The Life and Times of Peter Green
Archive: 18 April - 1 May 2022
"ALT's ALTITUDE special re-issue out May 6th". A must have!
April 18thWinter is coming, the weather has turned up here on Mt Dandenong. Wet and cold, grey skies. The Parklet is out so I sit at one of the tables in front of Olinda bakery. John walks by and we take a few fun photos. I don't mind the one of me so I end up using it on my Sheepbook page. John camps it up like some exotic pole dancer! He is fun.Home and I talk to Miss K in Pittsburgh for awhile, great she is loving her new job. I spend most of the afternoon completing a little 'To Do' list , like fixing an outside light and it's huge cover that came crashing down during a storm. Always something to do at Ailsa Craig, or in the office. It's strange, it feels like i do more things now since I have "retired' ... but I will never retire we all know that. Who am I kidding. Morrison is talking shit on TV, I still haven't agreed to my election work so I don't have to be neutral for a few days. I think it could be an oddball election result, who knows. I would love it if vile Gladys Liu is kicked out, Incompetent Richard Colbeck and useless Slowmo. Maybe as a political desert Dr Monique Ryan winning Fraudenbergs seat of Kooyong. That would make me do the happy dance. April 19thNeil gets Covid and cancels the last of the Aussie Crowded House dates. I wait a bit and contact him just to make sure he is ok. He is. Covid-Lite! Still, it must be frustrating as the guys followed all the rules in their little bubble but it still sneaked in. If one more person tells me "Neil Finn has Covid" like I wouldn't know, I may well scream. I was going to lie and say it was the Finns missing brother Cornelius who has it, media error. But some people are not fun. Get well Neil.I repay the Salvo's the $0.30c that i owe them. Good to be honest. Andy Whites on the ABC tonight, David Astles show and he sounds great. I create a really good Mexican dinner and yes indeed Midori Margaritas too. Double YUM. April 20thI take Mark to lunch at Montage and Mr White turns up with the re-issues of the ALT "Altitude" cd and the glorious double vinyl release. I can't way to soak in those 5 bonus tracks. The vinyl is beautiful Every copy has now sold out here in Australia via ALT band camp. All gone in 6 hours? So we are hitting the ALT reserve stock in the UK one more tiny batch for Australia-NZ. I expect these will go fast too. After that fans will probably be stuck paying some insane price on Ebay. So if you are reading this, head to ALT band camp and do yourself a favour, score one of the last copies. Here: https://altandyliamtim.bandcamp.com/We take a few photos with the vinyl. The KISS can't see us without our make up photo of Andy & myself, my red beanie down over my face and Andy hides behind his hat. HA! A fun morning. So many will be thrilled that their stock has arrived , and "A" mailing it out fast before the release date on May 6th. April 21stI agree to all my AEC offers, so working the election in several areas. So here am I , neutral as all hell. Biting my tongue, but my face may well cringe and give the game away when people insist on telling who they are voting for. Strangely enough I am really good at the Polling booth, just happy that Australians get a chance to vote , that's the main thing for me.I dance around the kitchen with Marky and Banshee. Poor Banshee not much time left but she is happy, she loves me cuddling her, dancing, Purring all the time. I give her even more love while we can and let her get away with everything. She loves the Stones "Wild Horses"... is this "our" song Marky? Banshee likes to lead when Josie & The Pussycats "3 Small Words" comes on the Google Nest. April 22ndHell my birthday on May 11th. So what gorgeous presents are you all sending to PO Box 50, Kalorama? Really? Boy you guys are so generous. HA! Oh well another year and still really healthy , that alone is a great present. I watch so many mates suffering varying degrees of illness. I want to be able to run, jump, hop, shag and not have too many creaks and groans for a few more decades. Well, unless they are groans of ecstasy.My last day working with ALT, which has been a joy. Well technically not my last day, 3 days closer to release too. I broke it up so they get more bang per buck. They all seem very happy around everything I have done. I hear from my mate Deano who has injured himself and he's alone at Paradise Beach. I worry that he doesn't have any food, so yes you guessed it. Mark gives me his blessing, I jump in the car with what i had on, stuffed in a few pillows and my bed cover in case I come back around 3AM. I decide not to tell Dean. Really a quick surprise, bring him some food and see if he needs medical help. So off I go late afternoon, 250km one way-exactly from our place. The traffic is ok, lots of road work and the Red Beast is happy to go for a run. I give the car a pat. 150 kms I pull over to a roadside sleep area, call Mark and take a piss. I also call Dean and pretend I have ordered him a Pizza and drink for dinner and the white lie that I'm having it delivered via Uber. He gets a bit freaky and I guess blown away. One day he will learn that we love our friends and will look after them. Well if they become bitching A-holes they get the flick but till that time, we will go the extra yard for them because we love them. As I get closer I call Mark again and reassure him I have not fallen asleep behind the wheel. Three nights in a row with very little sleep hasn't left me in the best shape to do a solo 500KM drive. I arrive