Post English.

Theres a breeze that blows that misses my face
Grass that grows at an unseen pace
Pathways that wind to a hillside view
That witness the form of the morning dew

Dogs that still bark though yet unheard
Songs from the heart of the morning bird
Lambs bleating loud but still unspoken
Silent fields as if now all broken

Chatter of children heading for the playground
The whistle of the Postie as he goes about his round
Rain and wind that makes the trees rustle
All sing their songs but I raise not a muscle

For I sing a tune that should carry on the breeze,
But as loud as I can sing it is only just a tease
I sit a world away from the land that i knew
And the silence that I hear is so deafening too.


 

Those Days when..

Those days when just waking is struggle enough
The kids up for school have lost all their stuff
Time seems to race like it needs a vacation
Arrive at the platform but wrong blooming station
A sip of your latte you find out its tea
Your boss is like Gru from Despicable Me

The clock is just crawling you know that old feeling
Paperwork climbs all the way to the ceiling,
The lady from marketing calls just on One
And two thirty beckons when she is all done
The train arrives early but you arrive late
Empty mouth's waiting for you to create

You get them all fed but the noise levels lift
The X-Box has died and they're all feeling miffed
The old man is home and asleep the poor chap
While half of his dinner is spread on his lap
The dog has run off with the meat that's remaining
And leaps through the cat flap no care if its raining

A bottle of wine but you needed a flagon
Tonight you were trying to stay on the wagon
But you are defeated the wine is essential
Then cork breaks in half and its driving you mental
As night closes in and the bed surely calls
You wonder how men landed up with the balls....

From the South side.

Well here we are with over 12 months under the belt in sunny and wet Australia. The Eastern coastal area around Sydney and Newcastle in New South Wales has been my home now for some 14 months.

Australia is always depicted as the lucky country. This indeed may be true but only to a point. There is a long way to go in her development and she is quite the adolescent child that has much to learn yet demands an uncommon respect from her piers. There is much work in progress and I think the country is in good hands,  but the lack of understanding when it comes to immigration is a worry. To build a strong dynamic economy every country requires intervention from not just the locals but also those who have sailed or flown in and are worldly wise. They offer Australia experience and a trade-off for a safe home is a bargain.

Having said all this when you see the rate of Chinese house buying in and around Sydney over the past few months immigration is actually alive, well and definitely on the increase. I dont think Australia has any issues with the lower paid sector jobs its more the middle ground where plumbers, electricians and mechanics sit. They are in short supply and I see many instances where there is a growing list of jop vacancies for such people.
 So despite the clamoring of the few to keep Australia for Australians the facts are the country needs outside help. I smile a wry smile when I am confronted with people who are staunchly against immigration yet they forget I am one such immigrant and indeed I have paid many thousands of dollars in tax over the last year or so and without drain on any of the homeland resources.

The Aldi revolution is gathering pace over here as the food and general items are so much dearer. The fact the Prime Minister is looking at raising GST to 15% will send alarm bells ringing throughout the country and most certainly spark a downturn in business. This will undoubtedly be the death-knell to many small to medium enterprises but since when did governments listen to the people?

So there we have it, the lucky country in the making for sure. Not perfect but where is perfect exactly? I watch with an anxious eye the goings on in my homeland the UK and wonder just what the future will look like as the country gets the chance to vote on European membership. I for one hope they kick the over-bloated over-financed corporately corrupt EU as far over the white cliffs of Dover as they can, let's hope the rest of Blighty feels the same.
Have a great weekend and I promise not to be away for so long again !

My own Climate Change.

The cold weather descends upon us here in Newcastle NSW for the first time in 2015. For a Northern hemisphere tough skinned Brit I am amazed how I now shudder at 18 degrees and I am sure my late father would be calling me a (bloody big girl) for grabbing a blanket this evening as I sit and watch TV. I think it's called getting acclimatised, but nonetheless I am now sat here with the doors and windows closed!
These last few days has seen the UK bathed in political mire as the election looms larger and larger. It is almost surreal watching the going-on from afar, listening to the different opinions from each leader whose words stretch across the world sometimes more than they would seem to be aware of.
In some respects I am glad that I am not there to witness or suffer the never ending party political broadcasts and spin that surrounds such events, I fear no matter who gets in the average person in the UK will not be any better off, this may explain the apathy at the ballot box. On that note over here in OZ you have to vote or you get fined, the fact that after recent local elections some 2.1 million dollars in fines was issued would tend to suggest it doesn't work either.

