I recall reading an auto-biographical note by the superb humorist, Spike Milligan, recalling, in World War 2, as a UK soldier being in an open caboose on a train at the top of a high mountain in the Middle East when the train driver was shot and the train rolled fast backwards down the steep incline into a steep murderous valley whilst he was being shot at by the Enemy. His comment: "Roll on, brave new bloody world, roll on". Now, I have used this comment a few times in my life at various intersections. The important thing was that , although he had a great sense of humour about life on earth, he, following this event, through surviving it, developed an even better one.

"The Deconstruction of Ambition" by John Fitzpatrick 2017, Melbourne, Australia. Medium: Metal Wire and Pig Skin on Wood, with unlocked door knob. "You can aim and aim at this goal or that goal, or you can just open the door."

"The Deconstruction of Ambition" by John Fitzpatrick 2017, Melbourne, Australia. Medium: Metal Wire and Pig Skin on Wood, with unlocked door knob. "You can aim and aim at this goal or that goal, or you can just open the door."

I'm sorry I dropped off the screen during the odyssey from Cairns to Melbourne but half way through I left my coffee maker in the hotel...

So we are in Melbourne now, and it is good to be in better weather and within 7 miles of the cbd of a city, a basically happy and liveable city of around 4 million.

NICK DRAKE Essential Songs

Watching Carols for Christmas on tv live from Sydney. The show sponsored by Jesus Woolworths and and Coca Cola. Now if there ever was a worthy and moral Isis target....

Surfers Paradise a border town nice and lively. We will cross the border into New South Wales around 730 tomorrow and just drive down the coast towards Sydney

I think it is day 5 of our journey from Cairns to Melbourne by car. We are at Surfers Paradise

Thus we are still in Queensland and about half way in our journey. We are having a rest day today peering from the 29th floor balcony at the Novotel hotel at the brisk Pacific Ocean. We have covered 1500 kilometres in those 4 days whic is enough driving just for now. The Nissan Navara pick up is going very well.