No salesmen, hawkers or peddlers

We were at home on a sunny Sunday morning, getting ready for a house concert. Our two musician guests had just got out of bed when two well-dressed men wearing suits and hats came to the front door. They were clutching literature and, from the weighty look of their satchels, they had much to show and tell. She Who Reserves The Right to Edit This Stuff When It Affects Me (Ed.) said: “No thank-you. None…

Continue reading

To pee or not to pee

I was standing in the ensuite talking to my ol’ fella the other night. No, wait; it’s not what you think. I had got up for a pee in the middle of the night and, not unusually, nothing much was happening. “Jeez, mate,” I grumbled, sotto voce in the ensuite. “Bloody get on with it, will you?” Once it starts, depending how long I’ve been holding on, it can take forever. The worst possible thing…

Continue reading

Handy Mandy and the Gender Divide

I’m taking a week off to promote our album, The Last Waterhole, which is getting noticed after a national radio interview and a 4-star review in the Courier-Mail. Enjoy this piece by my trusty offsider,  Laurel Wilson, who learned a thing or two about carpentry and plumbing at her Daddy’s knee.   When Fred called the other day, Bob told me that when he picked up the phone he said “You’re lucky we answered. Laurel’s…

Continue reading

Living on top of the world

In the late 1990s, a Brisbane developer was briefing me on the future for the city’s yet-to-happen apartment boom. The empty nesters from Clayfield and Ashgrove (old suburbs, big houses and yards), would be the first to opt for the high rise apartment with views of the Story Bridge, he said. But not all of them would stay. Living in an apartment is not for everyone – there are the benefits of lifestyle, location, security,…

Continue reading