True Lies.

This life just beats me up and spits my dreams out one by one,
My open mind a curse I find to all that I've become.

The dirty streets are lined with concrete, Gold is just a myth,
The speed of life the sharpest knife for man to cut you with.

My fingers pounce on laptop keys to find some restitution,
From days like this in dark abyss that shake my constitution.

The thoughts that make me who i am seek also to destroy,
The adult screams at 'worthless' dreams that drown the little boy,

Nothing will tomorrow change, nor life at last become opaque'
For conscience rules we busy fools, decisions formed for us to make,

So just for now I rest my case and roll with all that life has brought,
And take the day that comes my way and not give fools another thought..

Brought To Book.

Resisting the temptation to use the well worn and definitely over-rated cliche "It's been an incredible journey" I sit in the surreal silence of a room that has been both my jail and my bolt-hole for the past few weeks.
Writing a book is a battle not only of the mind but also a battle of physical endurance too, it can be debilitating in it's selfishness and can take your mind and thoughts into black holes and joy rides at a moments notice without you even getting up from your chair.
As you know I have tendencies to let my mind wonder on to all sorts of unexplored paths, this is a subject that has been covered by my blogging here on many occasions, but while I am writing, all that energy is drawn toward the subject at hand, there is no off-piste activity where I suddenly find myself wondering what flavour yogurt I might get when shopping later or what time shall i break for lunch?, I am transfixed on the task in front of me and that, as far as I am aware has never happened before in my life, not once.
 Writing just silences my thoughts for everything except the job in hand and if you have a brain like mine that never stops and constantly has to handle incoming thoughts of every description, only then could you appreciate what a wonderful feeling that is.
So, armed with this new found knowledge what am I to do with it?. It's a no-brainer I am going to continue to write. I have a second novel that is currently 30000 words to the good and I am planning a sequel for the one I have completed this week, I am not sure if it is the passion for writing or the relief that my thoughts are so easily controlled while writing that I like so much but either way I have found a task that, just for once my head has to concentrate on and deal with!.

At the moment the new book is undergoing some close scrutiny from people far better placed than I to decide if it is newsworthy or cringe worthy.  I have to admit I know myself I can do better, (I am actually looking to sell a few but you would never guess) but i was tempted to keep the book accessible to a wider readership rather than make it heavy going, the plot takes a little time to open up and once it does it is like Concorde at 50,000ft but then its slowly descends towards the ending with some uncomfortable turbulence just before the end. The title? at the moment I have called it "Intention To Possess" which is a little bit deep but hopefully covers exactly what i wish to convey.  As a first effort I am pleased, as a piece of worthwhile literature well only time will tell, I doubt it will set the world on fire but it is mine and it's the first of many so if i receive criticism I will grab it and run with it, learn from it and digest it and put it to use in my next book, I don't intend to stop writing now I have started, just don't tell my poor fingers !.

At risk of plagiarising a well known Monty Python sketch from Life Of Brian, "What has Australia done for me?, well I guess it has given me a wonderful back-drop in which to write, pleasant surroundings and pleasant people, the risk of thinking every Australian has a broad smile and says please and thank you is very high as i am in the middle of a well known tourist area in Manly, so i have taken the time to wonder off the beaten track. The majority of OZ people are very approachable and very pleasant to speak to, it's a very diverse country that is having trouble getting to grips with racism and bigotry towards it women folk as most of the late night question time programme topics will bear out, it is not dissimilar to where the UK was in the early 80's though with Social Networks now fuelling the debate poor Australia is having to do some of it's dirty washing in public.  Seeing the at present Prime Minister Julia Gillard quizzed on a radio show about whether her husband was gay or not was astonishing and would have set the tabloids on fire in the UK. There would have been gay rights protest marches and calls for the mans head, which in this case (and rightly so might I add) did actually roll, the man has no business in media if that's the best he can do. But it shows that there is a mentality here that if you can get a cheap shot in and laugh afterwards its OK and i actually like it as it's less clinical than the way we do the same interviews in the UK, but as always some idiot ends up over stepping the mark as in the PM's case.

