NOW VODAFONE DOES US IN
Sometimes I live in the country
Sometimes I live in the town
Sometimes I have a great notion to jump into the river and drown
KATI B at Kirra Pub with the petrol cap we left on the roof and the open taNK. Sometimes I have a great notion – especially now with the internet playing up with the same ferocity as the phones did last year. Pat the Rat used to say the Alcoholic had a great desire to neck himself . Vodafone is inspiring that urge in me this week. Rough connections and no connections. Thought it was my own sweet as ACER Aspire series laptop – tried the little ACER Pc I call Elpacca and she did the same thing. dropping out. Pages not opening. Near Hysteria.
The laptop worked just fine down at the Aza motel in Lismore on their wirless. So we try ringing VODAFONE ” Support”. Not an Australian Accent. No matter. Followed a complex set of troubleshooting directions which pretty much dismantled Izzys phone and my laptop. No result. Tried distracting into playing Age of Empires instead – then ventured to sneak up on the Internet from behind. Still not working so I rang VODAFONE again. Doesn’t sound intimidating but IT IS ! First I have to talk to LARA – the Replicant – in a language she seems to understand but which I don’t. Then I meet an American woman – nice for me – I don’t travel much who passes me onto the Broadband team – well- waited on ring tone for 12 minutes first – then I encountered something I have been encountering a bit in this collapsing era. A real person who was honest. MAKES A DIFFERENCE. After the telstra year of lying, ducking and dodging and calling Earle ( who is a very nice man) – a BELLIGERENT FARMER – when he reached hysteria and nervous thermal combustion in trying to deal with them – well Telstra people began to get honest. Behind the Weavers and Artful Dodgers – are the People. NOT the ones named Starr, and Sweetness , and Melanie and etc who are posted at the front line to evoke sympathy – not the ones who say ” You don’t know how hard it is to run a cable over Bilambil Mountain” – but real people who break party line and TELL YOU THE TRUTH. I’m pretty good with the truth even when I don’t like it. Doesn’t even make me want to SUE them which seems to be the major fear. ” I am not litiginous by nature “. Makes me feel a bit like Earle – the belligerent farmer. The gentle man who grows thousands of trees and takes care of the wee animals. Makes me feel like throwing myself into the river and drowning.
This PERSON with another American Accent did inform me that its a big problem. MASSIVE UPDATES AND UPGRADES AND UP YOURS that VODAFONE is doing. Good God !!! Why didn’t they say that last night ? Why didn’t they put it on the website or send an SMS – anything except pretend it was all ok. Anyway VODAFONE is trying like the rest of the world to adjust to 3G – the miracle of 3G – The 3 Goons perhaps. So we WAIT – pay and wait as usual.
And remember the good times, Jamoze with my girl and her lad. Lismore with the iz.
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STUCK INSIDE BILAMBIL WITH THE TWEED HEADS BLUES AGAIN
KIND OF.
INTERESTING MEAL AT KIRRA PUB
The day had begun clouded and cooler. Not as cold as Kalang say Kati B and her IMM who were up at Ivan the Cowboy’s place for the weekend. iZZY played at the RICHMOND HOTEL on Friday night with THE HILLBILLY BLUES BANDITS and we booked into the AZA in the middle of town. Expected Fiona and Sarah but they didn’t show. Did get to a Red Dove Meeting as stated previously. Back in Bilambil via Nimbin and the fruit and vegie shop at Sphinx Rock aka Mt Burrell meant I could go shopping with the Daughter because Cowboy has just moved up from Sydney and he has moved to BILAMBIL – just across the Valley. Almost within vision and 6 doors or so down from the Bloke. So we took ourselves down to the Coast and into Kirra Pub in search of Kati B’s perfect counter lunch roast. We didnt find that. we found a rather odd meal in a rather odd place. Then we came out to the carpark and the petrol cap was sitting on the roof of the car with the petrol thingo open where we had forgotten to close it or put the cap back on. Came from 2 people doing the job of one person. Kati B has her licence now and a registered car but they came in IMM’s 4 wheel drive so we were in the Charade as we have been for years and we took a good look around TWEED. Wish the MAD OBRIENS were still here but they are up the mountain in ARMIDALE so we went to RIVERS in search of the perfect shoe for me. I have the perfect bag. The BLACK WOLF BLADERUNNER. Now I need the walking shoe. Lightweight. WALKABLE. Haven’t found it yet but I will.
