In March 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono went conducted the world’s first bed-in for peace. On the 40 th anniversary of this event, I take to my bed for the same reasons. Unfortunately, nothing much in the world has changed. In fact, there is a lot more to be disappointed about when it comes to world peace. Indeed, if John Lennon were still alive, he might well be in a righteous rage because of all the trouble in the world today. But let’s not dwell on these matters. I’m no...

“Tis the season to be jolly, fa, la, la, la, la, fa, la, la, la…”   If this is the case, then why are there so many angry people around at the moment?   It seems as though everywhere I go, I see scowling faces, twisted and scrooge-like, united in their anger.   It disappoints me and makes me feel a little sad.   Like a lot of creative people, or so I’m told, I am a bit empathic and sometimes find myself affected by the way other around...

Ooh, it makes me wonder…   First up, thanks to my friends here who have recently contacted me wondering if I was alright.   You lovely people are the reason I keep coming back.   I love you all very much.     I only realised I hadn’t posted anything for over a month after receiving a few ‘Where are you?’ emails.   As the saying goes, time flies like the wind and fruit flies like a banana…   Followin...

Wow, it has been a while since I put anything up here.  I've promised a few of you I would have something up about my recent holiday but something came along and knocked me off my feet, literally. I have been so sick with a viral infection of some sort, I've hardly had the energy to talk, let alone write or create anything.  Every part of me ached, even my toes.  I had the shivers and shakes and could not get comfortable enough for a decent nights sleep.  To make matters w...

There are a number of things in my life that are taking shape at the moment.  Some are good, some are not so good.  But this is the way life goes - as one phase of life ends, another begins. So, I'll assume you all want to know the bad new first... I recently had my 45 birthday checkup.  My doctor was particularly pleased to hear I'd given up smoking and had started exercising instead.  While there, I also had the usual checks - weight, body fat, blood tests etc.  ...

Be not afraid of growing slowly, Be afraid only of standing still.”   - Chinese Proverb   Yep, almost says it all, this does.   But I’m going to elaborate anyway.   I call this Bonsai logic.   Bear with me while I explain.   Everyone knows what Bonsai is, right?   It is a tree, usually, where it’s growth has been deliberately stunted.   The plants are usually grown in pots and are shaped by prunin...

Howdy friends, acquaintances and anyone else stopping by to check out my new ink.  For those of you who know me, I've had the last star added to my Southern Cross design just recently along with some more work on the compass rose I had done some time ago. I'm really enjoying the process.  The tattooist is Happy at a little shop called Mischief Moon, located in Surry Hills here in Sydney Australia.  Happy has a bloody excellent touch with the needle and is a down-to-earth good b...

Check out the following song (I would embed it if I could but I'm still failing miserably). The music is, well, okay, but it is the words that are important. There is a message for all of us in this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KnGNOiFll4

Well, its after two in the morning on the first of the first 2008, at least it is here in Australia. The fireworks were fantastic and I had a great night, albeit quiet. I went with one of the boys in the band to a mates place. We sat around his pool, drank a few, played some poker and let off some fireworks of our own. Very tame, but fun none the less. Unfortunately, my darling wife was working an overnight shift and while I'm used to the odd hours she works, I missed her even more tonig...

Turkeys are poultry not paltry. But I digress. This is not a post about the delights of raising table birds but a message to all my friends and acquaintances here at JU. You are wonderful people who continue to delight, confound, inspire, befuddle, humour and challenge me. I am thankful to you all and more grateful than you could ever know to call you friends. Have a wondeful day.

Last weekend, my band did their first ‘tour’ (if travelling for 3 hours to do a single gig and then turning around and coming home can be called a tour). We travelled to the capital of Australia, Canberra, to do a show at a great little venue called Toast. It was exciting, fun and we had a great time on the road, for the most part. I had to do all the driving, which is something I won’t do again. This was due more to poor planning on my part than anything else but I’ve learnt my lesson. ...

I haven't been around JU much lately, as I explained sometime back, because I've been particularly busy in the real world. I realised today all I've posted in the last couple of months have been poems. I thought I'd redress this. So, for those interested, here is a quick update. I'm just about done packing to go away to Queensland for a week. This means going north to warmer weather (YES!) and to where my wife has been for the past few days. She left last Tuesday (a week ago) to go to...

For those of you interested, my band played our first show with our new rhythm section on Thursday. We had a great time and it was really cool seeing the twins on stage finally. Candice and Alana have really added to the band in a big way. We've been rehearsing really hard for the last 4 or so months, first teaching them how to play all the material then getting them comfortable enough to play it live. The sky is the limit now we've also found a new replacement vocalist too. Emily has a ...