Would I come back? damn right I would, I love it here in Sydney. Is it what I imagined?, everything and more, the only things that amaze me as i have said is Australia's internal battle with racism and sexism, but the fact it is constantly on the TV agenda here is a sign that it is being tackled head on and I am sure it will not be allowed to spoil what is a land full of promise and plenty.
 Thanks Oz.











 

Fathers Day....

Her Fathers daughter

I lay beside my daddy as he spoke with softest tone
The words that I remembered well when i was far from home

He whispered soft and tenderly as we just cuddled tight
'I'm here when you just need a friend in deepest darkest night, '

'Just close your eyes and lay your head and gently drift away
And never doubt that I am there as promised, every day',

For Dad is never far away, his love is always true
Those hugs he gives are special ones and meant for only you

But as you gaze at tired eyes, the years have passed you by
That look of love's still burning there, enough to make you cry

For now he lays his tired head to rest on angels wings
Your mind just wonders back to all the love a Daddy brings

You're lay beside him one more time as you so often would
and whisper 'Dad I love you so' and 'yes I will be good...'

Though Angels now protect his soul and lift it to on high
I know we'll cuddle once again, my Daddy wouldn't lie.

And yes the tears replace the smiles in each and every way,
But I just know he'll still be there..as promised..every day.

Home stretch.

Nine forty five and I really should have put my laptop down by now, I was up at six a.m this morning pushing ahead to get as much done of my new novel by this weekend as i possibly can, I am up to just over 65000 words and as anyone who writes will tell you there are probably 3 different endings in my head and more than likely not one of them will make it to the finish line.
I am going to try and hit home base tomorrow with the last chapter but the apartment has the cleaners coming in at 11 am so i will be pushing it, I have done all i can do tonight as i really need to overnight where i am up to, its a wonderful part of a book to be at because the hard work has mostly been done and like an airliner cruising down from 40,000 feet to the airport I can now set the throttle back and enjoy the glide into base, of course it never works out just how you want it, something is always there in the writing sense anyway to remind you the God given gift you have, has to be worked at to get just right, but at least it keeps us honest.
This is the first full novel I have penned in my own name and is going to be followed up very closely with a second that i have been writing and correlating for almost 3 years now, it is a much heavier piece and very much a history lesson of hard times in the Shropshire hillsides in the 30's and 40's, I am very much in tune with where that book is at and will hopefully have that ready within the month, exciting times and the products of much hard work and even more patience, something I am not known for generally, but hey we can all change.

Just a line..

It's been a very busy day in the chateau James apartment today, despite not getting dressed until 5:30 pm I am exhausted, I managed a marathon fourteen thousand plus words on the new novel that is as yet unnamed, I am fully committed to finishing this piece of literary genius, (ahem) before my departure from this wonderful country that has left me inspired and full of admiration for our Australian friends, there has been a warm welcome everywhere I have been in Sydney. The problem is I still want to be writing as we speak but the shear amount of mistakes and typo's made makes it uneconomical and frustrating, my guess is it is age related.. or a quick glass of white while chilling out, either way I have to stop. Oh yes I know I am still typing as you are reading this now but I can't sit still in an apartment with a lap top and not write anything it's a disease with no known cure, so i have sat in a dark corner and grabbed a glass of white and some Pringles, it's not exactly Fortnum and Mason's or The Ritz but hey happy people don't have the best of everything, they make the best of everything they have, hope you all have a great evening or a great day wherever you are in the world and remember enjoy every second it's all borrowed !

A lot at steak.

