Hi friends
As none of you sent me any adventures this month I thought I might let us chat about the world as we find it. As many of you know I fell in love with Spain many years ago. I don't expect you all to have the same passion for it and things have changed over the years. I saw it under Franco in the late fifties up till 1982 when we left for Australia then less till I started walking the cominos in 2003. This took me to some places I knew and some, mostly in the North that I had never seen before. Those I knew and remembered from my early days have changed but you can still find it in your heart to love them. Each city, each province and its people are different, in a way this adds much to Spain's charm. I find all provinces charming, while some of course appeal more than others. The architecture of Cordoba, Seville, Oviedo, Barcelona, Madrid, Santiago, and every little town between has its own unique charm. We now find people from all Europe in remote villages and excepted as villagers. I remember many years back when I lived here that was still unusual, I spoke at a meeting about a motorway that was to plough through our village. I was shouted down as a foreigner,
"What would he know"
Then another villager stood up and said
"You speak of a man that has raised his children in our village Michael is a child of our village! (Un Hijo del pueblo)"
I have never felt more proud than that day. I certainty have never felt quite as excepted here in Australia even though I have been here much longer now. Yes if I returned to that village I know most would have forgotten me by now. That’s life I would have to earn that respect again. But still you can walk into a bar in Spain and if you except the friendship of the man next to you in conversation, on leaving you may find to your surprise your drink bill has been paid. One of the reasons I return as often as I can is to experience again this spontaneous warmth. of its people.
I'll let Luke talk now about his adopted country, he now lives much of the time in Buenos Aires

Luke

Buenos Aires is a beautiful city and I'm glad I have been able to spend some time here, plus it's affordable. You can take Luke out of Buenos Aires, but you can't take Buenos Aires out of Luke. It's been a nice experience, I wasn't planning on spending much time here. The first week, I was walking down the street and I stopped and I said to myself,
"I like it here and it's me!!!"

Luke went on to say

At least Peregrino we have a point of reference as to how it used to be. The developers are eating up the world. There is nothing that we can do but enjoy a place that's not spoiled when we find it, even in the 1930's writers were complaining about how places were being ruined by travel agencies and developers, so it's nothing new, probably the Romans were complaining too. Nowadays things are being swept aside more quickly by the influence of movies and t.v. What can we do? Nothing but keep walking,
Ciao Luke

About right Luke we can keep on walking even after we find that place:

As yet no new story for the adventure page, If Luke had sent a photo or two that would have done much to fill it chuckle. Who else lives in an adopted country or has a tale to tell
Here is one of mine set to a poam this is known here as bush poetry

CAMPING KAKADU
The Maisie and I took a trip to Darwin
via Kakadu and we camped in our small camper van on a “safe” camp site it was very hot and sticky













Camping Kakadu















Mike, with his wife, drove north
to get the winter beat,
but now he’s on the campsite,
he cannot stand the heat.
It was in their little camper van
that he said in Kakadu
“By Christ it’s bloody hot love
laying here with you,

my sweaty shirt’s gone flying
over to the front,
I think that in the morning,
for me socks I’ll have to hunt.
I took me blessed pants off,
me jocks have come off too.
The back door’s wide open,
so the breezes might blow through.

There’s no moon tonight dear,
at least, it’s mighty dark.
All windows are wide open
as we lay here in the park,

like the newly born we lay here,
without any of our clothes.
Just the sweat upon our brow
and some upon our nose.

Mosquitoes buzz outside, dear,
and fly around the door,
and all those little biting things
keep looking in for more.
Now as our two lean bodies
are laying here a sweating,
I think that we are lucky dear,
thank Christ for mossy netting!”





















Later he relates it to his mate how it was.

“Out of the darkness,
the pitch blackness of the night,
I heard a little noise, mate,
wow! a wondrous bloody light.
Not just one strong light mate,
just one would not do.
No! One on me wife, and
another one, yeh TWO!

I was so much blinded,
I just couldn’t damn well see.
I wanted to run outside, mate,
for another bloody pee!
Then I heard the drawn out chuckling
of a rotten bloody stranger.
We hadn’t paid our dues, mate,
it was the Camping Ranger!

