The Daily Good News
Sick looking spot.
I like that basic bush shack thing you posted once best though.
Same spot , Indo.
The whole place was a banana farm back in the day. Then the arse fell out of that and the valley fell fallow. A bit of dairy but mostly just crew living quiet lives*, remnant forestry , bit of dairy . The town nearby I used to be a big deal. Double wide Main Street so the bullock wagons could turn around. Really beautiful spot with extremely nice people.
The shack was an old banana packing shed which we made liveable whilst we built the house. A chippy’s version of glamping !
A mossie net tent on a platform with a resident diamond python in the rafters . Once the house was built it sat empty for another few years till we came back East to visit and chose to hang for a few months whilst a close friend slowly made their way into the next life ( Mesothelioma) .
We tried to support her battle with cancer by researching alternative medicines. This led us to discover the benefits of Veganism and then raw veganism. We went full on raw food in simpatico but she died a chemo filled junkie. I’m not judging her on that whatsoever.
Anyway , I went from a pisshead desert reef rat to an East coast beachie raw vegan hippie flat out. Mull cakes and fruit bowls for breakfast. Surfing low period beachies on home made boards whilst permanently off chops stoned . Lived that way for about 8 months. No work , just healthy eating, surfing and stoned. Got super fit and lean.
Then returned for another year in the desert working my arse off. Sucking piss with the boys. Every fifth week in Indo. Quit. Year off . Back to work ...repeat till we'd had enough.
That was a decade ago and I haven’t touched meat since. Don’t do pot much either. Laying off the piss. Haven’t seen a reef break in 5 weeks !
Photos of the same shack today. Last photo is from further on the property, the shack in the middle of shot....sneaky !
The hollow tank was the shower ! Had a water bag hanging. The place has weathered well for a decade of neglect. Cost fuck all to make liveable in the day. You could still do the same now and I’ll guarantee if things get weird that heaps of crew will do the same. Find an old milk shed and turn it into a house for $300 and some second hand tools.
That’s a good thing. It was getting fucked before the virus. Peak strange was a label board builder getting his boards made overseas by cheap labour and then spending thousands turning a perfectly good Northern Beaches Sydney house into ....a more expensive Northern Beaches Sydney house ( renovation ) for a profit whilst trying to claim “ green “ credentials. Shipping boards across the planet , exploitive labour practices and Ponzi scheme capitalism burning through the Earth’s resources.....guess who !
Hint : Minimalism and knocked knees ....Crypto enough ?
I'm waging war with pythons at the moment.
fuckers are trying nightly to get in the chook and duck pens.
I love snakes but its getting hard to get a good nights sleep.
there's a real big fucker, thick as my arm, head like a closed fist.
he's getting very cranky at getting yanked around by the tail by me at all hours.
Shack life through the years
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Blowin, may not be an issue at your place but the soils in and around banana packing sheds are known for high levels of arsenic and dieldrin from the good old days.
Mate , I love snakes . Always have. You’ve got no influence over them whilst that food source is ready to be tapped no matter how rugged you get with them .
Distance or death....they’re your options for removing a python from the hen house equation.
The toxins pumped into this place would have been off the charts. What can you do ? At least it remains in the soil and leeches downhill. Still better than living next to the average suburban street.
Fifteen years later and still finding blue banana bags everywhere.
BTW.....I don’t live there. Too far from the water !
I was looking for the bong in those pics.
We always used to stash the bong in the background, kinda like those Where's Wally books and see if anyone would notice.
When I went Full Retard Raw Vegan smoking was over.
But I ate mull with EVERY meal and I eat way more than three meals a day.
North Coast NSW...... When in Rome etc.
I'd hate to think of the amount of weed grown discreetly at that property
Huh ? I don’t understand the question.
I was somewhere else.
But in reality....I just worked for my money. If you were in WA between 1995 and 2018 and you didn’t claim your fortune you missed the opportunity of the century.
Not a redirect, just a simple truth.
If you were born an Aussie between 1955 and 1980 you were given the golden ticket.
I’m calling the single best period for any general population in history. EVER.
Right place . Right time. ......Fuck yeah.
I’ll have a Wednesday night Pre / Mid / Post Apocalyptic drink to that !
Ah ok, sorry. I thought you lived there and were stoned 24/7.
Put 2 + 2 together and got a shit load of weed getting grown there. I didn't mean to sell either..
Sorry to disappoint.
re: pythons.
Only another month to go and they'll hibernate up for the winter.
all the fruit trees around (guavas growing like weeds everywhere) are full of flying foxes and the pythons are welcome to them.
