#DIY etc

The quickest of blogs - before the cheesy grin disappears (the panniers are in place at last). Nothing startling but if nothing else a reminder to self.

I have bought two front fork pannier bags for my bike. I am going to France for a short camping/cycling break with my two brothers in a couple of weeks and need some extra carrying capacity). The panniers each require a bracket to be fitted. The brackets supplied were of a universal fitting rather than specific to my bike and consequently needed adjusting etc. (put more crudely - made to fit - ha! It was not a job I was looking forward to but I tackled it this morning. (I am not very good with fiddley DIY jobs.) It didn't go well - I couldn't get a vital screw to fit - it took a lot of time and bluntly I was a bit irritated - ha again! In the end I left it - and decided to call the local bike shop to see if they would take it on. (it turns out Thursday's is their day off.) Anyway I have some lunch and gather myself. In a much better mood I have another go. Low and behold - the screw goes in almost straight away and the second pannier is fitted in double quick time.

The lesson to self (a reminder). Doing a job when you feel like it almost always brings about a better outcome than when you don't. If you are not up for it leave it if you can - ha! The second is take a break if things are not going well. A fresh start is usually beneficial.

While I am on the keyboard - here is something else that made me smile today - the power of words and the amazing English Language. For some reason I was reading an article about Andrew Mountbatten Windsor - Prince Andrew - in todays paper. (Like most people I cannot stand the guy.) The gist of the article is that some of the royals are concerned about his well being (mental health) and maybe offering him some family support.

The bit that made me smile was in the body of the article/in the readers comments. There were 2 words I had never seen before and they caught my eye and I looked them up. Both were used to describe AMW. They were : 

Sybaritic - fond of sensuous luxury or pleasure; self-indulgent:

"their opulent and sybaritic lifestyle"

  

   

Of or having the qualities of a sybarite (“a person devoted to luxury and pleasure”); dedicated to excessive comfort and enjoyment; decadent, hedonistic, self-indulgent. 

Solipsistic - absorption with oneself without consideration for the needs and desires of others.

So there we are - 2 not so very long words - that convey so much (providing you recognise them).

Anyway time for me to stop messing around here and to do something useful like some gardening - ha!

#lookingoutwards not inwards

It is early Monday morning and I have finished my daily bike ride. I have a list of things to do to get the week off to a good start but as often happens something has triggered a thought process and after the calm of the bike ride I feel I should commit it to paper (so to speak) as a contribution to legacy - ha ha!

I can only spend 15 minutes on this blog but I can do so because I have spent half a life time thinking about these type of issues.

Bluntly - I think the world is going mad - the western world (because in the 3rd world they do not have the time for it). What am I talking about ? The drug of  INTROSPECTION - defined as reflecting inwardly on thoughts motivations and particularly feelings. I am going to suggest for many this obsession is going down a rabbit hole and is not beneficial (either personally or particularly as a functioning society). This stuff is all around us. It has become and industry - there are too many examples to list.

Because I have limited time I am going to contain my comments to this :

I heard this quip a while back and its simplicity made me laugh. "If you think about your orgasm too much it will become harder to achieve".

Another is life is a struggle and then you die. This might sound pessimistic but it is not - it is optimistic because it is real. (if you are wise or maybe lucky you can rise above the struggle for periods at least.)

Put these together and you will get my drift. 

If you dwell on love or happiness or self esteem or self worth (for example) by looking inwards I believe this introspection is unlikely to provide you with these things.

If you get down because life is a struggle and start feeling sorry for yourself - being a victim - you are in an introspective spiral. It is not the answer because life is a struggle - in many respects it is the norm. It is Darwinism. The way to deal with it is acknowledge it and embrace it and take it on.

An analogy. You are trying to run a marathon (as life !). You have trained and prepared. But in the run you start to struggle. You feel tired - you feel fatigued. You are getting behind the clock. You have a blister. Your leg hurts. You are not feeling great. What to do. There must be something wrong ! Blood sugar - reoccurrence of an old injury - a new injury - the wrong socks - I have a cold coming. You poor thing - feel sorry for yourself. Over analyze. Excuses. Introspection. Give up. Or - for goodness sake - it is simple. I am running 26 miles. Of course things are going to hurt. Of course I am going to feel tired. I knew that from the beginning. Don't dwell on it. Get on with it. When I cross that finishing line I will feel great. I would have won the battle. I am a marathon runner. I can join the party. I have not let myself down. I didn't cave. I lifted my head and went for the finishing line - I put all the negative feelings stuff behind me. I have done something really positive without excuses. Now I feel great. This is life and how to approach it. Lift your head - take on the world - look outwards not inwards - inwards will look after itself (like your orgasm).

This might appear brutal and simplistic but there is no fulfillment in victimhood and talking about it. It is the doing that counts. Only you can run your marathon.

Now for the jobs list - ha! Anyone fancy anti fouling the bottom of a boat ? xxx

#Tasmania especially Hobart

I am in the air - somewhere over the Indian Ocean after just clearing the west coast of Australia. Almost a 14 hour flight from Melbourne to Doha before onward to the UK early tomorrow morning. I took an early flight from Hobart to Melbourne this morning as there are no international flights from Tasmania unless you count New Zealand. I am flying with Virgin/Qatar. The plane is modern and only half full. The in flight wi-fi is fantastic. Happy days ! Anyway I digress. To round up my month in Oz - Tasmania and it's capital Hobart.