I am sat here typing away with Antiques Roadshow broadcasting in the background, its a little bit of England here in the middle of a massive country thousands of miles away, it is odd to watch the program in such circumstances but still of great interest. I have had little time of late to write, its been frustrating and I have found it hard to get motivated, it has taken its toll out of me adjusting to a new life down under which is hardly a surprise, but I now feel like I am starting the long road of adjusting and finding my feet here, God help the Australians!

I have made the effort to sit down this last few days and start to edit the second book I am currently writing, my first book is all but finished but I have delayed the publication even after re-editing it simply because I am still not sure it covers the subjects I have written about well enough, so I intend to re-read it this long Easter weekend and give it my final decision with regard to printing. The second book has pleased me very much with its extra detail and heartfelt story lines so I hope it will make the decision easier when it comes to the final edit. I guess I must sit back and take the rest of the evening in my stride, I am currently here in Newcastle on my own as there is a great family gathering in New Zealand this weekend and my attendance was superfluous to the event so I elected to "keep house" the fact I have had time to sit and be quiet for a few hours has not been lost on me and this will always lead to a return to the Blog, I think I have missed it, I hope my readers feel the same!!

Dumbestic Politics with Al Murray

Politics is the closest the rest of us mere mortals will ever come to making or changing the lives of those rather more fortunate who live amongst us. It is therefore no surprise that when given the opportunity our tribal instincts will kick in and we will sense a weakened "special one" and go for the kill.  Welcome to the world of Tony Abbott, or rather welcome to the witnessing of the demise of yet another politician who was doomed to fail before he started.
If I were a betting man, I would have a fat wager on an OZ leadership coup that entails all those who have given the well known line to the press this last few weeks "I have full confidence in the Premier"
The reality is politics is just a game, Labour spends and looks after the workers, Liberal and Conservative look after businesses and earn back what Labour spends, then it all changes hands again when the workforce get tired of saving and want a blow out so out go the Tories and Liberals.

While on the subject of politics I have been intrigued by a certain comedian in the UK called Al Murray, he is affectionately known as the "Pub Landlord" and indeed his entire stage show involves said comedian pouring himself a drink behind a makeshift stage bar and generally insulting the audience (customers) with sarcasm and general banter, not dissimilar to your average cockney Landlord you might think but Al has made a career out of it and a very good one too. The reason he and politics have become so entwined is because apparently he is standing for the seat of Thanet, not exactly the metropolis or heart and soul of London City but remarkable in the fact that it is being contested by Nigel Farrage who is the leader of the right wing party UKIP (UK independence party).

Nigel has seen his popularity go through the roof just for uttering the words immigration and Europe, something mainstream UK MP's have long been taught as taboo subjects and the British people actually like what he is saying, the fact he is a bit of a fuckwit, (sorry it's an OZ term for someone you get tired of as soon as they enter a room) seems to be forgotten amongst all the hype. Well its forgotten by all but one guy it seems and that is Al Murray as he has decided to stand against Nigel for the seat of Thanet under the party heading FUKP.... I really am not going there!
Anyway this move has stirred many an emotion, some latching on to the real reason Al is pressing forward and others missing the point entirely. My guess is that Al, by standing at this election against Nigel is demonstrating the stupidity of current day politics and that people will more or less vote for anyone other than the mainstream parties, quite simply because they have been lied to once too often.

Although I agree with Al Murray's sentiment he is actually playing a rather more dangerous game than even he imagines, the very fact that he will get votes highlights a dangerous downward spiral of disinterest and mistrust of the entire political stage as it stands and that is dangerous for any democracy. Tread very carefully Al Murray as we may not always like what we wish for.

A Word to the Wise.

A weary eye that see's its future
Takes the fall that breaks the mould
Stares in wonder stark reminder
Seldom patience for the old
Time will tell such weighty matters
Turn to face the bitter sweet
Deceive to fail can hardly flatter
Those with youth lay at their feet

A wiser head can tell your fortune
Well advised yet often spurned
Overlooked as oft a buffoon
School of life so taught and learned
Beg to differ state your reasons
Though such thoughts hit rocky ground
When their youth has lived the seasons
Then that wanting will be found.

The Sunday Roast: No news is good news.

