Ten Pound Pomms
Just watched the series and it imediately brought back memories of when we left the UK in 1982 being the last group of “Pomms” to get assisted passage to Australia.We chose Perth Western Australia simply because it had the best sunshine average ! We arrived by flight and met some people who after 41 years are still our friends ( we have made many more in the 41 yrs in Australia ) I had forgotten all about the Nissan huts that were to become our home for 5 months (we also found them to be liveable) and the communial hall where the food was not the best !! Spiders were a part of our new life,a creature I was previously terrified of in the UK and I can now happily testify I have been cured ! Kangaroos were and still are plentiful,although on my Australian run around I have seen many sadly killed at night by cars.Kookaburra,s making their loud laughing calls in the morning,crows and the notorious magpies protecting their young if we dared stroll into their territories ! The RED terrain ,the outback towns looking very Victorian and of course Aboriginees ( a full blood who is also gay is the godfather to my late daughter) I am only into Episode 2 and the memories of me and my wife at the time bringing 2 little kids from our UK home to Western Australia .England is where my roots are and after 41 yrs I am back in Lancashire doing the bucket list and thank Australia for being a home and a massive part of my life. Yes were were Pomms ( not much of a whingee tho) and dismissed people who attempted to name call call us .
Putting life into Perspective
Looking at todays news,I despair how news items are warped ( for me) Some morning news “star” has been sacked ,ho hum and a main MP is being investigated because she tried to get her driving fine dismissed ( and yes she paid the fines and recieved the appropriate points deduction) Meanwhile Russia is flattening a town in Ukraine because ONE man sez destroy everything in sight,kill,rape and torture the inhabitants BUT lets put that on the back burner eh? because a broadcaster ( worth millions apparently) has lost his job and a top MP is being hunted because of a trivial speeding ticket? I,m lucky enough to have lived thru to 50,s ( school) the 60,s( teenager) and seen the good that came out of the aftermath that was world war 2. People , sadly these days are transfixed to their phones which I find a major distraction and dont understand this phenomenon ! (I feel I should sing that,for them what know)
Time Goes By
I have now been back in my home town Blackpool for over 2 months,settled into a small flat and having fun still at my ripe old age .Doctors are hard for instant consultations,however, there is a unique medical service open to all ,aptly named The Walk In centre. I have used this service a couple of times and was treated exceptionally well. One nurse has recently watched a programme on the telly re ten pound pomms ( not seen by me) and when I told her I lived in Australia for 40 yrs she wouldnt let me leave the surgery ( not as ominous as it sounds!) and I ended the conversation stating that the whingeing pomm tag was no accident !!
At this later stage in my life I reflect on the good times I have had,the experiences I have witnessed and as a nipper was classed as the runt of my large and lovely family ( I am one of seven,being 5th in line and there fore the tin bath water was still luke warm !!) I wander around town ( thanks to my free bus pass) and see all the changes made,people walking aimlessly looking at their phones,kids trying to get attention from the parents whose eyes are tyransfixed by the phone! I was lucky enough to have lived through a childhood with NO tv and our education was provided by a well organized school or by my pals always playing out on what was safe streets ,and great clouds of smoke coming out of peoples heads by virtue of a craze called Vaping ( the new cigarette fad )
In the last 5 days I will have attended 2 funerals BUT sadly a great way of meeting up with yesteryears pals ,who when attending the wakes point at our friends stating “they are next” in a good humoured way. When I depart ,I don,t want sadness and would like a “naughty” comedian to tell a few Jokes ( in the Bernard Manning style ,look him up on You Tube and be prepared to be offended) I consider myself to be a very lucky man and have met many people who have also become life long pals and lots of my group age are leaving and hopefully they have built the best bar in the here after !! Schooled throught 50,s, a teenager through the 60,s lived in Africa,Australia and Gt Britain.luckily enough to have visited friends in Canada so yes indeed a very lucky man Peace to you all
1959 Buddy Holly,s Final Year
I went to watch the Buddy Holly Story be shown at a theatre in my home town of Blackpool and shed a little tear listening to the great mans songs being acted out on stage/\.Memories came flooding back on the way we lived and the simplicity of it all .At times I wore jeans to school that had holes in them and considered to be a poor person,oh how I wished I had saved those Jeans and could have sold them today as designer gear.Young teenage girls wore dresses that had underskirts underneath their dresses,hair styles were fabulous and the Teddy Boy era was coming to an end.Buddy was and still is my favourite singer of all time.I was in a friends house when the news came through and as a 13 yr old I was devastated .His music is still with me and once upon a time I had all the LPs,singles and CDs ( now in Queensland with my ex) The show itself was great and as always ended sadly with the deaths of Buddy,thje Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens.Its pleasing to know that after Buddy,s death 64 years he still lives on through his music .I have relocated back to UK and my home town is famous for putting on top class theatre shows for the Summer season ( which is just about to start and hopefully I will get to see more live musicals this coming season
