Intermezzo

A time of just passing the time. An intermezzo in life. After the storm there is always silence. Its seems that it is also true for life. A few months of just passing the time by working, eating ,sleeping and dreaming of how the next storm will look like.

The biggest highlights the last month are loosing my wisdom piece by piece. I just have one fourth of my wisdom left. And i will loose that too. Not the alcohol infecting my brain, but an melbourian dentist that flies in every two months, and has the greatest pleasure in pulling teeths. I have too confess its a bit scary to loose your wisdom teeths in the middle of the outback, imagining middle age clamps and devices to pull out a teeth. But no, civilisation is catching up here in Yulara.The assistant is just a girl that works in the supermarket and the tools are from a few years back, with a few important ones missing. Its seems that in the dessert its always a matter of improvisation. But hey, i survived with no spastic left overs in my body, just a few days of learning to eat again.

Another highlight in my working days is been hold up by two rookie cops that the force sends up here to ennoy us. A place where the speed limit is the exiting 40 ks an hour with one racetrack of 60 ks an hour. A zone where ,if you are lucky , encounter a car every 4 hours. A place with the longest drive of max 5 minutes (otherwise you are up for a drive of at least 5 hours)and works that create a habit to forget about the seat belt. So yep, they send us two melborian coppers who are living in a million city where stress , haste and million of cars rules to fine us. They leave you behind with a fine that bangs your head on the stearing wheel, seatbelt or not.

A time of an exiting intermezzo in an aboriginal community, far far away in a desolate kingdom. 300 k`s of dirt, just red dirt washed away and no coppers around, so #$%# the seat belt. A week of working with the constant melody of the gensets. Even at night waking up to put out the humming of the airco and noticing it didn`t matter. It wasn`t the airco that was singing in my ears. Waking up, working and sleeping, really very exiting. A good thing the dingo`s were keeping us busy.

A reunion with my old past. A flemish night out with a nice group of aalstenaren i met with my fellow workingboys .And like always belgian know how the party, Even after closing time of the bar ,we didn`t stop, we were just warming up. So we ended up at gilesstreet number one , ennoying the sleeping contractor that was unfortunate staying that time at the house. Aks contests, filosophical debats, diplomatic fysical relations between canada and our casanova , life questions, end of the world issues. Noticing that i couldn`t speak any language anymore. My flemish was mixed with english and my aussie language was mixed with flemish.

And again a drive to docker river. A few repairs needed to be done. Flying over the dirt , leaving a dust cloud behind, probably noticeable in alice springs. It was amazing to see how wildlife was flowering. I probably broke the record of roadkills that day. Birds everywhere. In the sky, on the dirt, on the trees , on the windscreen, in the radiator, underneath the wheels, You just couldn`t avoid them. And not to mention the horny devils , scared to death by a flying car over there heads. The lonely innocent snake travelling across the road , wondering why the hell he deserved to end this way.

Anyway, life continues at the rock, like it`s been going for ages.

Changes

Unbelievable, in two weeks we go from minus temperatures to 30 degrees, its a chock for the body and mind, no easy time to let the body and mind adjust at the climate change,

And talking about climate change, its really a change, a wet change, we talking about usually 50 mm rain a year and now we are talking about meters of rain. The normally dry and red centre , with his dry riverbeds and animals desperately looking for water and food , is putting on a new dress.

Rivers are flowing , roads are getting inaccessible. Even going to do a job at the bores becomes an adventure.The dirt roads are becoming a muddy and slippery track ,ready to catch the first car that passes by, in their grip.

Yep, its definitely a different world where i`m living now. It`s unimaginable what rain does. The fuel the rain gives to the dry land will be felt in years to follow. For us, the locals its a magnificent wonder, but the tourists are not so happy about it. Flying thousand and

thousand of k`s and spending thousand and thousands of dollars to see the sunset, sunrise and the rock are now confronted to stay in their room. Seeing the rock covered in clouds behind their holiday window and wondering what the hell they are doing here.

But its definitely fun, driving and wondering if i`m going to drive trough or spending a few hours getting out the grip of the track. The car , more and more getting a camouflage and infiltrating in his surroundings.

And its`a a beautiful world that `s forming around the rock. The colors are growing everywhere. Plants are creating flowers they never knew they even had. Frogs are wondering where the hell they are . Even the fish are wondering how they ended up swimming on the top of the rock. The animals having problems to choose what will be the next thing on their menu. The veggies are taking inhuman shapes, amounts and sizes. Dead places are creating new life. The difference is suddenly so enormous, making you understanding how dependable we all are of mother nature.

The force mother has in her hands. To take life and to give life.

Hibernating

Life in the land of Dorothy.

Three months trying to escape. Escaping from the cold. After getting used to temperatures above the 40 degrees Celsius. It’s hard to survive at minus degrees. So I ended up locking myself up in the room, putting the heater on overdrive, get the beanie and sweater out, grandma’s socks and hiding under a 20 years old doona. Mmmh, back 40 degrees, closing my eyes and waiting till the first signs of the next long hot summer.
The last months I just worked and dove immediately in my warm cosy nest.
Time to think. Time to think too much. Reliving the past and dreaming about the future. Thinking of memories and thinking of future possibilities. Time to think about things a human being shouldn’t be thinking. Thinking about past life’s.

