The Life and Times of Peter Green
updated 29 April 2026
 This Town Is Boring? |
April 13thMartin Green (no relation) from the Uni of NSW, should be applauded. His technology is in 9 out of 10 solar panels around the world. I think he certainly is the godfather of modern solar. We love our solar panels. Our current ten days of rain will certainly give them a really good wash. Even with overcast weather our panels still power quite a few things in the house.The mountain has these really low clouds, they look like fog on the tourist road but nope they are clouds. I stop the car at the Arboretum and go for a walk among the clouds. A young deer looks up from his breakfast and I offer a calm quiet "good morning" and he continues to graze away. April 14thStill raining....it did all of last night. I flush our water tanks ,so they are filling up again.I take about $2.30 worth of cans to the recycle machine and pick one of the many charities to receive this tiny donation. A man comes up and he says "these are for you, so keep the money". He tells me he has some cans and I expect a tiny bag, but it's 2 shopping trolleys and a huge black plastic box. All of them beer cans except 2 soft drink cans. Such a nice bloke and this great aussie smile. So nice of him. 496 cans! $49.60. It seems to take forever to feed them into the machine, but it's a nice way to start the day and all recycled which is GREAT! I love the recycle scheme in Victoria. I grab my brand new coat from the charity-never worn and it has this amazing rainbow (subtle) coloured fake faux fur hood. Zip off rain cover and excellent pockets and so snug. Perfect for this crappy weather. It looks rather impressive too. I sell 2 more guitars in the Book Cave so I am replacing them and in walks our mate Tamsin. So good to see her and she sounds really happy. She stays for an hour so thats cool. By afternoon the Book Cave is packed, I am finding it hard to stay on top of all the dvds, books, cds and blurays that people are buying. All day people come up and say how much they love the room, it just makes me smile. A nice escape area for some people, and some amazing bargains. We somehow missed this one but we both really like Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries on ABC iView. An Australian detective crime drama series set in Melbourne. Essie Davis is great and the sexual tension between her and Nathan Page , just wonderful. Set in Melbourne's 1920s. We watch 2 episodes each night. April 15thFood-bank in the morning, and the rain has stopped though the mountain feels like it has a chill. I snuggle inside my new coat. People collecting food tell me how great the coat is, they may well murder me for it?After I do the volunteer work for a few hours I head to Monbulk. Grab Midnights cat food and some shopping at Woolworths. I spot some chorizo style burgers with Halloumi , so delicious burgers for dinner tonight. I'm sipping my coffee at the Olinda bakery, we are a bit shocked that 2 loved locals are splitting up. No one saw it coming, so that's sad. Markys YouTube Wednesday is a cool one today. THREE live Split Enz videos from Adelaide. Plus this cool little backstage start (which I can't even remember filming) ,I set the camera on a tripod and helped the Enz get into the stage bag for the entrance. Always weird when I see myself from 2006. It doesn't seem like 20 years ago. The three songs are from Adelaide, but Mark lets me in on a train-spotting moment, the crowd shot at the end is from Perth. Anyway please check this one out as it is really good, Split Enz are in such fine form. You can enjoy it here- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr5bnDG7boI&t=74s April 16thSkyhooks 53rd anniversary since their first gig...well possibly. The poster says April 16th 1973. It also says SATURDAY. Yet April 16th wasn't a Saturday....so it may well be the 14th. Anyway we'll celebrate it today. A trainspotter moment by us that will give fans something to talk about., argue with, dispute.A fire broke out at one of Australia's 2 remaining oil refineries at Geelong, The refinery produces 50% of Victoria's fuel. Talk about bad timing. I fill up the car and a small gerry can for the lawn mower. It still only costs me $55.00. Not bad, all things considered. Every pump at my local service station is working so it's not too terrible yet. April 17thGood to see the Prime Minister managed another 100 million litres of diesel. Albo doing what a PM should be doing.Happy Birthday to Noel Crombie of Split Enz fame. Noel