I know when they get one, because they scream bloody blue murder.
till then, I'll keep up the night patrols.
haha i saw your first reply
Timeless stuff blowin.
I can really appreciate the 'minimalistic' approach to living.
If and when you do decide to sell it you can incorporate the latest marketing catch-phrase, (pun intended)
"The perfect place for avoiding pandemics and a great place to 'Self-isolate'"
Curious, how far from the coast is it?
If you can locate them ( snakes ) during the day you’re ahead of the curve . But they are sneaky buggers.
The guavas are gold. Same with the ice cream beans. Reliable self propagation and good yield whilst providing nice shade for emerging plants.
Do you grow coffee , Freeride ?
It seems like guavas and coffee are the most suited for the soil here....like weeds. Maybe same at your place ?
West of ....most days from the verandah you can see the ocean.
15 minutes by car.
Anyone live in hinterlands ?
There’s definitely advantages to living away from the coast. A few surfers hidden away around there doing their thing.
yeah, there are coffee bushes everywhere along the creek line.
I've had a few goes at making my own, but the reward for effort is very low.
this place was an old banana farm too.
had a fair bit of soil rehab done to try and get rid of the arsenic deposits.
not much of a fan of the guavas: most fruit infested with fruit fly or other grubs.
self seeds everywhere.
My dream is to get my own little slice of north coast hinterland. My mate has a killer place just out of Uki- props if you know how Uki got it's name and no it's not aboriginal.
Off grid, grow most of my food, barter with my neighbours, fish and surf.
That's me.
Sounds perfect Zen
Agree about the coffee and a lot of effort for low return. Dragon fruit are the go. Vicious spikes if you get to close, although the no maintenance makes up for that. Got about 80 fruit of a couple of plants in January and was shitting like a fruit bat for a week
UK1, zen? All about the wood, right? Had a mate in the same neck o’ the woods. Top spot.
You got it Eta. Spot on.
This talk of regional hinterlands, I expect one of the changes from this event is an exodus from the cities that'll outnumber pilgrims marching towards Mecca. It's gonna make the last ten years of seachange look tame in comparison.
We've got an event that has rattled people to the core, shaken their belief in the safety of the metropolis - in fact the metropolis is now a place to be avoided.
A great many people who've retained their jobs are now switching to online. My wife works four jobs, and every one of them is transitioning to online. This will change the nature of workplaces on a scale we've never seen before. Employers will realise this as much as employees.
Many people who've lost their jobs have been forced out of their comfort zones. This will be the time for reassessment, to do what they always dreamed of.
So brace yourself, regional surfers. The influx of people will also bring infrastructure and development which regional govts will be crying out for - jobs etc.
In the short term there'll be extra housing stock on the market as second and third properties get hocked but price depressions will quickly be corrected by the aforementioned new arrivals.
You could get a job with The Economist Stu.
Very true , Stu.
The digital nomad is already transforming locations. Look at Canggu.
That’s why people are dreading the Telstra tower being installed at the Bluff. It’ll become a permanent city of insta influencers and cyber workers. The most attractive thing about the place - real time community and physical presence without cyber intrusion- will change 180 degrees and an entirely different demographic will move in.
The shift from the cities you mention will go exponential but it’s already happening apace.
A lot of people are cashing in their chips at the Sydney real estate casino and using the money to set themselves up elsewhere and a lot of crew are GTFO because they’ve realised that the cost/ benefit ratio of a Sydney Lifestyle and a Sydney sized mortgage is all out of whack.
But lots of people are just over it already . The congestion, the hassle, the loss of amenity. Particularly with the “ vibrancy “ of the joint eradicating any cultural attachment they once held for the place. White flight may not be a pleasant dinner party topic but that makes it no less real. When I say white flight I mean to employ the term as generic and not actually referring to skin colour or race. You don’t have to be white to mourn the loss of Australian culture or the vibe of a place.
Around here stalled for years. It seemed immune to the growth that I’ve seen in most other places. Then ......Boom ! The last two years it’s changed dramatically.
Back to good news!
I've been cooking like Jimmy O for the last week. The kids and I have stripped the vege beds and got to work. I'm sure the old wives take about onion growers surviving the Black Plague would've also included chili growers had the plague also torn through Mexico.
So we're not just killing time.
Photo is backlit so colours are shit, but far right is chili sauce with Habaneros and a few manzanos, hence the really orange colour (trust me). Hot but not ridiculously so, and it has a very 'apricoty' flavour. Already scarfed one whole jar the same size.
The small jar second from right is made by my mate Scott from some Habaneros I gave him. It's reduced right down. Needs to be handled with care.
