views in verse on summer in the city

Sydney, Friday - Hot town ...Summer in the city!

Beautiful Harmony Park in Surry Hills is usually speckled with people most lunch hours in summertime.

But last Friday was 40 degrees at that time in the harbour city without a breath of wind to be found. Reasonably common in the suburbs of Sydney but the inner city usually gets a comforting sea breeze on a hot day.


People quietly found other things to do no doubt tucked safely in the air-con. Or perhaps in one of the many luncheon cafes nearby or (maybe for the lucky ones) out to a choice of the local beaches.

While many would have waited until evening to venture out and take in a little Friday night Sydney inner city 'living it up' on a hot hot seaside day!



OUT ON THE STREETS TONIGHT

The heat of the day

melts into night

as I step into Bayswater Road

The searing presence of

'Pizza-a-Fire'

drives a tempting whiff up my nose

I haven't eaten at all

not since lunch

this day's left me dazed alright

I'll grab a quick bite

after finding the lads

out on the street tonight

Cars try to pierce

the meandering mob

amongst it a few hard stares

But they'll circle about

trying to figure things out

cause you just can't park anywhere

Apart from the odd

'no-go-zone'

the area's bathed in light

The Cross's on show

...I'm ready to go 

out on the street tonight

The bars spill out onto sidewalk,

our 'usual'...

...punters galore!

I look around for the guys...?

to no surprise...

still stuck with the parking I'm sure!

There's a spot over there

...seems a few chairs

I grab a middy of light

Happy awhile...

To watch the people file by

out on the street tonight

The girls nearby are

'pissed & rowdy' 

Probably been here some time

From what I see

...three bottles down

just a little too much red wine

My tribe arrives...

...well I see five

others are still out of sight

"Bloody busy" Tim says

 "...it's done in my head

out on the street tonight"

Off we go

and do the rounds

the club strip is 'alight'

You dodge the spruikers

...the odd garbled offer...

and the world is feeling alright

So now I'm here

and glad I came

The Cross sure has it's delights

Excitement is high for

what you might find later

out on the street tonight

from my Ipad - Grahame J Flynn

Views in Verse on 'walking the walk'

Diabetes Australia

Walk to Work Day 2014

Why not join in? Friday 14th November






Morning in the City

I caste a lazy eye 
as the the bus nears 'The Bridge'
the sun shines bright off Middle Head
The Opera House smiles
as she peeps o'er the brow
I'd be pained to use my vehicle instead




I come in early 
for my 'walk 'cross town'
the ideal start to the working day
An easy pace 
...no need to race
from The Quay toward Castlereagh

Through narrow lanes
of convict stone
I make my way toward the heart
Pitt St will take me
most the way to Sydney South
a steady hill right from the start












Martin Place is stirring;
the 'promotional' zone...
early workers busy on displays
In an hour there'll be shouts
from painted roustabouts
as commuters go along their merry way

A few blocks up 
the retail heart
trucks descend upon the mall
Restocking shops
for the day that's ahead
a greengrocer at his stall









It's a steady rise toward
the top end of town
An eclectic mix there you'll find
Best brands galore
In specialist stores
past the Hilton 
where taxis entwine

Crossing Bathurst St
up at the top 
Say hello to the 'new' Chinatown
Once confined
to 'old' Dixon St
now thriving some eight blocks around






A little further on
the railway arches
I routinely make my way down
Once you cross under
Surry Hills beckons
with the aroma of fresh coffee ground

The side-walks are narrow
where the locals gather
to await barista service with style
Just beyond them
men walk streets
clutching at loose bedding piles







But it's the 'metro' zone now
the place to be seen
I chance to wonder what I'm doing here
But I shot in the key
Enter ...just me
Ready to work ...no fear


from my notebook Grahame J Flynn

Views in Verse on the Rabbitohs

Latest betting tells us that Russell Crowe's South Sydney Rabbitoh's will tear into Sunday's Australian Rugby League Grand Final against Canterbury as favourites despite not having won one since 1971. The club emblem is of a rabbit ...why are they then known as the Rabbitohs?





