Portside Local | Books & magazines
Portside Local
Phone: +61 2 4928 1191
Reviews
to load big map
25.01.2022 Don't Pay the Ferryman by Mick Alpin Spectrum Scene: On the ferry halfway over from Stockton to Newcastle, going full speed. Bright sunny morning. It was a typical busy morning on the ferry. People off to work. Kids off to school. Others off shopping or paying those ‘bills’ that never go away. This particular morning the ferry was near full with a lot of standing passengers as well as all those seated and some standing holding their pushbikes. Old mate and fellow deckhand..., John Mortimer, and I had the portside doors open and the steel gates closed in front of us. We were admiring the morning, the morning light bouncing off the calm water. For those of you who don’t remember ‘Morts’ he is tall, solid with fortunately long strong arms and a lovely bloke to boot. We were both slightly leaning against the steel gates that opened to the sunlight and water gliding by. A small ruckus and some frantic yelling from a woman erupted from within the seated area behind us. A small boy around 4 or 5 years of age had escaped his mother’s grip. And as quick as quick he made his way past people standing, bikes, bags to the gap under the gate that John and I were leaning against. In a flash he was out on the sponson moving fast only centimetres from probable death. I stuck out my arms to catch him. My arms weren’t long enough, but John ‘Morts’ were. John grabbed that child by the ankle as he was going over the sponson into the fast-moving water. Talk about close. John just held him up by one arm gripping his ankle and lifted him bodily over the gate. John stopped momentarily, still holding the boy dangling and looked at me. John’s face said it all. How lucky was that! John’s mouth was open, his eyes wide, the adrenaline now kicking in. John adjusted his strong grip on the boy and held him up. His mother, still frantic, was there waiting and she clutched her child hard, sobbing. Someone gave up their front seat for her and the boy. We looked on, John and I. We later learned the little boy was autistic and was prone to staging getaways. Looking back, I thank John ‘Morts’ for his spectacular reflexes, height and strength all colliding perfectly in a split second of time. Hail John ‘Morts’ Mortimer. Excerpt from ‘Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right’ ‘Don’t pay the ferryman’ Mick Alpin [email protected] See more
24.01.2022 Chinese Violet Let's get rid of this nasty weed! Chinese Violet is a serious emerging weed in coastal areas of the Hunter. It poses a serious threat to our natural environment as it rapidly invades and smothers native vegetation and habitats. A survey is currently underway to identify target areas for containment and control of Chinese Violet in our region. Even if you haven’t seen this weed, please take a few minutes to compete the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Chinese_violet_weed_survey Please also report the location of any possible sightings of Chinese Violet to Council’s Pest and Noxious Weeds Management Officer Dean Semit on 4974 6048.
24.01.2022 Around the Port BY RICK BANYARD Bquad A Truck and Pup is a normal truck with a trailer. A Truck and Dog is a normal truck with a trailer that has a steerable axle at the front. A Road Train is a semi trailer with one or more trailers. It is rare to see a road train East of Dubbo. A B-Double is a semi trailer with an A Trailer that can carry the turntable of a second trailer known as a B trailer. These are very common on Portside roads that have been designated as B Double d...Continue reading
23.01.2022 JOY RIDE by MICK ALPIN I’d just finished mowing the lawn and doing the edges and some other chores around the home, it was hot and being my day off I set off for my local, the Boatrowers Hotel. I entered the bar and ordered a schooner. Looking around I said several g’days to the usual suspects sitting around the bar in their usual positions. Hey Mick, tell us the story about when you drove the ferry. I looked up and said I’ve told you that one before. Yeah I know old ma...Continue reading
23.01.2022 I Know Boats BY MICK ALPIN Scene: Old step wharf at Stockton, mid-tide, August morning around 10:30. Conditions calm. The old dangerous plank gangway with only one rail in use. Water temperature: bloody freezing. I remember this incident as a busy but cold morning despite the sun shining. A large group of passengers were assembled up the steps and onto the large platform atop the steps. My current crop of passengers were getting off. Some brief ‘hellos’ and ‘giddays’ exc...Continue reading
23.01.2022 WILL I SEE YOU AT CHURCH MICK? People come and go in this village called Stockton. Some go due to work pressures or lack of it. Others purely economic and some personal. We also have a high attrition rate like the rest of Australia. Some people come here due to the same reason as they go. Many residents have arrived via serendipity meaning they arrived by accident, loved it and stayed putting the years in, getting their passport. To move anywhere you need the personality ...Continue reading
