I went to the Dutch Vinyl Record Store in Paddington the other day, it sells and buys second hand records. I went with four albums of different genres and different values to see what they would offer and I was shocked. Shocked, not in a good way.

One album I have is on the original Vertigo label, it’s from 1970 and is by the band Clear Blue Sky. If you use Discogs website then they will value this very rare record from $300 to $1000 AUD, depending on the condition. My copy is mint and he offered me $50. This is the run out info 6360013A/1 11

Clear Blue Sky listed on Ebay

The Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, 1977. My copy is also one that has an error on the cover and so again according to Discogs it’s worth around $150 for a copy in good condition. Mine is, although it does have a little bit of what they call hazing on the surface. It does not affect the sound when you play it though. He offered me $25. This is the run out info V-2086 A7 B6

Jailbreak, by Thin Lizzy 1976. Again this album is valued around $150. You can buy a new copy for $45 and so why should he give me more than $20. My copy is mint and is original. This is the run out info 9102 008 TICH AND QUACKERS MANCHESTER UNITED

The last one was David Bowie, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars. Mint copy valued around $180. Another offer of $25. This is the run out info BGBS 0864 – 1E BGBS 0865 2E AZAK

Now call me cynical if you want, but I feel feel that my friend in the record store was trying to rip me off. According to him, the age of the album is really irrelevant these days and it doesn’t matter if it’s new or old. The value of the records are much the same and the best he could possibly offer me would be 30% of their value, which was $100 for the lot. So, I will not be selling anything there in the future.

He is either not a connoisseur of music, although claims to be or maybe he is just a chancer, the latter is my hunch. The shop was very busy and there were many young folk there buying which is good to see. I like my vinyl records, however I just don’t have the patience or the tonal capacity these days to tell the difference between digital and analogue.

I have a few options yet before I part with them. I have a friend that has asked me to give him first refusal and I will. If I have 400 records and I sell them for $20 each, then that is $8000. I’m not greedy, I just would like a fair price for them. Mind you, I need to get my finger out and complete the cataloguing of them.

Me Olde Ford is 28 years old this month. We have been together since 2004 and have travelled many a long road together. Longest relationship that I’ve managed to have…..

We are both showing our age however, the good thing about me Ford is that at least she can have new bits relatively easily, me on the other hand………

I think it is, “A Till Death Do US Part” scenario if I’m honest. Even if I had the money, I would still keep the Olde Ford. Style and character, comfort, an elegant old lady that deserves dignity and she does often get admiring looks wherever we go.

We don’t travel as far afield these days, and when we do a road trip, we usually pick the cooler seasons to do so. Driving around in 40C heat is not really that much fun even although the air-conditioning is very cold indeed.

2004

2017

Since returning from China, I have replaced many components and any niggly wee problems that have arisen have been dealt with. I’m on my second set of tyres, they don’t seem to last as long as they used too, mind you it’s only $500 for a set balanced and fitted. I’ll put the car in for a service on my return from my upcoming trip. Currently the cruise control is not working and I think I have isolated the cause, I think the brake switch might be faulty and so I’ll get them to check that out and hopefully that will resolve it.

2020

So yes, if I had the cash I would completely restore me Olde Ford and you never know we both might still be going strong in another 28 years 😊

2026

Not much change really, still looks good 🙂 Unlike me 🙁

And thank fuck for that… It’s been a struggle to get to the end of this term. I’ve had enough of this bus driving malarkey and I’m going to stop on the 23rd of October and take a bit of a Sabbatical. I had planned to travel in December, however, the noise and the chaos and the rubbish being left on the bus as broken me to the point I need to leave.

For my sanity. Every fibre of my body is now screaming at me, telling me it’s time to move on and so I am. After this two week break I will return for a further three weeks to get a bit extra cash and then that’s it and I’ll wait to see what the new year brings.

