The Life and Times of Peter Green
Archive: 23 April - 6 May 2018
"A rare moment- Kalorama Chestnut Festival Fairy caught on film."
April 23rdI'm not sure if it's the cat snoring on my bed, or work "stuff" ticking over in my brain , but I am not sleeping very well. Not whole nights tossing and turning, just waking up at strange moments . I'm certain I heard a plate crash in the early hours of the morning, but no sign of any breakage-weird!I'm trying to get a lot of Archive work done this week. Just a big tidy up before the on-sale stuff for Fleetwood Mac. As soon as Mac tickets go on sale all hell will break loose. I've even cleared the floor of my office, look Mum-CARPET again! I'm attempting to keep it that way. Mark says that will last a week. Mark surprises me by finding a very cool Enz article from 1979, I thought we had all the Roadrunner Magazine articles but not this one. Love the drawing that was with it. One for the Official Enz FB page I'm sure. Just when I clear every bill that we owe, I open the post box and three more. Three, what a pain. Don't you hate that? My life is dictated to by the number three, it always has been. April 24thNew neighbours moving in soon, unfortunately their dogs moved in first - they were left with food and barking all night. Poor things still getting use to all the animal noises in the national park. Poor us, so little sleep. At least it meant we were up bright and early today. The rest of the neighbours are rather angry about it.Need food, so breakfast at Montage. Nice to hear that the resident lard arse bully will be leaving the mountain soon and going to NSW to live. That explains why so many people in NSW are moving to Victoria-they know the horror is heading North. Driving back to the office and pass Nelly, her daughter and the new baby. It's like the Kalorama Royals out for a walk - on a day when other Royals have popped out a new kid. I give a Royal wave as we cruise on by, and a chuckle, it's such an inviting image-makes me smile. I'm editing and getting a few things ready for uploads today. Find a Tim Finn EPK so that can go on our You Tube page. Silvy takes a photo of yours truly, surrounded by Pumpkins at the store. It looks like Pumpkins have invaded Earth! We work in the office, catching up on tonnes of stuff. Mark discovers an ancient photo of his old bedroom at the Toorak Flat, neither of us have seen it before, it was on the end of a strip of negatives. All the way from 1979. Memories, a hallmark moment that's for certain. I head to the large vegetable patch in the afternoon to scurrage some last gasp vegies. It's now officially Autumn as the patch is covered in the most incredible golden yellow and rustic red leaves. The orange Halloween pumpkins still on the vine encased by these bright leaves. Natures pallet! Our neighbour Jason walking past asks if we have some dogs- seems the woofers next door kept our neighbours awake as well and they live quite a distance from us. The 4th lot that have commented on the new doggys. I call into the vets and buy Banshee some PH balance cat food- it could just be the mutts next door but she's gone off her food. She eats every last scrap of the PH food. April 25thA much nicer day for the Anzac Service. 300+ turn up at the main shrine at Kalorama. I have some flowers from Ailsa Craig picked, not as many as last year but glad we have some. I chat to an older veteran today which was nice. The lone biker from a few years ago, turmns up, and walks over and says hello-he still remembers me . Which was really nice.I head to the Kalorama oval with a second lot of flowers. The smaller shrine at the oval is always ignored, usually just 1 person and myself that leave some flowers. At least someone does I guess. I call into the General Store, and work on a photo image that I'm considering entering into the Chestnut Festival photo contest. Still undecided. My afternoon just vanished, photo image of Neil with Fleetwood Mac at "CBS-This Morning" arrived so spent the day putting that up and dealing with comments. Funny to finally have an image. Makes it all seem much more real. The tour dates for North America will be next, they'll roll off the back of this press moment. October 2018 to April 2019. Quite a full on American tour considering their ages etc . April 26thSad news today that Shirls dad Ron had passed away. The lovely Strachans, Ron & Joyce- always so kind to us. Ron always had a laugh with me - aged 93 - a good bloke! He will be missed. One of my favourite things in our archives is a Skyhooks monitor box with the bands logo across it. It's cool because Shirl and his dad made them. Now that's dedication to helping out your son.I get to meet one of our new neighbours today - seems like a pretty good guy, a cop too so that's interesting. Hopefully that means we are surrounded by good people. How many people don't even know their neighbours or like them? I put some of the more expensive fuel in the 4WD today, a bit of an engine clean. It seems to run more efficiently too- I was a bit cynical originally but I was wrong, it turns out that it has been a positive thing after