 Since Russell Crowe bought the club they have seen a dramatic and stylish resurgence not in keeping with their historical image which is more reflected in their name - the Rabbitohs.

They were one of the foundation club's of the Sydney focussed league (1908) and effectively from the wrong side of town around Redfern as the area housed mainly the poor in these days - and continued to recent decades. The stories have it that especially during the depression years that rabbit was a low cost source of food and was readily sold in tougher hotels around the south of the city.

The guy who came in to sell them would announce himself as "the Rabbitoh". Thereby to be forever the association with 'the struggler' image.

The club battled hard to survive financially into the 1980's and were effectively removed from the competition much to the chagrin of their loyal supporters, who successfully managed to turn that situation around.  This included marches through the city and up to the town hall steps. Many well known, well heeled supporters came out of the woodwork at that time and would help with that struggle.

This period saw private funding dramatically enter the scene to rescue the club - eventually to end with Russell Crowe's ownership - himself a lifelong supporter. A new trend in NRL circles then emerged along the lines of other overseas sports franchises.

Crowe has dramatically changed the image and in some ways has taken 'the brand' to the world. The team now features two of the best players in the game Greg Inglis and Sam Burgess.

So how will they stand up to the pressure come Sunday against Canterbury? ...a regular premiership winner over the recent decades. Well, we'll see come Sunday. But I reckon most people would love to see them get up again off the canvas (Bulldog supporters excluded of course).


The Anthem in case anyone has forgotten the words:

Glory, Glory to South Sydney
Glory, Glory to South Sydney
Glory, Glory to South Sydney
South Sydney Marches On
When speaking of the champions
One stands above the rest
Of glories old and records proud
When often put to test
Of fine traditions, history
That others cannot best
They wear the red and green
Glory, Glory to South Sydney
Glory, Glory to South Sydney
Glory, Glory to South Sydney

Views in Verse on youth mental health

Get Behind Youth Mental Health 

The North Ryde Fun Run is on Sunday 19 October 2014 from 9am to 2pm at the Macquarie University Sport Fields, corner of Culloden and Talavera Roads, Macquarie Park. 

It is a community event organised by the Rotary Club of North Ryde, with venue partner Macquarie University. It is for fun walkers and runners, not for professionals.

The proceeds go to Australian Rotary Health to fund research into youth mental health and treatment programs. Why not join in the fun to raise awareness and some money.

It is important to care for the mental health of our young people. Between 2-5% of young people will suffer from anxiety. Young children with anxiety are 3-5 times more likely to develop teenage depression.Only $10 to enter see our entry form here!

Dark Reptiles

Dawn breaks bitter light

Stirring stone refuge once more

intruding again on broken sleep

Red eyes stare down the door

Movement doesn't come easy

Reticent to leave the source

Where can one go to find refuge?

Fate steer me that safer course 

Inviting faces challenge the mask

The now freeing frame distracts

As routine brings timely release

In hiding the guarded facts

How can I improve  my position here?

Can warmth not ease the doubt?

As the stalking dog ...he pads nearby

He's always, always, about.

Over the shoulder a shadow looms

night can't be far away...

Bent in regression a constant curse; 

Call dark to shroud the day!

So bring me sleep to salve my life

In an all too brief reprieve

The gloom closes in yet sleep does not come

the subconscious defying the need

Where do you go; where do you go?

To escape this moribund place

Waiting for heat 

from much needed sun 

with a gripped gnarling face

   

epilogue:

    The ones that I love

    They take good care

    They know the struggle in me

    The ones that I love

    They know me well but

    Their love can't set me free

Forwarded from my I pad - Grahame J Flynn

Views in Verse on sights, sounds and tastes of summer

Great news on the radio today as I awoke to a beautiful spring morning in Sydney...

