YOUNG LOVE

Autumn has been very mild so far ---indeed we have had a week of quite warm temperatures.
I walked my dog on the beach early this morning but the evening was so nice that I decided on another outing.
I am careful when I walk my dog that she does not interfere with others enjoying the facilities.
I didnt want her to get wet tonight and she will always swim if I go onto the beach----so my aim was for a walking track at the top of the beach.
We walked down to the beach area and walking along the roadway footpath, I noticed a couple of people walking hand in hand along the lower down walking track.
I thought that if I waited a while up on the top path, they would walk on and I would be clear to let the pooch run.
We were basically behind a tree when the young couple approached on the lower track. Obviously they didnt see me because they stopped at a bench seat at the lower track and started to kiss and fondle each other.
I was about to walk on when they stood and one bent over the seat and lowered shorts and the other showed the silhouette of his manhood as he mounted up from behind.
There was a little moaning, grunting, huffing and puffing and the romantic deed was done----a little oral cleanup was performed and clothes were re-adjusted and they turned to walk off.---but they headed back to where they had come from.
I walked on and headed to the ramp leading down to the lower track, thinking of my younger days and chuckling to myself and oblivious to my surroundings when I realised that they were heading up the ramp that I was walking down.
Determined not to smile, I kept my head down but heard one say "Hi, nice night"----I looked up saying "Yes it is" to be greeted by the faces of two young boys, no more than 14 or 15.
I just smiled and walked on to let the pooch loose for a run.

Who am I to judge young love.
Hmm, I guess at that age you dont have a car backseat

IGNORANCE AND ARROGANCE

I have long been aware of the influence wielded by all forms of media in so many arenas of debate.
There is little doubt about the power of the press when it comes to the political arena but most of their power is attained by the ignorance of their audience.
Now I'm not throwing stones here but far too many people are prepared to accept the written or broadcast word as accurate, educated and truthful.----maybe that is because it is easier to accept these stories than do your own research.
Of course it is not hard to recognise the internet as the greatest source of information but must it also be said to be the greatest source of misinformation---crap---lies.

But a lot of power is wieled by large organisations who chose to desiminate their own versions of the truth through their own opinionated channels---no more powerful, organised and opinionated than the large religious orders.

Currently the debate on same sex marriages is a very live issue in the federal parliament of Australia.
Luckily the party holding power at the moment has said that they will not have a unified party policy and that all of their members will have a conscience vote---they can make up their own mind.
Unfortunately the political opposition party has said that their members will follow the party line and they will vote against any legislation to allow the lawful union of any loving same sex couples.
But I am sure that when this debate gets to the floor of the parliament that some opposition members will see the humanity in this argument and cross the floor to vote with the government but convesely there will be government members who in all good conscience, cannot vote fo the legislation.
Logically this will lead to a very close vote and that is how it should be---oh, except for the constraints placed on the entire opposition party.

But enter the arrogance of the external powers.

The Catholic Church has started a national campaign to convince its millions of parishioners to speak out against gay marriage. There are more than five million Catholics in Australia and the hierachy is not just preaching their spitefully arrogant rhetoric from the pulpit but are sending out hundreds of thousands of letters asking parishioners to take a stand against this abomination.
Their stance revolves around the sexual difference between men and women and the "potential for new life". and the letter says "Without this there would be no human beings and no future."

How ill informed and ignorant is this stance.
The legislation before parliament is to allow same sex marriage, not to make it compulsary.
Even if ten marriages in one hundred are same sex, there is no guarantee that the other ninety will be producing any offspring or even want to.
And the percentage of same sex partneships who are producing children or adopting children into a loving environment seem to dispell any fears of the human race disappearing.
And on percentages, how many of these same sex couples are Catholic.
Is the Catholic Church only against gay Catholics having a legally recognised union.
Or does the Catholic Church think that there are no gays in their congregations---even denying the existance of the bum fucking priests who are spreading their word.
How does a religion that does not allow their officials to marry and have a fulfilling hetrosexual relationship have any credence with their opinions on relationships.

I have written before of my disgust with the spreading scaremongering leveled at the Muslim faith by so many uninformed venues or venues with an opposing or scurrilous agenda.-----maybe we should be looking at the Catholic Church.
No wonder the congregations of some of the newly formed religions are littered with many who were raised under the oppression of catholicism.