December 9th 2022 New Start begins
As the end of 2022 approaches at a very fast pace (still 24 hours in a day tho?) I embark on a new phase of my life. I will be doing my bucket list in my home town Blackpool situated on the North West coast of England and the wonderful Irish Sea. On very clear cold days I have seen from that place the far off Barrow in Furness ,the Great Orme in Llandudno ( a favourite place of my dads) and even the Isle of Mann ( cats have no tails there,and the National Mann flag consists of 3 legs ! use your own imagination on that one !) I will catch up with family and friends from my very distant mispent youth . Age & health have caught up with this old geezer and after I return to Perth more adventure awaits ( details coming soon) Now racing towards 80 I still have lots to do and see .Many of my friends and immediate family are no longer with us and I am very fortunate to have reached my current age and experienced a very full life …SO stay tuned ,more to come .Hopefully ( if I can find free wifi) I will do blogs on my Blackpool Christmas/New Year stay
All Quiet on the Western Front
I have just watched a German made movie based on the lives of battle front Germans in WW1 called All Quiet on the Western Front.It shows the absolute horror of painful deaths,amputations and great family losses.
Numbers of losses were a strain on the manufacture of uniforms of which were heavily blood stained and retrieved from slain soldiers and reissued .Although these lads were German, they were human and fighting because a group of men declared they must go and fight !! Those soldiers of all nations couldn’t refuse to fight because they were classed as cowards or traitors and consequently, would be condemned to death by their own leaders ! ( think that would be called a Catch 22 situation these days)
I recently watched a moving short based on New Zealands HAKA history ,when during the world war at Christmas opposing enemies came together to play football.The New Zealanders performed the HAKA in uniform and the terrorized look on the oppositions faces was great until they realized they were being entertained ! The football match proceeded and ended with handshakes and jovial back slapping,wishing each other Merry Christmas and then (ironically) sadly back to killing each other !!
In this year of 2022 one very awful person has ordered 1000,s to go and die in a country that doesn,t belong to them ,for what? domination ? This planet is so very unique in our solar system and yet a small minority are hell bent on destroying this wonderful, beautiful world that belongs to ALL humans. People of this world, rise up, strive for peace (for three score and ten average life time that is not a long enough to appreciate life )
Looking at news films on Ukraine and to see how that country has been ravaged by a meglomaniac is reminscent of past wars ,only this time it could possible escalate to a catastrophic era never before witnessed ,all brought on by the lunatic rantings of again, ONE man.Current fad is for people to sit in roads to prohibit “normal” people going on with their lives and I say to this lunatic fringe get yourselves organized into one massive group and protest for world peace!! People of colour (black,brown,white,yellow,red,creed,religion,ethnicity and any I have missed ) get yourselves together and create world peace !! Wouldnt that be nice ?
1000 BLOGS !!!
I have loved writing in this form for around 12 years and for me it is a reminder of what was and where I have been .
Firstly I,d like to have a go at Woke People ,why the hell are they trying to make life a misery? Comedians must find it extremely tough these days ,In my pub/club days if I walked in late and the performing comedian was in full swing they would invariably have a go at me ( and others) People laughed and had such great times .Bernard Manning to me was a brilliant comedian and I have been in his club many, many years ago .Nobody was safe from him, BUT that was part of his show .People who don,t like his material were advised to stay away ( they didn,t!) Chubby Brown is renowned for his very bluntness and crude jokes ( I,m not a fan) People who find his material offensive simply keep away .I am not now or ever will be a racist which seems to be fashionable these days and I am certainly NOT a “privileged white person”
Being one of seven we weren,t rich but happy . Mam kept us in good food and at times struggled to clothe us with new stuff .At school people had nicknames that had to be accepted (whether we liked the names or not) We didnt have luxuries like phones ( thanks for that) or computers . Walking was necessary as we didn,t get lifts , teachers caned me and we still survived ! Respect was earned ,bad lads were sent to juvenile detention ( Borstal) Currently there is a black comedian who has done very well for himself and even got a Knighthood !! Always complaining about diversity and yet he is playing a dwarf in a Tolkien series ( he is by the way 6.3 tall) but thats ok eh Len? Sadly the world is on edge at the moment BUT people are still complaining about wokeism !! Ive had a great life, been lots of places, still got childhood pals ( thinning out a bit now tho ) I,m an Atheist but still believe in wrong & right
So come people (never find out who “they” actually are) stop being miserable,have a laff and learn to live with each other ,So endeth my 1000 th Blog
The Lady Of Heaven & other Stuff on my 999th Blog
Just reading about a group of so called religious MEN protesting outside a cinema in the UK and causing the Cinema Group to withdraw the showing of The Lady Of Heaven .It is very noticeable that there isn,t any women noticed in the pictured protest. People showed the protestors waving placards , using loud hailers to get the message across and begs the question WHY are the empowered enough for this action? The manager of the cinema looked terrified SO? should the protesters be sued for intimidation?