"The North Queensland Growers are calling a bumper crop of Mangoes for this summer!" 

Aussies love their summer salads on a hot day (to accompany the BBQ meat!) but there is nothing that sets off a summer's day better than a sweet juicy mango to cool you off.

The earliest shipments are often found in a few weeks on the city roadsides where the country opportunists sell the early picks by the box-load off the back of a truck to those (like me) who can't wait to get into them again! Everyone wins as each mango this way works out at less than a $1 each instead of the $4 you will pay once they eventually hit the retail stores.

To complement that news on the way through the city afterwards today there was some spring warmth in the air and the welcome sight on a warm day of the girls in their summer clothes around Sydney town. This week marks Fashion Week here in Sydney - so the ladies will be taking centre stage. Makes you feel alive again to shake off winter and look forward to a another hot Sydney summer!

As for the sounds of summer I will draw on one of my favorite pieces by the Australian country artist Sam Hawksley. We do look forward to our cricket on the ABC radio - it's an Australian institution!

Many prefer to listen to the radio rather than watch a test match on TV. One of the many delightful sounds of summer in Australia to look forward to 'cricket on the radio'... can't wait!!!

SOUNDS LIKE SUMMER

Sam Hawksley

Feelin still a little foggy in the head
Last night hanging over my bed
I've got no clue or no idea
Just what the time is dear?

At least I know where I am
that little, I understand
I listen closely and it’s oh so clear
just what day we have here

Oh it Sounds like a summer, Sunday to me
Cicadas and their symphony
Cricket on the ABC
Oh it sounds like Summer to me

Kids playing in the yard next door
Waves crashing down on the shore
The subs in some hotted up car
A coupla guys strumming on guitars

Ring pull cracking open a beer
Dogs barkin ,ringing in my ear
Mower blades on an uncut lawn
One thing I know for sure

Oh it Sounds like a summer Sunday to me
Leaves blowin in the breeze
Radio says its 40 degrees
Oh it sounds like Summer to me

Sunday morning it’s a sweet sound
Nothing to do got some friends comin round
Monday morning ill feel bad
But these are the best times I'll ever have

Oh it Sounds like a summer, Sunday to me

The Cicadas and their symphony
Cricket on my TV
Oh it sounds like Summer to me

Great song too!!! - download it today - GF

Views in Verse on 'carpe diem'

 The economists keep telling us consumer confidence is low and that all we Aussies are transfixed by the economy! Frozen in our tracks perhaps? And yet despite the diatribe of last month: new high unemployment!!! This month we find: highest number of job advertisements in 40 years





As mentioned in my recent blog release these figures can be deceptive - even misleading on their own - but 'dynamite' of course in the hands of a politician of any persuasion - as we all know!

So what are Aussies really doing? Well, I reckon we are just getting on with it. The residential building boom on the back of the new government coming to town has been 'wild'. The canny ones among us have seen the record low interest rates on offer and seized the moment - how's that for stretching the budget?. The others, too indifferent perhaps to bother but... hardly 'transfixed by the economy'.

In truth, in my view, the average Aussie Joe & Joan are a pretty hardy lot and to my mind in almost any circumstance will be found just 'getting on with it'! And when you do that - great things happen ...more times than not!

 

 Life in the slow lane

I was shopping at Coles
as my story begins
The usual line
a trolley full of things

Waiting my turn
Way back in the queue
With my mind in neutral
as you so often do

When a word from 'Fi'
changed my life
That sees me now
With a brand new wife...
And yes a new family to boot

But it wasn't long before this
Cindy left me
Feeling alone and very empty
With little else in life
than my much loved teenagers three

Singing, live life as you take it
Take life as it goes
Cos no matter what you're facing
Everyday is gonna go
Better days are waiting for you
Just you wait and see
Turn around you'll find me waiting
Come a come a long with me!

