The Life and Times of Peter Green
Archive: 14 August - 27 August 2023
 Midnight enjoys some sunshine, after her first month at our house. |
August 14thMiss Kitty is still sleeping perfectly. Woke to find her under the covers and her head snuggled onto my chest and purring. So all goes well. I climb out and go pick some of the flowers in our yard for my friend Tahlia. It's her last day at the bakery and she will be missed. I depart Kalorama and sunshine, 2KM down the road towards Olinda and it's foggy and grey. Amazing what a few KM's difference.T loves her flowers, it's nice to do such things. I am a 'flower bloke', just that extra bit special when you pick them yourself. I'm still shocked by the fires in Hawaii, make some donations and a few friends in the USA chat to me about helpful companies. So over the "thinking of the fire victims" posts , which are all well and good but plenty of things people can do to actually really help. Even a tiny donation to the Red Cross or some local community group in Hawaii will help in some way. I hear from Tim Finn tonight , helped him out with a answers to some questions. He just finished 3 interviews. Mike Hosking ZB Newstalk, one with The Rock (am assuming thats radio and not the actor! *GRIN*)...and The Breeze. So keep your eyes open. August 15thAccommodation paid, so excellent. Great timing too as our security friend is back from a stint overseas, so he's going to stay here and look after the house & office. Best part is that he wants to chill out and read and cook so someones at the house 24/7. Now to freak him out with the newly installed security system, it can be complicated. I triggered it by accident the other night and it sounded like War World Three had begun. What the hell is my phone code again...(PHEW) Marky ran in and told me. Technology , my love, hate.When I left Kalorama this morning the sun was shining, half way down the mountain and we are sitting above the clouds and a massive fog bank. Stunningly beautiful. It's like we are a big soup bowl and the misty warmth is rolling over the edges, in this case fog. I arrive at Kilsyth and the roads thick with fog. I borrow some new mittens from work, not going to freeze to death at the donation doorway out back. August 16thI sit in the sun outside the bakery working away on a material side of Project X. I am relieved this doesn't have an obvious time frame, as I am way behind. Slowly and surely.I watch the Matildas V's England semi and England win. Congratulations to both teams, in awe that the mighty Matilda's got this far. Inspirational. Vegies for dinner, healthy. August 17thA really long day, work in 2 different areas. So by the time I was eventually home, absolutely worn out. I crawl into Marks bed with its warm electric blanket and fall asleep. An hour later I am startled awake by a voice shouting "PETER!!!". This has happened before. I thought it might be Mark but he is in the shower. He wanders into the bedroom and asks if I was in the kitchen 10 minutes ago. Apparently around the same time I heard my voice, he heard what he thought was myself in the kitchen having a conversation with someone. It wasn't me, how odd both of us hearing voices at the same time. Maybe it's Midnight and our kitten has somehow picked up the power of human speech. It's all very weird and only slightly spooky. Does this kitten attract spirits?Trying not to think about it.Markys Youtube Wednesday - todays wonderful clip. Crowded House-Live at London's Hammersmith Odeon. October 10th 1991. "Something so Strong", with a tiny bit of "Moneys no Object". Love the sound on this one. So check it out & thanks for supprting Markys Youtube Wednesday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcRDBX01CpU August 18thMidnight and myself woke up to rather heavy rain this morning and its a tad cold. She wanders up to me and I let her climb under the covers. She's so cute. I just worry I might toll over on top of her. She gives me that little lame excuse for a kitten 'meow' and falls asleep instantly, safe and content. Soft kitty, happy kitty, little ball of fur.A courier arrives with some copies of Jeff Apters Neil Finn book. Mark and myself did some fact checking for Jeff on the book and I was a tiny bit shocked how many of my photos and one of Marks are in it. It's all ok as I still get a buzz from such things and Jeff's a mate & a fellow Wollongong boy so all ok with that. I've already had people asking where they can get it if they live overseas. Jeff just sent me this link for Abbey Books who do International sales. Not sure of postage costs, it always seems so much from Oz these