Seems there is very little to smile about just now worldwide. The quality of our TV news footage ensures we get an armchair seat at the biggest terror events anywhere in the world, the sort of advertising McDonalds could only dream of.  So, given that we now have 24hour access anywhere we like are we better off for it? Or are we gifting those fanatics who would do us harm the chance of fifteen minutes of fame?
If you are wondering where this is going cast your mind back a couple of weeks ago and the sight of a black flag with white Islamic rantings on it held up to a cafe window while terrified people were held hostage inside a simple coffee shop. It's an image as much sealed in our psych as the lone shopper in Tienanmen square who stopped a row of Chinese tanks with an Aldi bag and a straw hat.
We in the West are hungry to see such atrocities played out on the world stage, in fact we demand to see what is going on or we lose interest.

Just think a little about what I just said and you may start wondering if the press itself and indeed our own thirst for gossip and information fuels such sieges. Without such huge TV coverage the minority so called radical terrorists would be denied the world stage to get their ridiculous point over. I question the wisdom of allowing cameras so close to these real events.

Meanwhile here in Australia and especially Newcastle it has started to rain after a long dry period. As a thoroughbred POM I have to admit it is the sweetest rain I have ever tasted, it has been in the forties here a couple of times of late and I am savouring the low end of the twenties temperature wise this Sunday morning, you can take the POM out of London....

While reading the broad sheets on line and switching around to Sky News for a few updates on the depressing current atrocities in France, the state of the economy in an ever expanding over bloated Europe, the battles in America ongoing to defeat terrorism and the current instability in world order, something actually made me chuckle and brought me back to earth when I read the big news in Melbourne overnight was a brawl at a darts match. God bless Australia I say. That's the sort of headline the news was meant for!
Right, for me its a quick walk in the summer rain before it all evaporates, I can feel the pitter patter on my head and think back to chilly days dodging downpours while eating fish and chips from rain sodden newspaper while trying to convince the kids how nice the view of the sea is once I have demisted the car screen ..... aaaaahhh now that's a proper seaside holiday!

Have a great and safe Sunday everyone wherever you are right now, remember to enjoy what you have and not to worry about what you don't have, because there is always someone with less.

Here I am.

"Long time no see" prophetic words from a well educated Englishman getting used to a completely new way of life here down under a statement that could be applied to my blog page very easily right now, but I do solemnly swear to right that wrong!  I have to admit the transition into a "Pom" has not been without it's problems and indeed sometimes fraught with all manner of translation issues (yes translation) and the reality of work and all its new working practises.
One thing that strikes you very quickly over here is that although we English wrote the book on health and safety buffoonism my Australian counterparts have designed a new computer program on the subject and written it into their working life. Some of the rules over here regarding safety are taken to another level, it is almost laughable but I guess also endemic of a society that is emerging and growing and still very young. I hope that it doesn't become a major issue for the future of this wonderful country as although safety is an issue it has to be weighted against progress, a lesson the rule makers would do well to heed.
While mentioning the rule makers it was viewed with dismay that the Police patrol cars were thick on the ground over Xmas and New Year, not so much as to protect us but to give out some speeding fines and something called "double demerits" the points system over here is based on merit points for your licence and during the festive period they are doubled if caught speeding or jumping a red light and considering Newcastle City has more sets of lights than the Milky Way in mid summer that's very easy to do. The Police have been damned right sneaky of late parking in some very sneaky places that can only be reasoned with making revenue rather than contributing to road safety a move that only alienates the general public rather than endears them.
Newcastle is a wonderful welcoming vibrant and growing city, it has the makings of giving Sydney a black eye as the jewel in the crown of New South Wales if only for it's beautiful beaches and fantastic local cuisine.
 Every city however has it's growing pains, of late there has been much controversy over the main railway line being dismantled from its occupancy at the centre and heart of this metropolis so much so that many protesters have taken to the street to stop the break up of the tracks short of the city centre. All to no avail however, as on boxing day the line was closed and a new drop off station was commissioned to ensure continuity of services with buses running more frequently to help with the extra traffic. This has not been one of Newcastle's more defining moments as the whole thing is a bit of a shambles, ill thought out and for no logical reason rushed through, leaving the city without a decent terminal for people to be greeted in, bit of an own goal there councillors!

Its not all doom and gloom and I really do have to try and steer away from the "whingeing pom" stereo type, as indeed the sense of humour of your typical Aussie is very different to your average Anglophile. This city has a thriving port, wonderful beaches and great restaurants along with a wonderful multi-cultural population. It breathes life into your tired veins and lifts you like nowhere else I have ever been to, I love this city and I love the people of Newcastle, I love the people I am working with and they are patient (mostly!) with my huge readjustment to their country, that to me is the makings of a good start, only time will tell if that love is the lasting kind!