Opinion Australia

Been watching a DVD tribute to John Lennon. Watching all the old footage of the concerts and the fashions etc really made me surprisingly homesick for ‘the old days.

Quite sad really… time has flown on and like a lot of ‘older people’ I recall the days of my youth with some affection and regret for things not done. I think I’m hitting shades of Maslow’s ‘hierarchy of needs’ and the self actualisation factor is causing me some questions.

I’ve always maintained that under most circumstances, if not all, there is nothing any of us should be ashamed of in the way we live our lives. All of us are the sum of our interaction with others combined with our inherited characteristics. Essentially this is a guilt mitigating strategy in that it tries to absolve you of any blame in the wya your life has developed.

Of course, looked at from the most positive perspective it means that whatever the end result of our lives may be, it means we arrived there having done the best we could with the choices we were presented through our lives.

Now whilst this is really useful absolution strategy (and I feel 100% accurate representation of the facts as we know them) this does rather open the door to being used as an excuse for all sorts of excesses that in the extreme case it validates a a total breakdown in law and order… so has its limitations

Trouble is I don’t have a full explanation of just *why* we shouldn’t run around causinf mahyem and living a life of excess and debauchery…

… and there I stop. Don’t ask me how I got onto this topic ‘cos I have no idea. Maybe the depression got to me again

My parents as you may remember, came over last year for Xmas and stayed until Easter before leaving for home and the warmth of the UK summer.

They are are now suggesting coming back *this* year for the same deal… a six month stint – if they can manage it. And there’s the run as Shakespeare was wont to say. There’s no saying they can manage it.

Seems the old lady has deteriorated badly since returning home and since the Oz government already turned down a request for a visa extension it is a moot point currently if they will allow her to return as a tourist for another visit.

All we can do is wait and see of course but the possibility of their arrival makes long term planning a tad difficult. Add to their possible arrival the suggestion by my eldest daughter that she, her two kids and her boyfriend will be trying to come over as well to stay over Christmas and New year and you might be able see the edges of panic beginning to ripple around the fringes of my psyche.

Now throw the daughter being pregnant and intending to arrive a month before the birth
… and how do I feel?
If it all comes off… there could be at least 11 of us here. If we have any foster kids here too then all I can say is that Xmas is going to be a *very* ‘interesting’ time.

Hmmm… the collapse in the price of gold led to the demise of many of the sites I was involved with resulting in my losing great chunks of income. Had I more experience I might well have weathered the storm better but I didn’t, and I didn’t.

However, as with all things, you live and learn. I’m much more aware of what’s happening now and whilst returns are way down on the projections, profits *are* coming in just the same. It’ll be a few weeks… maybe months… before I recoup my losses but recoup I will.

In the meantime, it’s just a hard slog

I hate being depressed. Makes a mess of everything you do. relationships suffer, your general day to day life suffers. Long term prospects suffer…. not matter which part of your life you look at its affected. And then there’s the effect it has on those around you… and knowing you’re disturbing *their* lives just makes things worse of course.

Bit of a pig really.

Been ‘one of those days’. Started off with one child going on an ‘access visit’ to its birth mother… followed by a visit to the post office to post a couple of letters… then to the solicitors for yet another round of the Landscaping Saga which is still playing on after three years.

From there the day improved slightly with a visit to the garage for a car wash…. … and thence to the rock climbing emporium where my 10 year old spent an hour being hauled up assorted walls

Then off to the foster agency to pick up the ‘access’ child and then to the Woolies for a burst around collecting food for the weekend and then home.

Now… ask me why I’m bored. Roll on next week when I can delve into my virtual world and find a happy place