21.01.2022 CLOSURE OF PORTSIDE LOCAL I am writing to advise you that I have decided to close down the Portside with immediate effect. This is purely an economic decision despite my best efforts I just haven’t been able to achieve a revenue stream for the paper that consistently covers costs. We have had some great months financially but lately the losses have become more common than the gains. We simply do not have the resources to prop up an unprofitable business for very long.... If you, or someone you know, have an interest in taking on the publication of the Portside, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I would be much happier in the knowledge that I didn’t kill off this great little paper. I would like to express our thanks to all the Contributors, Advertisers and enthusiastic readers who have made our tenure at the helm of the Portside so enjoyable. We hope to see you around the Portside community in a social context Cheers Paul Lambert Ex Editor & Publisher The Portside Local [email protected] Ph: 49281191
20.01.2022 The People You Meet. Gordon Wilson BY LYNETTE LAMBERT I met Gordon Wilson around 14 years ago when I was working at the Kooragang Wetlands Rehabilitation Project on Ash Island. Gordon was just a spring chicken then at 76 years. He volunteered as a Bush Regenerator and is still volunteering at the Sunday planting days each month. Gordon turns 90 years old this Thursday 21st March and his grandson gave him a tandem parachute jump for his birthday. He was pretty excited an...d concerned at the same time. He went to Belmont airfield recently and did his tandem jump. He said it was brilliant. Gordon has many interests. He is an avid environmentalist and his current passion is growing Australian Red Cedars ‘toona ciliata’, and the long term plan is to plant thousands up and down the coast of NSW. Australian Red Cedars have beautiful timber and the early white settlers used them for everything from building houses to making fence posts. Gordon is hoping to donate trees to schools, community centres, farmers and others with the plan to substantially increase the population of this beautiful native tree. There are a number of beautiful specimens on Ash Island. They grow to around 60 metres so need lots of space. The Red Cedars were highly valued by the indigenous population and Gordon likens the ‘pioneering whites’ treatment of their (the indigenous) cedar trees as comparable to entering a church and ripping the crucifix off the wall. Another of Gordon’s interests is his electric car. We featured his car in the Portside Local Issue 140 (‘He may be a senior but he’s got lots of spark in him’). As you may have gathered Gordon is a Renewable Energy enthusiast. He says, ‘Whether you believe in Climate change or not, this generation needs to leave the planet a better place than when we took it over.’ Gordon recently started running in the Carrington Park Run on Saturday mornings. He does what he calls the ‘Cliffy Young Shuffle’ and he reckons he’s up to about a 5km run. Not bad for a 90 year old. Happy Birthday Gordon & I look forward to planting trees with you for the next 14 years (at least!). See more
20.01.2022 The People You Meet Bob Forsyth BY LYNETTE LAMBERT I met up with Bob Forsyth last week to talk about his career as a boat and ship builder. He lives just around the corner from us. Bob had some interesting stories to tell me. Bob’s family has a history of Shipwrights in the family it’s in his blood. His great grandfather ran away from home somewhere in Sweden at the tender age of 14 and went to sea. He sailed half way around the world and jumped ship in Sydney in 18...Continue reading
18.01.2022 Don’t Pay the Ferryman BY MICK ALPIN Published 20 February 2019 in Portside Local 152 Prologue: Over the many years working the ferries in my capacity as a deckhand I had to deal with blatant ‘in your face’ fare evaders. The following two stories highlight what happens when you ‘don’t pay the ferryman’. Both incidents happened around a dozen years ago. Read them and you be the judge if ‘poetic justice’ prevailed or just a case of ‘you reap what you sow’. Episode 1: You d...Continue reading
17.01.2022 Woo Hoo! Portside Local now has a website! It's a fairly simple beast at present but enables people who want to access current or previous editions of the Portside. We're excited! WWW.PORTSIDELOCAL.COM.AU
17.01.2022 Reflections from Rose Fun and Games Ominous rumblings and sabre rattling in various parts of the world recently are causing intelligence analysts to go pale and reach for their stocks of antacid tablets. A sense of ‘here we go again’. More fighting in the Middle East and political tensions elsewhere. Now we all know that Homo Sapiens are a highly competitive bunch; have been since Og first saw Trog eyeing off his woman and not too quietly suggested that they go outside the ca...Continue reading
16.01.2022 This tremendous photo was taken by Ron Boyd - he commented that there was no gold on the ferry when he got on but that it might have been removed by disembarking passengers