Many things planned for the next couple of weeks, a bit of renovation, some gardening and hopefully I’ll get a few rides on the bike. It’s supposed to be sunny for the holidays and not too hot, maybe a max of 30C. Mind you when I went out on the bike today it was lovely but by the time I got home, I had to retreat to the basement to have a snooze 😒

There has been no rain, which means that the humidity is extremely low and that makes it feel so much more comfortable. The garden is not too happy though and I’ll give it some water tonight.

I’m still trying to drown the Noisy Miner bird, but it’s either just to thick or as tough as fuck, because it just keeps on coming back for more, and that too has contributed to my total lack of patience when it comes to all things noise. It’s not good when things are out of kilter, when the world is out of balance, well my world that is.

So, the planning for my trip continues. I’ve set up Alipay, got myself a Wise card, which I have attached to Alipay and hopefully that will work when I get to China. I’ve tried to set up the train app, 12306, but it needs a Chinese phone number to complete the set up and I think I can get that when I arrive in Hong Kong. Catching up with a friend next week that has some RMB, so that I can take a little bit of cash with me, just in case I have trouble with any of the Chinese payment apps.

So that’s it really, rather boring I know. However, hopefully things will pick up when I get to the airport.

I got this from one of the parents on the last day, kind of sums everything up I thought……..

Spring has sprung, the sun has come oot, giving us a warning of what is to come later in the year. It reached 35C here on Sunday, only saving grace was that the humidity was around 20%. Next door cranked up the box window air conditioner, such a noisy inefficient thing. I have no idea how they will survive this summer. Their house has no insulation in the walls or the roof and air-conditioning units are in the small bedrooms, which after a time must become quite claustrophobic. I think I would go stir crazy if that was me. Thankfully I can retreat to the ground floor and escape the worst of the midday sun.

I’ve offered to help them prepare for this summer many times, however they just keep telling me that they will be ok. I have shade cloth, which if hung from the north east corner of the house will cool down that side of the house and maybe make it more bearable. Last year they had the aircon running 24/7, I don’t know how they can afford it.

Ann and Mick are both in their 70’s and their health is not good at all, if it is going to be as hot as they say it is this year then I would not be surprised if one of them succumbed to it. I hope not.

It was a long weekend and on Friday it was great just to stay home and be domestic, leaving me free for the Saturday to enjoy. I caught up with Julie in Brisbane. I got the train up to the city for the first time in ages. I left around 9am and so when I got to the city it was still quiet and fairly cool. I had an hour to kill before meeting her, so I grabbed a coffee and strolled around Southbank.

As it turns out, Saturday the 5^th was when they had the Riverfire celebrations. They have fireworks of course and then the RAAF fly planes along the river and through the heart of the city. It’s impressive as they fly in such a cramped city skyline. I went many years ago when they used to fly the F1-11’s, they used to flare up the afterburners on the fly pass and it looked amazing, none of that these days. Safety first and all that!

It was 10am as I strolled across the Goodwill Bridge and I could see many folk already claiming their patch beside the river. Some had come prepared with everything bar the kitchen sink and others were just sitting there in the sun with no hats or shades, fuckin’ numpties. I could not imagine sitting there for 8 hours in the sun or the rain for that matter to sit and watch a bunch of fireworks and a couple of planes flying passed. Absolutely mental.

By the time I was leaving around 2pm, streams of people were heading down the find their spot. The only time I have ever done anything like this was in Sydney at New Year and I made my way to circular key with the other million people and it was one of the scariest things I have every experienced. You just got swept along with the crowds, stumbling over god knows what on the ground. Fearful that you might fall because if you did, I don’t think anyone would notice and you would be just trampled underfoot. I swore that after that night, Never Again! And I haven’t.

We walked along to the Westend markets and got a bit of lunch and resolved the problems of the world along the way, which was good. We usually go for a bush walk, but having a city walk for a change is rather refreshing. I ended up walking around 20.000 steps, which I think was about 14km or so, anyway I was pretty knackered by the time I got home and Sunday turned out to be a day of rest, no choice really.

I’m going to China at the end of the year and , well this year has been major when it comes to catastrophes within China. The latest being the huge glacial deluge that flattened much of the valley and has killed possibly thousands, although if you look at Chinese official media they say that the official death toll is only 7 and that is 24 hours after the event, whereas Nepal had stated at the same time at least 546 person had died with many still missing.