days. https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/dont-dream-its-over-the-remarkable-life-of-neil-finn-9781761068089.do The afternoon is spent in the office playing catch up on Emails and other stuff. Midnight will become more of an office cat later on when the weather is nicer and we know she wont attack the archives. The last thing we want are some of these fragile music relics that have survived many decades around bands but destroyed for a 10 week old kitten in 2023!!! LOL. August 18thI really love the design for the YES Tshirts around the upcoming referendum, have to get myself one of those. The Liberal Party hold their NO to the voice gathering and I swear no young people in sight, just a bunch of old racists with one foot in the grave. They certainly are NOT Australia's future thank god for that. Voting YES for decency.It's Enz bassist Nigel Griggs birthday today, will have to give him a call and check in. We have these epic phone chats, it's really good. I've started buying the soup from the bakery during Winter. Most times it's really delicious, today perfect, and the weather is wet and foggy so Soup perfection. August 19thI clean Marks shower. That's it, I did nothing else the entire day. OK that's a bit of a fib, spent most of it working on Project X. It's so fiddly and the pre-filming is taking me forever.August 20thI speak to Mum, she sounds good, her 18th day in hospital. I will be relieved when she is home.I turn on the $2 sewing machine and she is a little ripper. I run to the office excited with what I have made for the Project. Mark laughs at how crazy excited I am. I can tell he is impressed. I use Google Nest and go to the ' How to use a vintage sewing machine" you tube footage and it's freaky the woman is using the exact ancient machine as mine. How cool is that. She is very helpful I bake an apple and strawberry pie for dinner. Local fruit, turns out perfect. A pinkish pie but golden on top and the kitchen smells sensational. Midnight licks some cream off the spoon. Kitten innocence, she doesn't know what it is at first and scoops it off with her paw, and it ends up on her whiskers, nose, everywhere but her mouth. She eventually gets some in and looks at me with that "oh yeah I like this" expression. August 21stSo the urge to be Wednesday Addams for Halloween is over powering (laughs). While I'm buying some bits at Spotlight for Project X I see a one left Wednesday outfit. My Spotlight card gets me a groovy wig , I'll have to get the charity girls to plait the hair as I am rather clueless on such things.I take the Red Beast into the Deluxe Car Wash for a treat. I had Rose Royce's "Car Wash" song playing loudly as I went into the sud zone. Poor car hasn't seen such joy. It's all waxy and shiny. Midnight has an accident with a stick, elastic etc , Mark finds her on the floor almost choked to death but thankfully his timing is perfect and saves her life. No such cat toys will be in this house anymore. Thank god she is ok. It rattled both of us and now Miss Kitty is following us everywhere. Thank goodness she is ok. Almost used up one of her nine lives. Late night chat with Nigel from Split Enz, lots of laughter. We both needed the call. August 22ndMy furry alarm clock wakes me as the Kookaburras start. Way too early but what the hell, I'm awake now. I'm heading back to the charity , the roads are nice and quiet. Lachie is sitting in his coffee van, so I grab a small coffee. I'm sitting in the car park waiting for staff to arrive and decide to call Mum. She starts crying, which kills me inside. She tells me she now has Covid too. I talk her down, try to calm her and speak to the head Nurse. So far Mums symptoms have been mild so lets hope it doesn't get worse. I call my Sis and let her know. We both will stay on top of all of this. I check with her and the Drs several times during the day.August 23rdThankfully Mum seems to be dealing with this, and up to date with Covid shots etc, the tablets make her feel a bit stomach bug-ish but she is ok. The other medical stuff has improved so a good chance she will be going some soon, 3 weeks in hospital is enough. She loves her little house so that will make her feel better too.I spend an hour dealing with my hire car company. Exhausting but they do reward me with 10% off and all my car cards are updated etc. So that is out of the way. It's late afternoon upload for Marky's Youtube Wednesday. Today the glorious Split Enz from October 1977. Melbourne's Palais Theatre. Audio with a few cool photos. "My Mistake" + "True Colours (Lets Rock)". They were so mighty in 1977. That first Aussie tour with Neil, and Nigel in