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 ...

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...