There are so many other catastrophic events that have hit China this year and almost none of them have been shared or shown on the main news outlets. There have been many dam collapses and whole villages have been washed away and again the government have said that only 30 people or so have been killed or missing.

This particular event has too many foreigners within the death toll for them to cover anything up. On state media there, the aftermath of this event has hardly been shown, well apart from the footage of the rescuers in there new suits heading onto planes and looking prepared. Why they cover up the truth of this tragedy is only a question they can answer, however there are a few suggestions that it was China that is responsible for this whole catastrophe due to the drilling, excavation and the building of a hydro electric dam up stream.

Either way, it has been a hell of a year so far within China and also many other parts of the world as the El Nino creates havoc. I’m hoping to visit the Three Gorges Dam on this trip and there are also rumours about that circulating online about its imminent demise, I just hope that it doesn’t and especially when I manage to go there to see it in person.

I was talking with Rod the other day, he is one of the other drivers at the yard. Like myself we have both held our bus licences and driving licences for a very long time, I got mine back in 1978.

When I first began I learned to drive using a crash gearbox, very different to cars of that time. If you don’t understand then look it up. Back then I was told by the older guys that we didn’t know how lucky we were, because back in their day it was all crash boxes and how easy it was to break your wrist if you screwed up the gear change.

I only had to drive the Bristol Double Decker to get my licence and then most of the buses after that were auto or semi-automatic. Although, we did have a couple of old coaches that all had crash boxes and no power steering and they were a challenge if we were short of buses. Oh and then we got a Volvo B10M 6 speed manual for motorway express work, now that went like shit of a shovel.

You learn many skills learning to drive in a manual that can be easily applied to the driving of a modern vehicle, of course that all changes when you talk about electric vehicles.

In todays world we want everything now and we want it to be easy and we want it to be digital, when in fact some things should stay analogue. Learning to drive a car should be analogue and then if you want you go digital or automatic. If you do not understand the concept of gears and how to change them and use them in everyday driving then you are a hazard on the roads. Here in Australia, I may have mentioned this before, most of the drivers don’t do bends very well and instead of going through a bend they drive around it, and if you don’t understand what I mean then you drive round it. If you only learn to drive using the stop and go pedals then you are not going to be as good as you could be if you had learned in a manual and that is why when I approach a bend I usually leave the car behind in my wake. and why is that? well I use the gears, even in an automatic. Of course you can use the brakes but then you change the attitude of the car and it’s more difficult to brake and steer rapidly at the same time.

In Australia they always promote speeding as the biggest killer on the roads, but I think it’s because too many people learned to drive with only the stop and go pedals and never really gained the skills to drive that wee bit faster through the bends. But catching speeding drivers is good for the revenue for the government, so it’s easier to neglect the real reasons for the many disasters each day.

And now the next generation of folk are already learning to drive in Electric cars with all the nanny controls onboard that make constant noises, a glorified mobile phone and the market will soon be dominated by China, which of course is a country where no one can really drive, but they do like their gimmicks.

Electric cars have an insane amount of power, which will lead to more deaths because they can get to speed quicker than an ICE car and I’ve seen it a few times my self where the driver is struggling to cope with the acceleration. are they going to ban young people from driving these?

There are a few safety features in cars that do improve the experience and protect the occupants in the event of an accident, such as Airbage, Abs and traction control and even cruise control, but not this adaptive kind.

For people who are enthusiastic about cars and enjoy the whole driving experience, then there is virtually nothing mass produced these days to satisfy their hunger, not unless you have deep pockets.

You also need to be an electronics expert these days to work on them. And just think about how long it takes for your phone to stop using certain apps because the operating system is old, this is what you have to look forward to with your car of the future. So enjoy your new toy before it becomes a very expensive paper weight.

I’ve been using a Xiaomi watch for the last couple of years, I bought it in China on my last trip and I really like it. It’s simple to use and had the functions that I needed and wanted. However, it was not designed to work outside China…..it was still able to tell the time etc, but when it came to the GPS and tracking functions it struggled to produce accurate readings.