is God and he turns 73 today. Peter Garrett of Midnight Oil celebrated his 73rd birthday yesterday. I call Noel but his voice mail is on so I am guessing he is either rehearsing or down the coast. Has God gone fishing? I asked Mark about some Schnell Fenster footage that I filmed at one of their video shoots, who knows if the tape is even in the condition to be played. We shall see. April 18thA fun morning catching up with Laura, Kevin and Andy (White) Mark and myself hang out with them at the bakery, coffee and cake and endless chat. UFO's, Russian midnight trains and that Tim Tams are now an International currency. A really nice morning. For those in Melbourne don't forget that Andy White is playing at the Merri Creek Tavern , his birthday bash on May 28th. Tickets onsale now.Mark gets Amazon Prime for free , he has a stress moment around setting it up, but it all works out. We watch some Sci-Fi- "The Tomorrow War". It's rather good , full of action and aliens that are hard to kill. Why are my arms not as manly as Dan Foresters? April 19thSo excited, we have SUN! A few of us sit outside at Olinda and recharge our human solar panels in it. Everyone has their dogs today, so I take some photos of the dog convention.Afterwards I head up to the main shopping area and park out back. I am excited as I thought Dr Quirkys Emporium had closed down but it hadn't, it has just moved around back, next to the Wicca shop and the Mountain of Sweets store. Sounds like a Trifecta that I will love. I meet a lady called Lily and her daughter Chloe and we all wait patiently for the Sweet Shop to open. Coconut Roughs and Dutch Licorice for me. I buy Mark a treat too. I head home and finish working on the Art room repairs. Free wood and paint so I saw and paint and nail and measure. It looks passable and it means the family of possums won't try to get in again. April 20thWe really enjoyed the Paul McCartney documentary. Man On The Run. Directed by Morgan Neville. A rather intimate documentary , his rebirth after The Beatles. So much private unseen footage- sensational. My only complaint, almost zero around VENUS & MARS my favourite Wings record.I get a call from Bongo's daughter Indiana around Bobs Ronnie Biggs film footage, 2 boxes worth so in the not too distant future we are wading through it all , the great train robber himself. Bob would be smiling. I keep saying it should be called "A Year Of Ronnie..." Bongo (Bob) lived with Ronnie for over a year in Rio. April 21stSalvo's was fun today but it dragged on, it was a very long day . The boss and myself had all of this Princess Di stuff donated so we set up what was basically a DI shrine. I'm not even sure if it will sell , but it's all in display so many some old lady royal collectors will purchase it.Cash use in Australia has increased for the first time in decades but only by a tiny tiny bit. Tim Cook steps down as Apples chief executive. John Ternus is his successor. A bit of young blood, well he is 51 so not too young. We start watching THE BOYS, you know the satirical superhero television series. It's had 5 seasons so we will have to binge this one. It's pretty cool, I like how the superheroes are corrupt, self serving arseholes, well Starlight is young & hopeful at the start despite being forced to give The Deep a blow job. The Deep makes me laugh, a great character. April 22ndI think my sleeping patterns have returned to normal which is good. Less chocolate at night maybe?I grab a coffee (a free one- thanks girls) on the way to Food Bank. It's a stunner of a morning, I'm wearing a t-shirt and so nice to feel sunshine on my skin. We all finish boxing the food early and again so little bread donated. It's very odd. Gladys the greyhound turns up so we hang out, I have some dried dog food in a box so I bribe her love with that. Markys YouTube Wednesday , our Skyhook boys, all the way from 1975. The State Theatre, Sydney. April 1975. MERCEDES LADIES. "Well you look so cute in your Levis suit Struttin' down Collins Street, With your Pucci shoes and your faded blues,Honey you look so neat. You dress so well no one could tell you spend Thursdays with your mechanic. Suburban passion it's all the fashion, your husband don't know so don't panic..... "! Shirl and the boys the kings of Oz rock that year. It's an audio clip only, you can enjoy it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHpvpruO3AY Both of us work in the office the entire day. Mark is editing away like crazy. We have a short break for lunch and back into it. Some