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 !