To unwind and relax at the end of a hard day, I like to have a hot shower to get rid of all the dirt and grime, slide into the spa, turn the jets up to full throttle and lie there while sucking on an icy cold longneck.

I will never change; I’m set in my ways, in-flexible, indomitable, totally self-relyant and egocentric.
I don’t expect a huge change in my life over the next ten years because I have gone through so many changes over the past thirty-six years.
In ten years’ time at the age of sixty-two, I expect to be self-employed working as a civil celebrant; having spent the previous ten years working in training and education, developing and delivering short courses for the hospitality, security and logistics industries.
I would expect to be mortgage free and be able to afford to spend a significant amount of time traveling and holidaying around the world; economy class ofcourse.
I have no illusions, no expectations of prodigious happiness in my future; I have very poor health and expect it to be somewhat worse in ten years. I may be alone in the world in ten years. My wife may pass away; now that would make a real change, as she is everything to me…

Reality TV is an evil beyond comparison! Quite apart from the fact that I personally find it completely boring, unengaging and under-stimulating, there are those in our communities that find this trash strangely fascinating and this is a huge problem.
There is only one reality TV show that I find completely innocuous the rest of it is incredibly harmful.
As a father of four young women with dozens of friends between them, I have observed quite a large cross-section of youth between the ages of 13 and 30 years of age over the past twenty years.
Sadly many of the young people I have known are the product of modern media, completely out of touch with reality with no moral or spiritual values with completely unrealistic expectations of life.
Some young people seem to enjoy prancing about in fancy dress trying to emulate the Reality TV Stars that they idolise to the point of paganism with completely unrealistic expectations of duplicating the notoriety and wealth of their idols with little or no understanding of true success in life.
This to me is just as delusional, unhealthy and antisocial as the freaks that dress up as fictional characters, adopt their characteristics and mannerisms to perpetrate acts of terrorism upon unsuspecting pub and club patrons.

When I was five years old I wanted so much to grow up to be just like my father; but I have not grown to be at all like my father!
I have grown to be an insignificant and totally unremarkable person without past accomplishments to reflect upon nor future endeavours to look to…
I haven’t even the courage to take my own life; my one consolation is that I no longer care about any of it because I am numb and cant feel anything.
It has been thirty-six years since I fled from the inattention mistreatment and abuse I once suffered and now I am free, broken but free.

Is there anybody out there?

I absolutely believe in soul mates!
Twice over the past fifty-two years I have experienced an intellectual, emotional and spiritual empathy with others, which could only be described as a soul mate relationship; I’m very close to my wife as well.

The Australian Light Horse at Rosebury Park military camp, Sydney

The Lighthorsemen - Battle of Beersheba WW1

The village of BIR SABA lay on the northern edge of the Sinai Desert in a shallow saucer at the foot of the judean Hills, Beerhseba was protected by Tel El Saba, a 300 metre feature on the northern bank of the Wadi Saba 3 kilometres to the east. It was a great mound which had a commanding view of the surrounding plain. The Wadi ran across the south of the town from east to west.
The enemy was Turkey, Imperial Germany's eastern ally. They held the line, Gaza-Beersheba. At Beersheba were the 27th Division and Battalions from the 16th and 24th Divisions, supported by artillery. The enemy's defence extended from Tel El Saba on the eastern flank. Two lines of trenches were dug into the cliff face of the Tel. A series of inferior trenches extended along the Wadi; they were not protected by wire. These extended to a group of detached trenches on the south-west flank. The enemy had good zones of fire.
General Sir Edmund Allenby commanded the British Eastern Expeditionary Force of two corps.
Lt-Gen Sir Harry Chauvel commanded the Desert Mounted Corps. He had no misgivings about his troops; they had sheer quality, leadership and experience; many had been at Gallipoli. These men of the Light Horse were without peer.
Lt Gen. Sir Philip Chetwode commanded the British XX Corps. He had defined the Gaza - Beersheba line.
Chauvel's Desert Mounted Corps were to capture Beersheba.
Chauvel's orders were to straddle the Beersheba-Hebron Road at Sakati 8 kilometres north-east of Beersheba, capture Tel El Saba, then storm the town. The mission was to be executed on the first day of the battle.
He had two divisions, each of three brigades. The ANZAC Mounted Division (ANZACs) included the 1st and 2nd Australian Light Horse Brigades and the New Zealand Mounted Rifle Brigade.
The Australian Mounted Division included the 3rd and 4th Austrlian Light Horse Brigades and the 5th (British) Yeomanry Brigade. In support were the Light Batteries of the Royal Horse Artillery.
The Battle of Beersheba was to be a three-phase operation supported by the British. The first phase was to be a night ride from wells at Asluj and Khalasa 20 kilometres to the south in the Sinai, to positions south and south-east of the town. In the second phase, the 2nd Australian Light Horse Brigade was to advance to Sakati and act as a cut-off force. The 1st Australian Light Horse and New Zealand Mounted Rifle Brigades were to capture Tel El Saba. Finally, with the road and Tel secure, the ANZAC's were to storm the town. This did not eventuate. This was the most significant factor in the Battle of Beersheba, forcing Chauvel to commit his reserve - the Australian Mounted Division. In a preliminary operation, the British Infantry of XX Corps were to secure positions to the south-west astride the Khalasa-Beersheba Road.

Headache

I’m not a people person; I like to be left alone with my thoughts, so I like to avoid crowds, noise, anti-social ruffians and juvenile delinquents.

I do like to go into a café or coffee house for a nice hot cup and a slice of raisin toast. If I’m alone in one of these establishments I’ll spend ten to fifteen minutes drinking, eating and perving on the sheilas. If I’m with a mate that might stretch out to a half hour; you can’t justify loitering in a business place. If you are spending money, eating a meal, having a few drinks etc. you are a legitimate patron; when you’ve finished your food and drink you should show due consideration for all stake-holders.
Those inconsiderate sods that monopolise the tables in these venues sitting on the one cup of coffee for a couple of hours while fiddling with a laptop or e-reader, give me a headache.

I won’t wait around if a place is full I’ll move on and find another place or I’ll go home for a cup of instant; I’ll not be inconvenienced or put out by thoughtless, selfish people. I would imagine that these sods would also give the management and staff a headache. These people need to realise that the tables and chairs are provided by the business owner for the use of paying customers, to encourage trade and turn a profit.

So, should coffee shops limit the amount of time that laptop users can occupy tables? Yes!

Boxed art

My eldest stepdaughter, Renee, gave me a novelty toy; Jack in a crate.
A plastic cube modelled to look like a timber shipping crate that apparently has a very small man trapped inside. At first the toy does nothing and then you hear a knocking sound and a small but persistent male voice asking "is anybody there?", "let me out!", "please let me out."; the ruckus subsides after several minutes, but commences at random through the day.
1999, one of the best Christmases in living memory...