times I wonder what we actually do and how we pay our bills. But we do, life's a gas! Thanks Marc B. We hear from the "Others" (Peter & Mark #2) today and all goes well with their new coastal life. We do miss them, nice to hear from them. April 23rdThe Ramones debut album turns 50 today. It took a week to record and cost $6400 to make. In 1976 the only place it was a minor hit was Sweden. Eventually it sold a gold records worth in the USA. I bought my copy in 1977 via the World Record Club ,for $1. One of the intro records when joining. I've played it a lot. Our artist friend Vali Myers lived at the Chelsea Hotel in NYC and when she was heading back to Australia to live, she surrendered her room at The Chelsea to Dee Dee Ramone, his wife Barbara and their dog Banfield!I'm driving home from the charity and it looks like half of Mt D is on fire. A huge CFA controlled burn off. Well I hope it is controlled. A massive smoke plume, it is unsettling. Hmmm weird red dots on my feet , did some mosquitoes nibble away while I slept last night? I hope Gladys didn't have fleas? April 24thI call into Bourkes Lookout and a small hike and pick up micro plastics. Just a small bag worth today, too much smoke in the air from the burn offs. No other cars about, I wonder if they forgot to close the Lookout around the Burn Off's? I do see a few wild animals enjoying the sunshine and smoke.In the late afternoon I pick some rosemary and some of our flowers for the 2 shrines up here for Anzac Day. I'll head off just before sunrise, most of the Anzac services up here are no longer dawn services , I kind of like how I am one of the few people that do this at sunrise. In the afternoon I sit on the lawn with Midnight. She spends most of her time following a grasshopper , she doesn't try to kill it, just intrigued what it is I guess. She smells flowers, watched the bee's , her ears turn as a neighbour is outside singing and whistling. She comes up and gives me a "love you human" nudge. I sit with Mark on the decking, the smoke has cleared so we eat lunch in the sunshine. April 25thUp before the sun rises on this fine Anzac Day. I think my clock is out as it seems like the sun is rising quickly. I wrap some flowers with big red leaves from our trees to take with me. The main shrine is only 5 minutes away. Usually it is only me or the lone motorbike veteran who rides his bike around the hills to all the shrines on Anzac Day. No sign of him today but there are 2 other people waiting for the sun to rise. An old veteran and a young guy. I recognise the youngster as our neighbours kid so that was so great to see. The veteran has his car radio on the ABC live from the Dawn Service at Melbourne's shrine so it is nice to hear that. We all stand in a respectful silence. The neighbour comes up and shakes my hand. Advance Australia fair is playing over the radio...." Australians all let us rejoice, For we are young and free...". Made me a tad teary.I drive up for a coffee but the bakery isn't open so I sit in the car for a moment and upload a few Lest We Forget images for Facebook. I see a post that some dumb bogans Boo'd the Welcome to Country moment. Maybe they should remember that many aboriginals served this amazing country as well, probably these dumb arse bogan cretins never have. Today is Not the day. Was up way too early and I feel sleepy all day. Work with Marky in the office. I make a late afternoon drive for a coffee and a vanilla slice. April 26th40 years ago today an explosion at Chernobyl Nuclear Power plant , near Pripyat - a truly bad moment for nuclear. Apparently the local frogs have now turned black. I wonder how many people have died from radiation from this terrible moment.We decide to put up Skyhooks THIS TOWN IS BORING from a performance on Hey Hey It's Saturday. When we were teenagers at Wollongong, I dare say we thought Wollongong was boring and had to get away.... So some of the lyrics in this song certainly made sense, for those of us who need to escape and roam. "We all gotta get up and go to work, Go home and cook the dinner. And if you're in Tangiers or Kathmandu , That don't mean you're on a winner. In Manhattan or Paris you can hear people say, This town is boring I gotta get away. If I had the money I'd leave today, This town is boring and I can't stay...." A fun romp by the Skyhook boys, so please check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tlIud_Gmkw Hoping your town isn't boring...still next time. XPG |
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