A life as a semi professional tennis player. , a life as a tennis coach / trainer. A life as a climber and alpinist, a short life as a married man. A life as a would be artist, a life as a jewel designer/goldsmith. A life as an immigrant, a life as an Australian. It seems I had a few lives. Wondering which life’s are waiting. Time to think about friendship, treason, love, passion, hate, dead and life.
Living remote, isolated from human beings, yep, it sounds I’m desperately in need of typical human contact. But nothing is less true. I probably need some time for myself, “private quality time” they called it. Being stucked for two months with only male contractors coming and going, with there own specific habits. Habits that causes vaciumcleaners to fly and conversations that ends in a more aggressive language, what wouldn’t be proper to quote on my blog. Sometimes I wonder if I would have the same problem if they would be female contractors.

It’s not an easy time. Time to do something about it. Looking for some quality time, nice hot temperatures and away from the male attention. Off too Thailand were the ladies are screaming to have a drink with you. The only male attention you get is from those #4@% tailors, trying to sell you a suit.
The plan was to travel and visiting Vietnam. But fate had another idea. Arriving at the airport and noticing that your luggage is not coming out that black hole, is a way to change your original plans. It’s a good thing I learned to make no more plans. I saw some desperate people on the airport who are loosing it because their luggage is not showing up. Straight to the little markets, bargaining for some singlets, shorts and tongues. I’m Australian now, so those are the basic clothing you need. Checking in, notifying the airport where I will be staying in case my luggage is trying to find his way to me again. Time to go the bars, playing some four on a line and let’s not forget that building game. Yep, it will be a party again. But fate had another and better surprise for me.

I ended up driving for a week on one of those thousands and thousands little motorbikes exploring the island, eating delicious Thai food. Discovering by boot hidden beaches, scuba diving together with all kind of fish with a different colour. Even seeing a movie in the theatre with couches. Yep, the top seats are a couch for two. Just amazing.
All this accompanied by a beautiful and charming Thai lady. Vietnam was suddenly far away. I even picked up the local language. Sawadee kup tilak. Kun rak pun mak mak duang. Pun kid tung kun jing jing.

Arriving back in Yulara was definitely back a culture shock. Back to reality, didn’t loose my luggage but back cold, only male contractors around and time to do my duty as an Australian citizen, time to vote. Back to the rain and my thoughts. I thought it rained maybe once a year in the red dessert, but the climate is definitely changing. It looks like the red dessert is changing to a rainforest. Most of the time its too wet to work, so I’m stuck with my thoughts again that I thought I left behind before my holiday. Dreaming about true love. Dreaming about a life where money doesn’t play the biggest role. Dreaming about a life where people respect each other and not trying to control them. Dreaming about a life in harmony with fauna and flora. Dreaming about a life where dreams become a reality.

Yep, I’m officially entering my midlife crisis.

Outbreak

Nop, this is not a movie set of Outbreak 2, or a preparation of the alien invasion and neither an escape to the underground shelter for the coming disaster in 2012.
It’s just a simple job at a power plant. What people do to make a living.
Two huge diesel tanks that were laying for more then 20 years underground had to been cleaned up for a major inspection. Two big round tanks hidden from sight could have some leaks or spills that nobody knows about for the last 10 years and cause a contamination area, not as big as the one we have now at the US coast, but anyway, it had to be verified.

And yep, this is me, almost bold, and by the way, it has nothing to do with my age. One of the obligations for a BA (breathing apparatus) trained, is to be clean shaved. Not to mention something about the private parts. The seal of the mask works 100% only on bare skin. So the night before, I had a lot of shaving to do.

A lot of preparations before you really go down to the unknown. A white suite, a harness and by the way, it is also the only time when it is allowed to play with the private parts in public, as precaution not to end up with a high voice after the job. And finally the BA equipment. So when you are ready to start doing something, you already feel the need to have a break. And even worst is when you suddenly feel the need to relieve yourself. There is no fast way to get all that gear off again.

So, off you go after the second time going to the procedure to put all that stuff on. The first difficulty is trying to get trough that tiny manhole with all the gear you carrying. Flashlight, headphone, work tools and lets not forget that little bottle of emergency air in case your main airline gets entangle or cut off. A good thing I cut back on the consummation of alcohol. Once you have been lowered down, you find yourself cut off from the world. Another reality opens up; it’s amazing how many realities I visited last days. The tank first had to be sucked empty, then all the sludge had to be hoist out and finally the whole area had to be steam cleaned with hot water and detergent. We called it detergent, but in my eyes it works more as an acid.

