“I was born. The place was Dunedin, and it’s been suggested that if all the people who were born in Dunedin were suddenly to go back there wouldn’t be standing room in Carisbrook.” Denis Glover Hot Water Sailor 1912 – 1962 , 1962. In the morning I note that a bible has jumped to it’s…
Category: Life
Travel : Came on Holiday by Mistake – There is much evil in the world and a great suffering in my head
“I drink much less than most people think, and I think much more than most people would believe.” ― Hunter S Thompson, Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967 I slowly become aware of my continuing existence on this mortal coil. Limbs seem to be unhindered , for the moment my gastric processes…
Travel : Came on Holiday by Mistake – By the sea but not of the sea
“May your wisdom grace us until the stars rain down from the heavens.” Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe C.S. Lewis 1950 We pull into Oamaru . The roads are being resealed, dust rises as utes and trucks drive over the metal road surface. A haze fills the sky . I disembark, head to the…
Travel : Came on Holiday by Mistake – Up with the ghosts
“There is no past or future. Using tenses to divide time is like making chalk marks on water. — Janet Frame, Faces in the Water 1961 I wake early. Shannon was out last night so I creep around the house, feed the dog, dress and set out with Rubes for an early morning walk. I…
Travel : Came on Holiday by Mistake – Holiday at Home
“Free to those that can afford it, very expensive to those that can’t.” Withnail and I, 1987 I found myself coming on holiday by mistake. Not because we had lifted a key from Uncle Monty[1] but because a work event moved dates when I had already booked tickets and arranged dog care. So, I found…
The Year of the Garden
This year I have put a lot of effort into my veg garden. As the pandemic rages on, the world teeters on the edge of another world war and far right conspiracy theorists attempt sedition an hour down the road the garden seems like a good place to hide. New raised beds and lots of new…
Life : On mortality , mobility and riding a bike.
On mortality , mobility and riding a bike. My father died last year after a decade of creeping dementia. In his end he followed his mother right down to dyeing at the same 70 years of age. This weekend in particular I find myself missing him.Both my father and my grandfather were competitive road cyclists,…
Raise the Dawn 