Front Of House Brick Wall Project

When I moved Into this house my first thought was to create a boundary and fence or a hedge. It took about 8 weeks from thought to Finish.

SO the first job was to extend the existing limestone, which Ben Moore and I struggled to do.

Then together we built the brick wall and then waited for the Aluminium wood look panels to arrive from china. 

After six weeks they arrived and I started the job of cutting and installing them. 

Luckily a friend Tom arrived to help me, then Ben turned up to help us finish off. 

All in all the end look is more than my original boundary thought, but looks great. 

I am happy. 

THANKS to Ben and Tom Overbeek for the help.

Nice To Know

It is nice to know some people have gone through the same torture and feeling that ones self has, not for any other reason than to know you are normal.

It is not easy attempting to be someone else to please others. My advice to YOU is - always be yourself, in every way.

GOD Bless You

It Was OK whilst It LASTED

Like many things in life, it comes to an end, quite quickly too.

After begging to return to work and being fortunate to be placed and work in the prosecution area it lasted just four weeks, now I leave to further grow within the company.

The past four weeks was a rapid learning experience and a period were I thought I struggled, mainly due to data bases and different particulars having to be placed in different areas, learning which is which and what is what in my case WTF, at times it was not so easy. But I actually felt like I was getting a grip on it over the last week but I will not find out now, well not in the near future. I am pleased with my time there all the same and thankful for the opportunity to gain another way of processing what is required.

"Looking Over My Shoulder"

Today my mentor called me aside into an area where no one could here or see us chatting, it was a long walk as I thought I had erred in a big way and was about to be lashed with a torrent of comments about my ability, silly how the mind works. I was told I would be moving on and then I was thanked for my efforts, I in return apologised for my somewhat slow response to picking up the tasks, that comment was met with compliment and thanks and negative. It made me feel better about my time there. My mentor then asked me to see the manager at some stage today to discuss my move.

And so, as I walked the long corridor all 3 meters of it towards the boss's lair I was again fearful and worried of the outcome, being a middle aged man and suffering such a severe injury as I have weighs heavy on the mind, will I every recover, will I ever be strong again, will I be deemed a liability and aged man, will I be put out to pasture and will my colleagues respect and confidence be lost forever, I hoped someone was looking over my shoulder.

I was met with a smile, and then a thank you for my efforts in prosecution and forwarded the reason for my relocation. I had the opportunity to relay my fears and thoughts for the future, a future that I hoped would be 20 years or more. I was kindly advised that the times I have laid in bed and waited for the sandman to fill my eyes and put me to sleep as I thought my future was doomed were all in vain. I was told my knowledge, my commitment and my willingness to learn and be mentored had not gone unnoticed and my future would be further enhanced to assist my progress as I recovered from my injury. It was pleasing to know that I was not a complete dud and that my efforts, by no means great but my efforts had been noticed.

So tomorrow I will step into another area, an area which will teach me, to type faster (probably), to analyse, to create, to scrutanize, to be a statistician and to grow and be more of a use to the company. I am pleased, excited and again will be tireless in my efforts to make a good impression and meet gaols and deadlines.

For over six years now I have been, privately, extremely grateful for my employment, I have to my close colleagues voiced my satisfaction, satisfaction that I work for a company that has graced me with respect, assistance, excellent conditions and a more than satisfactory financial income. Some would disagree, but they on the most disagree with all of what life gives them so I tend to ignore their input. Respect is a two way street, once it is lost then a change is required.

Slow Improvement

News on the injury that has lead me to where I am today (broken fibula and fractured tibia, dislocated ankle, major joint trauma and more screws and plates holding me together). The physiotherapist advised me that the progress will be slow and the swelling could take up to a possible two years to go. The surgeon told me that realistically with such a major (his word) injury It would be likely to be up to a year before I could return to my pre injury duties. I have now come to terms with that scenario and I will strive to beat the one year mark/anniversary by as much as possible, but truth be known I am struggling a bit. Walking, mostly, is normal but on occasion is painfully difficult, running jogging or any impact work is just a big NO NO. So in the mean time I will learn more, become more useful and continue to grow my multi skilling abilities.

