The Life and Times of Peter Green
Archive: 14 May - 26 May 2024
 Midnight turns 1. Happy Birthday baby. |
May 14thI so needed my one coffee a day from Lachie and his coffee van but he was a no show today. Probably got Covid like so many other Aussies at the moment, it's everywhere (again). So I grab a Starbucks as it's nearby.A pretty decent budget by Labor, of course Dutton the Dud and his Liberals are sulking because Labor have managed not one but two Surplus. Give me a time when the political parties work together for the people of Australia and not act like arseholes, instantly going against something just for the sake of it. I pack a few items into box for Monbulk as this Thursday I'm going to the store on the other side of the mountain that is re-opening after two years. The floor collapsed and it has taken this long to get it ready. The Monbulk Salvation Army store will re-open June 4th. I give one of our Paul Hester & LLT live clips a little push, and it climbs past our 1000 target area. Mostly due to the kindness of some good mates who spread the word. You know who you are. May 15thA cute parcel arrives from Isabelle in France. This cool Rolling Stones key holder, which we'll put up in the office. Thanks Belle.I grab some flowers this morning for Adrian who lives down the road. Her birthday, one of the endless May birthdays. I leave them and card by the door in case she is having birthday sleep in. I pick some Adelaide tomatoes. Named after the Adelaide Festivals fireworks, they are such odd shapes. Sweet and tarty, a bit like me. HA HA. A late night drive to a chemist, some medication etc for my Mum, they've ran out in NSW, but this pharmacy had 1 box and they kindly held it till the script arrived. So into the night I go. I buy her some black jelly beans too. I'll mail all this express tomorrow. Thankfully the Federal Government has made this medication cheap so that covers the insane postal rate. On the way home I call into Carousel and buy us 2 lots of ice cream , perfect as the temperature drops to 2 degrees tonight. Mark stares at me like I am crazy but he happily still consumes it. May 16thUp early once more and drive the Red Beast to the mechanics at Monbulk, for a service. It's great as I can leave it for the day as I'm putting together the cd/dvd/bluray/book area of the new Salvo store. Just a few shops down from the mechanics on the Main Street. I call into Empire for a coffee first (thanks Grant) . Libby and my boss Carol arrive when I do and I get stuck into it. The store is freshly painted and looks great plus the luxury of heating! I spend the day getting all the stock together , pricing etc. Lots of laughs too a really fun afternoon.May 17thI am excited that we are seeing the Hoodoo Gurus in November at The Palais. Some pretty decent seats too. One of our favourite bands. As some of you know I penned the very first review of the Hoodoo's debut single and yes a really good review. So long ago now, and it was in our "Wipe the Sweat" fanzine. So at the most 200 people got to read it. LOL.May 18thSuns out, no heat, and the wind has a bite.We work in the office all afternoon. Head down arse up and into it. Just getting a few things done. I sign the paper work for the Arts Centre to borrow Neils Crowded House jacket for their Music Vault. I hear from Tim Finn tonight around a previous release. Just something obscure he was asking about. May 19thI give my bath a clean. It's always a pain as it's ancient and the "modern" cleaners stain it. So mostly natural cleaners, which is a good thing. But before I start Midnight climbs into the bath and wants to play. What is it about cats and baths at our place.I sit with Jed and Aaron at the bakery, just chatting and shooting the breeze. Jed is so ridiculously young . He stares at us in utter confusion when we talk about BEX powders. LOL. We are watching Part 2 of "The Jinx". Good one HBO it's fascinating. May 20thI'm wondering if I should gloss up this diary, instead of the usual incondite waffle, after all this one will be up on the 28th anniversary of "Famous For 16 Minutes". Nah , after all this time, I think it's still a case of warts and all. HA! While I am mentioning the diary I should sincerely thank you the reader for coming back time and time again. Some may say suckers for punishment, I say you are gorgeous voyeuristic people who have such good taste in blogs! Next the biggest heartfelt shout out to Debbie Levitt , my favourite web mistress , who has ridden shotgun on the journey of this online creation and without her it probably wouldn't exist-so thank you SO MUCH Deb. x [editor's note: awwww thanks!]The evening has me in the kitchen creating cat birthday cake for Midnight. She turns one tomorrow, gotta have a cake eh? I have multiple emails with suggestions that come in but I have an idea in my head around pursuing this. It involves a kitchen funnel. I layer the inside with mince and fill the cone with different types of fish. I cover the base in mince and manage to eject the shape out of the funnel. Roll it in friskies. I slice the mackerel into spikes to go around the side. I plonk a "1" glitter candle on top. We wait till 1 minute past Midnight (the time not the cat) and sing "Happy Birthday" to Midnight (the cat not the time). At first she is kind of bewildered by the cake, she sniffs it and goes for it. She looks up "All of this for little old me"? We are fortunate another good cat living with us. Happy Birthday Midnight. We love you very