Middle three jars and plastic container are chili sauce I made last night. There's around thirty chilis in there, including ten Carolina Reapers, plus all the seeds, just because Covid-19. Tried some last night and it's trace elements only. Gonna need a dripper to serve it up. Buggered if I know how we'll get through it all.
Second from left is a chili paste from a mate up the road, prepared with chilis I gave him. It's reduced way down and is more gum then liquid - not sure how I'll use it. At left is honey from the same bloke.
Behind is what's left of the crop. Tonight I'm gonna make Salsa Rojas on rec from Saurus.
Apologies if this post resembles Murfer Instagram shite.
The dripper line made me LOL.
They look unreal.
Ever find that the background of people’s photos are just as interesting as the intended point of the shot ?
Special mention goes to the blue rough-play arse paddle on the window sill .
Who’s been a naughty boy then .....spankies !
I’ve realised that the cross pollination of the twin tendencies of the Youth to have zero regard for the virus and their love of stirring adults through controversial behaviour has revealed a great marketing opportunity.
So I’m going to exploit this consumer niche by starting a clothing brand called “ Infected “.
Hats . T Shirts. I’ll even put out a trend forward line of matching Tracksuit combinations. These things will go like hot cakes.
If Affends and Obey can strike a chord, why not Infected?
What about Infvcted?
Totes edgy.
Holy shit !
I forgot about the obligatory misspell. Rookie error.
Obviously need you on the helm of marketing when we take this thing global , Andy.
Infvcted !
To be fair, the young vegan wellness generation have been crying out to the boomers and co to stop filling the ICU beds with cardiovascular disease for years with their zero regard for “you are what you eat” philosophy
So it’s nothing new
Just stirring ya up blowin ;)
Jeez Stunet, I know this is the good news thread, but that is one helluva rosy future outlook you postulated above.
Oh, there'll be a 'correction' out of all this that'll fundamentally change Australian society alright, but erm, how can I put his delicately...NOT FOR THE FUCKING BETTER, short term, long term, probably even long, long term.
And I'm a jar half full kinda guy.
A jar of Carolina Reaper conserve.
I think another look at Umberto Eco's famous list may be in order.
Not here though.
Let's not bum our highs.
Conserve?
Who the fuck eats conserve?
'Sat what you plop down on the table of a morning, some marmalade and conserve?
Get that shite out of the Good News thread pronto.
Compote?
Hah!
Fig jam?
No you are not
@Blowin
Looks like someone already stole your brand name and even have some damn awful looking silky tracksuits complete with "infected" down the arms and legs just like your design
I kid you not
A bit mild for mine.
From the 'When Life Gives You Lemons' department:
Inner west craft brewers, Young Henrys, pivots to hand sanitiser.
I heard Manly Spirits have been using their 'still to do the same.
Just found out a mate of mine is recording a conversation with Richard Fydler tomorrow. Probably air in about ten days time with a full length podcast the day after that.
Good news!
Who is he Stu and what's the gist?
Also, any more on releasing low-security prisoners into the community?
Can't divulge just yet. Not a huge name in the surf world, though I reckon you would've heard of him. I can vouch for his story being one that's well worth listening too.
RE prisoners: Released over the weekend. Those on remand are free till new legislation is passed for how cases are heard, low-level inmates have - as far as I'm aware - had their sentences commuted.
Curiosity is piqued.
Yeah I'm surprised that the release of prisoners hasn't had greater media coverage - some preliminary stuff a week ago in the ABC and the Guardian but I can't find anything since.
As if the media is going to broadcast the fact that existing prisoners have been released .
What would go through the minds of those prone to criminal behaviour or civil disobedience if they knew that even those already convicted weren’t a governmental priority ?
Probably the same thing as those who love to drink drive when they discovered that random RBT was over ie time to do what I do best...grab a carton and hit the road .
It’s a green light for the dregs of society.
Interesting that even shrill rightwing buffoons like Jones and Hadley who normally love pushing the old law and order buttons don't appear to want to take this on.
Wife's working today so I can't ask her. I suspect that, as a story, it's been drowned out by every other shade of corona. Also, when you drill down, the story ain't as sensational as it sounds: those on remand haven't yet been charged, so the headlines won't sound as shrill, and the prisoners (which I'm not sure of the timing of their release) are low-level. Maybe a creative program producer could spin that into a story of an impending crime wave..?
The concern, at least for my wife, is the lack of resources for vulnerable people and how that's gonna drag on already stretched programs.
Doesn't quite sound dramatic enough for The Australian does it.
Still wonder if there's a potential angle of "throw em out on the street with nothing" from an empathetic ABC or Guardian point of view.
Dedicated to good news ....