Today is a public holiday in Australia to celebrate the Queens birthday. It was a great excuse for the natives of Manly to let their hair down and enjoy an extended weekend. It was packed here last night and that can only be a good thing for the local economy, it was the busiest I have seen it since my arrival two weeks ago, so i decided i would walk a little further down the front for some food.
 I stumbled across a steak and rib bar, the clue to the food is in the name, it seemed a good idea to settle for a piece of steak as it seldom offends my palate, so I ventured in. It was a little bit American in it's styling and most definitely in some of the portions on offer, the house giant at $84.00 would get you a herd of cattle and four sheep, with a sack of potato's on a single plate, on top of blocked coronary arteries and a pouch to rival Skippy no doubt, it would also get you listed in the restaurants "Hall of Fame" and a picture on the company website if you managed to eat it all, whether that picture was taken at your wake or on completion of the meal wasn't clear but either one would seemingly be possible looking at the size of the meal.
I resisted the urge to eat enough to last the rest of my visit and instead plumped for a much more sedate 400g Sirloin and some chips. The staff were very 'smiley smiley' and in your face which is something I know irks the hell out of most average Brit's but is the norm in such places with an American pedigree, so I just smiled and said "no thank you" every time i was asked or prodded for more "specials".
 I ordered a glass of white and sat waiting my turn, the place was quite busy and there was a mountain of meat on the hot plate the likes of which would make you wonder if the Hereford cattle breed was about to be put on the endangered species list.
Anyway, I did my bit and ordered and waited.  It took a little while and during this time i was frequently asked if "everything is OK with you here sir" which was a little bit annoying as it was obvious it wasn't, if it was I would be eating but being British I just smiled and sad "fine thanks".
It took a while but eventually my medium rare steak duly arrived. It looked very good on the outside and I hastily grabbed my knife and cut into it. I was somewhat disappointed very soon after by the copious amounts of blood on the dish, clearly it was medium rare 10mm in until it got to the centre 20 mm where it was distinctly rare in fact I was unsure if i should eat it or throw it a bale of hay.
People who know me will know that i don't do blood on a plate, the steak tasted very good so I just kept eating, albeit a little uncomfortably if i had to look down at my plate. I finished my meal with some trepidation as towards the fat area of the slice of beef it was still silvery in appearance and very tough to cut, a sure sign of it being far too undercooked for my taste.
I topped the meal off with another glass of wine and sat there for a few moments studying what other people were eating, it seems the lamb is also very popular but people were having a plate of ribs between two and sharing, trust me none of them would be going hungry as the portions were unbelievably large.

I sipped my wine until gone and went round to pay my bill, being a Brit i mentioned the steak was a little too rare for "medium rare" but it just went over the head of the poor Polish girl taking my payment, but at least i mentioned it. All in all it was a decent meal but very different to what I would be used to in the UK, I am not sure if such a place would find a niche market over with us, it was also quite expensive considering the pub 800 yards away is doing two pieces of sirloin for $10. I think I shall play my joker this evening and settle for my $10 surefire winner.

The Sunday Roast

 Oh dear Mr Gove, listen to your Boss.

There are few things in this life that turn my stomach, I have had the benefit of seeing many things as an adult and been accustomed to what that life can sometimes throw up at you, but one thing that has always turned my stomach is inappropriate behaviour from adults or teachers towards children.
This is in the news in a big way again and so it should be. The very fact that Michael Gove's department seems to be rubber stamping the careers of teachers who "kiss pupils on the lips" yet keep their jobs is an indictment that the PC brigade are still very much alive and well in government departments. I can assure Mr Gove that if that committee was made up solely of parents, those teachers would be walking out of their doors with a criminal record and a P.45, not a slap on the wrist and an assurance from those who dare to abuse children in this way that they will "mend their ways".  Abuse is abuse, be it of a sexual orientation or just a kiss on the lips, in my eyes there is no middle ground, any interaction with our future generation from adults who are deemed role models and put in a position of trust is inexcusable and if this is some drive towards a more tolerant society well it can go take a running jump. If any of those teachers are reading this blog then do us all a favour, seek help and leave the profession, you are a disgrace to it and you have no place in a decent society, let alone a classroom.
I see Mr Cameron is advocating banning servers from allowing child abuse on the Internet, yet again about time too, but surely he needs to have a word with that wild card of an Education minister of his and ban those teacher's who deemed it OK to molest and kiss their charges while on his watch, but I somehow doubt that Cameron will do so, I wonder just what hold the said Mr Gove has over Cameron, for surely he is one of the most reviled Education Ministers ever to grace the post, from the Academy fiasco's to the undermining of teaching staff through changing OFSTED's requirements halfway through a school term this man is making a name for himself for all the wrong reason's yet he seems to think up new hair brained schemes every month or so without so much as a whimper from the man at the top, come on Mr Cameron, show us a little leadership and start by backing up your angry words about the Internet showing child abuse by actively seeking out and sacking those 11 teachers who have been given a "second chance" to molest our youngsters, because a Leopard is a Leopard, it can't change it's spots, the same as a yellow streak down your back remains a yellow streak, or can you prove otherwise, I somehow doubt it.