16.01.2022 HMAS NEWCASTLE - WE WILL MISS YOU by Lynette Lambert - Lyn's first front page!! The HMAS Newcastle forged wonderful links with the City of Newcastle since being launched by the Lady Mayoress Margaret McNaughton in February 1992. It is traditional that each ship in the Australian Navy has a charity they support. The captain of Newcastle at that time asked for suggestions from Margaret and Mayor John McNaughton and was given four options. He chose the Hunter Orthopaedic Schoo...Continue reading
16.01.2022 DROWNED RATS by MICK ALPIN Hi my name is Mick Alpin and I worked as a deckhand on Newcastle Harbour for over twenty years. Over that time and umpteen thousands of crossings from Stockton (my home town) to Newcastle wharf life was mostly mundane even mimicking Groundhog Day but every now and then an incident would shatter the illusion of mundaneness. Over several issues of the Portside I will submit my account of some of the incidents that are worthy of recall and write ab...Continue reading
16.01.2022 Lungs full of air quality by Rick Banyard When we live in the Portside area what fills our lungs when we breath in? Hopefully its good clean wholesome air that is free from pollutants. From time to time air that surrounds us is blamed for harming our health and even causing death, for damaging our paintwork and making the house dusty. The Portside Local commonly gets complaints from our readers and we know it often comes up in conversation about town. So how can we tell if th...Continue reading
15.01.2022 Stockton Beach Erosion Fact Sheet- * Before Newcastle Harbour construction, sand moved south to north along the Newcastle coastline, a large sand bar extended over 1000 m off Stockton and there was no significant coastal erosion * After construction of 1100 m long breakwaters and excavation of a channel 18 m deep and 150 m wide, it is virtually impossible for new sand to enter the south Stockton compartment. Existing sand continues to move north with longshore transport, re...sulting in a long term loss at Stockton of 10 million cubic metres of sand, at an average rate of 41000 cubic metres per year (4000 truckloads) * The erosion is not natural or a result of sea level rise. It is artificial and manmade. This can be seen by comparing Nobbys Beach which is growing, with Stockton Beach 700 m away that is shrinking * Although there are climatic cycles superimposed, the net long term trend is for increasing erosion, and it is now worse than at any time in the past * The NSW Government received $1.75 B for the sale of the Newcastle Port in 2014. Annual coal exports generate $15 B with royalty payments going to NSW. The cost of restoring the beach sand is around $10 m. This is approximately 0.005% of the sale price, or about the value of two coal ship cargoes, of which there are around 5 per day * The cost of the erosion includes loss of local business, loss of the only local daycare, loss of surf lifesaving activities, loss of boardrider club activities, injuries from the seawalls, exposure to toxic dump sites, danger to the caravan park, Lexies, houses, loss of sporting facilities (Dalby Oval), and loss of lifestyle (no beach for recreation) * Seawalls increase the wave energy in front of them leading to increased sand removal and beach loss. Accelerated erosion occurs where the seawall ends. Seawalls also require costly maintenance, and create safety hazards as they break up. They are no longer regarded as best practice in coastal engineering * The majority of the Stockton community want the beach restored with ongoing sand nourishment, not a seawall and a permanent loss of the beach * When a similar problem was created by NSW breakwater construction at the Tweed River, the NSW Government constructed a sand bypass at an ongoing cost of around $5m/year See more
15.01.2022 CARRINGTON ART EXHIBITION CHARLY STENHOUSE BY LYNETTE LAMBERT My Mum June and I called in to talk to Billy Lamb last week about the upcoming exhibition for Billy’s protégé - young local indigenous artist Charly Stenhouse. Billy gave us a tour of his home which is a testament to his talent as an artist. He has covered his walls in aboriginal themed murals. It was a bit of a spiritual experience. Billy has been a mentor for Charly, who had an exhibition of his Year 12 art... work in a local Carrington restaurant last Monday afternoon. His artwork is awesome. I had to buy a painting for my mum who was rushed to hospital last Saturday afternoon. I knew she would love it. There were around thirty original artworks for sale. Most of Charly’s work was sold but his largest and I believe his best work (pictured) is for sale via a silent auction. You can bid for this work by ringing 49694003. Leave your name/ contact telephone number and the amount you wish to bid for this brilliant piece of work. Charly’s work is an investment - he is a talented young Dharug man. (My photo doesn’t do the painting justice). See more