Now I’m not a gym junkie, although I do like going for walks and riding the bike and keeping track of it all and so I got myself a new watch.

I had planned to buy another Xiaomi, but the Global version which would make everything work OK. A new Xiaomi watch is around $300, which is a bit more expensive than the Chinese one.

In the meantime I got an email telling me about my Qantas Frequent Flyer balance and I went to see where I could travel to and low and behold, 130,000 points is almost useless these days unless you travel within Australia, which I don’t want to.

Years ago that would have got me a one way business class seat to the UK and now it might get you to the end of the runway. I then saw an advert for a Garmin 965 Forerunner watch and it cost 99,000 points and I took the plunge and bought it. I’ve had all these points for a couple of years and they are just sitting there….

The difference between the Xiaomi and Garmin is vast. It’s quite the learning curve. After three days I managed to set an alarm, work the timer and have a vague understanding of what the buttons do. In the app I switched off all the marathon and gym stuff app apart from steps, hiking and road bike.

There are all the bodily function monitors, it can even tell me how much nap time I take, there might even be a flatulence monitor . It’s obviously going to take quite a bit of time to work out all the things it can do, but now it can tell the time, record my bike ride that I did with so much detail. There are even maps on the phone.

So now I have a new toy to play with and part of me thinks that this kind of thing is wasted on me and I might still buy that other Xiaomi watch yet. I think there might be a few others that this would be more useful for.

I think winter will have disappeared in another week. Yesterday morning was around 8C, but by noon it was 24C. Very pleasant time of the year, however it’s an ominous warning as to what summer has in store for us.

Sitting outside reading my book and hosing the Noisy Miner birds was definitely the highlight of my weekend. They really are a pain in the arse, especially now as they have one young that is always screaming for food.

A couple of years ago I began to chase them from the garden and the deck with the garden hose and it was very effective and so for the past few days I’ve begun to hose them again, and it’s really good fun 😁

I’m still feeding the Butcher birds and the Magpies and because they don’t finish what I’ve put out, then the Miner birds fly into try to take it and then I give them a blast with the hose. Also, the Grevillea and Bottle Brush are flowering and this too attracts the Miner birds and every time they fly in I give them a blast. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel. Now, some folk will be thinking that I’m a cruel bastard for doing this but I’m not. These birds are a pain in the arse, highly territorial and they scare everything else away and so all I’m doing is standing up for the other poor unfortunates.

I managed a short run on the bike too, only around 20 km or so, however this was my first time out in month. Last week I had a road trip and the week before I could not have been arsed.

Well we’re in the eighth month, the horses have had their big birthday party and I’m closer to my holiday. I’ve changed my flight and so now I’ll fly in and out of Hong Kong. When I arrive from Brisbane I’ll get the train via Kowloon to Shantou, which is actually quicker than flying there. And I much prefer this option. The less flying the better.

Another short week, got Wednesday off and I’ll spend it at home catching up on the many things that I keep putting off, well that is the plan at the moment 😁 Come Wednesday all that could change 🤔

I turned 66 this week, and if I was in the UK I would be able to retire……. mind you I might have been skint. Not sure what I would have done if I had stayed in Scotland. The good thing is that I can still apply for the British
pension because I worked there for more than 10 years, which is the minimum requirement to receive it.

I’ll send off the application tomorrow by post and if all goes to plan then I should get some cash by Christmas……Nice!

In Australia the retirement age is 67, of course you can stop work before that if you have the funds, however I have been on a Sabbatical for most of my time here and I don’t have the cash. So, one more year of driving the bus and hopefully fitting in a few overseas trips before I can put my feet up. Mind you I think I’ll still do a couple of days a week because I still like driving the old bus, just not every day

It’s winter currently, however it’s not really cold. One night it got down to 6C and then the next night it was back up to 17C due to the cloud cover. Winter is not really winter as I knew it as a kid and so I like to go down to Armidale for a few days to experience a more winter landscape. This year it’s been very pleasant, lovely blue skies, very little wind, which does make a hell of a difference.

