Mothers Day

I find that the older I get, the more appreciative I become of my Mom and Dad. Sadly my Mom passed away a number of years ago but I am very pleased and relieved to say that I honoured her and expressed my love and gratitude to her while she was still with us. This of course is not to say that I didn't give her plenty of grief over the years and I take full responsibility for the majority of those grey hairs.

Everyone's mother is special to them for all the obvious reasons and we all have a million stories to tell of the not so obvious reasons. I'm telling some of mine right here in memory of my Mom on this particular 'Mother's Day' because she is very much on my mind lately and I have awoken on occasion to her odour. I'm sure that everyone is quite aware that one of our strongest emotional triggers is our sense of smell and that our Mothers each have a very distinct sweet odour ('scent' is probably a more polite word but 'odour' is far more personal and descriptive in my opinion). I actually love waking to that and wish for it more often. I can honestly say that the only thing I really regret in my life is not having more time with my Mom before she passed on. We spent the last 18 years of her life on separate continents and although I would phone her frequently, I never even got to see her face as she aged.

Today though is to celebrate Mom and not a time for sad reflection but some of the joys. I am the fist born child and remember how my Mom would tell me that as first born I was greatly honoured but that along with this great honour came great responsibility to my siblings (3 wonderful brothers). She would often say, "..they will follow your example Peter, so be sure to set a good one." Needless to say I did my best to lead them astray with wine, women and song :) lol.

As a teenager and I'm talking about my late teens (mid teenage years I was a nasty piece of work but back in the early 70's everyone did National Service, best thing that ever happened to me at age 17 - made a man of me). I loved to spend time with my Mom, she was my best friend. I would often take her on my motorcycle to visit her friends and relatives. She would always sit side saddle (which is probably illegal today) and say, "A lady never sits astride anything" oh yes! Mom was a bit of a prude but she was most definitely a lady.

Mom always supported me, even when it seemed that the whole world did not, even when I thought she had given up on me, I once asked Mom why it was always Dad I saw first when I was bent and broken (a frequent occurrence in my younger years). "I can't take it anymore" she said through her tears and we never spoke of this again. I loved the way she would not let us leave the house even for a moment without a kiss goodbye 'just in case the good Lord stopped in to take one of us home'.

We would talk about everything and anything, Mom never had the daughter she always wanted so we boys were not spared the things that mothers do with their daughters, we were taught knitting, crocheting, cooking and all the other niceties of home making and I was Mom's confidant back then as she was mine. I loved teasing her especially in 'Haddon and sly' a rather up market department store where I would fall behind then call out to her, childishly "Mommy, mommy... where are you?" She would turn bright red, get the giggles, rush over and playfully slap me with "Peter, Stop-it! you're embarrassing me!"

She loved to sing and dance while my Dad played the guitar and mouthorgan. Some of my fondest memories are of us (the whole family) on the verandah in Marula Avenue and also Spreckly Road all singing and dancing or rollerskating while Dad played. The laughter was awesome. I remember one night when Mom sang with her brother Joe to Dad's music while we all lived at Marula Avenue and the singing was truly awesome, boy they could sing!

I would spoil my Mom at every opportunity even after I married, my wife is the love of my life and the mother of my children but she is not my Mother and I am truly blessed because my wife has never been jealous of my Mother and in fact came to love her as her own Mom. I was and am therefore able to express my love for my Mom openly and fully as every child should, regardless of age. I know that you are smiling down on us right now Mom.

<3 Love you Mom <3

Hand Brake

I was just reading QPS "What the? Friday" which reminded me of three incidents involving the hand brake on vehicles, all quite funny after the fact but not at the time.

1) Many years ago while out camping with Ronnie, the kids, cousin Gary and his family at Charlie Moreland camp site in the Kenilworth area in South East Queensland, we were approached by the Ranger. He had come to tell us that we owed $'s for a shortfall in our paid up fees.

The Ranger had parked his 4 wheel drive on the hill facing away from the river, had left the vehicle in gear but had not engaged the hand brake. We were standing at our camp site so 20-30 meters away from his vehicle while discussing the fees. I was facing the direction from which he had come while he had his back to his vehicle when suddenly I noticed that the vehicle had begun to roll back down the hill. 

I yelled out as Gary and I gave chase after his vehicle. Fortunately I was able to grab on to the door handle on the drivers side with my right hand, launch myself from the ground as the door opened and then used the door as a fulcrum to swing myself through the opening, using my left hand I grabbed the steering as I stamped on the brake and stopped the vehicle. Needless to say the Ranger was very grateful that disaster had been averted and decided to waive the shortfall.

2) Again a long time ago, Ronnie and I were living in Carara on the Gold Coast of Queensland and had rented a couple of video's whilst a work colleague and friend Brett (we were both Regional Managers for a national regional security firm) was visiting while we upgraded a number of Branch computers to ensure that they were millennium compliant. As with all PC's of that era there was a lot of hurry up and wait so the videos were a nice distraction.

Anyway it was a Sunday, our computer work complete, Brett had left to return home and Ronnie and I decided to return the video's. As was quite customary (since I do all the driving) I sat in the car in the car park while Ronnie ducked into the shop to return the video's.

While I was waiting a fellow pulled up in one of those little convertible Jeeps at the apex of the driveway which led off the main service road at Carrara, hoped out and dashed into the video store. No sooner had he disappeared inside than I noticed his jeep beginning to roll back. There was no way that I could get to that vehicle before it would disappear behind the retaining wall so I ran to the corner and leapt off the retaining wall hoping that my judgement was accurate. Fortunately I landed astride the drivers seat and managed to grab the roll bar and windshield to prevent myself from exiting on the other side just as quickly. I was then able to jump on the brake, thus preventing the jeep from plunging over the embankment to the freeway as we (the jeep and I) had already crossed the main service road without incident fortunately.

The owner had come out to find me seated in his Jeep across the road (I was shaking quite a bit after the adrenaline rush and was in no hurry to go anywhere) He came charging down the hill while yelling back at the store for someone to call the police as his Jeep had been stolen.  I don't think he believed me as I never did get any thanks for saving his precious Jeep - the Jerk. Quite a few people had witnessed the whole incident and confirmed my story BTW.

3) This happened in the late 80's whilst I was on Patrol for MSS security. I had just finished servicing what was then 'The Brisbane Fish Board'. I drove up the driveway in my little Patrol Car (best not mention make and model here) I grabbed my run chain (Patrol Client Key Chain) with the padlock still attached (one of those locks that the key cannot be extracted from unless it is in the locked position) - I never locked myself in if I could help it, just in case I needed to make a hasty exit, I'll relate some of those anecdotes another time.

I pulled on the handbrake, put the vehicle in neutral, stepped out leaving the drivers door ajar as I went back to lock the gates. Whilst my back was to the vehicle and as I was about to remove the key from the padlock after snapping it in place, I felt a bump at the back of my knees and was immediately pressed hard against the gates. The handbrake had given way, the car had rolled back and had me pinned against the gates - I quickly realised that unless I acted fast I would lose circulation in the legs and be up the proverbial sh*t creek without a paddle. Fortunately (God Blesses me always) the key was still in the padlock (can't tell you how many times I had cursed that style of padlock till that moment). I managed to release the padlock with difficulty and hung onto the gate as the car pushed through on it's way to the river.

As soon as I was clear of the car I released the gate and gave chase albeit on wobbly legs. I didn't think I was going to make it and had visions of me and the car in the Brisbane River. The car had to cross a level car park and the wharf after descending the hill and I was able to catch it and stop just over a meter from the river - phew!

I hope you get a chuckle out of these, I know I do - now.

Till Next Time - God Bless.