So much has been written about the spread of other faiths and the dangers of them gaining a foothold in our communities. Maybe the community needs to look at the edicts of the established faiths---how dangerous are they.
Maybe they should stick to preaching religion and peace and goodwill.

Maybe this is something we should all have a conscience vote on---but vote with your heart.

DEJA VU x2

Ok, it's been a long time since I've been here---I've tried to write but there was nothing of any significance in me.

38 years ago I was introduced to a trotting trainer.
I had an interest in trotting and a great love for horses but knew very little about the complexities of balancing a horse to find its speed and comfort.---they have to be comfotable in their gear to perform at their best.
The greatest thing about old Jim was he was a horseman---a man with love, understanding and respect for his charges.
Over many years he taught me a great deal about horses but often said that I taught him as much. He was traditional in his ways but said that I thought differently without the constraints of kinowledge---he said I had a good eye and could see little problems that no one else saw.
We used to talk for hours while we cleaned harness every Sunday---talked about horses and he loved to talk about "the" war.
He had fought in WW11 and had a badly injured shoulder and arm---but he improvised and there wasn't much he couldn't do.
The first thing Jim taught me was that if you didn't have a horses feet right, you would never get it striding out to it's full capacity.
We spent nearly six months working on my first horse but no matter what we did, we could not get her stride out at full speed without her galloping.
We knew she had the talent but just couldn't get her to show it----but watching her work one day I noticed what she did just before she galloped---and I noticed that she paced like a horse with no knees---everything with her front legs at speed was stiff legged and it was only the stride before she galloped that she bent her knees and almost stumbled.
I got old Jim to send her around again at her best speed and I could see how it all worked.
I got a friend of mine to weld a shaped plate to the front of a pair of front shoes that virtually extended the toe of her hoof by about an inch and then weld the same length to the back of her hind shoes---I knew if I changed her stride in front, I needed to equal it behind.
Neither old Jim or his blacksmith could believe what I wanted to try but as nothing else had worked they went along with "this mad man" and tacked the shoes on for a tryout.

Now I cant say that it was perfect but she paced better and she did not gallop.
After giving her 2 months off to grow natural longer toes and a few trial and error adjustments, she went to the races.
There is no fairytale ending to her story---she never won a race but she did start 52 times and earned place money 36 times.

I only ever had one fight with old Jim. I took a girlfriend to the stables one day ----I could see that Jim was uncomfortable around her.
The next time I saw him he told me to never bring her back to the stables again---when I ask why, he told me that she had told him that she was half Japanese and that he had fought the Japanes during the war and lost two of his brothers to Japanese conflicts.
It would have been easy to walk away or make a choice---I understood his point of view but I couldn't lose either of them.
I said to him that no one had the right to blame children for the sins of their fathers and before he could answer---I said, "Yes, she is half Japanese---do you know what the other half was"---her father was an Australian Army officer based in Japan with the occupational peace keeping forces and met and married her mother there.
He apologised and welcomed her on many visits.

OK---Deja vu

A horse trainer friend of mine has been sick for the past three months---in and out of hospital.
His wife asked me if I could help out with his horses--he only had two left and owned both of them.
I went to see him in hospital to tell him that I would keep his horses going for him til he was back on his feet----he is the greatest knowall and of course was very reluctant to accept my help but told me how everything should be done---he did warn me that him mare was mad and was likely to kick me out of the cart or throw herself down on the track----oh, I love a challenge.
I'll admit that she was a diva but responded very quickly to kindness---and after only two weeks, we were getting on quite well.
Yes, she had some unusal brain fades at the track and gave me a few concerns but with no yelling, no screaming and no whip, she started to move along quite nicely.
She was 3/4 fit when I started with her and I was finding a ton of speed but she kept rolling out of her gear and galloping at her top speed.
I got a friend of mine to drive her so that I could see what she was doing wrong and there it was, 37 years later and the same problem.
Now, I wasn't supposed to change her feet or her gear and if I had told him, it would have been rejected without thought, so I just did it.
It took 6 weeks of foot growth and a lot of arguments with his blacksmith, but she was flying and was very solid in her gear.
My mate was still in hospital but I wanted to give her a run in a full race trial----he was being allowed out for a few days so I organised for him to see her trial. He had only met my girlfriend twice before but was very happy that she picked him up and brought him to the track--she had even arranged that she could park the car on the mound overlooking the track so that he didn't have to get out or walk.
He wasn't impressed with the trial driver I had selected but was over the moon when she charged down the outside to win the trial running away in very smart time.

