Short term

You wake up and are momentarily confused , it’s still dark . Feels like I’ve slept well , but then it sinks in , it’s winter in Melbourne , 715 am . Just a while ago I’d be out there unloading tools from the car , fluoros on and in grind mode . Now I’m in bed contemplating creeping into the kitchen to put the kettle on . A bit of sympathy and guilt swirls in your head as you look out into the grim pre dawn . “Nah fuckm I’ve done my time and will probably be there again some day . Then there’s lunchtime….. what to eat ? Shit , we better get some grease down .A simple pleasure like fish ‘n’ chips is a ‘once in a long time ‘treat . Yeah I felt a little guilty about the calories , but fuck it , it’s been a while and one day it’ll be a regular past time again . The MCG , the old house of pain for a Stkilda supporter is next . I drive mum in , knowing full well this could get ugly . 15 minutes in , it looks like I’m going to watch my beloved Saints do what they do best … get smashed . It then turns , the game opens up into a high scoring , entertaining affair . We win . Mum and I are pretty quiet , we didn’t see it coming . Right to the end it feels like we’l snatch defeat from the jaws of victory . It’s weird , for once in my life I feel like the good luck charm . I’m back and we win . Fuck it , I celebrate with a 6 pack of hot jam doughnuts and bag of dimsims ( dumplings in the US and not as regularly eaten like here ) from our favourite Chinese restaurant in Mentone . Fuck it ,we enjoy the fruits of victory , it’s been a while , it’ll be a while again . The Royal , an open fire , winter ….. quiet . Beautiful , a couple of quiet schooners . The view ; cold , steely grey ….. silver . Fuck it , I’l drink to that it .A Holliday in Melbourne ,in winter …… never thought I’d be doing that . Fuck it , i’l warm up and enjoy it , drink the brilliant coffee and know that soon enough I ‘l be in boardshorts scanning the waves in California . It’s short term but it’ll always be long term .