I didn’t think it fair, mate,
just doesn’t seem quite right,
when it’s so bloody hot there
some 50 plus at night.
We were laying there, quite harmlessly,
and she is my best buddy.
When up he comes, so quietly,
to catch us in the nuddy!

I received the biggest shock,
cut short me bloody life.
When I realised there was more, mate,
he’d brought his blinking wife!
So I slapped around right quick,
to put me hands upon me bits.
While me poor darling wife,
tried her best to hide her tits!!

That’s the way it went mate,
believe me, don’t you see?
she’s just a normal woman
with two hands. No - not three!
The ranger and his wife, mate,
having seen all that they might,
thought they’d have some more fun
and cut the bloody light !!

Ya know what I thought mate,
this was quite an oddity,
after all ’twas a bit late to think
about our modesty.
For as we scrambled round,
I found it was quite funny,
as, black as pitch, we searched for it,
that’s right, the bloody money.

The wallet was discovered,
the money soon withdrawn
from the trampled trousers,
that earlier I had worn.
So I grabbed the small change
and paid the blasted fee.
Yes you got it right mate,
the rent was paid by me!

Now the ranger and his wife
crept off into the night,
with their searchlight turned off now,
without their bloody light.
They had had their laugh now
so they crept off, I surmise,
to catch the next poor beggars
and take them by surprise.

So when you’re in the Northern Territory
a camping in the heat,
having removed all your clothes,
remember those that peek,
the rangers that creep up,
as you’re laying there all starkers.
Don’t forget to pull the blinds
and foil those nosy parkers!”


© Michael Davey - December 1998

Childhood memories of France

Well this month the story came again from Cathy. Unfortunately there are no photos but I might find one or two that might give you an idea of the village where this story took place, although probably not the one chuckle. You see I got her email after sending a joke. She came back with this email that she gave me permission to use.


Hi Mike

One of the jokes reminds me an old story, Do you like to listen it? Otherwise delete it



Mike: ( I think Cathy meant did I want to hear it chuckle well of course I did,) only the names have been changed to protect the innocent chuckle!!!!

Claudette, Jean, Phillipe and me were children (between 5and 9 years old)
My mother and I lived in a big old house in France with a large yard and lots of outbuildings. Claudette, Jean and Phillipe used to come to see us in the holidays. We used to play hide and seek in the old school in the small village where my older sister was a teacher. Phillipe was the youngest. It took some time for him to understand the game. Normally he used to shout
"I have found the best spot"
and would show us his best hiding place well before he ran to it to hide! Well after a while and lots of explaining it seemed he understood the game and from then on we had lots fun playing with him.
In those days our Mums did not have the wonderful washing machines that we have today to wash the clothes every time we got grubby. Washing day was a huge task done once a week, usually on Monday. One of the outbuildings was the laundry, inside this there was a huge copper, in here my mother used to store the dirty washing till the next " washing day".
On this particular day we were playing and Phillipe discovered it and took up residence, pleased he had found a great hiding spot!!
Well may be it was the smell of sweat and body odours, but he must have felt as if he had returned to a big womb and after a while he fell asleep!!!
This time he had not showed us his " best spot "!!! The problem was, we didn't find him !!
At first we didn't worry and we went on with our game. It wasn't untill my mother called us for dinner we realised we had forgotten him. Yes we had really forgotten he had been playing with us !! Of course my mother asked us
"Where is Phillipe?"
It followed a long silence and then panic!! We all ran out calling to him!
No answer!!
We ran onto the street and looked for him!
We asked people on the road!
We asked the neighbours ...He had simply vanished!!!!!
My mother sent us home promising us a sound thrashing later, while she herself ran to the butcher to call the police (he was the only one of the village who had a phone!!!!!). Firmly chastised Claudette, Jean and I went back to the kitchen, here we found Phillipe!!!! He was sobbing and crying heartrendingly
"I'm an abandoned child, sob!! I don't want to go to the orphanage!!!!!!"

Thank you Cathy for your lovely snippet of village life in France many moons ago
More story's and yarns wanted for next months page come on get writing amigos