By the time I had cooled the mare off and drove her back to his stables, my girlfriend was outside and obviously upset----she didn't want to talk about it but I convinced her that whatever it was, I would support her---that I knew this guy well and that he could be a strange, argumentative bigoted man.
Before she could tell me he yelled from the backdoor of the house to get the Muslim bitch off his property.
Yes, my girlfriend is Muslim
It was all very easy for me----I took the shoes off the horse, trimmed her feet back to what they were before I started work on her, tacked his origonal shoes back on, fed the horses, went up to the house, told him what an arrogant bigoted arsehole he was and left.
My girlfriend was understandedly upset but happy with my stance---she was even happier when we went to the race trails last week and saw the mare gallop during the trial and finish tailed off last.

He phoned me yesterday and wanted to know the measurements for her feet.
I took great delight in telling that those measurements were all my work and he would never benefit from my work again.

I could understand Jim, but he was wrong, but this guy is just an ill-informed bigot.
Ignorance is never an excuse.

ALONE AGAIN

Well here it is, New Years Eve and I'm alone again.

Not really alone, rather I chose to be at home with my dog.
There is always fireworks on New Years Eve and dogs just dont like them.

But I have this strange dog who will sit on my feet and quiver during thunder or fireworks but if I take her outside where she can see the lightening or the sky lit by fireworks, she is quite content.

So we have a bottle of champagne, one glass and a dogs lead at the ready and we will be off to the beach to see the new year in.

Maybe it will be a lucky night
A couple of years ago half my champagne was consumed by teenage skinny dipping girls, running from the water to drink.
My dog didnt mind---she went swimming with them---and of course, I didn't object to the sight of naked young girls.

I doubt that will ever happen again, but I can dream.

Happy New Year to you all----I wish you all well and hope that this next year will bring you health, joy, contentment, and love.
If you wanted wealth, good luck with that---somehow, I think we have to work for it.

If you have love, you are wealthy beyond all dreams

See you on the other side

Party like there is no tomorrow---it will get here---see you on the other side

BELIEFS

Yes, it is me and my older brother and I did believe in Santa Claus

I'm not sure when I stopped believing or why I stopped.
Was it that I already knew but it was easier to get things from my parents if I asked Santa.
I do remember getting into trouble with a neighbour when I told one of their younger children that there was no Santa.

Are our beliefs only there to comfort us and when they dont work to our advantage, then we change.

I went to Presbyterian Sunday School and had a belief in a God and maybe a Jesus---I really dont recall.

I'm not sure if I had a second comming of belief in my teen years when I went to church youth meetings or if it was just that I just liked a few of the girls there---ok, one girl---hello Julie Pender

A Monsignor of the Catholic Church told me one day, that he thought that a lot of people who went to a "House of God" every sunday, only went to be seen by others and a lot who stayed at home had God in their heart and their house..
Do those who go, think that they are in the fast lane to something good ?

I had some sort of belief in a God until my brother died.
If there was a God, why would he let such a good man suffer and why would he let him die so early.
Why would such a God let bad things happen to children.

So I say that I dont believe---but every now and again, I yell at him on the beach and want answers to some questions----but he never answers.

Dont get me wrong. If you have a belief and that belief gives you some joy, I am happy for you.

It's funny that Chistians and Muslims believe in the same God, but they take their teachings from two diferent books written by men---and because those men had opposing views, then there is two opposing religions----and funny, it is a belief in the writings of men that make two groups have an opposing view on the same piece of history---
Hey guys, I might be right but I respect your right to believe.

If you believe in Santa, may he bring you everything you may wish for.
If you believe in God, may he answer your prayers

But no matter what you believe, may we all have peace, may you all have happiness, but most of all, may you be tolerant of the needs and beliefs of others

PLANNED TO BE LUCKY

I really dont know why things clicked early in my life, but I had this idea that I needed long term plans and goals.
They all seemed easier and cheaper to achieve if there was plenty of time allowed.