Back to Coles
and the day I met Fi'
Who grabbed
the chance to charm me
On a whim and an offer
she found too hard to resist

She knew of a deal in the adjoining cafe
Where you get a free coffee
and the cake of the day
All we needed do
was rock on in and join the fun


But wait again...
None of this happened right to plan...
In fact ...we gulped our drinks
and scoffed our flan
Both a little preoccupied
with each new day
and the crisis that it brings...

As it turned out
we hadn't spoken at all
When Fi told me about her
'bluebird call'
that had come from our trip
to the Café Amor that day

They entered our names
in a lucky draw too
For a prize by Terry
the travel guru
'Life in the slow lane
- a tropical cruise for two!"

In truth it was a bit awkward
for Fi and me
Several months had gone by
without a chance to meet
or even chat about
a planned night out together

But look...
we opted to go
and consider it all
Back to our cafe
and a chance to jaw on
whether we were ready
to sail away and party
like two 'old friends'

But hey we thought
...why say no?
What's the risk
 ...friends said go!
And so we went
with best wishes
from all of our kids as well

Fi as it turns out also has three...
But would take the ten days
with me
to test the whim she had
when she
grabbed me by the arm
that day...

As things go
...we fell silly in love
Under the ocean stars above
We told the kids that week
that we really just
couldn't wait to wed

They met us there
in Nandi town
Where we quickly
got on down
to planning
the best damn wedding
that there has ever been...

 And so it was!

These days...
we still support the local shops
And share a big trolley
and coffee 'opps'
While our kids
are warming to each other more
with every passing day

We also share
a brand new house
Our cats and dogs
they scuttle about
Like the rest of us here
on this wild, wild ride...
such is this
...our brave new family

So ...we all seem to be fitting in
And Fi and me could only but grin
on how it all came to be
after almost missing our chance
on starting all over again

One day we were just
struggling along...
the next thing we are
growing strong
...now in Rome
celebrating the anniversary

But for this trip
we surely have paid
our now mate Terry,
a master of his trade;
sees us in Paris too
for only a little more money
it seems

With a 'rental car'
Thrown in for free
Such great luck for sure
have we
It promises a great life ahead
for Fi, ...the family ...and me!!'


Sent from my iPhone - Grahame J Flynn

Views in Verse on springtime in the city

Springtime weather returned to Sydney this week.  What a delight it is around town to feel the warm sun on your skin.

And to sense a real vibrancy about you that makes you feel like just being out there ...amongst it!

I wandered about many times at lunch this week

    


       (Major Mitchell Cockatoos - a colourful part of the Sydney scene)

Feed the Birds

I awoke early today

the new season lit the spark...

All of the senses were

touched as one

As spring ...brought life 

...back to the park

Fields of green 

are the first things seen

Where late last week was brown

It's a very warm day 

for early spring

Short sleeves on show all around

A flight of parrot

cause quite a stir

as they squark in the morning's heat

A cheeky field mouse  

scuttles about

seems wheels upon his feet 

Two ruddy old guys 

They laugh as one

just why to me unknown

While a stripling lad 

eyes the water's edge

fingering a stone

Overhead a plane sweeps by

lazily out to the sea

While a mother feeds an infant 

just along from me;

As I mark out a comfy patch

Where I won't be disturbed

Where I ...feed the birds

Canoes on the river are 

rolling on by 

As a couple on a blanket sip wine

Two chatty ladies 

have a place all set...

wicker baskets well charged to dine

Three young boys bring

a kite in with them

 hopes high for a virgin flight

Beyond them walks 

a weary old pastor

Trapped in his grounded plight

Young lovers 

gaze into each others eyes

Channelling open minds

A private view 

on a future for two

Prospects look just fine

A mother bends down

to help her lad

Free his little pink feet

As a uni-cyclist passes on by

well safe 

from the busy street

Meantime

an open-top tourist bus

Rocks by to a beating churn

The merry throng 

seem to wave as one

The ladies wave back in return

A young group kick a ball about

with unbridled glee

A 'cute little miss' eyes a butterfly 

...nonchalantly;