Manly days.

The surf is most definitely not up here in Manly right now. The last few days have seen almost zero waves and a whole host of very disappointed wet suit bedraggled youngsters pacing up and down the beach, some of whom are more optimistic than their buddies as they are 20 metres off the shore expecting at least one "big one" at any moment. The truth is you are more likely to see the Loch Ness monster on vacation than any waves today but who am i to spoil their sense of expectation?.
There has been a steady procession of whales slipping across the cost this last week too, followed by the ubiquitous ferries and tour boats as they make their steady but meaningful way to warmer waters in the north.
Once more we tag along with nature and sit and watch it at surely it's best when we observe such wonderful sea creatures, though I have to admit there is a huge amount of irony that the majority of whale "tourists" are Japanese and Chinese clicking with their cameras yet again but if this were back home the Nikon's would be "Smith and Weston" with a harpoon stuck in the end of the barrel, it beggars belief that they would want to study an animal so close up that their own governments readily kill for "research" reasons, hey ho it's a strange world we live in.
While here in Manly I have to admit I have been amazed at just how many fellow Brit's are here also. There are families obviously on holiday but also youngsters earning a crust in bars and seeking their fortune elsewhere in the world other than Blighty, it's great to see but I guess it's understandable given the fact this is a tourist destination.
 While sat one night quietly soaking up the evening atmosphere in the Mall i heard a familiar accent that immediately got my attention, it belonged to a young cockney lad in his early 20's he was quite tall had a baseball cap and a rucksack, he was shouting into his mobile so i could hardly be accused of eavesdropping. He was telling his mates back home just how great things were over here, he was telling them about the bars and that he had a "quote" "Aussie bird on the go". I listened intently as he shouted out his intentions of "giving her one mate" and that he would be applying for residency very shortly and find some work in a bar somewhere close, far be it from me to point out it needed to be the other way round or the fact he was very much on his own in the square at the time.
This all carried on a while and soon he started walking the length of the mall still chatting at the top of his voice, it was as funny as it was a little sad but a few white lies to the boys back home isn't the end of the world, so i chuckled a little, paid my bar bill and left for some well earned sleep.
A couple of nights after this episode i returned to the same bar for a meal as it was $10 dollar steak night (you can take the man out of Shropshire...etc) never one to miss a bargain as ever, but lo and behold who should come walking across the square than our cockney friend with the same clothes on and the same ruck sack, looking a little less well manicured and worse for wear. His outward appearance may have been slightly rougher but his banter hadn't changed one iota, he was still telling the "lads" back home of his wonderful trip and the "birds", despite the obvious lack of said "birds" anywhere in sight, in fact a few more unwashed days and he will be attracting the attention of a bird or two of a different kind, those with sharp beaks and beady eyes. If he returns to the square again soon i may have to buy the guy a meal,  I am starting to feel quite sorry for him, call me an old softy if you like.

Big Bang? more like ginger nuts.

I have a theory as to why all the dinosaurs became extinct, forget the Big Bang theory.  My guess is they were all doing really well until one night after a shopping trip to Coles in Sydney mummy dinosaur brought home a packet of "Arnotts Ginger Nut Biscuits". They promptly had a biscuit each and broke all their teeth, thus rendering them unable to eat their staple diet of Roo meat, thin end of the wedge as they got passed around the rest of the family I reckon. Those people at Arnott's have some explaining to do I can tell you.

They make 'em tough in Australia :-)

Dirty Profits.

