The Life and Times of Peter Green
Archive: 29 April - 13 May 2024
 Rest In Peace Ignatius |
April 29thI chat to Enzman Nigel today. Some band talk but mostly about the wombat that now lives under this house. We love our gardens, and animals and every so often he'll drop in a gem of a story relating to his days in the band. We get along really well, and I like that he lives up here on the mountain too.I make some of my cold pressed juice, so many people we know seem to be getting sick, and even the horrid Cancer, so I'm just trying to keep us both healthy. Plus it tastes great and looks rather cosmic. April 30thThe alarm wakes me, that veil of darkness that is early morning, sits over Kalorama. The local Kookaburras are even sleeping in this cold old morning. Usually they are outside my window "laughing" that I have decided to get up early and help the charity.I buy Mark a new hot water bottle, it's this ugly purple colour, so I just had to buy it. We still haven't lit a fire in the house, hanging out till the first day of Winter. Dinner tonight at Kellie's Tavern. Carolyn saves us our regular table near the fire. The best hamburger I have had in years! May 1stOMG May! The month of birthdays and I am sure to forget so many. I let Fen know that we are catching up with them on hers which will be fun.Marky puts up a blast from 1976 as his Markys Youtube Wednesday. It's really obscure this one, our Skyhook boys 48 years ago during the encore at Lismore Town Hall. The band members swap instruments around and Red Symons on vocals. It's audio but Mark added some cool photos. Australian Music Royalty! The link is here & thanks for supporting Markys Youtube Wednesday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HmHxOEm6J4 May 2ndFogbound at Kalorama, it seems to be foggy every second morning at the moment. Too much excitement for my old Gothic heart.The 3MDR podcast and interview go up and wow nice reaction. I don't sound like too much of a tosser and I pity Dave having to do that much editing. Not sure why this one seems more important, as I've done a bit of radio around Split Enz "Murder". Maybe because it is local radio. Anyway you can enjoy it here, 3MDR "The Dotted Line Talks Murder". https://www.3mdr.com/the-dotted-line-talks-murder/ May 3rdI do some work around the North-Gate entrance to our place. Just ripping out the endless blackberries and ivy, Midnight the kitten sits with me outside and is well behaved. We fill up the green bin in a few minutes flat. I really could use ten green bins.I look up the stats for our Skyhooks Facebook page. 13,083 followers. Men make up 54.90%, Women 45.10%. I thought it might be closer to 50/50. Interesting. The page is pretty good considering it's a band thats around half a century old. It's a pity Macainsh has become such a recluse, I just get the feeling that the last of the Skyhooks Reissues and rare songs may never see the light of day. I've tried to ‘encourage' him but no word. May 4thSunshine and I strip down to my singlet and it feels so delicious on my naked arms and shoulders. However the sunshine hasn't created niceness in people. A weird day up here, so many people angry, I watched a fight break out, a hippy scream at a couple over their dogs, a car crash and some people wandering around muttering to themselves.I hang with Ian, Peter and Alice and we set up chairs around us, Custers last stand so the nutters don't get in. Leave us alone. I go for a walk to Karwarra Nursery and Gardens. I photograph the Tawny Frogmouth sculpture. I love that you can find shelter inside it on a small bench. I buy some shrubs, one is a Tasmania Peppercorn bush. So I can pick these intense peppercorns for use in my cooking. The other is native Ciliate. A late night grocery hop with Marky. We are like 2 old vampires heading off into the night doing our business. We drive further along Bayswater road and drop some soaps etc into Pinchapoo's night drop off bin. Just showing a bit of support for one of our favourite charities. We both have the urge for Hungry Jacks which is weird, been 6 months since we last had it and it was kind of nice, well nice for fast food. Shopping done we head home after a car park cuddle. May 5thI know I said Id finished but some tiny pushes around our Split Enz "Murder" video. Just so it gets past 7000 views and it does, so that is exceptional-we are both very happy. I email all the Enz boys to let them know.The annual Chestnut Festival is on and this sunny weather brings out the crowds. The parking area is full and all the streets nearby littered in cars desperate for a parking place. Thousands attend so some decent money