Meanwhile a gent with a telescope

considers a far off world

While I ...feed the birds

One of the players

his shirt now off

banks like a passing plane

A colorful lad

To say the least

Anything but mundane

A young busker 

on the bandstand

pleases one and all

As he lets go with

a guitar riff

worthy of Les Paul

Her child now fed 

one mother walks back

into her waiting world

A red faced boy 

makes a further pass 

with a kite that won't unfurl

With that he hears 

'Greensleeves' play

Mr Whippy comes into view

From all parts

 ...kids rush about

Save missing a place in the queue

Two well dressed friends

march off towards town

All done with their noon day sun

Crossing them 

a businessman walks

Pulling his tie undone;

Without a need for words...

While I ...feed the birds

Forwarded from my Iphone - Grahame J Flynn

Views in verse on 'my new offshore home'

Pssst don't tell anybody...

but the word is getting out that

Retiring Aussies are leaving by their thousands

to attractive places all around South East Asia to live

...and taking their pensions with them

And who can blame them?




Sydney (where I live) is now the fifth most expensive place to live in the world and to anyone that lives here, this is no secret. $100 plus for a taxi ride across town, $50 an hour to park your car in the city. Weekly food bills through the roof... power bills!!! Rent !!!!!! And all we seem to hear to complement this is ...more public sector cuts to services to come.

Well it seems that some of us are a little smarter than others and are starting to 'think with their feet' according to a number of news stories this week. Stories on 'Baby Boomers -moving offshore' into entirely desirable destinations. Thailand was extremely popular in having a much lower cost of living also they claim. Getting a lot more 'bang for the buck' for their pensions. 

Apparently Thailand is inward processing >$2 million per day ex Australia into the pockets of thrifty ex pats. One couple I saw interviewed on television claimed the cost of living to be only 25% of what it was in Australia. They also claimed a near parity in services received!

Big decisions just the same. But who can challenge this as a worthy solution to people now free to make a few selfish decisions.

Why the hell not?



The island

Take me off to an island
Where I can live the rest of my life
No kids, no grand kids nor crusty old mates
Just the pension, me and the wife

The time has come to dump the expense
of living in olde Sydney town
The food, the rent, the parking
Twice the price of elsewhere around

The experts say 'Penang'
From a survey of all of the field
They've weighed it up from all the angles
There's no better place they feel

There's the 'my second home' visa
The Malays have cleverly crafted
Get a nice place among ex-pats
I should really get this thing started

Great food, resorts and beaches
First founded way back by the Brits 

friendly people too I'm told
We must consider this...

The only thing that's got me stumped
As I fashion this getaway plan
Is how well I could support my teams
From this remote far off land

I'd miss my Swans, my troubled Eels
And the wobbly Wallabies
And catching the Aussie cricketers
Is just mandatory to me

Can't miss my 'Tahs
Now they're on top
I watch the young Socceroos
But as I weigh this up
over many months
I'm now ready to choose

It's often said
there's a placebo
In every difficult choice...
I mentioned it casually to my wife...
Dashed...
Without even raising a voice


Sent from my iPhone

Views in verse on the change-bringer - Waratahs win at last!

Views in Verse on 'change bringers'

Waratahs win maiden title in Super XV competition

on their belief in a mission!





Last Night in front of 62,000 people at Homebush Stadium in Sydney, the NSW Warataths beat the Crusaders 33-32 in what was a rousing game of rugby.

The latter being many times champions and recognised as the toughest team to beat in a final. The former a side of (well) 'showponies' who loved to perform but were often not committed to win or so it seemed to their long suffering supporters ...until last night.