Mid afternoon in Sydney, I sit here tapping away at my laptop, fully immersed in my writing, outside people are passing by taking dogs for walks, taking photo's of the sea or doing everything else from jogging to shopping, this is obviously the tourist side of Sydney, as lovely as Manly is it is so obviously slanted towards the regular visits from the world wide community. I being one of those intruders or welcome guests whatever your slant is on my visit I have noticed the vast majority are of Asian origin, without type casting them the clicking of camera's is a sure fire bet that another group of such travellers is just around the corner. I haven't quite worked out why the vast majority travel in groups, it must be something that they all feel very comfortable with and I do chuckle to myself that if they haven't got a camera to their eye they have an iphone to their ear!.
It is harsh to judge one specific culture as we are all different in our ways and mannerisms and Australia is a very diverse country, not as much as the UK but it welcomes all manner of ethnicity with open arms much as we do. I watched the "football" last night, I was told i must support "the blues" (NSW) as I am in that province, the Queenslanders were definitely the enemy for the night as we shouted and screamed at the game on channel 9, the outcome was a wonderful victory for NSW the first since 2008 i was assured, so perhaps i am a lucky talisman!, it would be good to think so.
I have enjoyed the visit here so far as most of you guys that follow my blog are blatantly aware, I find the people engaging and honest and the city is eminently cleaner and less hassle than London. That said they are a world apart and such differences are to be expected. London is manic, Sydney is busy.

One thing that has stuck out since my visit is the Australian's view on customer service. They cannot do enough to make sure what you buy is what you are looking for and that it serves the purpose of the initial purchase. Take for instance Vodafone UK versus Vodafone Au. You would think the two companies would be very much an entity, but you would be wrong if you thought that was a fact. I was contacted by Vodafone UK while here as my bill had risen above its normal level, not a problem as before i left I rang Vodafone UK and told them where i was going and set up new tariff's for being in Oz and as a result i continued with my phone as normal. After 2 weeks here i received a text to say my bill was unusually high and could i ring them for security purposes. This i duly did and yes my bill was unusually high and I was very annoyed.

On speaking to the service manager of Vodafone UK he blamed Vodafone au for the hike in charges, "They set the tariff over there so if its £1 a minute that's what we have to pay" i was reliably informed, so i asked what was the best way round  this issue as obviously i didn't want to incur more senseless charges,
"well you could buy a cheap phone for 70 dollars and use that while you are over there or perhaps unlock your phone and put an au sim in its place".  OK, fine, "why didn't you tell me this in the first place? i am an old established Vodafone customer and i think you have advised me very poorly" I quipped,
"Well sir we are here to make a profit and it's like us telling you to go to 02, we would never do that, our company is here to make money".  That was quite a frank yet astonishing admission that this huge corporation was solely focused on what it could MAKE out of the customer rather than what it could DO for the customer while retaining a respectable but not disgusting profit.
Thus advised by Vodafone UK i tramped down to the local Vodafone shop here in Manly and vented my frustration at the way Vodafone had lulled me into such a huge bill, despite my taking care of my visit by ringing them beforehand and ensuring the charges would be sensible. The shop assistant listened and asked if my iphone was unlocked, i replied "I am not sure", he took the phone and looked at it and said I am sorry sir the phone is locked into Vodafone UK, we don't sell locked phones here in Oz it's a question of choice for the consumer, we try and give them a good service so they won't go elsewhere. "Well that's mighty noble of you" says I "but its Vodafone au that set the huge tariff i have been paying, i was informed by Vodafone Uk"
"actually sir that's incorrect, your phone is locked in with the UK and we are the same company in reality so they are not correct in that assumption, plus the fact if you had been dealt with in that manner here it would go to senior management and they would immediately drop the size of the bill"
"pardon?"
"Look sir as a customer we do everything we can to ensure your experience with Vodafone au is a pleasant one, yes we wish to make a profit but we wouldn't charge £1.50 a minute and expect to keep the customer"
"but the service manager in the UK told me you were here to make a profit and that you had set the rates so high that is why the bill is so large"
"Well all I can say sir is you go back to Vodafone UK and take that up with them as that is just completely untrue".
Now, correct me if i am wrong but the theme that ran through that conversation was one of customer first in Australia.
Needless to say I am as yet not finished with Vodafone UK, I think they have a lot of explaining to do and I think a good inwards look at their company policy, profit is one thing, but even Dick Turpin wore a mask and pistols so you had a fair chance of spotting him.