raised for the Mt D Preschool and Primary school. I open all the doors and we listen to the live music drifting up all afternoon. Midnight sits on the hot water system outside and her tail sways in time to the beat. Some excellent bands this year, sounding good everyone. Homemade Lasagne for dinner. Nice. May 6thA lot of birthday cards arrive, around a dozen. So wonderful, I love receiving paper cards. Thank you to those people who made my morning.My Mum has the blues (sounds like an album title). So we send her some flowers, kind of early Mothers Day flowers I guess. They cheer her up. We enjoyed The Master Gardener. Written and directed by Paul Schrader. Starring Joel Egerton and Sigourney Weaver. We are nearly surrounded by Covid again, all our neighbours and that strange flu as well. So far after all these years I am still Covid free. An absolute fluke I am certain. May 7thI could have slept in, I am tired this morning. Too many interruptions during the night. No not my love life, I think it was a tiny earthquake, after that a tree falls down in the neighbours yard, Midnight is now excited and wants to play or have an early breakfast, and some leg cramps for me. I force myself out of bed. I agreed to volunteer at the charity so off I go. The day drags on but we manage to get all the donations out of the way and onto the floor. I sit and let a lady talk about her recently deceased husband. Sometimes just letting someone talk helps them.I arrive home and have some long chat with Loren from the Arts Centre. I think I'm going to swap Paul Hesters stage jacket with Neils (think the cover of the debut Crowded House album) so will get onto that this weekend. Good for music lovers to enjoy such things. Sadness gives me a punch in the gut as I hear Ignatius Jones from our beloved Jimmy and the Boys has died. Terrible as the brilliant crazed Joylene Thornbird Hairmouth, also from Jimmy and the Boys passed away a few months back. I hold back tears. We send our love to Ignatius's husband Novy. Vale Ignatius. May 8thI lock the car in for a service and a long term repair moment. That's for next week as I am off to Monbulk to help the Salvos set up their book-dvd-music area at the revamped Salvation Army store on mainstream Monbulk. Plus manager Libby is a mate and Carol asked me, so for those 2 fine woman-YES totally do this. So my car can get the once over while I am helping create the Salvo space.I am horrified and angry that Cumberland City Council in NSW has banned a book on "Same Sex Parents". It's sat on the shelf at the library since 2019 and no complaints. Some halfwit councillor Steve Christou -who HASN'T EVEN READ THE BOOK is the one pushing this ban. FFS banning books in 2024-this is Australia and so wrong in every way. Replace the council, and send a message that this shit should not happen in Australia-we are better than that! So I phoned the council and fired a few shots, I wasn't horrid as the lady on the end of the phone was not to blame. I did however ask her if she has read the book and she avoids the answer, which means NO. Sometimes you stand up to A-holes and say NO that is not the right thing to do. We drink a toast to Iggy and Joylene tonight. "To wild men and wild women. May their rock n roll hearts never stop beating. To Iggy and Joy. ". I shed a few tears too. May 9thI have to strap my leg today, small accident nothing serious and the leg cramp didn't help. I pop a magnesium tablet as well, it helps.We remembered to send Doug a birthday card and around sunrise I go to his sheep book page and leave birthday message. I limit my walking at the charity but still manage to get everything done. Nicole is in charge today and we all focus but find time for a laugh A few new people, always exciting. I do head home early so I can rest up my leg. The rain arrives at dusk and drizzles all night long. Midnight runs in looking like a 4 legged wet mop. May 10thI grab the kitten and make her snuggle for a cuddle in bed during the wee hours of the morning. I turn on my electric blanket and she purrs in its toasty delight.I go to the bakery, I'm in need of a coffee and buy a fresh large fruit flan. I admit to the girls that it is my birthday tomorrow-they asked. Still not sure if we are escaping, the weather is rather poxy so think we will head to Jan Juc when it's brighter and sunnier. I spend the day in the office. I reply to the endless comments on Youtube. Markys latest clip-Split Enz at the Wynyard tavern performing "Message to my Girl" - after 1 day it has already hit 1000 views so thats cool-thanks everyone, glad you enjoyed it. Pay the final 2 bills on time, so bill free. Yay. I