all. Mark surprises me with the Bluray for "Swinging Safari" , very cool Aussie movie. Still it was from director/writer Stephan Elliott - of "Priscilla" fame. Semi autobiographical, 3 aussie families in beach-side seventies Australia. Excellent cast- Guy Pearce, Jeremy Simms, Radha Mitchell, Asher Keddie, Julian McMahon and the best thing Kylie has done in the last 20 years. What a character. Does my head in as she reminds me of my school mate Amanda and her "seventies look". I tell Miss Amanda that Kyles has pinched her look. It's cheerfully vulgar, and such dark humour. Jack Thompsons cameo as the Mayor is thew final thumbs up. As we are watching the credits "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" is playing- you know that song from 2 that Middle of the Road covered and sold 10 million. I keep saying "Wow Kylie should secretly cover this" and surprise surprise, it's Kylie sneaking in a version of it. I'll have to find it on iTunes as I don't think the soundtrack has been released. Anyway excellent movie. Thanks Marky. BluRay bliss! April 27thThe power is off in the National Park while they do further line work, so a rare day off for us. So we head off mountain for grocery shopping, lunch and a few other diversions. Bonus points at Woolworths so I have $20 off - thanks Woolies. Always nice to get $20 worth of grocery's for free.I mail our friend Fen a get well card, and wishing her all the best. Email arrives just before the power cut, that Tim Finn will be playing at 2 Australian Festivals later on this year- Caloundra Music Festival and the Lost Lands Festival . Finally great to have some TF shows, will have to venture to Lost Lands. April 28thMost of the day is spent on Neil Finn stuff in the office. Lots of emails, a few people still have a knee jerk reaction, you just want to say, "It's his life , shut up". None of this is a big deal, the world still turns. People need to chill out.I sent a friend in Sydney a letter, over 2 weeks back, 18 days for delivery. The usual shit standard by Australia Post. One of the worst postal services in the world. April 29thI have no idea what I did today. For once my real diary is empty. It's like a missing day , I should make up something exotic. No I'll leave it to your very vivid imaginations to think of a risque Sunday for yours truly.April 30thI'm driving back from the Olinda bakery and I notice a LOT of people burning off. We are not meant to do so till the 1st but with rain on the way I guess people are going to risk it . The council and cfa are clearing and burning large areas of the mountain so I doubt if the extra smoke from locals will make any difference. So we do the same. Within an hour it's all gone, the multiple haystacks , the tree drop. We shredded, mulched all that we could the rest gone. It's nice to have it out of the way. Plus nice and dry so it caught alight quickly. If we waited and it got wet it would be a hundred times worse and much more smoke. I work well with Marky, a really good team. We get stuff done.A parcel arrives from poet and music lover Jen Brown. Stoked as she signed our copy of Marsupial Wrestling which is her very cool book of poems, penned way back in 1975. It was probably the very first thing that Mark and myself went halves in. The other wonderful side is that she generously added some extra poetry books of hers including the "Great Southern" which is nearly impossible to get. We are stoked! May 1stThe locals are really going for it with the burning, Mt Dandenong now covered in smoke.I visit some neighbours and they all have the cold. I should of kept clear I know I now have it. We are avoiding humans this coming Winter. Locking the dates, razor wire, cats with guns, no one enters. Sending love to our mate Fen, for a positive recovery. Hope she got our card safely. My good deed for the day becomes three. Mary asks me to lift and re install her dryer, so that was easy. On the way home I stop and change a tyre on a young womans car. I get around the corner and spot a dog running insanely all over the road, so again stop , capture the mutt and tie him with some string while I call the owners. I must be going for Saint-hood today. St Peter, already taken, St Gryphon of the Sky Clan? May 2ndBy afternoon I'm coughing and sneezing. No doubt my body will fight this and gone without any drugs. Shirls dads funeral tomorrow but if I'm coughing no way am I going. Just don't want to be the person coughing all the way through it , always annoying.Our Prisoner marathon is almost over, just a dozen episodes to go. I can't believe we managed to watch 692 episodes! Insanity. We love all the faults, the way too many times aussie actors played up to 5 different characters on the show. The dark side, the excellent "Top Dogs". Yes we are Prisoner Fan Boys. May 3rdNeil and Liams spontaneous Largo shows cause the usual bum fights over tickets. Add to that Largo putting the first show on sale early and of course in the middle of the night here. Hopefully a lot of our Frenz managed tickets.I drive our neighbours to the station so they can head towards the airport for a NZ escape. A