Tasmania is apparently the 26th largest Island in the world and as such it is massive - 180 times larger than my home island the Isle of Wight. It is 150 miles off the southern coast of mainland Oz - separated by the Bass Strait (an infamous body of water re the Sydney Hobart yacht race.) Tasmania is an Australian State as Queensland or New South Wales. It's population is about 550000.

Apart from being an island state what sets Tasmania apart from the rest of Australia most obviously is its climate. Much of Australia has the capacity to find temperatures in the 40's even down in Victoria. This is not the case in Tasmania. It's weather is very changeable because it has several major influences which pull and push weather systems. Obviously to the north is the vast hot oven - the Australian mainland. It is surrounded by ocean - much of it very cold ocean affected by the Antarctic and the Southern Ocean. Tasmania has mountains. Broadly Tasmania's summers are similar to ours but its winters are milder.

Tasmania has the most mountains of any state in Australia - over 450 peaks. It has a rugged central plateau. The highest mountain is just over 5000 ft - so not massive. My understanding is all these mountains are hikeable and offer a lifetimes worth of walking possibilities in unspoilt terrain. There is also the coastline - I only saw the south of the island particularly the Derwent river and estuary. I can imagine the fishing and boating is excellent but we know there are challenging waters once you get out into the ocean.

Taking all these things together Tasmania is a tremendous place to visit and no doubt live if you are an outdoorsy type who appreciates natural surroundings. The island has a high reputation for being eco conscious and there is a lot of science based businesses there  - not least relating to Antarctic Surveys. It is also a farming area and exports food and wine to the mainland. In a world under pressure it feels like Tasmania will continue to be protected and retain its quiet wholesome feel unlike some of the Australian mainland which is under pressure from development, population increases, social problems and more extreme weather events.

In the short time I was there we walked to the top of Mt Wellington which overlooks Hobart. We were in the clouds at the top but no matter it was an excellent nature walk which I enjoyed a lot. Mt Wellington made me think of the Mona Lisa - wherever you are in the room she seems to be looking at you. Wherever you are in Hobart Mt Wellington is there. Amongst other walks we got to the lovely Fortescue Bay in the Tasman National Park. Pristine - and as far as I know - no sea crocodiles or box jelly fish ! We also visited the oldest brewery in Australia - Cascade. Another bonus is sea food is relatively cheap in Tasmania. Oysters abound !

As I have said Tasmania has so much going for it. But alas it is a very long way away. There is no international flights out. Most go via Melbourne.

I had a tremendous visit to Australia. I will write more about it perhaps later. For now I will say it is a wonderful country - a huge country - with relatively not many people in it - (but as we know much of the land is inhospitable.) In my several blogs I have made much positive comment about Australia. I am not finishing on a low note by any means but for balance I want to make the following observations :

Australia has many problems too. 

• More and more extreme weather events.
• A national hang up / guilt about the past treatment of aborigines. As an example when you get on public transport they play a pre recorded "acknowledgement of country" over the public tannoy. It says “We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we travel today and pay our respects to Elders past and present.” A lot of Australians feel frustrated by this ie too woke - time to move on.
• It seems it is true generally that many Aborigine have been unable to adapt to the new Australia. Issues such as an inability to adopt the concept of a job (as their life was historically nomadic with the only thing to dwell on was survival and quiet peace) remains a problem. They continue to receive massive tax payer support but drugs, alcohol abuse and aimlessness seem to be a reoccurring and common theme. Many Australians are apparently fed up with it - particularly the tax burden - and feel it is time to say enough is enough. Despite the many horrific things that happened to the aborigines in the early times of white settlement they believe it is time to move on and they are not responsible for what happened in that time.
• Mass immigration - particularly from China/India/Nepal/Pakistan and some African countries is causing the same sort of resentments and pressures we are experiencing in the UK.
• The cost of living in Australia is high.
• Taxes are high
• There are housing shortages and prices are high. Again like the UK young people are finding it extremely difficult to get on the property ladder
• Many complain as in the UK that the welfare system is too generous to some but actually offer less than the UK to anyone one who even has modest assets (including a state old age pension which is means tested). ie rewards the ones that have not helped themselves and penalises the ones that have.
• While I never experienced directly there are apparently major gang problems and social cohesion and anti social behavior issues including unprovoked violence and robbery in Melbourne particularly and Sydney.

So overall Australia has many problems too as well as some tremendous assets. Would I live there ? The answer would be a no from me. It would not suit my lifestyle. I love the sea - boats - the coast. It seems so sad and so frustrating that much of Australia's beautiful coastal beach areas are not what they seem. Danger from sharks, jelly fish and sea crocodiles are real and in many areas mean it is too dangerous to even paddle. That would be hard to live with.

It is also a heck of a long flight. But what a trip I have had. Fantastic for so many reasons. I am deeply grateful for being able to do the trip I have done and seen and experienced so much. There were many highlights and I was seriously moved on a number of occasions. I am so proud of my youngest son Richard with whom I was able to share so many of my Oz experiences with. He is a doctor currently based in Darwin. Part of his role has been flying out to some very isolated Aboriginal settlements in the Northern Territories to help run clinics. A tremendous and valuable experience for him before he returns to the UK in due course.

Thank you Australia xxxx

Some mob photos :

From Mt Wellington

Trig point - the top of Mt Wellington

Hobart Botanic Gardens

Cascade brewery. The oldest in Australia