much. May 21stHave a cuddle in bed with Midnight for her birthday. She pats me on the head "good human".I drive down the mountain. The lowlands covered in fog with just chimneys poking up. A fine orange line behind them, as the sun is coming up. It all catches me by surprise from my position high up on the mountain road. The beauty astounds me, an image that stays in my mind all day. What a beautiful part of the world we live in. I am grateful. A long day at the charity and decide we should eat out tonight, somewhere with a big warm fire. Marks working in the office and he hands me the Hoodoo Gurus 40 Anniversary edition of "Stoneage Romeo's" as a present. We love this album. It should have gone top ten here but managed #29. It took awhile but finally got a gold award. I hope the magnificent 40th Anniversary edition goes Top 10. I'm going to spread the word secretly, some gorilla promotion. This Anniversary edition comes with a second cd. Recorded in 1984 at The Chevron- a really great gig as we were at it. The Chevron near the area where we lived so many nights we could stumble home (note I said "stumble" not walk…I think I had a drink card so we all indulged). Anyway grab the album , the live cd a great bonus. This will be my favourite album for May. Thanks Marky a great gift. May 22ndMarkys Youtube Wednesday. Crowded House fans will love this one. The band at Wembley Arena way back in 1992. "World Where You Live". A fun show and so many familiar faces. I remember catching up with the adorable Berry Twins out the front of the venue. Anyway here is the link. Enjoy!May 23rdI go shopping and buy my friend Fen this shiny black voucher card and put the amount of money onto it relating to her birthday. That way she can buy something nice for herself.The days have been so sunny, but not warm sun, that sort of faux sun that we have just before Winter. As soon as the sun goes down the cold creeps in up here at the national park. We have resisted lighting our fires. Marks code of "NOT Before Winter". Only a week to go. I invest in a new pair of deep blue super warm socks. My Gryphon toes are happy at least. May 24thI win $11.95 on Tattslotto NOT $150 million. Don't you hate that. LOL. One person won the entire $150 million.Happy Birthday to Claire, May birthdays almost every day. "The Making Of Murder" has done well. Our tiny "making of" our Split Enz art video. It's about to hit 2000 views. The "Murder" video itself climbing towards 8000 views- a wow moment. During lunch I work in the art room on a revamped Jimmy & The Boys stage doll for their "Babies on Fire" cover song. Just add a few bits and repair some others. It looks rather gothic movie wonderful. It should end up at the (possible) FAN exhibit of ours, maybe a case full of burnt doll stage props? A night drive for groceries again and a Pizza for dinner while sitting in the car park. Be still my romantic heart. May 25thThe thickest fog I've seen for ages, no sugar thank you. It looks like you should stir out. A cappuccino of fog. I call into the Arboretum and take some photos. Silly bike riders dressed in black with no lights on, almost get run over by out of control tourist drivers. I'm risking ones life going for a coffee at the Olinda bakery today. I check the ARIA charts while I am waiting and they just arrive the exact moment I was looking. Our spreading of the "good word" around the Hoodoo Guru's might well of helped. The bands Stoneage Romeo's Anniversary edition entered the top 500 album chart at #8 -yes Top 10! Not bad, when you think it only made #29 when first released in 1984. The really great news is that it debuted at #1 on the Australian Artists Album chart! So happy for Dave and the band.We head off at 12.30 , off mountain and towards the city. We caught up with our beloved mates Fen & Giles at the Upstairs room at the Retreat Hotel in Abbotsford. Fen's birthday in a few days so this was a chance for her to celebrate and see some friends. A really nice afternoon. We spend most of the time talking to a lady called Melissa. She was a regular at Countdown TV show. She went to a lot of filming , and probably 80% I was at. How weird all these years later to think we might have been standing next to each other in the Countdown audience at the good ol' ABC. Home before the sunset and I'm feeling a bit average. Of course we go into the Covid paranoia. Test a few times but all ok , maybe my body rejecting some other bug. Mark looks after me and makes us a nice little dinner. I am still Covid free. May 26thI wake up nearly 100% better, a tiny sore throat but by lunchtime I'm fine. The suns out so I work in the garden , the usual, ripping out of blackberries and other invasive little shits. Even 2 acres is a lot of work but on days like this it's nice to be outside. Midnight sits next to me watching the action.I see a report that's a bit of a concern. Marine waters of south east Australia are warming at four times the global average. I wonder what the world will be like for our niece MIM when she turns 50. At times I avoid thinking about it as it can be depressing. Hoodoo Gurus live cd is playing and the words "Hayride bound for hell" are ringing out. Hope not. So another diary comes to an end. Winter is on her way here at Kalorama. We might grow our chest hairs and become two bears and hibernate for a few months. Magnetic Island always calls this time of year, so who knows. Happy Birthday for Neil Finn tomorrow too. 66! Keep passing the open windows. Love Peter. |