the band. You can enjoy it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-zsIWZfNIc I take Mark to dinner at Indian by Nature, kind of date night I guess. The food was delicious. The restaurant doing a roaring trade up here in the hills. I had Gulab jamun for desert. They always remind me of two testicles popped from a ball sack. OK that was gross Mr Green. They taste good though, nothing like sweaty balls at all!!!!! A sweet desert that originated in Persia if I am not mistaken. August 24thIt's yellow day at our charity store. Yellow to show support for the Salvo's Kids with cancer concert. I have a workers vest, golden yellow jeans and Greg Macainsh of Skyhooks yellow texan cowboy hat. yellow is the colour of madness I remind my co workers.To get a bit of laugh from my co workers I do put on the yellow chicken outfit during the day. Yes the return of the paranoid chicken. Made famous in Nigel Griggs "All Alone" video clip. After awhile my feet ache from those terrible thin layer rubber chicken feet. OUCH! So eventually I start changing back into the other outfit. The customers are chuckling, it was fun. Not sure if the boss is proud of me or thinks I am an absolute nut job. Hey I'm having fun, so can't argue with that. Lynda Mc's hamburger for dinner. OK i do add some bacon so she's probably turning in her grave and waving a finger at me. Sorry Lynda. August 25thUp early as our security mate who will be living here in September arrives so we can go through the newly updated security system. Gawd it is a bit full on. I doubt a cockroach could sneak onto our property without us knowing or it being filmed, even in the dark. But it's a relief and after a few false starts he gets it. It shouldn't matter as he is living here 24/7. He's also my kick boxer trainer so my poor old boxing bag will be getting a work out.I work in the garden seeing it is such a nice day, removing weeds and I plant a Callistemon by the fence line. More native plants to come. We got 3 bills today and all 3 paid straight away. So nice to be debt free. I sigh with relief. Thank you Marky I love you. August 26thOur buddy Belinda Chapple, one of the Ex Bardot (Popstar tv show) girls has her book out soon. "The Girl in the band". "Bardot a cautionary tale". Will have to grab a copy, could be a fascinating read. We love Miss Boo, and she is welcome to stay here anytime. Besides she is the only person we know that can fit into Sarah Michelle Gellars Buffy jacket in our archives, and she looks friggin' awesome in it.I hear from a friend Ren about maybe doing a radio show soon, possibly in a few weeks time, we shall see. I do't mind chatting on radio. Maybe when Project X is completed. They ask for Marky too but he so will not do this. Soaking in the tub and Iggy Pop performing "Lust for life" video from some live gig or tv show, he is just absolutely rocking. Mark finds me dancing around the bathroom, punking it out and blowing soap suds everywhere. Cool song. "Here comes Johnny Yen again, With the liquor and drugs, And a flesh machine, He's gonna do another striptease....". A bit upset as Mark wouldn't pogo with me but we did have a sud fight ... August 27thThe hairy alarm clock wakes me up and cat snuggles deep into the bed covers. Hard to believe that Midnight has lived with us for a month now. Apart from a bit of excited kitten running about she has been rather exceptional and we do love her.Just stunning outside today, feels like Spring already. Sitting in front of the bakery at Olinda and everyone wants to sit and chat. Three hours later it really is time to go home. A lady who is a friend of one of the Marks chats, she is fun. I mighty of blown it though as she knows John Farnham and I make the mistake of saying how boring I think John Farnham is. Opps. Sometimes I need to shut up. Nah fuck it, Farnham MOR crap does nothing for me musically. Dull as dishwater. Home again and I take Midnight outside and we sit in the sun on the east lawn for 30 minutes. So many new smells for a baby kitten, she is rather brave. I grab her before she disappears down the rabbit hole. While I am outside Sis texts me from the hospital at Thredbo. MIM has came off her board in the snow and injured her back. Now I worry but she is a tough kid, but eagerly waiting on good news. Not telling Mum, she is mid-Covid so don't want her stress levels up. A busy week for us coming up, dinners, birthday gatherings, concerts. Mark Goulding is such a social butterfly these days. I can't keep up. he is the King of Youtube. Only a few days to go and Spring will arrive. Bring it on, nice to feel those golden rays on my skin. Love Peter |