In another story illegal migrants are suing the Government because they do NOT want to be sent to Rwanda. Whilst people who are living on the streets and being British born are receiving nothing .Who advises these people ? are they made aware of their rights before they leave Europe via small craft? Army barracks have been available near a village in Yorkshire for the migrants (that were good enough for soldiers once upon a time) It has also become noticeable that the residents of the near by barracks are up in arms and protesting very strongly (where ere these people when other parts of the country were being invaded?) and probably the Barracks will remain empty
It is rumoured (?) that migrants (illegal) are being housed in the best Hotels ,provided with 3 meals a day and provided with pocket money. The migrants are probably informed well in advance of the “easy” life that awaits them in the UK ,and after a short while will be able to protest on such issues like the fore mentioned movie . The Britain I knew as a kid has gone ., protection for the weak and homeless is virtually non existent ,crime has gone through the roof BUT rest assured you will get caught and punished very quickly if you are a naughty motorists
Comon UK Gvt do something and make the UK great again BTW when I was born in the 40,s the world pop was around 2.5 Billion (after WW2) it is now 7 Billion plus !! So glad to have lived school all through the 50,s Teenager through the 60,s and a very fortunate life. Good luck for the future World
Ageism versus Youth
Recently watched Punk Rockers series PISTOLS, and was interested to hear them taking on the world in the early 70s. Interestingly as young teenagers they referred to old people not accepting their music and being dinosaurs , are now themselves pensioners. Admittedly I was of the same opinion as a teenager but on reflection I wish I had envisioned what the future held for we potential “oldies” and how we could make it better. Through the generations I and my peers never gave much on how to plan our retirements ( hindsight is a wonderful thought) .The NOW generation are probably of the same opinion as I was back in those now far off days. Old age is a privilege and I am grateful to be in this “state” as a lot of my immediate family and some great friends are no longer with us .Yes I miss them very much and IF a time machine is invented I will revisit a lot of my past earthly adventures .A favourite song of mine in the 60.s by the group The Who featured a line “Hope I die before I get Old ” (Song My Generation) and the lead singer would be in his late 70s! Some of my “now” ageing friends are confined to wheelchairs and the greatly use of walking aids and tales of falling over ,unable to get back up without assistance.SO message for you young uns ? beware hopefully you will reach seniority. Moral is…don,t wait for age to creep up unexpectedly, plan for the future .Stay Safe
Sad Times for Renters
This past few days a rental came up on my Face Book,so I decided to register and go and have a look . I arrived at my dedicated time slot and there were literally dozens of people having a look see .It was advertised as a one bedroomed premises with shower and toilet. On arrival the quoted car space was a small patch of grass and a fair walk down a darkened passage to the “house”
Inside was a single room with a small half dividing wall and that was it !! SO the lounge,kitchen,bedroom were in one small area and just hidden away a toilet and shower (at least it was private)
The back exterior was extremely small impossible to be utilized for any outdoor activity .If a proverbial cat was swung there it would be definitely be brain damaged ! .The air con machine outside has seen better times, I actually felt sorry for the estate agent whose job was to lease it
For this property ( incidentally tagged onto a main house that are affectionately named “Granny Flats” not for my granny tho )..Rent is an incredible $260 weekly with a $1100 bond deposit !!
Australia is a massive island and I m sure the Govt could spend money on building buildings for young people, retirees and charge a nominal rent . Rentals are at a premium and therefore command silly rental prices at the moment
One redemption feature about the premises is it is only minutes away from the railway station !!
I am well past the “one foot in the grave” stage ,so comon Gvt,why does everything have to be about money?
Me ? think I will buy a tent !!!
Watch me play Didgeridoo
Geoffs Life After Work ! 