at Sale, it's taken a bit longer than I expect. I buy more fuel at this strange petrol station, with no one inside. Eventually a woman wanders out from the back, she's been cleaning. The disgruntled customers behind me give her a dirty look. I ask the lady next to me for a local Pizza shop & there is one just around the corner. They are called Zdrazils (251 York street Sale). Really nice family business and I let them in on my Pizza Delivery Surprise. Dean calls , and I tell him the Uber driver left 5 mins ago and she sent me an sms. That she is cute, yes a beautiful woman will be delivering your food. He calls me back 10 mins later and says she is here, the car is in his yard. No wait they are driving away. So imagine my surprise to hear that Dean is chasing a car down the main street of Paradise Beach with his injured back, waving a big torch. It turns out to be a guy simply turning in his drive looking for the Paradise Beach camping ground. "No nothing for you, no Pizza here". Oh god I laughed and boy is he going to kill me now! I certainly am no beautiful woman Uber driver! HA! Pizzas on the back seat, free garlic bread and drink- which was so nice of Zdrazils. I think , they must of thought I was a freak, I'm running on empty, just adrenaline keeping me awake. Of course i somehow get lost at Paradise Beach, it is a starless night and I have been to the beach houses several times, during the day. So i call Dean and pretend I gave the Uber person the wrong address and as he repeats the right one, into my GPS it goes. 5 minute slater I've hidden my car out front, pull my cap down, Pizza lids up and practice my Sexy Uber Woman "Pizza Delivery" voice. I call out in my sexy siren voice, he answers the door . I drop the lid and he has the biggest smile on his face-ever. I'm assuming it's because of me and not the mountain of free Pizza. "You crazy bastard" he says from within the grin. The best cuddle hug I've ever had. So a long fun night and his injury slowly seems to be getting better. Pizza cures all ? So I stay the night , which of course I was hoping for. I adore Paradise Beach. When I arrived at this sea side town a few hours ago I swear i could feel it wash over me , it makes me so happy. We watch nearly all The Alien movies, talk, endless laughter, and stuff ourselves rotten with what ended up to be really nice Pizza's. I stand on the decking and look at the most beautiful moon watching us over Paradise tonight. Call Mark and say goodnight and off to bed for me. April 23rdA tiny ray of sunshine manages to sneak past the curtains. I can hear Dean snoring, so I tip toe out and try not to wake him. I find my windcheater and decide to use that for a towel and cross the road for a swim. It is beautiful outside, I am happy. I haven't had a shower, so I'm a bit sweat covered so the ocean will be my shower today. I walk down the sandy path and the gorgeous beach greets me. Only a few fishermen. So what the hell, I strip to my underpants , I've lost weight, I won't scare too many people. Even my early morning hard on looks "respectable" . HA! In i go and it's not too cold-well. If nothing else that removes the hard on!!!! Only in for 10 mins and I go for a walk along the beach. So funny how I got here, the Kalorama disaster, something good from the bad.I sit in the sun so no real need to dry off. Ruffle my hair with the windcheater. I have my keys and some cash in the car. I quietly climb in, roll the car back and head to the Paradise General Store. I order a coffee to have at the store and one to go for D. I sit with the regulars outside and they all seem to think I am local, so i play along. The coffee is magical. A doggy climbs up and sits next to me, he likes me. I call Mum, my gorgeous husband and text a few photos to people. I try to contact the other Peter & Mark as I was meant to have lunch with them. I hope the sms gets to them, the mobile network is crappy here. I drive back to "Little House" and spot a Paradise Beach sign, so what the hell I stop and take a tourist photo. I wait till Dean arises, tempted to jump on him and slap him but I'll play nice. He says I can stay another day which is SO tempting, it kills me to go but I have promises to keep, Election stuff to do and the main reason was to make sure my buddy was ok. He looks heaps better. We sit and chat for awhile. He needs another coffee and I'd like one more so i drive him back down and he shouts me another. At least being this wired it will help me get home, no real sleep last night. I say goodbye and put on a brave face but feel a bit gut wrenched. I stop on the way to Sale as I spot Deans friend, Penny the Emu in the field. I take her some feed and she runs over to say Hello. OK I am not Dean but Penny digs me. I know it. The drive home is long, because I am exhausted. I spend a lot on petrol. Morrisons big joke of the fuel tax cut seems to of vanished and petrol is almost as expensive. I am very tired now and with 100kms to go I spot a road side rest area and pull in. I use the loo and find some cold Pizza that Dean packed for me which tastes like a million dollars. A tiny bit more energy and it gets me past the post. Finally in the afternoon I arrive home. All I want to do is kiss Marky, collapse into his arms and have him carry me into bed. A tiny adventure and I'm relieved my Paradise friend is much better. I am a good bloke, I rarely say it but these last 2 days I have been. April 24thI had a good sleep, some exhaustion from all the driving. A busy day today so out of my glorious bed I slide.Our little ALT car video is doing really well, getting