popped a cold tablet before so was a bit vague. At least I kept the car on the road. I'm coughing a lot so not going to the Funeral. I hate people who cough all the way through Funerals so I'm not going to be THAT person. I'll catch up with the family in a few weeks. My Mum sounds a bit 'flat' so i send her some flowers. I have a cool Florist that I use at the Gong , Mum always loves their floral bundles. It does brighten her spirits. I stay in the office till 9.40 PM tonight, lots of hot drinks but managed to get all my Emails done. May 4thTrying to get a full length mannequin for our archives and re-shoot all the stage costumes and tour Tshirts. I've asked the fans for help. A mere $1 donation (and they should get a little email surprise too). The fan base enjoys the archives daily, be it artwork, costumes or video footage, so hopefully a mere $1 to make this happen is a positive thing. This weekend I have allotted some times to backdrop repair. I took some Xray snaps which are handy to spot micro holes and some decay. Quite a bit of hand stitching to do, so some music, a heater and staying focused on the job.I head up to the art room this afternoon and hair dry the stone Rooster- a cool gift from Jen & Merl. Time for it to have a paint job, thought I might hippy him up a bit with some painted daisys. I put a snap on Facebook so just waiting on the "that's a big cock" jokes to roll in. As I head to the art room, a fine rain starts to fall, that lovely misty, slightly foggy , makes you wanna dance sort of rain. We've had so little, I'm impressed that Ailsa Craig is still so green and lush. I sniffle my way through a few hours work in the office this evening. Trying to stay on top of everything-almost succeeding. Back in the comfy lounge room with a fire blazing by 9AM, settle in and watch some movies with Marky. Just want to cuddle up under the Peruvian blankets with my boy and the cat! So lucky to have this fantastic relationship. feel sad for those who go through life with no one to love in their world. May 5thGrey old day, even a bit of sleet. Snow on the Alps, hope it improves for tomorrows Chestnut Festival.Mail a little Birthday present off to our friend Doug- so many Birthdays this month. Mine is only 6 days away on May 11th. Another year older but certainly not wiser. Asked my family for Bunnings Cards - that or JB cards, I really need nothing else. Mark asks me what show we are watching (again) after our epic Prisoner marathon. Of course I say BUFFY. He rolls his eyes. Once again I manage to freeze my Ice Coffee milk. It really is ICE coffee! My mind is on another planet! (Janet). You can tell Winter is arriving, Banshee is eating a lot more. She puts on a little bit of Winter fat against the cold, still she's as lean as a leopard. Give the Neil & Liam Largo #2 show a push- great for all those fans who missed out on Gig #1, big thanks to Billy for all his help. #2 sells out quickly. May 6thWake up with no sniffles. Lots of people walking along the road going to the Chestnut Festival. The money raised goes to our local Pre School so we always make the effort. The sun is out, well kind of, so it's looking like a Festival with No Rain. I head to the bakery and am shocked at just how full the surrounding streets are with cars trying to find parking spots. Maybe the largest crowd the Festival has ever had?A quick coffee at the General Store and Lynn gives me a flyer around the (No) Phone Tower -that they are thinking of building. I'm happy with what we currently have, so I'll say No. In some ways I wish the General Store had a complete no mobile black zone- detest the rudeness of people pulling out their phones over food and coffee. No manners. Most of the locals step outside but every so often someone doesn't. Head home as some mates are going to the Festival, almost a fight over parking near our street, and one car bogged in the water run off drain. I take the back way home. Park at gate #2 and a man tells me "I can't park there because it's someones drive way". I politely tell him it is indeed, it's MY drive way. He goes red faced, I just laugh. We head down to the Festival. The stalls are mighty this year. I find this semi Wicca stall and buy my sis a really cool brooch , filled with tiny local dried flowers. I ask the girl who makes all the pieces about a Rune necklace. Lots of happy people, old fashion rides for kids and even a Fairy with a huge smile. The Fairies only show up here every ten years- the kids flock to them. I last spot some friends dancing to Soft Cells 'Tainted Love'. I'm checking out a Peruvian jumper & 3 people come up to say "Hello" - they fess up they are readers of this diary, which always makes me laugh. (in a good way !!!! Not a crazy stalker way) so as promised. "Hi Roger, Kate & Jill". Lovely people-and Jill you were right, the grey & black jumper was the best. The felt hats are great too. Home again and we open the windows to the music coming from the oval on the live stage. The Mountain sounds so magical with music especially on a great day like today. So on that positive note Au Revoir my little creatures. PG x |