14.01.2022 Following is Mick Alpin's contribution to Portside 150 QUICK DRAW From the collection Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right...Continue reading
13.01.2022 Rats of the Sky by Mick Alpin Scene: Newcastle Wharf, large concrete concourse near restaurants. A toddler is walking the way toddlers do. We have all seen them. Funny little things moving around haphazardly, nearly tripping over, every fourth step but clearly happy with their freedom. Often giggling and making noises flapping their arms about. Cute. Dad is keeping an eye on the toddler. Mum is coming back with some deep-fried goodies from one of the several restaurants tha...t line the Newcastle wharf area. Mum comes over to toddler with a small cup of hot chips. Toddler grabs them with glee, holding the warm paper close to the chest, with the other hand deftly fingers a chip and munches upon it heartily. Out of nowhere it seems the seagulls flock. The rats of the sky as some people call them. The seagulls’ collective hunger combined with their love of hot chips attack like a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. Meanwhile mum and dad have taken a keen interest in their deep-fried offerings unaware of what’s happening to toddler until the heightened excitement of the gulls and the loud noise of competing gulls breaks their revelry. They look over towards the deafening noise only to see toddler trying to escape the marauding birds. In sheer terror the toddler throws his paper cup of remaining chips away. Tears streaming down toddler’s face, a quick dash towards mum is followed by a heavy fall onto the hard concrete. A crazy swell of gulls are now behind toddler fighting over the upset and abandoned chips. It’s over quickly. Well before toddler stops crying, the gulls are gone. Back to their vantage points on alert for the next easy soft target another toddler with hot chips. PS. I witnessed this episode numerous times. The result always the same. Seagulls 10. Toddler nil. Toddler always in tears. Excerpt from Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right Don’t pay the ferryman See more
13.01.2022 Soccer Boots Needed Has your son or daughter grown out of their soccer boots? Put them to good use. Donate them to a Soccer Program for Refugee kids Pick up can be arranged Ring Lyn on 0458123480
13.01.2022 DON"T PAY THE FERRYMAN MICK ALPIN Out of the Mouths of Babes Scene: aboard the ferry (morning) All of us throughout our lives have interacted with five-year-olds. Children of this age have an endless capacity to ask endless questions. Some questions are inane to us as adults whereas other questions are perceptive and loaded with reason and logic that often makes us adults smile collectively. As adults we utter things like Gee this kid’s on the ball or good question as we...Continue reading
12.01.2022 FERMAT TO THE RESCUE I first got to know JB when he was a knockabout teenager. Big for his age and sporting a mischievous look. He came across as a bungling big goofy bloke. But there was more going on behind that projection. He loved his sport, especially rugby league, and loved the gladiatorial component of that game tackling opponents and running the ball up hard and often unloading the ball to other team mates to advance their position. JB attended Newcastle High S...Continue reading
11.01.2022 Thanks to all who have expressed pleasure that we are staying in business. Hopefully we can keep it that way until we are too old, tired and frail to continue.
11.01.2022 A new wheel invented By Rick Banyard Transport was revolutionized by the invention of the wheel. A subsequent design upgrade was to remove the chassis from vehicles and replace them with a monocoque body (this is a structure which integrates body and chassis) The evolution of electric vehicles is now revolutionizing vehicle design with the completely flat skateboard like platform. Founders Daniel Barel and Ahishay Sardes say will greatly improve the efficiency of electric ...vehicles and that is likely to change the way car makers approach electric and autonomous vehicle manufacture. Essentially, the system involves four electric motors, along with steer-by-wire technology and a smart gear box able to handle the four motors, and encases them in a flat chassis, freeing up space by up to 67%.The platform also incorporates active height levelling suspension. See more
10.01.2022 Geoff Hyde - Tall Tales and True. BY LYNETTE LAMBERT It was great fun to talk to Geoff Hyde and his lovely wife Pat recently about some of his nautical exploits. Geoff has had some interesting assignments over the years but this one was a bit different. In 1958-1959 Geoff’s ‘mate’ Sinker Morris (aka Claude) got him a job working for the RAAF. Night manoeuvres towing a target (a surfboard like structure) up and down 4 kilometres offshore from Newcastle Harbour. Geoff woul...d make four or five passes and the RAAF would take six to eight shots from Fort Scatchley each pass. He said they were pretty accurate. Each shot weighed in at around 25lbs and made a mighty splash. Sinker’s role in this exercise involved sitting at the mouth of the Hunter River