Scenic Valley

People say they must not go together..... But maybe they can for the good of all? Send a text

It is not easy to see your own character, but others do. There are three signs that you might be 'character blind'....... Send a text

What defines you? What drives you? is it different to what defined previous generations and is it helpful? Many are saying that we in the West have raised up our emotional self as the last and only authority on defining who we are.  Send a text

A lot of the time we are expected or we expect ourselves to always do our best all the time and wonder why we feel quite frazzled! Maybe it is best to know when you are at your best so you can do your best.  Send a text

Playing music and singing songs for people is really cool.  Send a text

Words are powerful. We seem to have troube using them for good effect, but there are ways...... Send a text

It is not that hard to grow cynical. Plenty of people do. it is not much fun to live as a cynic of just about everything and everyone and it is not much fun to be around a cynic!  What can grow cynicism and what can kills it in you? Send a text

John Cornell, Aussie character, 'Strop', in the 1970's Paul Hogan show. A generous humour and good contribution to the world.  Send a text

Ever wonder why you find it hard to really rest? Lock down is kind of a forced rest for some. Trouble it we might be like the sea - never able to stop; never able to truly rest.  Send a text

People seem to say they are 'believing' less and less of anything. But are we? Maybe we believe, but not just the same things? Send a text

Loneliness is huge in our community. Is it always other people's fault? Do we at least in part, choose to be lonely? What can help? Send a text

A bloke's perspective on how blokes treat women...... Send a text

What five things would you do if you could that would make things a bit better for everyone.  Send a text

People are on the move out of the cities and into rural towns. Will it last and what does it mean for those towns!? Send a text

COVID has brought some things we would do well to learn from as the dust settles on the future..... Send a text

Funny how life has its chapters. Like a book you don't rally know what they are about until you are into them and you eventually complete them.... Send a text

We Aussies are struggling with what to do with our national day.  We want to be 'one and free', as the change to our national anthem suggests. How can our national day reflect this? Send a text

Things are a bit tense between us and China. Can we rise above? I hope we can rise above what 's happening with China. I feel twinges of anger about what the Chinese government is doing to several industries. Not being able to sell stuff as you have been doing for years has immediate and telling impact on everyday people here in Australia.  A local business operator where I live told me last...

Charles Dickens speaks some words from his time to ours. They make sense.  Famous words were spoken by the English author, Charles Dickens in 1859. They have stuck with me over the years... They strike me now.  “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season...

I wonder what sort of Christmas you find yourself in - big or small, going hard or keeping small? Hard to say what Christmas will be like this year. It has been a tough year in so many ways.   Christmas seems to tap into some deep heart-felt vision for life we all want. Most people who celebrate Christmas in Australia have no living connection to the community from which it comes. People of all fa...

Are people who ride motorbikes crazy or stupid?! No and No. There are reasons...... People often have serious doubts about motorcyclists. They think it is far too dangerous. We bikers should all just grow up and be sensible. Here's why I ride!  I straddled my first motorcycle and found the thrill of riding a two wheeled mode of transport at some age under 10. But it was not until I had reache...

Marriage is a bit of a mystery when it comes to making it world for the long haul. But there are some basic things that give us the best shot at success.  I have been working with several couples getting ready for their wedding day lately. Interesting how in this COVID restricted time, weddings are smaller and in often more private locations.   Working with couples of all kinds, first time married...

It is a line often spoken. But is it honest or helpful at times? I have heard couples say this often. And I am not sure it is always true or helpful.   I spent some years working in a community that had a high percentage of fly in-fly out mining workers. Mainly the men would be earning huge money in mining but had to be away 2 weeks and back home 1 week. Many of them had young children. For some,...

Joe verses Donald: It was not pretty and quite disturbing. What has the West become? What are we supposed to do as all this plays out? The US presidential debate happened this week. Joe Biden V Donald Trump. Commentators on all sides of politics are deeply disappointed and some are quite disturbed. What have we come to in this Western world?   It was two individuals at their base level throwing sh...

What is COVID doing to us. Is it firing us up or just speeding up the death of our Western society by boredom? Lots of people seem to be pondering what COVID has done to us and what shape it will leave us in. I read something this week that got me thinking about it in a 'big picture' way.   Greg Sheridan wrote a piece in the Weekend Australian that was a summary of a new book. The book i...