Tale from the Holy Land:A man and woman were on a tour of the Holy Land and set off on a walking trek, with guides, and donkeys carrying provisions, up Mt Ararat. All the way the woman was complaining about her sore feet. They got to the summit and the woman was still complaining about her sore feet and so the man went and talked to the guides about what could be done to ease his partner's pain for the journey back down the mountain. He discussed and worked out a good solution. He returned to his partner who was still complaining about her sore feet and was dreading the descent. on and on she went about her complaint and sore feet. He said to her, "Hey, instead of complaining, why don't you just go down on a donkey?" She never spoke to him again.

The wise astronomer/philosopher said to me "I believe we are all, in our own way, stars, all constellations, all galaxies, in the greater reality of the Real Universe." I said "You can't be Sirius!"

One of my old neighbours died last night. He used to play the piano. His funeral service will be low key. I worked for many years on the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was riveting. My pal just back from a trip on the famous train journey, the Orient Express. He said it was murder.

I've opted out of the australian national health database mostly because I don't like or believe half of the doctors I've seen and only follow about a third of any advice, if that. I still check my blood pressure once a year, unless I'm really profoundly stressed, and weigh myself once a year, unless I've eaten a lot during the previous 12 months. So far so good. The Ute is going well. Gosh that's a good truck, that Nissan D22. Three years old and still pretty well new...or as new as a kind of Jurassic type vehicle can be.It even has a big garage now to swan around in here. The tray is still full of flattened boxes from the house move and I get rid of a few a week here and there. The townhouse we are inhabiting is better, to me, than the house we lived in, just because the townhouse isnt on the 'convenient' main city tram tracks ...so, it is much quieter, especially at 5am. Also there must be a massive amount of insulation in the roof and even walls because we hear nothing from the neighbours, no screams, no murders etc and usually have to wait for the police to turn up to know that someone has been slain or mutilated in one of the adjoining residences. Melbourne remains a remarkably unfriendly place without any redeeming social value at all, but we are here, so this makes it a better place.

My Advice to My Children: Look, you are adults now. You don't get any money from me. Make your own fortunes, quickly. I am spending the small modicum of money I have on my creativity and travels and basically reckless philosophical living, rather than spending it on yours. Should I become rich through my odd activities, then there will be a lot for you, if I don't then there will be nothing for you but a warm memory of me as a kind man and a good father figure who didn't hit you, who just loved your company as you grew beyond me, finer and wiser as you are. Don't lose faith in my creativity. After all, I made YOU. Mind you, I haven't heard from them for years. They are free of me.

First Draft of Mission Impossible screenplay.... "You're Mission, Mr Phelps, should you decide to accept it..." "You can stop right there, because I don't want to know anything about it, and I don't accept it." "Oh, okay."

son John, palliative care nursing consultant expert, visiting dying unconscious Mum in hospital. She looks comfortable. No cancer, no obvious cause for organ failure. The only certain thing was that she was really 'actively' dying at about 80. Something in the sensorium of the brain went wrong and maybe bled. Who knows? She had a good palliative care physician. I asked him 'What's in the Driver? Morphine 120, Midazolam 20, methadone 10, metoclorpramide 30. You still use the old sub-cut drivers...the Nikkis are better." I suggested "morphine amount sounds right for the visceral pain, the methadone can help with any bone pain at the axon gate, the midazolam is good for retrograde amnesia, but the metoclorpramide is unnecessary and could bring extra pyramidical issues, better just take it out and add a tad of haloperidol 5 to cloud the sensorium for the rough bit of the journey". Love you Mum. Thank you for my life. I am honoured to be your son.