With no knowledge of the existence off the world above, you start working. It’s amazing how breathing looks so unfamiliar then. You feel and hear yourself sucking on the airline to stay a life, hoping that they above don’t forget to check the pressure on the air bottles. You suddenly look up from the walls of the tank and no longer find yourself in a steel tank. You find yourself again in another reality. A beautiful environment only existed out of fog. You only see and almost can touch the fog build up by the steam. Just for a sec you forget about your breathing, before you start sucking even harder on the airline.
After a long hour, rules are you are not allowed to stay longer in hostile environment then 1 hour and have to have a break for 30 minutes before going again. It’s time to try to struggle back to the cable that supposed to lift you trough the manhole that supposed to be somewhere above you in that enormous foggy tank. It’s a good thing there are only two ways to go, forward or backwards, to the left and right would mean that I could walk up the curved walls of the tank. 50% chance you make a good choice, more then you got in the world above.

Once you find the lifting hook you are ready to go up again, squeezed to that tiny hole again and hoping that the world you are going to is not changed, or maybe is.

Realities

Not abducted yet and still not bitten by a snake. I’m still walking around, and working for a living in Yulara. Not the most interesting time of my life the last months, so maybe that’s why I’m neglecting my blog a bit.
But here I am, posting just thoughts not realities. (maybe they are)

The lonely isolation in the middle of the red centre is starting to have an effect on me. Escaping in fantasy novels, where I’m fighting dragons and being able to rescue the horny princess. Living a life full of adventure and dangers, winning wars and fights without even a single wound. How wonderful is this life.
My virtual world on the internet is my trustful companion for the last months. And what a world this it.

A world still at war with everything and everyone. A reality where there are no truths and no lies. A ying and yang situation. Websites where the pope has 5 children and three wives. A world with governments denying the existence of extraterrestrials, while government’s employees and well known scientists like Steven Hawkins explain there are alien forms somewhere and around us.
A world terrorised by earthquakes, floods and natural phenomenal that cause financial and economic problems around the world, and let’s not forget the human pain they cause. This all to the delight of the 2012 fanatics, who are preparing for the end of the world according Nostradamus, Inca’s, bible, Chinese and Islamite prophesies.

A world where the moon landing was a hoax to propaganda the superior knowledge of US humankind in time of the cold war with Russia, the discovery of the secret chamber and his treasures under the feets of the sphinx is hidden for the general knowledge. And while we talking about our history, the discovery of Noah’s ark. The whereabouts of the long forgotten superior civilisation Atlantis. Maybe its all useful now, we got the plans to build a new boot to sail to0 a new future at the underground city for the coming disaster in 2012.

A world where ghost walk among us, the dead are communicating with us. People read minds and speak with no words. Deceased people born again to finish the seven faze before dissolving in pure energy (if they lived the “good”? live). A virtual world with no rules, no certainties. Even 1+1= 2 can be written as 1+1=11, or 1+1= 3, or 1+1= 0.

Yep, it definitely has an influence on me. I’m specializing now in reading my own future, the ghost are telling to choose my tarot cards while they explaining how my future will look like in Atlantis.

All by all, my reality here in the garden of eve, with the rescued horny princess is not so bad.

Garden of eve

Life in the red centre, located 500 k`s away from the closest town the northern territory provide. And with only a few roadhouses, cattle stations and aboriginal communities shattered around in that dry warm country.

Somewhere there I decide to build my own private pond. So I thought. Only a few waterholes 300ks away and only reachable after an exhausting 4wd drive, I had to have one close by. Dig a hole, put some water in it, and job done, I got my own little water pond. Put some plants around and in it to let it look pretty, and I have a view different then the endless red dirt, while I having my beer.

But then it started. More and more my private pond is been taken over by locals. The always surrounding flies are now accompanied by mozzies. Breading on the water like rabbits on grass, they are interfering with the peace of my beer. But happily after a while a few dragonflies came along and decided to settle down at tree number 2, and to enjoy some mozzie dinner. With the plants flowering a few butterflies and wasps decided to stick around too. So it became a happy time with a few insects and me sharing the pond.

After a while a couple of finches, lost the track somewhere in the red centre, fond the way to my little water garden. I still suspect they were scouts of some sort. Because I just saw them a few days and then they were gone to come back again a few days later, with a lot of friends. So every day I got 43 finches chattering around, occupying trees number 1 and 4. So it didn’t take long that other birds noticed that at my own private garden a little party zone was happening. Nowadays the finches are chatting away with the crested pigeons, bronze wings and doves while different kinds of honeyeaters are playing in my water features while crows and butcherbirds are scanning the area.

But with birds and insects also other land species arrived. The local rabbit clan found there way to the everlasting green grassland. Little mulgara`s are playing hide and seek. Skunks are chasing the ants. Grasshoppers are happily jumping around and the geckos are stick to the windows fascinated by the life inside the house.
Yep, it’s all a happy family now, but it didn’t last long. Predators found there way too to the garden of eve. A nice big looking tarantula decides to dig in. My goanna lost the battle with a snake, and who became now king of his new gained water garden. But the war is not lost yet. There is still one big predator left, me.

Its amazing, it all started with a simple pit with water, and a few months later it became a whole new society with politics , tyranny, treason, love, birth, drama, happiness, fun, democracy, tolerance, but the most fantastic thing about it , is that there is a marvellous harmony and respect for life and dead.
Something that the human specie doesn`t seem to have.