Captain's Log.

Living in the suburbs equals wild birds. Mandurah has some exotic birds species visit it frequently. The most prevalent species has got to be the cheeky Pink and Grey Galah.  There are also Ringneck Lorikeets, Kurrawongs, Doves, Pigeons and the odd King Parrot, but it's the Pink and Grey species who occupy my feeder most of the day. I've a few regulars - one couple sit in a branch above the feeder throughout most of the day - while others come and go. The great difficulty in keeping caged animals is that it complicates matters when it comes to leaving the property for any length of time, like for vacations.  Feeding and watering birds during any lengthy absence worries me - but having a feeding station instead ends all that worry. I am free to come and go. The birds are free to do their thing too.  I never overfeed them - they get a cup of seed in the morning and another (sometimes not) in the evening. Those that don't take advantage of it move on and go

Sex Before Marriage. It's The Devil's Work! A.D. 1202: Europe is coming out of its darkness. The Middle Ages witnessed the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of The Church. It was a disorganized, brutal period in history but The Church held up a shining light with its promises of a royal life after death. The Holy See, protected by its loyal soldiers and ideals, offered hope to the poor, lost and lonely. The Vatican became the authority of everything. A.D. to NOW-ish: History  shows that thirty-nine Popes were married! Oh? Nobody mentioned that, did they? For over a millennia, Popes, Bishops, Cardinals, Priests and any clergy who had a desire to wed, could do so, no questions asked. Sex was allowed too. Sex before marriage was fine. Sex wasn't an unholy act. It was allowed on any day, on every day if that's what you liked. Sex was never an issue. That became a topic of debate much later - when it suited the Church to do so. Control Se

What's a writer do when he's not thinking up kooky ways to end the lives of his characters? Karaoke is one thing he might do... Karaoke is a hobby of mine and in Mandurah, there are plenty of venues offering karaoke and I still get out 2 - 3 times a week to belt out a tune or two. That's not me singing at Murphy's Bar. This is: I usually go for Meatloaf, Robbie Williams, Elton John or something from Billy Idol. They are in my range and I enjoy singing this material. This is one of the many things I do between writing and waiting for the next round of edits to come through for SEETHINGS. Another project I'm working on is my home. I recently bought a beach house and am renovating it. Shortly after we moved in, I built Margo a potting shed out of old glass doors. She set about  planting a vegetable garden and now we've got herbs, vegetables and citrus on the grow. I then ripped out the original sliding door

In a former life, I raised racing pigeons . My early teenage years were spent breeding pigeons to fly in competitions. Their unique ability to find their way home from long distances totally amazed me. Fast-forward to March 2008: Mark and I were on a sailing a trip from Woody Point to Sandgate in his unusual-looking trailer-sailer for a meat pie at Doug's Cafe . On the way I noticed something floating in the water ahead. I wasn't sure what it was, but I asked Mark to navigate towards it anyway. It was a baby pigeon! Only a tip of beak and a bit of a tail was left above the surface. The chick was in distress and completely exhausted. My best guess was that it fell from the nearby Hornibrook Highway bridge (They nest underneath the support structures) and fell while trying out it's new wings. Yes, it was a toddler learning to walk.  Baby pigeons aren't perfect on their first flight. They mess up and fall down, staggering about just like a toddler test

  You're considering visiting Silver Sands Resort. Is the resort worth it? There are rumours and you want to know the deal before making a decision. Just to make sure we're talking about the right holiday destination: This is  Silver Sands Resort, Mandurah, Western Australia . It's not to be confused with another place in America or Africa. Ivan Hill manages this (plus) forty-year-old resort. It's part of the Classic Holidays group — built in the eighties when time-share resorts were popular. Silver Sands Resort has fantastic potential — but it's limited by one thing. Its leader.  Ivan Hill has produced a toxic workplace, turning it into a toxic vacation destination too. The guests are complaining and unsatisfied with the standard of the resort. Ivan Hill is untouchable and he goes unchecked.  Morale has been low at SSR ever since he was appointed the job and this flows onto everything that makes up and functions within the resort. The staff dislike Ivan's archa

You're considering visiting Silver Sands Resort.  There are rumours about and you want to know the deal.  Is the trip worth it? Will the stay be plagued with issues?  Just to make sure we're talking about the right holiday destination: This is Silver Sands Resort, Mandurah, Western Australia . It's not to be confused with another place in America or Africa. Ivan Hill manages this (plus) forty-year-old resort. It's part of the Classic Holidays group — built in the eighties when time-share resorts were popular. Silver Sands Resort has fantastic potential — but it's limited by one thing. Its leader.  Ivan Hill has produced a toxic workplace — in turn, it's become a toxic vacation destination too. The guests are complaining and unsatisfied with the resort's standards. Ivan Hill continues to mismanage the place. His actions remain unchecked by head office.  Morale is low at SSR. This flows onto everything that functions within the resort. The staff dislike Ivan&