Picked Kate up for Jamoze – her being Izzy’s BIGGEST fan without doubt. And then the lads turned up as well which was not what I thought would happen. BIG lads they are too. Two of them made Jai look small and hes over 100 Kilos and BIG. Now they are gone South again and we are here and the day is a little grey.
KATI B AT KIRRA PUB FOR LUNCH
Japanese proverb: from great site of quotes.
- “Fall seven times, stand up eight.”
FRIDAY IN LISMORE
Late night now in the AZA Motel Keen Street, Lismore. Waiting for Izzy to finish the HILLBILLY BLUES BANDITS gig at the Richmond. 
Came down early and settled into the AZA where I once stayed with my sister long ago. Just after a Lismore flood. Its rather nice. Did the RED DOVE meeting and the Lismore shops and now I’m weary. Kati B called on her way North and it turns out that Cowboy, the friend of her IMM is living on Broadwater at Bilambil Heights just across the Valley from our place in the Cottage. Theres a golden thread for you. Much like the Sanders and the Taylors in Elladale Cottage Appin. Or Hannah Hutchins and Henry Samuels in Sussex Street right near the McNallys working as Carters.
We did Richmond Hotel and it was very good. Izzy has a cold and a flagging throat but he’s still out there playing and with a security key to get him back in the massive rolla door at the entrance to the Aza. I am already FLAGGED.
WINTER JUST THIS SIDE OF THE QUEENSLAND BORDER
SOUTH THAT IS.
IZZY IN SURFERS PARADISE. 
Life here in Bilambil borders on the insane. Borders on Queensland as well. This week we have been to a cafe in SURFERS PARADISE where Phil E Berg was playing. To a wake at BILAMBIL SPORTS CLUB and then up to a farewell for AUSTLIT members at UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND and back to the Cottage to recover and look at 19th century Australia and the FAMILY TREE. I still do not like living at a distance from my children and grandchildren but am doing so for now. So be it. I read a year or two back when I was doing the one year Ignatian online retreat about a deep willingness for things to be as they are. A passionate surrender. So I stay with that.
The winter days here in the North of NSW and South of Qld are sweet. Singlet and jeans weather with the occasional wearing of the Brogan. A heater at the feet of a night and a couple of doonahs and all is well.
Went to UQ yesterday for Cathy, Jim and Stephanie’s farewell to AUSTLIT. PIzza at the PIZZA CAFE and Life Water from Rosalie on the way home. More on the PETER KNOX website. Peter being Izzy’s alter ego.
For me – Home for the day. Once I lived very much more eremite than I do now that I live with Izzy and am drawn out into the world amongst personalities and philosophies with disquiet and confound me at times. A day out here with birds at the window and the deep silence of the Valley suits me very well before I engage again with the world into which I am not greatly inclined to indulge. I re-located my HERMITARY website and am deeply reassured by that. Izzy is a good man to live with for peacefulness and ease. Behind me is the Dell and the Forest with the winter birds – subtle they are. It is at this time of the year that the owl is in the pines on the drive when we come home at night. The wee wren is in the tree behind the Cottage and the two willie wagtails rouse and babble while we eat bagels on the porch. I think its a porch. It could be a patio or a verandah. Izzy will be out there today. Down at Stokers Siding rehearsing with Phil E Berg. Me I ain’t leaving home. I have had it again. I would rather be riding in a STARWAGON with 2 little girls or talking to my son and his lilttle lady. I would rather be eating good food in a Kalang living room with my daughter and her IMM and watching Izzy at open mike night at the FEDERAL HOTEL in BELLINGEN but I am not.
So I shall stay home. Its been 3 years since my father died and it would have been his birthday this last week had he lived. So I put as much of his family tree as I was able on the heritage website and now I stay home all day and consider things As they are now. Standing before the situation and waiting for an internal response to emerge. 