On a positive note I am able to sit in a golf cart between swinging a golf club.

Best Wishes and thanks for dropping by.

On The Train

I am now into my fourth month of daily entering the abyss of the prosecution office in Perth. I have been taught and shown so much in such a short period of time, I am kind of confused and still learning how to do it all and pestering everyone else with one off questions. I know all I have been shown and taught and now have to figure out how the puzzle goes together.
Frustrating to say the least. 


My day starts at 05:15 with a strengthening program at the gym (Aqua Jetty) and then the drive home in a trance to eat and shower. I say in a Trance because I am normally just waking up, I would not get through the training if I was awake. The Gym is a bit weird, other gyms I have been to have young strapping bodies around, but this one has only two people like that and the rest are over 60. Then there is me, stuck in between, almost fit, almost nearly old and greying hair. I feel like they all look at me think look at midstream Mick over there, or look at almost Alan, or Nobby no mates and at worst whos is he trying to kid Ken. But it is all apart of my return to work program which is scheduled to end in 2014.

At seven I take the sandy walk to the bus stop, stepping over the wind blown sand heaps and mush from passing vehicles. It is Great for office attire. The bus is always full of school kids mostly in un ironed uniforms, un shaven, scraggy hair and eyes gluey with eye poo. Do their parents have no pride any more, my mum worked her ass off to make sure we always looked as clean and tidy as possible. My mum would even spit on her handkerchief and wipe the eye poo off and clean the corner of your mouth after, you could smell it all day and taste it until you ate morning tea. Teen girls are being the loudest and most verbally offensive to each other and the boys who ogle at them. The girls language is atrocious and would be on a building site of strapping and hard core workmen. If you look at them in disgust they stare for a moment then lift their eyebrows and wrinkle their noses up and turn away from you like its your fault for being older. The boys how ever, they just stare in wonder at what is below the offensive behaviour uniforms and they stare goggle eyed wondering if they could tame the lioness as if they are still in a wet dream.

Onto the train at Warnbro is a different story. I am in the habit of packing a book, I take a seat and read and smell only. Nobody is talking, its seems it is not allowed on the train. People just stare at the floor or read, and the older men perv on the well dressed office chicks. Looking around I have noticed that Asian, African, Olive skinned in fact any non Caucasian person is happier than the white people and smile more, they seem at peace with life and the fact they are living in Perth. Caucasians how ever are solitary looking and sad, like the world is about to end, they don't realise that life is truly awesome in Perth.

Well, let me tell you this, getting a smoker within three meters of your space on a train does certainly take away the power of perfumes and after shave, disgusting. You can see people turning away and moving so they don't have to have the gross smell lingering with them for half a day or more. The smell grips onto your nostril hairs for hours after.

Dreamy and relaxed, my journey into Perth is nice, the fog on some cold mornings and the glistening of the swan river every morning is only beaten by the sun rising from the eastern hills and showing me the massive amount of colour nature can throw at you for a short time, it really makes me feel happy to be alive and is a great way to start the day. 

The walk from train to office is refreshing, at this time of year it is not hot or warm its just slightly cold and crisp. My dreamy state continues as I listen to background music and musical repertoires in my ears as I plod over the horseshoe bridge and down the four flight of stairs and then it ends, my ear plugs are removed and my phone of musical calmness is turned off. I enter the abyss, I am now in amongst the historic and lasting red brick work which is peppered with cheap screen walls and door ways that lead to office desks that are rarely dusted and cleaned and computer keyboards that have NEVER been cleaned (other than mine which took me over and hour and soiled three cleaner cloths, I started by tipping it upside and shaking it, over 10 million nostril hairs fell out of it mixed with 5 million eyebrow hairs, all black in colour).


Thank GOD for life and thank GOD my nostril hairs are greying and not black, you cant blame me for keyboard clogging.

Happy days to you all until I get time to Blog again.