At the age of 17, I chose to invest in superanuation for my retirement and I made a decision to invest in a pension scheme, rather than a lump sum payout scheme. Somehow I worked out that the large lump sum at 17 wouldn't look that large when I reached 60, but if I was paid a fortnightly sum based on a percentage of my retiring salary, then I might be getting value at current day levels.

When my marriage ended, my ex-wife made sure that there was not a lot left for me in divorce property settlement. There was just enough for a deposit on a new house, but I chose to invest that in blue chip shares with dividend reinvest options and took to working four nights a week and weekends, beside my five day a week job.
Two years later I bought a house with a lot bigger deposit and still had my investment

My brother died young and I got a sum of money from his estate. I could have paid it off my house mortgage but chose to invest in another blue chip, reinvest dividend scheme that I was warned against by a financial planner.

Nine years ago, I built a new house. For me, it could have been a lot smaller, but I couldn't help but look at resale value and the off chance of a partner with a family.

Two years ago, I paid my house off and at the age of 60, my superanuation scheme matured and having saved my long service leave entitlements, I could retire from work with a substantial payout for that leave and claim my superanuation pension.

I laughed when I found out that my fortnightly pension with a retirement taxation bracket and no longer contributing to my superanuation scheme, wopuld actually be more than my final working day salary.

I am lucky. Not having to cash my investments actually means that because of the world wide financial crisis, I am accumulating more shares at a lesser price from my dividends and I have no doubt that they will regain their value.

I wanted to be in Scotland by now, to visit my mothers birth place and there is a couple of people there who I would like to meet---and of course, Ireland---there is a guy there I want to meet.
But if I wait two and a half years, I will be at official retiring age and get a government pension and a few worthwhile perks.---And I can cash one of those investments and make it a big trip.

So looking ahead and planning a few things, can make you lucky

And comming here occasionally, I am lucky to meet some very nice people

MY JOB ATE MY LIFE

All through my life I have never been one to have a big circle of friends.

At school it was always one or two friends, but a lot of school friendships.
From the age of 7, I was always friends with one guy
We went through different sporting careers, ran with different groups but we always came back together as that friend that you can always depend on.

He joined the airforce and was posted to interstate and overseas bases, but we always kept in touch
I went on with life with friends from sport and from work and I had another life with my horses and made friends there, but in the end, they seemed to move on when things changed.
I still see a lot of them but they are more acquaintances than friends.

I got married and moved to another area---all of our friends seemed to be my wifes's family or friends of their family.
For six years I did not see my school mate because of an argument between wives.
I worked two jobs to buy a house and make things more comfortable in my married life.

My marriage ended and so did all of the friendships from that time but luckily my old school friend was there for me----
I lost my house and most of my money in a fairly bitter divorce---bitter I suppose because she wanted everything including my dog and didn't care what she did or said to get it
The only thing that was never mentioned was my retirement insurance (superanuation)----so I never mentioned it and gave her the rest.

My life was turned on it's head so I turned to work to try to re-establish myself and unfortunately got lost in working.
I worked all of the overtime that I could get and worked nights and weekends to get myself back on top.

I made it---I bought a house, I bought a new car and had my finances back in very good order.
The only thing I forgot to do was to socialiize with people from work or make time to find and establish friendships.
Yes, I made a lot of work friends, but they were work friends---friends at work and the occasional work function

My school friend was still there and once out of the airforce, ended up working with me----we drove home every night together.
A strange, lonely married girl came into my life and we became very good friends---she lived close to me and our regular friday night involved a few hours at a local bar with her and my best mate.

My school friend, my best mate, always wanted to move to one of our warmer northern states, but for years we talked about retiring together, playing very bad golf and travelling together---his wife was happy with that because Europe did not interest her and she was happy to get him out of the house occasionally.
But two years before retirement, he bought a block of land in one of those warmer states and ended up retiring a year before me and moving to his new home.
The friday night drinks stopped when the strange girl left her husband and moved away.

I didn't really notice til I retired that working those long hours had left me with no social life and only work mates---and of course, my work mates are still at work.

Yes, I holiday in the northern state with my friend and I often talk to the strange girl, but I realise now that they are my only real friends in life.

Yes, it is a good feeling to own your own home and to have enough money to live on, but it would be a lot more enjoyable with friends.

Dont forget every aspect of your life---money isn't everything