Joan Keating, Peter Knox and me with Roger in the background. PIZZA CAFE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND. The very same cafe that Kati B and I retreated to after our marathon CITY CAT ride . On that occasion Kati B required a fortifying ale to recover from the hours in the sun with fumes , tourists and sunstroke. On this occasion AUSTLIT provided the pizza and sparkling water. Hi Joan !
ARMIDALE MIGHT BE COLDER BUT HEARTS ARE WARM. We took the little girls to breakfast at Maccas and then on to ice cream in the new ARMIDALE Centro. That means little to other people – but to me its as meaningful as Ralph Waldo Emerson. As meaningful as a gigantic pumpkin on a Scottish beach at Findhorn. Which did turn out to be meaningful for me – because its from Sutherland Shire that The Mackays and the McLeods came to marry James Bell in the 1800s preparing the way for my own entrance into this world. I do not know what is being prepared now in these years away from my loved ones but something is.
SO- a day at home making family trees – sorting out affairs. Hanging washing on the line stretched along the back porch. Looking over the 2nd chapter of izzy’s thesis. Wondering how close Durham actually is to York and whether or not that was a Catholic Chapel Carol discovered under the Institute Hall in York. Same as Dempsey’s in Sydney. A day reading more about Henry Kendall who is a classic progressing alcoholic and a right dick and dodgy as well. The whiskey grass is red along the front drive here and the lawn is getting a wee bit long because the DOS has been away with family in Newport.
That’s winter in Bilambil. Singlet and shorts. Barefooted winter days.
MY HERITAGE WEBSITE AND FAMILY TREE BUILDER
Here’s a fine thing this one. A free download and website for genealogists. Looks good. Seems to work just fine. Hmmm!
http://www.myheritage.com/site-29656891/lynne%27s-heritage-web-site
http://www.myheritage.com/family-tree-builder
I have begun work . Lets see how she goes !
AND FAMILY TREE
SATURDAY ON TWEED
Hmmmm. Ever since I found the new windows live writer I havent been able to think of anything of any interest at all to write about. Blogger Block. Kati B will be working I should imagine in the IGA in Bello today starting pre-dawn. Little Jo should be in Armidale cleaning motel rooms. Mad O’Brian will be minding the Little Girls and Izzy and me is planning to go into Tweed. Actually into Coolangatta where I will do the Meeting. We have vouchers for FRUIT AND VEGIES to the value of 2 lots of $20. Won them at the Friday Night raffles down at Bilambil Sports Club. Earth Markets in Tweed City the vouchers are for. We actually won the meat trays but vegetarianism meant that Kenny and Pete Livingston traded them for us and gave us the Fruit and Vegies.
NOT AT THE LIVE FRIDAY MUSIC
Yesterday we went driving. We went up the new TUGUN BYPASS which was impressive esp if we were still travelling to Brisbane each week but we are not. Living in this area still has novelty for me. I first came here in 2001 with a drinking man. I thought then that it had about 5 years interest for me and it was about so. However = I am still here and making the best of it that I can. One drive and we were through Green Valleys and suburbs , along a motorway and into a mall, down to the beach and onto Tweed. Coming back we turned up Pigabeen Road and out onto dirt which suits me fine.
Now we are home in our own Valley. Kati B has taken her car in for the first rego check she has ever done. First time she has owned a car. I have Grandchildren art on Bertha the fridge and I am not at the LIVE FRIDAY MUSIC. The club was packed and Izzy is down there but I came home.
LYNNE SANDERS-BRAITHWAITE
Home now. After travelling for days. Its cool and wet here. Izzy is out front working on his thesis and I am considering things as usual. And coming to no conclusions. I did not like leaving the KIDS and coming away and I do not have any wisdom on returning.
WILD COUNTRY TRAVELLIN’ IN MAY 2008
Been away for 10 days, Izzy said we would stay away 10 days but I didn’t expect him to do that. WE DID ! I should by now know that he does what he says he will do and usually more than that. We stayed at Kalanh with Kati B and IMM and then up the mountains to ARMIDALE with the Mad O’Brians. These are MY KIDS .
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