker on the coat tails of the first two riders to get in; very satisfying. Despite the snot, my headcold has almost disappeared. Two days left, and big ones at that. Let's do it.
I'd slept horribly. Dreams filled with frustration and anxiety, cold, half awake... Something I could have done without. I packed and had breakfast in a bit of a daze, and the haze continued through the first section of the morning's ride. Luckily it was pretty fast and flat. I seemed to wake up a little on the next stage, and three of us rode pretty well over the hills to lunch. Richman Gap wasn't half as daunting as I remembered; maybe I am a better rider this time around. We rode into Quorn via the most fantastic downhill, on the other side of the gap, arriving around lunchtime. My day had improved significantly as the hours passed. I think (hope) that my cold may be on the way out of my system. Here's hoping.
Laura to Melrose is pretty good ride. It's reasonably short but includes a fair bit of climbing out of the Wirrrabara Forest as well as some uphills closer to Melrose. I made the trip in good time, arriving around lunchtime. It was a coolish day and my headcold was holding me back, but I just kept on pedalling. It tried to rain as I set up camp in the early afternoon shadows of the impressive Mount Remarkable, but it was relatively light.
A pretty tough day. I woke up tired, and everything was an effort from there. Headcold. We rode the Bundaleer Channels in the cool morning sun (not too many did), and made the refreshment break in good time. The ride up into the Never Never Range was the highlight of the day - steep, rocky and quite tough. Bundaleer Forest was good fun, but the last section was a straight up grind. By the time we made camp I was finally feeling a little better, I suspect the cold is waning. We celebrated by having a few beers in the Laura Hotel. The evening is forecast to be a lot warmer; maybe we are on the way up.