close to 600 views. As we get closer to the ALTITUDE reissue a second clip may well see the light of day. But lets keep it as a suprise. All those years of Tim Finn appearing on Countdown with Split Enz certainly sharpened his miming skills, he does well during the ALT "What You've Done" car video doesn't he? Let's get it to 1000 views! Every view helps, thank you. Or feel free to share it. Enjoy the clip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvhXiHVCF5U A tiny bit sad that Batwoman has been cancelled, it had so much potential but in the end the writing let it down and it became boring. We kept watching purely because of the Bat , maybe Ruby Rose got out when the going was good. The Boys drop in at 11.00 and pick up the car, lending it so they can move some greenery to the tip. The poor ol' Red Beast certainly ticked over some mileage yesterday. Peter arrives with a Coffee for me, while I'm cleaning up part of the art room. Good to see him, we have a bit of a chat. Lovely he got me a coffee. I finish my Pre-Polling test on line, both of them done now, around 95% so a decent pass rate. The trick is storing it in my tiny brain. So much information. We watch "Barons" on the ABC. I really enjoy it, love my Aussie surf culture. April 25thI picked some rosemary and dahlias from the garden for the ANZAC shrines and take them up during the wee hours of the morning. Ours were the first batch of flowers, but I know a few wreaths etc will be laid by a friend just before sunrise. Lest We Forget!I need a bit of guidance, so make the effort and do my Tarot cards. Major Arcana. That pesky Hermit card still floating about. As always my World card is in the layout. I think it helped. I pick my monthly card and it's the "Lovers'. My end of month chemical bullshit and a tiny bit of slipping into sadness occurs. Mark tries being extra nice which is appreciated. It will pass. April 26thA busy day at the charity, which I like -the day goes by much faster.My Dr friend calls and it's one of "those" conversations. I manage to talk to D about it, as I hadn't arrived home yet. How do I get myself into these situations. Maybe I'm being too nice? Surely not. Mark shows me the original Skyhooks metal template that he found. I thought we'd lost it forever but it turned up in some obscure location in the office. The Skyhook boys used it to tag all their roadcases on many tours. A Very cool piece of history. April 27thMy first training session with the AEC. It took awhile to find the building. I run into this woman in the car park called Helen. She seems nice so we sit next to each other in the class. The class itself has a few hiccups, and only 3 of us have ever worked at Elections before. Suddenly I'm feeling like the "mature student" yet the others are about the same age as me. Zero young people. I look around, these are the people I'm going to be spending a few weeks with, they all seem nice. Guess I will find out in May.April 28thI see the Hard Rock Cafe at Surfers Paradise has closed, after 25 years. Disputes between the franchisor and the landlord I hear. Maybe they'll find another location? I'm glad we got all our archival items back that we lent them. All safe back in our archives.As I'm heading out the door of the charity someone grabs me from behind. A guy that I helped decorate his new apartment. Anyway there he is with an armful of sunflowers which I love. So nice of him. Andy White tells me that Sunflowers are the Ukraine symbol and national flower. Meant to be the symbol of resistance. Which i never knew. I take them home and put them in a vase outside on the decking. Just as the sun is setting, I take a rather cool photo for Facebook of the flowers and Ailsa Craig's three chimneys. April 29thAn early morning coffee with Andy White at the Parklet. He's looking gorgeous in his "A" (for ALT) Tshirt. We sit for awhile, some serious laughter. He hands over a few photocopies for the mail-out and we have a handful of original ALT postcards from 1995 as well.Home again and switch to silent running mode. Happy Fishing Deano. I wrap Mums Mothers Day presents and a few trinklets for Sis and MIM. lets hope I can get them home to the 'Gong on time. Tonight we play Dog Trumpet on Google-Nest while eating dinner. Banshee says they should be called Cat Trumpet as we all dance around the kitchen. April 30thA really great chat with Trudi. I'm certain she thinks my world is currently insane, she might be right.I work in the office till late and keep Mark awake even later. A big heavy chat, I tell all and it's really not too bad. But I've given myself a headache. May 1stThe Autumn leaves are all golden and falling here at Kalorama. The air has a distinct fragrance- yes the Chestnut Festival is on again at Kalorama oval.I take my camera down for a few photos and to give it a push on social media. I needn't of bothered, the car parks are packed, and thousands of people. The misty rain turns to a beautiful sunny day. I run into so many people , many from the Kalorama Disaster and Free Supermarket. So many happy to see me, rather nice. Great to see Sam and Deb, two of the originals from the Disaster Hub. I can't stop laughing at the guy in the giant chestnut suit chasing people with his basket of samplers. He looks more like a giant brown M+M. It's a huge success , so great to see people laughing and having a good time here in the hills. My fave person was Hula Hoop Girl, she was magnificent at the festival and what a nice smile. So a nice way to finish this fortnights diary, the sounds of laughter in the Hills. All the best & stay safe. Love Peter |