opposite Fort Scatchley to stop the ’60 milers’ from leaving Harbour. (These old coal ships were called ‘60 milers’ because it is 60 miles from Hexham where they loaded the coal to Port Botany Sydney). You can imagine how well this worked. Sinker would signal the ship and the ship would ignore him, swerve around his trawler and continue on its way south. Geoff said he and Sinker Morris would start at about 6 pm and finish at about 9pm and then head for the Boatrowers Hotel for a refreshing ale. Geoff’s brother Gordon was fishing up near Tomago and he came across a ‘60 Miler’ stuck on a sand bank. The crew called him over and said to Gordon, ‘Give us a tow off mate’. Gordon laughed and said that would be like a flea trying to push over a large dog. After he shrugged and said sorry guys. A large rope plopped onto his deck containing a 20 pound note. Gordon pocketed the note and said ‘I’ll give it a try’. The ‘60 miler’ was only partly wedged on the sand bank and Gordon was able to nudge the big vessel back into the channel See more
09.01.2022 As we have had some requests I am posting Mick Alpin's first two articles for posterity. Nobody ever complains about missing my articles
08.01.2022 Reflections from Rose Open Wide One day I found myself sitting on a comfortable couch next to a coffee table displaying the kind of magazines you would normally see in an English country manor house drawing room. You know: House and Garden, Country Life, The Gourmet Traveller’s Guide, that sort of thing. Walls painted in soothing pastel colours hung with one or two tasteful paintings or prints to match. And decorating a receptionist’s desk, a stunning creature with a thousand...Continue reading
08.01.2022 HOT OFF THE PRESS... The quaint, informative community Portside Local Newspaper did a little story on us this week. We’re all about COMMUNITY & it doesn’t get m...uch more community than #PortsideLocal And, what makes this little feature even more special is, we share the page with our friend @brigitalea from @houseoflita !!! (We have been stocking Brigita’s personal line @indah_designs_ since we opened). The Throsby area is the best place to live, work & bring up a family, but then hey... you can’t really go wrong anywhere in #newcastleaustralia ! We’re open 10am to 6pm today, love Jess, Gem, Amee, George & Sarah xoxoxo - - - - - - - #newcastlensw #carrodise #shoplocalnewcastle #thegratefulboutique #newcastlefashion #throsbycreek #newcastleharbour #ilovenewcastleaustralia #newcastlecommunity See more
07.01.2022 DON"T PAY THE FERRYMAN by MICK ALPIN FIRE IN THE HOLE Scene: Quiet afternoon/late docked at Stockton side of the old step wharf, conditions calm, weather fine Once again I was teamed up with my skipper, Steve Doley. We started our shift a few hours earlier. Everything going well, mundane, going through the motions. Steve glided the ferry in perfectly as usual with the starboard side of the ferry settled and tied up against the Stocko wharf. Alarms - ‘fire’ alarms - throug...Continue reading
06.01.2022 Around the Port BY RICK BANYARD Fire Safety It is hard to imagine the horror of the house fire in Singleton that claimed the lives of three young children. This fire could have just as easily been in the Portside Local area. House fires are mostly at night during winter months. Fire and Rescue NSW recommends some simple fire safety steps to minimize the dangers. Check out their web site for information and help. Never ever leave cooking unattended and always keep a good watc...Continue reading
06.01.2022 IT'S ALIVE!!! "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated"... Portside Local Yes, all you Portside enthusiasts out there. Life has been breathed into the old girl and the local paper you know and love will be back on the street next week!... The breath of life has been administered by Dowling Real Estate, who have come to the party with some much needed 'bail-out' funds and a substantial advertising commitment for the next twelve months. Thanks very much guys! Readers Portside should be hitting your letterbox Wednesday next week, or soon after. If you have any letters or contributions that you would like to have appear, make sure I have them by this Saturday. Advertisers If you have a product, service or event that you would like to publicise this is a PERFECT time to use the Portside to let our thousands of readers know all about it. Remember, the more regularly you advertise the cheaper it is!! Come on folks, we still need the money!! Email: [email protected] Phone: 49281191 Cheers to one and all Paul
