(*) Kiama

I'm spending a few days at Kiama, on NSW's South Coast, leaving tomorrow morning. It'll be my first 'going away with no agenda' holiday for about 4 years for me (I think...) So, why Kiama? It's only a nice 4-hour drive thru NSW rolling highlands - not too far, only about 310 kms. It's the birthplace of one of my favourite Aussie writers, Charmian Clift. On the way I'm hoping to find the site of her husband and my other favourite Aussie author George Johnstons' grave site, near Yerrinbool in the Southern Highlands. Camera at the ready... well, I'm taking my study material with me too... just being at a different location I'm sure I'll do a few weeks' worth in a day or two!

STOP PRESS! I FOUND IT! I actually found the place where George Johnston's ashes are buried! Oh wow! I'll see it tomorrow - well, today (as it's early am on Thursday right now...) I'm absolutely stoked that I found it - thank gawd for the internet!


Holy shite - I'm having a good nights' Googling tonight! I stumbled across the homepage of Jason Johnston, the last remaining child of George Johnston and Charmian Clift! Golly!

It snowed here today - yes, it actually snowed. My housemate was taking a casual stroll atop the Mount - and got coated. Then earler this evening it was snowing at the CSU campus here in town - geesh! Lots of snowfalls all over the higher ground around us too - hope the boys can get into school tomorrow on the bus - that is if the road's aint closed... come to think of it, I hope the road's aren't closed either, or how else will I get across to Kiama? At least I have 3 different choices to get their if one road is closed, luckily.

I spent a few hours on Saturday arvo just hanging out with my brother. I drove up to Katoomba, and we ended up going to a cafe called "The Hattery" in Katoomba's main drag... this place had a great hat shop too, and I actually laid eyes on my very first 'Homburg Hat' (made famous for me by my favourite comedian Tony Hancock) - but at a cost of $125!!! Look but not a sale! lol. Just being able to hang out together - with no agenda - is such a great situation for my only brother and to be in at last, after all these years. Ahhh...!

I think M got a big case of the guilts, as I ended up spending some time with the boys on Sunday, the day after JD's birthday. Oh well, I take whatever I can get. We went out to Rockley for a while to a nice park there, but that light wind was just too cold to stay outside for too long. JD loved (among other things) his "Goodies" DVD - we're all big Goodies fans from waaay back. Sunday was interesting from another persepctive too - SJ threw a huge tantie and spent the rest of the day moody and sullen... that's just a facet of the wonderful personality that is SJ! We were driving into Rockley when a car pulled out in front of us from a driveway, about 500 meters from town. No dramas, you'd think, right? Well, the senior citizen driving his recent-model car decided that just 25 km/h would be an appropriate speed limit for the 500 meters they had to drive into town, didn't they? With nowhere to overtake, and a cliff on the other side of the road, we all had a laff at being stuck behind this little old man doing just 25 km/h - in the middle of nowhere! We wouldn't have believed it if we hadn't been checking my speedo as we sat behind him... then he reached town (well, Rockey isn't excatly a 'town', more like a village/hamlet...), turned right, and sped off... interesting people live out that way, eh...?

Update: I've been thinking about getting back into sailing a bit lately... I've been in touch with Carcoar Sailing Club out here, who sail in the warmer months on one of the local larger dams. I'm even considering buying a small boat... hmmm... you can take the boy away from the water, but you can't take the sailor out of the boy...

Random thought... watching the Test cricket on tellie the other night (too bad the Aussie lost by just 2 runs! D'oh! Makes the series more interesting, I suppose), my housemate and I were amazed at what we later discovered was a crowd 'dressing-up' competition. I mean, there were nuns and Batman and High Court judges and who-knows-whats sitting in the crowd, much to our amusement. But, at the sight of a man totally wrapped in black, complete with a black face mask (minus a mouth hole) - taking a big swig of beer and thus wearing it all down his front - still has us literally rolling about laughing at just the thought! Great camera work - and even better timing! Bloody Pommies! pmsl!

The Photo Galleries have been updated too.

I also just realised I've never got around to writing those demented 'packing shed stories' either... it'll come, oh yes, it'll come...

"It is the most pretentious nonsense to believe that the work you do will live after you. It might, but then again it might not, and history will be the judge of that, not you. What most of us leave to posterity are only a few memories of ourselves, really, and possibly a few enemies. A whole human life of struggle, bravery, defeat, triumph, hope, despair, might be remembered, finally, for one drunken escapade" (Charmian Clift, 'What Are you Doing It For?', Being Alone With Oneself - Essays 1968-1969, ed. Nadia Wheatley, Collins Sydney 1991).

Cyalayta
Mallard d'Quackers :o)
"Excuse me, which way is the stage?" (Audience member, lost at Altamont, 1969)

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