hold off opening todays birthday cards too, just till tomorrow. I can sit down over a coffee at Olinda and enjoy all the cards. I love paper cards, I don't do Ecards. I keep telling my friends that, I don't even open Ecards. May 11thHappy Birthday to me … well you too Josephine and all the other May 11th. Well Bono was born on May 10th which would have been May 11th….here. OK I' m grasping at straws. Salvador Dali is a May 11th though…and Eric Burdon from The Animals. OK I've ran out.Thank you all for the brilliant birthday wishes on social media, email, phone calls and wonderful cards. A new Dr Who tonight which will be blurray present from Marky. He also gives me some Blurays on some other cool favourite shows and takes me to dinner. He wants to buy me these boots that I love but I have enough boots so I fight the urge to say "Yes". I'm trying to have "less" in my life. Yes at that stage! Way back on this day in 1975 Split Enz first appeared on Countdown with "No Bother To Me". A strange song to play as it wasn't released here at the time (not till 1979 on the "Beginning of the Enz" album). It was a flop single in NZ in 1975. Anyway by chance I found a decaying U-matic tape years ago and popped this debut performance up on our Youtube page. I would have watched that Countdown episode with Mark as a kid. We both loved how brilliant & crazy they were. Who would have thought, a mere 5 years later I'd be working in the Split Enz office. So instead of candles the Goddess has given me Aurora Australis tonight -our exotic southern lights in the sky. Way better than candles. I do have a birthday candle on my Hamburger tonight at dinner! Thanks Marky. May 12thHappy Mothers day to our awesome Mum and all the other Mums, that are still here or exist in our hearts.It's also the anniversary of the other Peter & Mark, 6 years married. Good one guys. I drop in a card and present on my way to the Olinda Fish & Chip shop tonight. I notice the Hoodoo Gurus "Stoneage Romeos" turns 40 soon and the band are reissuing it (and a tour playing the entire album). It's great album and the reissue has 3 extra additional tracks. Out May 18th. A must for your record collection. Seems so long ago as a youngster writing the bands very first single review for "Leilani". It was in the "Wipe the Sweat" fanzine. Which means about 200 people saw it. LOL. Still I did ramble on how brilliant it was and they are. Think I said they had "Super-Potential"! LOL. May 13thI put in some native shrubs by the top entrance gate. Still adding native plants into the gardens and removing ivy and weeds.I start writing a tiny bit of the blurb for the (possible) FAN exhibit. It will all need fine tuning, just ideas etc. A long term project. A lovely day outside so I decide at the last second to head into the city and drop in Neil Finns stage jacket, the one featured on the Crowded House debut album. It will replace the Paul Hester one that is currently on display in the Australian Music Vault (Free entry!! Arts Centre). So nice outside I decide not to drive so bus-train- tram. The bus gets me to Croydon station and MISTAKE, I'd forgotten the entire station is closed and being rebuilt. A staff member tells me about mini bus that will take me to Ringwood station instead but it doesn't arrive. It turns out the staff member is a music fan , big CH fan. So I do a show and tell and show him the jacket. He's excited and begs to take a photo. He also checks out our Youtube page, I suddenly felt like I was doing a promotional stint instead of waiting for a bus. I throw in the towel, it's all too hard and catch the bus back to Montrose. As we approach Montrose I see my Kalorama bus drive off, missed it by 1 minute. So I head across to the shops and have coffee and nemish tart. It's so beautiful outside today it doesn't worry me. I call the Arts Centre and they organise an Art Courier for a few days time. Far easier. The budget is happening for Australia soon. Labor manage a surplus which would piss the Liberals off totally as the LNP failed to do so over the past 9+ years in power. Hopefully a helpful budget for Australia. I already know all working Aussies will get a tax break as well as a rebate on power bills so two positives already. That's it for me, thanks again for making my birthday super special. Cheers PG Stop Press. The latest Markys Youtube Wednesday is up. Some more never before seen Crowded House at the Prahran Club. That tiny intimate launch way back in May 1991. (I am shocked it is 33 years ago!). Anyway it's a fine version of "When You Come" and you can check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HK9R-a9lA3Q |