Well Armidale did not disappoint, it was cold and crisp and virtually no wind. It was absolutely perfect. It was good to catch up with Stuart and Catherine and have a chat, some good booze and good food. Mind you I did have one hell of a sore head the day after I arrived. Possibly jet lag from the drive, wine and the single malt.

I enjoyed the drive and it was great to stretch me olde Ford’s legs and eat lots of food that I would not normally have. Stopping at a cafe in a small country town and ordering a bacon and egg roll with coffee was marvelous.

Looking forward to the next jaunt into the wilderness….

This sunburnt country, a country of extremes,

A country of fresh air and big mountain streams,

A country where the animals are unique and some might just kill you,

There are Crocodiles in the rivers and sharks in the ocean

That’s enough to set the adrenalin in motion,

There are snakes and spiders and lizards too,

Really big Kangaroos that look so cute, but could break your legs in two.

So yes, it can be dangerous but you have to understand

That the most dangerous creature here is the walking talking man

A country that looks like it’s on the up

But not is all as it seems

Frustrated for years by the amount of indecision,

The country has no direction, the country is in stagnation

Problems exist but there is no inclination to fix.

The government is not equipped the government is retarded,

Christ, they don’t even know if they are foreigner or a local, or should that be a yokel

The country is run by parasites that have the junkets and the limos

But to pay for all this, to make them so bold, they rape the land and rip out your innards.

Sell it to Adani or the Chinese to fill the coffers,  

Kick the farmers off the land to dig mighty holes,

And contaminate the aquifer for a few dollars more,

Destroy the Barrier Reef for a few litres of gas

And then sell it to others while they shaft the locals in the arse,

They have created a society where the debt is out of control,

Along with obesity, domestic violence and public opinion polls

So, sell your soul to the devil and buy that 4-wheel drive,

Cause you need to drive it to the school and the shopping centre just to survive,

This country had so much promise, its position unique,

To learn from the mistakes of others and not get caught in the bleak,

But instead blinded by arrogance or stupidity or both,

The country has been run into the ground by those that love it the most.

The GFC was viral and brutal but Australia survived quite well,

They had won the lottery because of all the minerals that it could sell,

Instead of saving for a rainy day or building for the people,

It was pissed up against the wall and left the country in the foetal,

Personal debt is staggering and one bump could cause a fall,

The dominoes are lined up and ready for one and all,

Waiting to topple after the first little quake

And if it does then what will it do, no worries….and so what will it take

A baby bonus buys a new TV and $1000 to all,

I would have preferred a high-speed rail or maybe better roads to haul,

Maybe investment in solar or better houses to stay cool,

But quick satisfaction and gratification of the masses,

Knee jerk policies by a bunch of school yard politicians,

A kindergarten government with its heads in the sand,

Squabbling over he said she said what a sorry looking band.

The government is useless and has been for many years,

Bring back Keating I say he used to break a few knees.

There’s no foresight, no forward thinking there is only greed,

As long as I get re-elected of course, we will succeed.

Corruption is on the agenda from the bottom to the top,

But who gets caught, no one of note so this needs to stop,

They have too much money to beat the system and it’s the poor that take the hit.

Farmers are struggling not only with the mother earth but also with the bureaucratic shit,

It’s all for one and all for me, cut down the trees and destroy fertile land,

 I’ll make more money that way and life will be grand

The barrier reefs a wonder of nature is dying before our eyes

Mining companies and greed and because we believe their lies.

A multicultural masterpiece so tolerant and diverse,

But scratch below the surface and you will see it’s in reverse,

The white folk are feeling marginalised and picking on the migrant,

The plebs and the dross so common in any society,

Are joining the Hanson wagons,

But nothing will change, only the weather

Greed is still too strong and the pollies just blether,

The rains will come and the rains will go,

The floods will return and the destruction will flow,

The fires will burn and the earth will be renewed.

But you know, as long as we have cricket or football and sport,

They couldn’t give a rats about anything of import.