Pete’s Blog
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The Life-Ready Bar — Part II
Walking to the bar, the African picks up one of the schooners and drinks a mouthful. ‘Tastes like home,’ he says, smiling. ‘Smells like an abattoir to me,’ the Aussie says, eyeing the other schooner. There’s no way he’s drinking what looks like a glass full of blood....
A Walk in Melbourne
It’s an ‘almost Charles Dickens Day’ in Preston as I walk along the concrete slabs of a footpath: a small dog barks like a starter motor on a cold morning; the bristles of a hedge scrub the sleeve of my jumper and over-hanging fat green leaves touch the top of my...
When The Road Darkens #
“What do you fear, lady?” Aragorn asked. “A cage,” Éowyn said. “To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.”* Coming up-hill from the big town, I drive along a street towards our house...
The Life-Ready Bar
An African and an Aussie walk into a hotel to enrol in a course. They're met in the foyer by a well-dressed lady who shows them to a room with three exit doors. The first door has a sign above it that says, School-Ready Bar, the second door says, Job-Ready Bar and the...
‘Spend it!’ she says, smiling.
It's just another quiet night out here in the yard. The trees are doing their sentinel silhouette thing, as if they're waiting for something. The dog is just over there and the stars are burning. I feel the odd one out with my lean towards hurry. Hurry about what?...
Temple of Light
It's night and I've wandered into a big space of glaring white fluorescence with number one daughter. She's lugged her year-twelve art project here to be left alone with it. But I'm allowed, cause I'm the Dad, looking and wondering at this gigantic mobile of photos...
What Were You Thinking?
It's not every day you get to have a journalist sit at your family dinner table and record the conversation. But that is what is going on. I'm okay with it and I hope my wife and children are. The fact is, I like this guy, we all agreed to this—actually, teeth a bit...
Coming Home Late
It's late-ish. A candle burns and I'm flaked on the lounge. Simon and Garfunkel sing, 'wishing to be homeward bound'. Fortunately, I am at home and my love isn't waiting silently, she's singing along. I wonder what it would be like to be at home but not really: like...
The Chief
You're all grown up now—and guess what? The planets have lined up, it's a blue moon and pigs are flying: you're out of uniform, inside school property and on your way to the principal's office! Even those walking the other way seem to know—and out of respect and...
Dad Music
I'm six and half years old, a nuggety kid who can ride a bike faster than my brothers, except for my older brother, who sometimes beats me—actually he almost always beats me. But that's okay cause my dad rides a horse in the sunshine. It's a great grey animal that's...