What brought about this change? They always had good players. The club was always well funded. But over time they lost their fans owing to their erratic performances and a revolving door of players. What changed?

Last year they enlisted the help of a European Cup winning coach. An Australian as it turned out - Michael Cheka. He came to the table with an uncompromising style based in player belief and a mission to play the game as it is intended to be played - 'openly' and with firm regard to the fans enjoyment. One would follow the other as this resulted in the biggest Final crowd in Super XV history.

The key to it all : Cheka taught them to believe in their own success.

If in doubt go back to what you believe gets you there. As they struggled through the second half last night and the Crusaders began to spin their tight web of control on the game, it was refreshing to see the open 'trust in what we know' style return as they stormed off with the win.

I had of late heard Cheka's talk of trusting to 'let the head go' as the only thing that will deliver the required outcome. A lesson to any long suffering golfer who tries to steer the club-head onto the fairway only to be later found trudging off into the trees. I heard one of his key players reiterate it this week and then again Bernard Foley mentioned it after the game last night as one of their key success factors.

Cheka brought about a common belief (previously missing) among a group of what must be called 'star players' who will now go on to form the bulk of the Australian team to meet a lot of again common faces in the Crusaders team who will very soon roll up as "All Blacks" to meet the Wallabies.

However when asked to comment on this, the 'Tahs' captain Michael Hooper (also the Australian Captain) quickly corrected the reporter with "This is all about the Tahs mate ...all about the Tahs". Absolutely correct, as the common bond found here amongst these "star players" was the mission and the strategy shared by this group of players, provided by an uncommonly inspirational coach.

Cheka was later seen wandering around the ground in a very unpretentious way; in fact he could have been any of the fans who had wandered down from the stand. Well, every one of those fans (and not just the ones who were there) thanks you for delivering on what has been in many past years a painful leaderless mission.

You made the difference 'Chek'. A real Change - bringer!!!

You hear the word 'transformation' loosely thrown around these days in the corporate world in which I dwell. One of the latest management 'weasel words' used politically to reward faceless people who do sometimes very little towards real change in a loosely prescribed initiative. The team is often refreshed quietly every few years (see National Bank this week) for purposes of continuing the reward stream without too much fuss. Much in the way the Waratahs had been!

Perhaps trusting in "letting the head go" might resonate with the new team there if they're remotely interested in pursuing any clear objectives!

The Troubadour

He came to us
as one of us
With a want to try to sing
His songs
were not 'the usual'
but long complex things

He spoke out
on looking out
from beyond your own back door
His call was to lead
not follow ...as before

With no concession
to class or place
as our fathers readily bore
But as an uncompromising
bringer of change...
revolution at the door

Using words
Powerful words
That spoke of freedom and truth
Thoughts he shared
with a growing army
of anxious wide-eyed youth

Enter the Troubadour
Let him sing
for he has something to say
We yearn for change
we're pained by war
He's brooding there back-stage
A tidal surge
of youthful thought
We need this better way
The guards are sleeping
The tower rests
We'll leave this very day
As we go
we won't look back
There's little good we see
When they awaken
The only clue given
Will be one hand waving free

Luther King
The Kennedy's
All praised in their own way
For their part
in social change
the heroes of their day

Yet no engine starts
without a key
The facts are plain to see
A new dialogue
was required
for open thought to breed

Dylan surfaced
He provided that spark
in his shrill compelling voice
Truth spoken out
again and again...
it served enlightened choice

Establishment frowned
...in time gave way
leaving Richard Nixon alone
We all answered
in the western world
J Edgar took a long walk home

Enter the Troubadour
Let him sing
for he has something to say
We yearn for change
we're pained by war
He's brooding there back-stage
A tidal surge
of youthful thought
We need this better way
The guards are sleeping
The tower rests
We'll leave this very day
As we go
we won't look back
There's little good we see
When they awaken
The only clue given
Will be one hand waving free


From my I-pad - Grahame J Flynn