04.01.2022 Where Does Pollution Come From? By Rick Banyard In the last edition of the Portside Local we considered the impact of smoke on our air quality and it was great that one reader joined the conversation and has suggested that wood heaters should be banned. I believe many others certainly agree with him. Being able to locate the source of emissions and pollution is critical if we are to take action to correct the problem and improve our air quality. To locate the source is far e...asier said than done because emissions can travel considerable distances, can change height and can even change in characteristics. The most common thing is to see if the source is in sight. Commonly from Stockton the prime suspect is Orica because it is an obvious visual indicator. If the wind is blowing from the North, South or East then it is unlikely to be Orica. A complicating factor is that the wind direction may be different, the altitude may not be the same. If so the emitting location, you and the monitoring equipment may not detect the same air sample. A drop of food dye in a jug of water will illustrate what can happen in the air It is not until it is fully stirred that the dye becomes uniform. The wind speed is also important as it can change the dissipation rate, the movement direction of the emission being tracked and the likely travel distance. When emissions leave a discharge source they may change characteristics. For example a fuel spill from a truck may be a liquid but once released can become a gas. The exhaust from a factory stack may be hot and on cooling can be quite deceptive. The gas could be a spectacular display of pure steam, a coloured gas or a large range of combinations including being colourless. Do not just consider sources of emissions that are restricted to the foreground as pollutants can travel long distances. At best all that can be achieved by casual observations is to narrow the potential sources down a manageable list of most likely sources. In the next edition of the Portside Local we will discuss how the list of likely sources can be, hopefully, refined to the point of pinpoint the source. Don’t forget the Portside Local is keen to have a conversation with our readers about the quality of the air we breathe and the impacts on our health. Please ask questions or contribute your thoughts. See more
04.01.2022 Don’t Pay the Ferryman BY MICK ALPIN DECISIONS DECISIONS Scene: New floating wharf complex, Stockton side Time: Around 8:30 am, high tide, warm and sunny Before I continue with this short, but to me, funny story let’s revisit some basic physics. We all learned this at school, or more likely ignored the class, about the laws governing the ‘surface area effect’ of an object, and how nature’s laws in different settings react to ‘surface area’. What am I talking about? I’m ta...Continue reading
04.01.2022 Light Rail On Track to Success? Thousands Turn Up To Check It Out Hordes of Novocastrians ventured into town on Sunday for the public opening of the ... Newcastle Light Rail service. The great and the good of NSW politics turned up to have their turn last week but most of the locals took advantage of a glorious (if slightly too warm) Sunday to take their loved ones into town and go for a ride on a tram. As a consequence there were a lot of people waiting to board at every stop along the way and particularly at the Interchange. Still, we found the crowds to be in good cheer, friendly and patient. The light rail experience itself was fine - it’s good looking, smooth and, under normal circumstances, well air conditioned. It was a shame the littlies were so surrounded by adult bodies that they couldn’t really see out but at least they’ll be able to say they were there. There were tons of activities and happenings to take in at every stop. Isn’t it great that this project has finally completed, and in a timely way? Sure it seems like it’s taken forever but most of the construction targets were met. Hunter Street business that has survived the mayhem hopefully will reap benefits. Many questions remain to be answered about this project: - will everyday usage levels justify the cost? - will this system be able to deal adequately with peak hour and ‘big event’ crowding? - will we see the start of an extension of the service? A lot of people I spoke to indicated that they really don’t get into the CBD very often and I suspect that that may continue to be the case. I have never been a supporter of the dismantling of the old rail but let’s celebrate the new and the commencement of this milestone in our history.
04.01.2022 IT IS TIME TO PREPARE YOUR GARDEN FOR SWEET PEAS BY THE HAPPY GARDENER St Patrick’s Day, the 17th of March, is the traditional day to put the seeds in. The sweet pea was originally discovered by a botanizing monk, Father Cupani around 1699. His flowers had a purple colour and a sky blue winged petal. He was on an Island off the coast of Sicily. He sent a few wild seeds to his friend Dr Uvedale in the UK. Who began growing the sweet peas in his yard for over 20 years, before...Continue reading
02.01.2022 DON"T PAY THE FERRYMAN by MICK ALPIN SECURITY, SECURITY, SECURITY I’ve met and worked with many security guards spanning decades of my time as a deckhand. For the most part they were good to deal with. The majority start off being gung-ho and overzealous. Why do we need them in the first place? Perhaps it was the ongoing slow disintegration of societal values. I myself lost count of how many times some drunken or drugged up moron threatened to kill me. The smartarse withi...Continue reading
